I'm reading all of this with great interest because I am heavily involved in local politics and I think my city is very close to a pit bull law since the last episode where a pit bull was walking on a leash with its owner and attacked a pedestrian. The owner could not get the dog off the guy and it took a couple of other people to help to do it. The elderly man who was attacked said the dog came sniffed him in a friendly way and then attacked him. He had some pretty bad injuries, regards himself as grateful to be alive, but is screaming for a law banning pit bulls. The owner, who was entirely shocked that it happened, had the dog put down. This was a dog that lived with his family, kids etc. and had never shown any aggression to humans at all. The owner was very choked up and I felt as sorry for him as I did for the victim. But his dog had to go, as you well know.
We've had some pretty awful maimings here and the patience seems to have ended. One young boy got attacked in his own yard by a neighbor's pit bull, and his face was destroyed. The owners ultimately hid the dog in another state after it was ordered euthanized, and took their fines. They weren't going to put the dog down even though it had literally destroyed this young boy's face. This didn't go very far toward improving public image. The incident happened two years ago and the public is still angry over what those owners did.
Where I live, it seems that just when it calms down, another one occurs. I know one guy who sprayed a loose pit bull and clubbed him on the head with a tieout stake and the dog hadn't even attacked. He said he wasn't going to wait and see. This is a pit bull that the owner says is "friendly" and accidently got out of the yard, which is possible--things like that can happen, but it doesn't seem to be excusable when it's a pitbull with the history around here. We have also an increasing number of complaints from homeowners trying to rent apartments and potential tenants refusing to move in or moving out because of the pit bull in the yard next door or nearby. The dogs don't even have to be doing anything, just the sight of them scares people off because it has reached a point where everybody knows somebody by name who has been attacked or terrified. Not too long ago, a pit bull was shot on sight by a police officer after complaints he was loose and scaring people.
I really don't think any laws that punish people after the injury or death is going to continue to be acceptable to the communities that are pushing toward bans. It's just not a safe enough idea to the public at large. I myself only know one pit bull personally and he's a nice dog but I cannot bring my dog over to my friend's house because he is extremely dog aggressive. So I just don't do it, but I would imagine that if he ever got loose by accident he would easily kill someone's dog or cat. I know that her neighbors are skittish about it. The only other experience I had was last summer when some nutball had two young pit bulls tied on chains behind where I live, rain or shine. They howled all night and snapped at each other and got meaner and meaner as the summer wore on. One got loose and bit a child and was taken away. Shortly after, the dog control people took the other one. I really felt sorry for these dogs and actually thought of helping them a few times, but too be honest, I was too afraid to go near them and even more fearful for my own puppy if they broke into my yard. Every time my dog went into the yard they would start barking violently and they couldn't even see onto my land; it was very scarey. I had the distinct feeling they wanted my puppy, if you get my drift. I had a very uncomfortable summer because of it and was hovering over my puppy ad nauseum whenever she was in my yard. Now I could have been way off base, you see? But the truth is, people are afraid of them because of the incidents they know of, and it makes them shiver at the thought that a pit bull might be in their vicinity. I see the kind of public reaction you might see if a convicted child molester move into the area. The hysteria is that great.
I do think these chained dogs I mentioned did not come to a happy ending, and I feel terrifically guilty about it because of my mixed feelings. On one hand I felt sorry for them and on the other hand I am just glad they are gone because they pose no danger to me or my dog. Talk about terrible mixed feelings, hey?
Talking about banning people in different categories is never going to be a good analogy because in all civilized countries, people will always have more rights than pets. This is a hard thing to face, especially since I personally love my dog more than I love most people I know. But it's a fact nonetheless. We can never attach the same rights to our pets as is attached to the public at large, and yes, that even includes the pedophile that you might be forced to live with in your town. The constitution simply does not apply to our dogs, and so it is incumbent upon us to pay the piper if one of our beloved pets violates the rules set forth by people.
My thoughts here give you a good indicator of how the general public who never owned a pit bull feels about pit bulls. Educating them to not look them in the eye, and to freeze and do all those other things that are suggested won't work. It only invokes MORE fear. People do not want to hear what THEY must do to cohabitat with pit bulls and that really has to be acknowledged. Most people that see a loose pit bull or even one on a leash coming towards them want him gone any way it can happen. It's just a survival instinct kicking in, you see. People at large don't stop to think about whose fault it is, how it's not the dog's fault, how the owner may or may not be responsible, whether they are trained or not trained. They simply want the object of their fear to no longer be there. We have to face that we are a society that puts people before dogs and adjust accordingly. If it comes down to public safety or somebody's pet, there is no question which will win out. Yelling at people about it and telling them they are ignorant or that we need to educate people while the problem still looms isn't really going to make the public as a whole feel warmer or more fuzzy about this problem. It only exacerbates it, attaching pit bull ownership in the same category as pit bulls. I'm sure that all of you are wonderful people who love your dogs as much as I love mine. But I honestly don't think that the woman who emotionally posted on this thread wants to meet anybody else's sweet lovable pit bull after she watched her own dog being ripped apart in front of her. Being sensitive to this would really go a long long way. I realize that you love your dogs, and your dog wasn't the pit bull who did this. But just try for a minute to put yourself in her place and can you really blame her? I could almost see her crying while she typed what happened.
I hope I have given you some light on what is really going on in the minds of the great majority of people around you, all of the ignorant of pit bull ownership as I am. That is my real intent here. I deliberately chose a breed that would not impact my ability to have property and liability insurance. I also chose a dog that is not very popular. Maybe these things were in the back of my mind at the time I was making my choices, but I do know that I am very grateful that my breed is not very high on the popularity list. I recognize that one day that could change and I dread the thought. So I do not want you to think I do not feel for those of you who own and love pit bulls. I just want to put a more realistic paint on the picture of what the public is thinking all around you.
Love,
Your Dead Messenger.
