Dog-Fight II

One of the first postings to this blog discussed Michael Vick, multi-million dollar quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, dog-fighting, and pit bulls, all of which were very much in the news at the time. A new reader has discovered my blog, an event for which I am always excited and appreciative, and has registered his objections to that posting. I am not a particular fan of anonymity. Although I blog under a pseudonym, a whimsical notion I blame on my grandson, my birth identity is no secret and appears in plain sight regularly on my blog, as if anybody really cares. I enjoyed the exchange with my objector so much that I thought I should bring it out from the blog comments and present it front and center stage:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Size Of The Fight In The Dog":

You are confusing two issues here; aggression toward human beings by dogs and dog aggression toward other animals. While a "pit bull" is not an actual breed instead American staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, and the UKC only recognized, American Pit Bull Terrier are all distinct breeds. All have some fighting background which in no way correlates to human violence. In fact if you believe a dog inheritantly natured toward the way they are bred, these dogs were all bred to not show violence toward human beings. This can only point toward some sort of human intervention effecting their nature. If you accept that as true than you must also accept that a dog that attacks other dogs can be altered or controlled in that respect as well. It starts with training them at an early age. Any dog can and will attack another dog if left unsupervised irrespective of its breed if it is a non-neutered male. Just as two male bulls will fight to establish dominance. However dogs that are violent toward human being pose a much larger threat to our society than one that attacks another animal. As such a guard dog breed is far more dangerous than a "pit bull" because they were bred to attack human beings. Look at canine temperment tests a German Shepard is far more likely to bite someone as is a Rottweiler than what you call a "pit bull." Yet you fail to consider that. Also your commentary about football, an American sport indicates a glimpe as to the basis for your opinion. I personally think American staffordshire terriers are very attractive dogs and sheepdogs and the dog your claimed was attacked are the most ugly useless things on the planet. I think its pathetic that you're trying to pass yourself off as an expert of any sort ondogs or animals in light of such a terribly flawed argument. Stick to politics you might make some friends in that rhelm with your bias opinions.

Paw Paw Bill responds:

Imaagine what joy it gives me to see not only that someone has read anew a posting that has been around this long but also that I have managed to raise some hackles. I would not want you to think that I am offering myself as an expert in anything, least of all breeds of dogs. The things about which I might consider myself an expert would not make interesting reading to many. I will gladly yield to anyone's superior knowledge of the difference between AKC breeds. I have owned Welsh Corgie's, both kinds, and frankly I find them infuriatingly and endearingly alike. I also once owned a Border Collie, which was an impressively smart and athletic dog, but I had to get rid of her when she got it in her head that anything in a baby stroller was a mortal enemy. I did not fail to consider the dangers of "guard dog breeds." I just did not mention them. I have also owned a beloved German Shepherd, but you must understand that the blog posting in question had a more or less specific subject, and did not lend itself to discussion of everything. Indeed, the only dogs that have ever bitten me were a dauschund, a chihuahua, and a Jack Russell. All in all, I believe dog ownership is the source of more irresponsibility than even ownership of firearms, and I do not remember dogs mentioned anywhere in the Constitution of the United States. Regarding the flaws in my arguments, I take pride in careful avoidance of the over use of logic. I prefer impressionistic impressions and the employment of humor, if not outright silliness, if possible. Additionally, everything I write is political, no matter if it is about dogs, football (American or otherwise), or people who against all common sense want to be President of the United States. Finally, I have never written anything with the goal of making friends. I do hope, however, to contribute to your not being bored to death.

Copyright 2008 by William C. Cotter

The Size Of The Fight In The Dog

The term “Dog Fight” is not a new one, and it certainly refers to a universally recognized event in nature. Multi-million dollar National Football League quarterback Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons has pleaded guilty to conspiring to start dog fights, not for the purpose of gambling, of course, but for entertainment only. It was just a hobby, a way for an athlete to use his fame and free time to give something back to the community, like NBA Superstar Shaquille O’Neal trying to encourage overweight children to go easy on the junk food and get in shape, maybe improve their health and save their lives.

The U.S. government now has possession of some 50 pit bulls formerly belonging to Quarterback Vick and seeks the advice of American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals about the future of the dogs. Vick and his friends already disposed of some dogs without consulting with the ASPCA.

Pit Bulls look like bodybuilders on an overdose of steroids. They are as attractive as alligators or rattlesnakes. Pit Bull owners get quoted often in the news that the breed is not naturally vicious. This is usually offered as an explanation and defense after a pit bull has mauled and sent to the hospital a pre-school child lucky to be alive or elderly person unable to sprint and dodge like an NFL quarterback. Pit bull attacks sometimes are blamed on the owner’s leaving the dog in the custody of a ten or eleven year old.

A local television station recently showed a victim of an attack by a pit bull. Still in the hospital, the four year old child’s face looked like a jigsaw puzzle. His parents did not have the money to pay for his hospital bills or the needed plastic surgery. The TV station gave out information about making donations. The parents of the injured child could bring a lawsuit against the pit bull’s owner, but he also had no money to make the child whole again. In most places, it is illegal to drive your car without liability insurance to protect the innocent in case your car gets out of your control. Maybe the only protection against pit bulls is to carry a tube of mace, available at most drugstores, or better yet a 9mm Glock, available at your neighborhood pawn broker, sporting goods store, or wherever you shop for lethal weapons other than pit bulls. Invest in some target practice, lest you endanger a pit bull owner by mistake.

I once owned a pit bull myself, or at least, it was a member of my household. My son wanted it for his high school graduation present, so that he could go hunting for wild razor back pigs in the Georgia swamps. We raised that pit bull from a puppy, sitting on our living room couch watching “Wheel of Fortune,” next to our big, black, clumsy, long-haired Bouvier des Flandres, Sam, with the disposition of a circus clown. One day without warning, the pit bull grabbed Sam by the throat in a death grip as they romped in the yard. My wife, son, and daughter could not pull the pit bull off Sam. Everybody yelled. I grabbed a two-by-four out of the garage and slugged the pit bull, connecting like I was batting a baseball and going for the fences. After the pit bull released Sam, we telephoned the man who sold us the pit bull and told him we wanted to return it. He hesitated, “Well, that dog’s momma done killed two of my neighbor’s cows.” Eventually, another $100 convinced him to take back Sam’s attacker.

Pit bull owners and enablers like to say it’s all in how you treat them. There must be some other reasonable explanation why nobody ever tries to organize dog fights with Old English Sheepdogs vs. Bouviers des Flandres, even if it’s just for fun.

Copyright 2007 by William C. Cotter