Editor:
Re: Surrey to reconsider dog bylaw, June 24.
I am horrified that a leashed dog without its owner had attacked a woman and caused her great harm.
I was also upset to read that once the dog’s owner made it to the scene, he did not come to the woman’s aid and immediately took his dog home.
The breed of the dog happened to be a pit bull.
In the few cases going back many years in Surrey, most of these attacks were by unleashed pit bulls, and the owners were generally the thug or street type. Now, the number of pit bulls are high – the percentage of these attacks lies at less than one per cent of their population. This means 99 per cent of pit bulls are loved, obedient and well-trained.
I am a proud owner of the pit bull breed, and yes this was a horrific attack, but for anyone to put a ban on “dangerous breeds” is just sickening. The owner is the one responsible for the actions of his or her pet, especially in public space.
This is just stereotyping for animals. For government to go after a breed of dog is like Donald Trump proposing a ban on a religion. Like I said, it takes a few to ruin it for everybody. In this case, it’s dog owners.
We love our dogs. Our dogs love us unconditionally. Now, if my beloved pitty were to end up in the pound, so-called “dangerous breeds” dogs require a $1,000-$5,000 impound fee, as opposed to the typical $31 fee. That is straight ransom for your beloved dog.
I feel threatened by breed-specific bylaws, and I will take action against them.
How would you feel if a bylaw officer came to your door and forced you to register your dog? How would you feel if your neighbours felt threatened by your beloved family pet, just because of the way he/she looks or what breed it was? It could be the most loving, caring, kind pit bull in the world, but because of fearmongering in newspaper articles, someone felt uneasy knowing there’s a pit bull next door or across/down the street.
My dear Diesel, my pit bull, means the world to me. He is very smart, very healthy and almost has human-like emotions.
I am a grown man, but I would be brought to my knees if my dog were to become subject to the pound. They are like our children.
We know what they do to ‘dangerous breeds’ at the pound. Many of these innocent creatures are put down, not even for being vicious but because they wear the ‘bully breed’ name.
I will proudly walk my ‘bully breed’ prominently through any Surrey park – bylaw or no bylaw. I will show others that there is nothing to fear in this breed.
It’s the ill-trained owners that deserve the dog’s punishment.
God bless our beautiful country and every animal in it.
Jeremy Ripper, Surrey
