Pit Bulls Stuff
A Veterinarian claims he has never seen a pit bull or a pit bull mix come into his adoption center:
Veterinarian Dr. Bill Suro, medical director at the MaxFund Animal Adoption Center, has never seen a mixed-breed pit bull arrive at his shelter, let alone a full-blooded pit bull terrier.
Of course, he’s seen lots of “boxer mixes” and “American bulldog mixes,” which bear an astonishing resemblance to pit bulls. But a pit bull? No, he’s never seen one. And as long as Denver has a ban on the breed, and as long as city animal-control officials euthanize all dogs they suspect are pit bulls or pit bull mixes, Suro isn’t likely to see one.
MaxFund Animal Adoption Center medical director Dr. Bill Suro says that if MaxFund resident Malcolm had ended up at the pound, he would have been euthanized for his resemblance to a pit bull.
Veterinarian Dr. Bill Suro, medical director at the MaxFund Animal Adoption Center, has never seen a mixed-breed pit bull arrive at his shelter, let alone a full-blooded pit bull terrier.
Of course, he’s seen lots of “boxer mixes” and “American bulldog mixes,” which bear an astonishing resemblance to pit bulls. But a pit bull? No, he’s never seen one. And as long as Denver has a ban on the breed, and as long as city animal-control officials euthanize all dogs they suspect are pit bulls or pit bull mixes, Suro isn’t likely to see one.
“Yes, I’d say we do have some dogs here who’d be put to sleep if they got to the pound,” Suro says. “Their ancestry is in question. But it’s silly to say if someone looks Italian, they must be Italian. . . . They have no way of proving they’re pit bulls except to say they look like pit bulls.”
Good. Down with doggie racism. As regular readers know, there is no scientific way to determine what breed of dog a particular dog is. If you live in an area with Breed Specific Legislation, take advice from this guy and call your dog a boxer.
In a follow up to my post on BSL in Adrian, I am glad to report that the mayor is no longer pushing a breed ban but is looking at ways to make pet owners more responsible. Of course, just making people responsible in general would be a good idea. Too bad it’s just not that common these days. It is good that they are not trying to pass the ban.
March 29th, 2004 at 10:44 am
I’m sure you’ve noticed the parallel between breed-specific bans and “assault weapons” bans.
Scary-looking [dogs/guns] that are [bred/designed] to kill as many people as quickly as possible! They have no place in our society!
March 30th, 2004 at 12:35 am
The laws on liability for dog bites varies by jurisdiction, but a lot of places have a “one free bite” rule. Basically, if you have no reason to believe your dog is aggressive, you’re not negligent if she suddenly snaps at somebody and rips off an arm.
But a lot of those jurisdictions also have a “no free bite” rule for certain breeds, like pits and dobermans. The fact that your dog is a pit is supposed to be a reason to believe your dog is aggressive. Strict liability for pit bull owners.
I’ve been bitten by a few dogs, but never a pit (except playfully, which I love). Discrimination against pits is usually disgusting ignorance.