Reader: Owners who train pit bulls to be aggressive should be punished, not the breed

As we've noted in this space before, interesting comments beget interesting comments -- something that was proven again after we shared the all-capped thoughts of a pit bull lover earlier this week. Here, a reader suggests that pit bull blame is being misdirected...

By Michael Roberts

January 26, 2012

Audio By Carbonatix

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As we've noted in this space before, interesting comments beget interesting comments -- something that was proven again after we shared the all-capped thoughts of a pit bull lover earlier this week.

Here, a reader suggests that pit bull blame is being misdirected.

Pineapples writes:

There are no dangerous dogs. Only dangerous owners. Dogs pick up on their "pack leader"'s emotions; so if the owner is feeling tense, so will the dog, if the owner is excited and hyper, the dog will be too. So this basically means, if the dog owner is an aggressive little thug, the dog will probably be an aggressive little thug too. My family has owned many, many dogs in the past and not one of them has even come close to attacking a human, and I have previously owned a Pit-bull and he had the most lovely personality. If a dog is viscous or aggressive this is because they have been trained do be so by their owner.

To be honest, I believe that it's the owners that train their dogs to be aggressive should be punished. Not the breed. Pit-bull haters should watch a little Dog Whisperer and see just how lovely this breed of dog can be! I mean, who can not go "awwwwh" at Daddy and Popeye?

For more intriguing takes, visit our Comment of the Day archive.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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