Biting Back at Dangerous Dogs

Regarding Scott Hadly’s article “Dog Bites on the Rise” (May 14):

As a concerned citizen, parent and dog owner, I caution the use of dog trainers as a definitive source for information concerning the rising instance of vicious animal attacks. To say that dog trainers have an agenda and a clouded vision of reality is an understatement.

In the equation of the problem of dog bites, of course the owner is the biggest variable. For example, owners who don’t train their animals. Owners who disregard leash laws and inflict their bad manners on others. Owners whose unleashed dogs play in children’s play areas, lick from the drinking fountains and, in short, make it uncomfortable and unwise for some parents to take their children on walks in the park. Owners who are strangers to me but think I should feel comfortable with their “friendly” Rottweiler charging up to my 2-year-old and putting its snout in her face, and who are clearly surprised and annoyed when I am not! We have laws to protect us from the bad judgment and manners of others so that we can share the public environment without fear, but these laws are rarely enforced. Most disturbing is the fact that owners of dangerous breeds rarely ever accept responsibility for the mayhem that follows when the inevitable occurs.

But, undeniably, the other major variable is the breed of the dog. Any dog can reach a breaking point and lash out at a stranger, or its owner, but the consequences when this happens with a pit bull or similar breed are much greater. No matter how well it is trained, loved, or nurtured, pit bulls are innately dangerous animals due to the potential of their musculature (including a bite that rivals a jet aircraft’s hydraulic system in pounds per square inch clamping power).

This is not a freedom of expression issue, it is a physiology issue. To draw an analogy, a friendly wolf is still a wolf. Dangerous breeds can and should legitimately be banned from private ownership. Pit bulls were banned in England following a series of especially vicious attacks, for example, and the Brits are no dog haters.

I think Scott Hadly’s article was outstanding. The impact might have been even more striking had you published a picture of Richard Dietz’s mangled face taken immediately following the attack.

DAVID KENNEDY

Thousand Oaks