Pit bulls too dangerous for SVG

25.JULY.08

Editor: I had sent a previous letter to your newspaper referring to the history of the Pit Bull. After reading the letter, a few persons told me that they got the impression that I was trying to create sympathy for the breed by stating that they were brutalized in the past. If what I wrote was misread then I apologize for it.{{more}} When I made reference to the sport of bull baiting, the bull that I referred to as being tied to a post is not the Pit Bull, but rather bull as in male cattle. The Bull Dogs that were used to viciously attack them are what I made reference to as the ancestor of today’s Pit Bulls. I apologize for any misunderstanding. At the same time, I am not asking anyone to hate the breed.

I am a trained biologist and would not advocate the hatred of any animal species, breed, variety etc. Unlike humans, animals do not have conscious thought and can only behave based on what their nature (genetics) and their nurture dictate. The fact that we have animals like the Pit Bull being created by artificial selection and human nurturing only speaks of the wants and or supposed needs of mankind. In my honest opinion, the Pit Bull is not a dog that is necessary to keep around in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They are quite simply too dangerous. The main purpose of the Pit Bull here is to protect property. They are not a necessity since at least one other breed, the Rottweiler, is possibly more effective at this. However, I would not give much praise to the Rottweiler because it is reputedly number two for human fatalities caused by dogs in North America.

Shamal Connell