The Editor, Sir:

In The Gleaner of March 14, a concerned citizen wrote about the threat of pit bull terriers to the safety of Jamaican citizens. As a dog lover, I could never let sweeping statements be made about the breed go unaddressed, especially in light of the fact that many Jamaicans are not familiar with the breed.

It needs to be stated unequivocally that the breed that was being referred to is the American Pit Bull Terrier (hereinafter referred to as APBT), a descendant of the Staffordshire Pit Bull Terrier, a breed that is legal in Jamaica and shares the same physical characteristics listed in same letter.

American Pit Bull Terriers have a long dog-fighting history and have always been surrounded by much negative publicity. To make a broad comment that the breed is dangerous and call for the ban of and any other legislation against owning them is comparable to saying that motor vehicles should be banned. Motor vehicles can be dangerous as can any dog, but the issue lies in the level of responsibility of the owner.

Poor animal socialisation

The problem lies within the owners that failto control, supervise, maintain and properly train the breed of dog they choose to keep. Some owners think that an overly aggressive dog is a good thing and spend hours agitating the animal, which is, in fact, poor socialisation for the animal. This results in an animal with acquired negative traits that must be eliminated, and not traits that are not ingrained by virtue of birth.

My experience with APBTs has been the opposite of the picture portrayed by the writer. Most of the APBTs I know are very loving animals, and also very passionate and protective of those they love. Those who are agitated and poorly socialised, however, are a mutually valid cause for concern.

High tolerance for pain

The writer stated a characteristic of APBTs that from my experience has proven to be a positive, which is their high tolerance for pain. Due to this fact, a properly socialised APBT serves to be a good dog to have around children. Why? Well, imagine a young child pulling on any other dog's ear or tail, you can imagine the reaction; however, a properly socialised APBT would be undisturbed. I personally know of one family that changed the dogs they bred from Rottweilers to pit bull terriers for that sole reason when their children were born, and both children have grown up to be healthy adults without bites or any such negative incidents. Though every dog is still an animal and hence not a creature of reason, I must stress the point again of proper socialisation.

No breed of dog is inherently vicious, as all breeds of dogs were created and are maintained exclusively to serve and coexist with humans. The problem exists not within the breed of dog, but rather with how they are socialised. Therefore, proper control systems must be put in place not to control a specific breed that has been in Jamaica for at least 24 years, but to control who is allowed to own and raise that breed.

I am, etc.,

D. TOMLINSON

david_tomlinson007@hotmail.com

Kingston 19

Via Go-Jamaica