Journalist crosses the line with his opinions on Pit Bulls
I had this article sent to me and thought I would share it with everyone here. I hope that everyone who reads it will give this guy a piece of their mind and let him know this was uncalled for and share their opinions the way he shared his when no one asked for them. Try to be tactful as to not feed further into his stereotyping. I've already sent my scathing reply that I'll be happy to share upon request.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/Column...02/946800.html
My response to the journalist
Your complete and total ignorance truly shines through in your article. Anyone who would write such an article without first learning the facts and gaining experience is the one with a "psychological disorder". People are killed in car wrecks all the time, so should we ban the cars or the drivers? Lets think about that one for a minute, a car is only as dangerous as it's driver, the person in "control" of the car. The same applies for a dog, of any breed. Pit Bulls have been around for over 200 years without problems, it's only until the last few years that their population has grown and they have become the trendy ego booster of the decade, paraded around by pathetic criminals with low self esteems that associate with their dogs the way they would a car. I'm sure you were around in the 1970's when the breeds that were considered "dangerous" were Dobermans and German Shepherds, then on to the 80's when the Chow Chow took on that role and on into the 90's til now, Pit Bulls and Rottweilers have become the next unfortunate victims of society's cruelest citizens who to some may "look and seem harmlessly normal, even loving". (These same kind of people could even be your next-door neighbor or co-worker.) Do you see a pattern here? Pit Bulls are banned here and there as a knee jerk decision by politicians to make it look like they are doing something to protect their constituents, when in reality, they are just trying to win over the masses by feeding into their ignorance and lack of education, passing laws that do nothing to prevent dog bites, in hopes of winning more votes in another term. Do you really think that people will be safer if Pit Bulls were gone? If Pit Bulls are outlawed, then only outlaws will own Pit Bulls, because let's face it, criminals care nothing about the law and they are the ones causing the problems. Not the law abiding citizen who's Pit Bull has never shown an ounce of aggression, is already neutered, and lives in the house as a part of the family. These citizens are the only ones that the law applies to because they are the only ones who abide by the law and they turn out to be the ones that suffer when a ridiculous law is passed banning their pets. You're not comparing apples to apples when comparing Pit Bulls to Mike Tyson. Any dog of any size can inflict serious injury, depending on the size of the person. While a Pomeranian may not do much to hurt a full grown adult, there is record of such a tiny dog killing an infant, which I'm sure to that infant, felt like a punch from Mike Tyson. There are dogs much larger than Pit Bulls and even some people, that have the ability to fit a human head in their mouths, which you can just imagine the amount of damage that could do. I foresee these being the kinds of dogs that irresponsible, thugs will move on to when Pit Bulls become hard to obtain. A law will be passed, more breeds will be banned, and I'm sure we'll see another article such as yours babbling on about something you know nothing about except what your closed mind chooses to buy into from media hype. Everyone has their right to their own opinion, but to plaster total nonsense in an article hoping to get a pat on the back by those who read it is unjustified and uncalled for. You crossed a fine line by labeling anyone who chooses to own a Pit Bull as a "closet oddball with psychological disorders". Stereotyping equals bad journalism, which I as Pit Bull owner/rescuer find very unacceptable. That's right, I rescue these outstanding "brutes" and have seen the pain, abuse, and suffering heartless humans can inflict upon these innocent animals. And we're supposed to be the more "civilized" species. When a Pit Bull or any dog attacks it has a reason whether it's be because they were trained to or provoked, but what reason does a human have to torture one of these animals whether it's by dragging them behind their car, holding them down on a burning BBQ pit, beating them with a baseball bat, or throwing dogs in a ring to rip each other apart while a crowed watches and cheers, placing bets on the outcomes of the violence. Feel free to take a look at what your fellow man is capable of:
http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/sadreality.html
http://www.deviantart.com/view/11454716/
And please, do yourself and anyone who may take the time to actually read your article, a favor and stick to your think less job of sports journalism and quit trying to dummy-up society with your uneducated assumptions.
Yours Truly,
The Proud Guardian of Pit Bulls
Michelle Reilly