Dear Sir or Madam from Bad Rap,
Thank you for reading my email. After
seeing your website and getting to know about your organization, I would like
to say that I really appreciate what you have been doing for pit bulls and for
promoting human-animal bond. In this letter, I want to express my deep
understanding and thankfulness for what you have been doing in terms of
educating the public about the truths of pit bulls and preventing abuse as well
as discriminatory legislation toward pit bulls. However, since I also did some
research about the pros of Breed Specific Legislation, I also want to say
something to sure you that the supporters of BSL are not that aggressive as you
may think them to be.
Firstly, I understand your opposition
to Breed Specific Legislation because there is substantial evidence, including
the evidence on your website, proving that “vicious dog” is socially and
culturally constructed, instead of based on so-called “bad genes”. For example,
in places that BSL do exist, many Animal Control officers fail to recognize the
dogs that really have genes of pit bulls rather than pit bull-like looks, which
indicates that the law is banning vicious dogs based on their cultural images
in people’s minds, instead of bad genes. Moreover, pit bulls have been faithful
family companions with affectionate personalities for quite a long time and
there was nothing wrong with them in the history; things only became bad when
sports magazines, hip-pop cultures and underground dog fighting constantly publicize
distorted images of pit bulls, which lead to prejudice and discriminatory
legislation toward them.
Secondly, I understand that though pit
bulls contribute to many dog attack incidents every year in the United States,
most of the times the owners, instead of the dogs, are to blame. I think you
are correct in terms of owners’ responsibilities of dog attacks because researches
have shown that spayed/neutered, properly socialized, and unchained family pit
bulls don’t attack human beings.
Thirdly, I agree that pit bulls can be
sweet family companions, and I really appreciate what you have been doing for
promoting HAB between human beings and pit bulls. Many supporters of BSL argue
that pit bulls choose to fight, and even if they are forced to fight, their
behaviors can’t be changed once they engage in such activities. However, almost
all of Michael Vick’s dogs became great family companions after being rescued
and properly trained, indicating that pit bulls are not aggressive in nature;
rather, they are sweet family pets.
Overall, I really would like to say
that I understand your concerns with Breed Specific Legislation and with pit
bulls. I think your organization’s concerns with BSL are justified because they
are backed up with substantial scientific and real-world evidence. I understand
and appreciate your love for pit bulls and I want to thank you for your efforts
in saving and protecting these lovely creatures.
Nevertheless, I think it is necessary
to understand that the opposite side is not as aggressive as you may think them
to be, and that the advocacy of pit bulls’ welfare has a long way to go. While
some politicians can be opportunistic on this issue, many supporters are
victims of pit bull attacks and people who care about public safety, and what
they want is just safety. Instead of merely stating that pit bulls are sweet
and BSL is bad, I think it will be helpful to open dialogues with the opposite
side and talk about alternatives to Breed Specific Laws, possible legislation
of regulating owners’ behaviors, and the popularizations of safe rules related
to dogs. Furthermore, continuing the work of investigating dog-fighting
activities not only saves pit bulls directly, but also helps change the
distorted images of pit bulls. I understand that it is not pit bulls’ fault,
but we must come up with solutions to make the owners be responsible to prevent
dog attacks.
Sincerely yours,
Mei Yang
Sources Used:
http://www.badrap.org/breed-history
http://www.badrap.org/sites/default/files/pitbull_personality.pdf
http://www.badrap.org/node/26
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