Dog advocate urges pet owners to be responsible
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December 26, 2019
To The Eagle:
In response to the recent dog attack that has folks focusing on a dog breed rather than an uncontrolled dangerous dog and owner accountability, I sincerely hope that people will allow officials to focus on the investigation and legal matters at hand.
I encourage you all to educate yourselves on responsible pet ownership and dog psychology. When I visit my hometown, I take a step back in time, as I witness the laxest pet ownership that I’ve ever seen, since leaving 30+ years ago. It’s a rural community, yes. But I’m shocked at how many do not contain or control their dogs there, while it’s a must for me. Being a parent of a Staffordshire, I must pay attention to the laws, but mostly, to people’s ignorance, to protect my family dog. Dogs, like mine, are unfairly characterized by the stereotypes created toward their breed. My dog would much rather lick your face and play with your dogs than cause any harm.
“Judging a dog’s temperament by its appearance is like judging a person’s personality by the color of their skin, something one would hope humankind had learned from in its history.” – Cesar Millan.
Attacks by Pit Bulls account for a portion of dog attacks in the US, yes, as do Shepherds, Huskies, Dalmatians, and mixed breeds, among many.
Are Pit Bulls bred to kill? Illegally, but yes, sometimes. Pit bulls have also been known to be nanny dogs, due to their loyal and caring nature. Unfortunately, their loyalty and desire to please, is taken advantage of by people using and abusing them in fighting rings, like Michael Vik.
Due to their good temperament, they are also being trained to be successful service dogs and Police K9’s.
I plead with my hometown family to focus on the matter at hand, which is responsible pet ownership and accountability, not a dog breed. I am as saddened as anybody towards the horrific event that happened to our friends’ sweet little dog.
Sincerely,
Angie Bain – Cathlamet native, caring friend of the Wegdahls, responsible dog owner, Dog Adoption Ambassador, and Pit Bull advocate
Reader Comments(4)
TerekBanasK9 writes:
No dog lover supports dog killers. Pit Bulls kill dogs and other pets every single day. Pit Bulls are genetically bred to fight and kill other animals. “We live in a world where the pitbull is master, where it matters more than human life, where it matters more than children’s lives and public safety,” said the soft-spoken Vadnais in a recent interview. “People should be revolted by that.” Lise Vadnais, sister killed in her own yard by a neighbor's Pit Bull.
12/26/2019, 12:23 pm
Folkdevil writes:
Pit Bulls have killed 32 Americans this year, and average a fatality in the US every 12 days. Last year saw similar numbers, and a large percentage are children. I wish I had room to list all their names. 34 Dog Bite Related Fatality by Breed. Dogs involved in fatal attacks. 27 by Pit Bull/Pit Bull Mix 01 by wolf hybrid 01 by Rottweiler, Lab, Terrier 01 by GSD 01 by Dogo Argentino 02 by Mastiff Mix 01 by Bull Mastiff By Age : 15 - Children 19 - Adult
12/26/2019, 9:58 am
Brian writes:
Only one type of dog as been responsible for 60$+ of all dog attack deaths every year for the past 10+ years - pit bulls.
12/25/2019, 10:44 pm
4Suns writes:
Thing is, most vicious and deadly attacks are caused by pit bulls and it seems most people drawn to these types of dogs tend to be irresponsible people in general. Have myself been a victim twice to pit bulls, you do tend to realize it is the breed, when their owners did not abuse their dogs, it's just in their genetics. Pit bulls were never nanny dogs. You might want to research this myth, that ends up harming or killing many young children yearly. Choose a family pet wisely.
12/25/2019, 11:39 am