Late last week a man walking the M Streets was reportedly attacked by pit bulls. The story is inevitably bringing back to the blogosphere the conversation about whether the American Staffordshire Terrier and/or Staffordshire Bull Terrier — unofficially, the pit bull — is an inherent danger to society.
Should they be outlawed or more strictly regulated? Back Talk has facilitated similar conversations in the past. Whatever the answer, I think the sensational “pit bull” tag distracts from the more general news that irresponsible animal owners, with their neglect or abuse of their animals, are hurting people. A kid in my former neighborhood was badly injured by a stray chow mix (that story didn’t make the news, of course), so dog attacks aren’t limited to pits. (Granted, a mean pit bull is scarier than a ferocious Shih tzu).
The problem here is irresponsible owners — who should be punished like the drunk who gets behind the wheel — the commentary on the Unfair Park story indicates roaming wild dogs are common in East Dallas. Not a good thing no matter what the breed of wild roaming dog. Which brings me to the second lesson: If you are a pedestrian, runner, et al, roaming the East Dallas area, carry mace or a big stick.
Anyway, if you want to read up on how to be a responsible pet owner, we recently ran a column on the topic, and we followed that with a post on what can happen to owners of aggressive dogs. And if you just want to sound off on the subject, comment away …
