PIT NEWS IN MY AREA!!!

[Guest Anonymous]

Pit bulls' bites worse than owners' bark

By Bob MacDonald

In last Friday's column, I called for the banning of pit bull dogs in Canada or at least Ontario after two pit bulls attacked a Toronto man and nearly killed him.

They likely would have accomplished that except for a brave rescue by neighbour Terry Lewis, who punched the dog attacking the head of fallen Rajinder Hans. Lewis drove the dogs off.

The 43-year-old Hans, who had been walking home from work in his east Toronto residential area, suffered severe wounds to his face and head, plus had an ear almost torn off. The dogs, who had escaped from a nearby backyard, had pulled him down and also attacked his legs.

It took over 100 stitches and plastic surgery to patch up Hans. He'll be scarred for life -- physically and probably emotionally.

"I thought I was going to die," said Hans. "It happened so fast, I couldn't do anything -- they jumped up on me, knocked me down and started biting my face.

"Thank God for the person (Lewis) who was walking by, who was brave enough to jump in and pull them off," said Toronto Police Det. Wayne Banks.

Days later, Jill Thornhill, who had brought up one of the pit bulls, said she had considered them "very loving."

"I have a different opinion of them now -- they're dangerous dogs," she said.

In my column, I contended pit bulls were a menace to the public. They were bred for fighting -- first against bulls and then against dogs for betting purposes. They aren't meant to be pets -- and have no place in today's urban life.

Since then, I've received more than 200 e-mails -- many supporting my view -- with some going even further and contending there's no need either for such large and often aggressive breeds as Rottweilers and Dobermans.

However, more than half the e-mails came from persons strongly and even belligerently supporting the pit bulls. Most were from people who owned such dogs and described them as good-natured, intelligent and loyal pets.

A peculiar aspect of the pro-pit bull messages was that they not only came from Ontario and other parts of Canada, but from the U.S., plus Australia, England, Scotland, Portugal and Germany.

Quite a few carried the same contention: Ban the bad breeders and the bad people that have them, not the breed.

"Your(sic) a moron," wrote one. "You are an uneducated, laughable, uninformed, predjudiced(sic) person," claimed another.

But one thing that struck me about these impassioned defences of pit bulls was that only a couple expressed any sympathy for the victim of the attack. One began:

"First and foremost I would like to wish Mr. Hans the gentleman attacked by the two pit bulls a speedy recovery."

The other said: "I can understand that people who have been attacked by a pit bull may want the breed banned. But I do not think that will solve anything."

And that was it. For some strange reason, the rest of those staunch pit bull defenders didn't see fit to express any sympathy for the victim. You might wonder if some consider human life less valuable than that of their "lovable, good-natured" pit bulls.

Of course, many letters backed banning the breed -- or at least requiring them to be muzzled in public.

"I cannot believe how tolerant we are in this city towards punks (and punks can be 50 years old) with pit bulls," wrote Andrew Lynch, from the Beaches. "I have ... witnessed three unprovoked pit bull attacks on other canines by unleashed pit bulls." In one case, a pit bull attacked a neighbour's poodle and released its hold only after "hammer blows to its ribs and a crowbar smashed through its teeth to pry its jaws off the helpless, leashed poodle."

Added Lynch: "I'm also the father of a very small seven-month-old child in a neighbourhood swarming with children and where I see at the very least one to three unleashed pit bulls a week."

However, he said that the authorities -- and that includes politicians -- pay no attention to the threat. But he warned:

"Well, they will notice when a child is killed -- and it will happen."

[GizmoRedNosePit]

Hmmm, he has a good point that we all would write him and say everything how the pitbull shouldn't be banned but we never do mention the victim...hmmmmm thinking about that now.... :-?

[Guest Anonymous]

Let's all write this guy at the Toronto Sun News paper in Toronto Canada. Everyone who owns or knows a PIT/AMSTAFF/MIX or anyone else with a Doberman or Rotti or other supposed viciously breed dog, e-mail this guy.

First let him know that you are concerned for the people who have been hurt by these dogs, then express how your dog or the one you know has been raised properly. That it is not the dog, but the way the owner has raised the dog that is the problem, not the breed!

bob.macdonald@tor.sunpub.com


-The Hulkster!!!

[Guest Anonymous]

when you send your e-mail, let us know here, thanks!

LONG LIVE THE PIT!!!

[Guest Anonymous]

I sent one yesterday after I read this post.

[stiff]

Damn his evil ways........

[stiff]

Were is that top ten biters list?

[stiff]

I like Pitbulls being on top of everything but not this........

[stiff]

I second that, I have never seen anyone let their Pitbull out without a leash, there has been some accidents, but never because the owner let their dog lose, What are they thinking?

[stiff]

I like it a lot, Thanks

[stiff]

maybe the address of my future web site, but not yet.......

[stiff]

Oh for sure....... (Cranston Long Island style)

[stiff]

sashagirl napisał(a):

But shhhh... Don't tell... :lol:

ok (low voice)

[stiff]

LOL, I bet it does

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='Mei-Mei']

I like Pitbulls being on top of everything but not this........

It's only because some pitbull owners (not all, some) refuse to recognize the biting potential of their dog and don't take steps to make sure the dog is secured. If you'll notice in Bob Macdonald's article is says that the Pitbulls got out of the yard. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that the yard did not have sufficient fencing and that the Pitbulls got out all the time and the owner did nothing about it. In my neighborhood some people let their dogs run around without leashes. Some folks don't need to own a Hamster, much less a powerful breed like the Pitbull.

And I mentioned that to Bob in my last email...instead of condemning the whole breed, to think about a containment and leash law...fenced in yards and such.