Editor:
Re: Bad owners, not bad dogs, July 1 letters.
Letter-writer Jeremy Ripper is missing the point.
We all know that bad owners make bad dogs, but that does not stop the fact that innocent people are being torn apart by vicious dogs, and pit bulls seem to be more trigger happy than most in getting the job done. And no one can seem to figure out why.
A loving pit bull who has been in the family home for years suddenly attacks a small child. A woman walking by a convenience store is attacked without warning. An owner’s dog is mauled to death while innocently taking a walk.
Do we all now live in fear of pit bulls? Of course, and rightly so. Dogs, like people, cannot all be categorized as one, as there are many different reasons why they do what they do.
And to add salt to the wound, in today’s society, no one seems to take responsibility for their own actions. The fact that these bad dog owners walk away totally unscathed while the victim has been scarred for life is beyond me, but I guess we have our justice system to thank for that.
While we also cannot control what goes on inside one’s home, we should be able to feel safer while walking our streets.
Banning the pit bull breed altogether because of a few bad dog owners is not the answer. But before tragedy strikes again, we should at the very least be enforcing a mandatory law that all pit bull breeds be muzzled while in public. And, if not, severe penalties should incur for the bad dog owners.
Cheryl Berti, White Rock