Letters to the Editor
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The rules of Dog Fight Club
The first rule of Dog Fight Club is - you do not bark about Dog Fight Club. The second rule of Dog Fight Club is - you DO NOT bark about Dog Fight Club. Third rule of Dog Fight Club, someone yelps Stop!, goes limp, shows belly, the fight is over. Fourth rule, only seven dogs to a fight. Fifth rule, one fight at a time, fellas. Sixth rule, no shirt, no shoes. Seventh rule, fights will go on as long as they have to. And the eighth and final rule, if this is your first night at Dog Fight Club, you have to sniff my ass.
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Ah, dog love
Ah, dog people. They’re always ready to imbue dogs with all the positive qualities people can possess (“my dog LOVES me. He’s also witty, perceptive dignified, articulate, and has a fine appreciation of vintage wines”) but deny dogs have any negative qualities since such things are “human” attributes (“no dog is aggressive, mean-spirited or violent and if they seem to be it’s only because corrupt human beings have made them thus.”)
Every dog owner I know whose dog has bitten someone has been well-intentioned, kind to their pet and genuinely dumb-founded (sometimes to the point of flat-out denial) that their dog could do such a thing (“But he’s afraid of his own shadow!” “She’s so loving!” “They must have provoked him!”)
I was bitten by a dog when I was six years old, walking down the sidewalk in front of my next-door neighbor’s house. I’d never had any contact with the dog before and certainly hadn’t provoked him in any way. Right before he bit me, the owner saw me shying back a bit as the dog was barking at me. She laughed (not in a nasty way, just in genuine amusement that anyone could be scared of her “big baby”) and said to me “don’t worry; he won’t hurt you.” The next thing I knew the dog had sunk its teeth into my thigh.
When I told a dog person this story and she had run out of explanations as to why it could have been my own fault she said, “perhaps you and the dog knew each other in a previous life and you had done the dog some disservice.” No, I’m not kidding.
Maybe it’s not the breed and not abuse by the owners that makes for trouble – maybe it’s the failure of dog owners in America to remember that their dogs are DOGS. (Americans would do well to take a page out of Europeans’ book and train their dogs; European dogs are indeed frequently allowed in shops and cafes, but these animals are amazingly obedient – they seldom bark at strangers, don’t jump up on children they do not know and come IMMEDIATELY upon being summoned.) That’s right – your dog is an animal and not a human being. You must train it. You’re not just responsible for its welfare – you’re also responsible for any damage it does to others and their property. That’s right – it IS capable of doing damage to others. It’s a dog. You may love it. You may even believe it loves you (and that it is affectionate, noble and a musical genius). But it’s still a dog.
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Blame the owner, not the dog
All of us are followers of fashion. The clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the beer we drink and the sports team we support are all about the images of ourselves we want to promote to others. Often we display fierce loyalty to our chosen brands which is irrational in nature.
Even the dog we own can be part of defining who we are. The type of dog often gives an insight into the values of a dog owner, even when the dog has been picked up as stray.
Ken Foster has chosen a pit bull as his dog, and demonstrates his loyalty to the breed by wearing the t-shirt and displaying its photo in his book. What image does Ken want to project?
First, he has selected a dog capable of killing even an adult. Agreed, labs and retrievers bite but these breeds do not have the strong jaws able to bite deep and the powerful neck muscles able to tear out chunks of flesh. Some argue pit bulls are more aggressive than other breeds - this is debatable but there is no doubt a pit bull can inflict more severe injuries and fatalities than other dogs. Why would you want a potential killer as a pet, Ken?
Rightly or wrongly. many people fear a large pit bull. The author must be aware of this – from his neighbours afraid of the dog leaving his property to attack them, those who legitimately visit his house, and those in the street when the dog is walked. What sort of person would want an intimidating dog that makes all around watch nervously for their own safety and the safety of their children, Ken?
I do agree with Ken the dog is innocent, but someone has to be responsible for its actions, so here is the deal. You choose this dog, Ken. You are responsible for it. If it does anyone an injury, you will be treated exactly as if you were the one who ripped and tore the victim. The dog's jaws will be regarded in the same way as a knife in your hand. The punishment for attacking and mutilating a bystander is most likely to be not a fine, but several years behind bars, If your state has the death penalty for murder, and the child dies, it won't just be the dog on death row.
How about it? Of course you are in no danger – your dog is sweet and good natured and would never bite anyone. Just as every dog owner claims – even after their dog has mauled a child who has provoked an attack by running across a playground or riding their bike to school.
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Bred in the bone
If the breeders of pit bulls have produced an animal as gentle and loveable as you apologists would have us believe, they have failed.