Blame the owner, not the dog

 

http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/peopleandplaces/local_story_144180916.html?start:int=0

 

MALEAH STRINGER: Blame the owner, not the dog

I'm going to take a chance and step into the nasty swirling debate over "dangerous dogs." Those of you who keep up with state news are aware of the pit bull attacks in Indianapolis in the last weeks. And we are seeing the disfigured face of the little girl who was so viciously attacked by a pit bull last year. I still contend it is not the dogs who are the problem; it is the people who own them. These attacks could have been prevented if the owners of the dogs in these attacks had been responsible pet owners.

 

Mayor Bart Peterson disappointed many responsible pet owners across the state by saying he was in favor of banning certain breeds of dogs from being owned in Indianapolis, the pit bull in particular. He believes dangerous, vicious dogs and dog fighting are getting out of control (and he's right) and believes banning breed specific dogs is one way to stop it. Huge fines and jail time for the PEOPLE who engage in animal abuse, which helps create dangerous dogs who they let run loose in their communities, and illegal dog fighting might be the best places to start to tackle this problem. After all, dog fighting is a felony across the country, so use the law to prosecute the owners of dangerous dogs and those who engage in dog fighting.

There are generally three sides to the dangerous breed debate. On one side we have responsible pet owners who have what are deemed in most circles as "dangerous" breeds. These dogs and their affectionate demeanor challenge the typical stereotype for these dogs; they are non-aggressive, loving pets. These people do not want a ban a specific breed.

Then you have the people who hear the words pit bull and want to kill every pit bull on the face of the earth believing that the extinction of that particular breed will solve our dangerous dogs and dog fighting issues. If it wasn't pit bulls it would simply be another muscular type dog. Again the particular breed of dogs isn't the problem; it is the behavior that is the problem.

Finally and where I believe the solution lies: we have the people who engage in the worst form of animal abuse — dog fighting and breeding of dangerous dogs with the sole purpose of engaging in dog fighting. It is this third group that we need to address and punish — the people need to be punished not the dogs. Unfortunately, vicious dogs that cannot be rehabilitated will need to be humanely put down.

Perhaps it might also be helpful to stop glorifying the people who engage in animal cruelty and the ILLEGAL blood sport of dog fighting. Prominent rappers and a particular NFL Atlanta Falcon quarterback have been reported to allegedly have ties to dog fighting. This in and of itself sends a terrible message to the youth of America by promoting animal cruelty.

Indianapolis, I believe, is taking a step in the right direction concerning "dangerous dog: legislation. They are creating a law that is "identifying behavior and not breed as the potential danger to communities."

Stacy Coleman, president of Indy Pit Crew, a non-profit group that advocates for the responsible pet ownership of pit bulls says, "With the proposed changes, irresponsible owners are targeted, not the dogs. There is no breed specific language, which is important since all breeds of dogs can be dangerous. The changes clearly place the responsibility where it needs to be, on the people who have chosen to abuse, abandon or neglect their dogs to the point they become a risk to public safety. If a person makes a choice to get a dog, they MUST be held responsible for that dog's care and behavior.

"Any dog that has aggressively, bitten, attacked, endangered or has inflicted serious injury on a person on public or private property is the primary definition of a "dangerous" dog. Additionally, any dog that has more than once severely injured or killed a domestic animal while being off the owner's property or has knowingly been used primarily or in part for the purpose of dog fighting or is a dog trained for dog fighting could be deemed dangerous."

It's been found that less than 2 percent of all dogs properly identified in dog attacks have turned out to be pit bulls. But, in 90 percent of the dog attack cases, the attacking dog was not neutered/spayed and/or was abused by owners. One more reason to spay/neuter your dog, and yet another reason to take animal abuse seriously. Animal abuse can create dangerous dogs and dangerous dogs maim and kill people.

Indianapolis is also forming the Central Indiana Canine Crime Stoppers program. This is the first Crime Stopper program designed specifically to target the crime of dog fighting. In this program citizens can anonymously report suspected dog fighting activity and receive a cash reward of up to $1000 for information which leads to a felony arrest using the hotline.

So, what's the rest of the state going to do concerning vicious abused dogs and dog fighting?

*Information courtesy of Nuvo and Department of Public Safety, City of Indianapolis Animal Care and Control Division.

Maleah Stringer, president of the Animal Protection League, is an animal massage therapist specializing in esoteric healing. She can be reached at maleahstringer@aol.com.