I appreciate Trygve Olson's editorial cartoon of Sept. 23, stressing that dog owners need training and education to understand the behavior and needs of their pets. However, the woman's comment in the cartoon - "They're finally cracking down on pit bull owners," - indicates that only pit bull owners should attend such classes. In actuality, pet owners of all breeds would benefit from behavorial instruction. Keep in mind, too, that not all dangerous dogs are pit bulls nor should pit bull owners be considered "a type."
The term pit bull is more street slang as of late, than it is an actual breed. Pit bull is not a breed, but a term for three breeds - the British-bred Staffordshire terrier, the American-bred American pit bull terrier, and the American-bred American Staffordshire terrier.
Attacks by other dogs rarely make the local news, but pit bull attacks make the national news immediately. Recent articles about aggression add to discrimination against the breed instead of an understanding of situations. It's tragic when such attacks occur, but hysteria against pit bulls and their owners often leads to irrational measures. The most severe of these is breed banning, which studies prove is ineffective.
Many assume that pit bulls are aggressive toward humans, when actually pit bulls have been bred to be trustworthy, loyal and hardworking. They were once known as the nanny dog and the "all-American dog." Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Edison and Helen Keller owned pit bulls. The dog in "Spanky and Our Gang" is a pit bull. Current celebs Jessica Biel, Jon Stewart and Linda Blair, to name a few, also own pit bulls.
For further information: The National Canine Research Council, www.nationalcanineresearch
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council.com, provides accurate stats on dog attacks and the prejudice driving the media frenzy with pit bulls.
