Blame dog’s owner, not the breed
Fresnans, let us be smart with our words and thoughts toward pit bulls.
Blaming the breed is lazy and, quite frankly, irresponsible. For every story you hear about someone being mauled or bitten, there are 10 times more stories of companionship, loyalty, licks and devotion.
If we are going to use a tired notion of blaming the breed, then let me use the very unused and credible notion of blaming the owners. Starving the bullies, throwing them in the back yard with no social skills, caging them up and encouraging them to be aggressive are all things they learn from the person who take them in, not the person they encounter at random and react with what they have been taught.
Do not encourage negative opinion or media bias when thinking of this or any breed. Let us petition for a ban on the owners of these dogs – jail time for their neglect and a ban on ever owning any animal again. That is where the real problem lies. Don’t bully the bullies.
Liz Lomeli, Fresno
This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Blame dog’s owner, not the breed."