Get facts straight on pit bulls
Burnaby Now
Published: Wednesday, May 28, 2008Dear Editor;
Re: Pit bulls not Pomeranians, Letters to the editor, Burnaby NOW, May 24.
Why is it that people write about that which they know nothing about?
If these same people would only do some research before they put pen to paper. So-called "pit bulls" have no stronger jaws than other dogs of their size, it has been documented on the web if only people would look.
Never in Canadian history has a "pit bull" ever killed a child.
But many other breeds have.
There has only been one fatality from these dogs, and their owner was being attacked by a bat-wielding drunk.
The interesting thing here is, on average, there are about nine serious dog attacks a year. However, there are about 147,000 animal cruelty complaints made every year.
According to stats from the National Canine Research Council showing how high these dogs rate on temperament testing, they tie with golden retrievers.
It is amazing how gullible the public is and how most serious attacks don't make it to mainstream media, except if they can even remotely put the name "pit" in a headline.
Sadly, these dogs are commonly mistaken for the other 23 official breeds and many attacks end up being mistaken identities.
I am amazed, especially in this information age, how so much misinformation still gets published.
I weep for these dogs as they are so abused by man, used by media to sell papers and now being set upon by an misinformed public.
Ignorance and misinformation is flourishing, even in Canada.
Fran Coughlin, Toronto
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