Dear Editor,
Thank you for the article about the ongoing pit bull debate, “Cute …killers?” published June 29.
We at PETA agree that some pit bulls can make loving companions and that any dog, regardless of breed, can become aggressive if mistreated. Nevertheless, pit bulls are at the very top of the list when it comes to dog-bite related fatalities.
This may be as a result of a combination of two factors: That pit bulls are more prone to aggression, and that they are also more prone to being abused. Many of the people who acquire pit bulls aren’t looking for companionship – they are looking for a status symbol.
This is one reason we also support a mandatory spay/neuter law for pit bulls, as well as dogs of all breeds. Spaying and neutering dogs not only helps prevent future tragedies (unaltered dogs are three times more likely to bite), it also greatly reduces the number of unwanted animals who wind up on backyard chains, begging for food on the streets or entering shelters. With 3 to 4 million animals killed in this country’s shelters each year, there is simply no reason – or excuse – to continue breeding dogs.
Sterilization is good for individual dogs, too. It significantly lessens the chance of reproductive cancers and makes animals much less likely to fight, roam, urinate indoors or have behavioral problems. For a brochure on getting spay/neuter ordinances passed in your community, including model ordinances, please visit HelpingAnimals.com.
Lindsay Pollard-Post, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
