PETA and Pit Bulls

[Guest guest]

I sent a copy of the letter about pit bulls to PETA to ask for their

explanation of their policy. This is the response I received.

 

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Thank you for checking with us for PETA's accurate position on pit

bulls.

 

Please be assured that we do not believe that every pit bull should

be euthanized. We advocate a ban on the breeding of pit bulls (and

indeed, we should surely ban all breeding of dogs, given the tragic

overpopulation crisis that results in millions of unwanted animals'

being killed every year in this country) but maintain that any ban

should include a grandfather clause protecting all pit bulls living

in caring homes.

 

As you may know, before founding PETA, Ingrid <Newkirk> was the chief

of Animal Disease Control and the director of the animal shelter in

Washington, D.C. for many years. During her time there, she initiated

the first-ever spay/neuter, adoption, and humane-investigation

programs in our nation's capital. She waded into dangerous situations

on a daily basis in an effort to help abused and neglected dogs,

risking her safety countless times in the back alleys and slums of

Washington. Over and over again, she rescued pit bulls from people

who beat and starved them, chained them to metal drums as " guard "

dogs, or trained them to attack people and other animals. This breed

stands out as the most abused in " dogdom " . It is the relentless abuse

of these animals that motivates us.

 

Are some pit bulls loving companions? Absolutely, as I'm sure you and

the <person who wrote the letter> know firsthand. But nice families

rarely come to a shelter to adopt pit bulls. Almost without

exception, those who want pit bulls are attracted to the " macho "

image of the breed as a living weapon and seek to play up this image

by putting the animals in heavy chains, taunting them into

aggression, and leaving them out in all weather extremes to " toughen "

them.

 

In fact, there is so much fighting and abuse of pit bulls here in the

Hampton Roads area that PETA's local community animal project

provides free spay and neuter services to all pit bulls. I think

you'll agree that this is not discrimination, but actually an extra

benefit.

 

Pit bulls offered for adoption to the public have a higher risk than

other breeds of suffering a horrible fate. By advocating a ban on

breeding this dog, PETA is trying to protect the dogs from people who

would hurt them. This position would save dogs' lives overall, not

take more lives. Any good person could still adopt a dog—just not a

pit bull who could be abused or bred to make more animals to abuse.

 

When shelters are destroying dogs by the tens of thousands, why breed

pit bulls or any dogs? There are many, many wonderful dogs in

shelters who need homes. PETA urges everyone who can provide a

permanent, loving home to spay or neuter and adopt one of these

animals.