My advocacy for a stronger state law and municipal ordinances to hold negligent large-dog owners legally responsible for their pets who harm, maul or kill innocent people and their pets because they fail to properly restrain them has drawn considerable interest from readers.
While my argument involves those who own all breeds of large dogs, the news, records and daily events throughout America consistently show pit bulls and pit bull mixes are by far most prone to such violent attacks.
While proponents of this breed regularly argue it's their breeders and owners that make them mean, I've come to believe from the sheer numbers of unprovoked savage and murderous attacks on humans and their pets that there is far more to their collective behavior than that apples-and-oranges reasoning.
If a troubled human is convicted of murdering in a rage, does it matter to our justice system what made him that way? He's still a murderer.
And judging from the letters I've received and share below, many others feel likewise about unrestrained dogs, particularly pit bulls.
Carl Haldeman writes: "I agree with you on pit bulls. Just last week I was charged by a pit bull as I walked along a sidewalk. The pit bull had been with a group of children playing in front of their apartment buildings. I saw that it was young so I figured I could scare it off.
"I stepped forward, swung my leg toward it and it backed up. The children hollered that I better not hit their dog. I charged the dog a couple more times after it came back at me. I emailed animal control about the incident and they seemed prepared to act regarding the situation.
"The breeding for traits is also done with other species. Let's ask animal scientists about breeding for traits. They can probably tell us what we need to know about the potential danger from pit bulls."
Reader Mary Carlson said this: "I so appreciate your sensible article questioning the logic of allowing this dangerous breed of dog--pit bull--to continue wreaking havoc and destruction upon society. When it becomes so normal for these dogs to randomly kill other pets and even their owners that most of us know someone who has personally been affected, it is way past the time to act.
"The pushback that those of us who suggest such a plan of action get from such a surprising number of pit defenders is truly shocking. It defies reason that so many seem to either flat out deny the obvious danger or seem to feel the dog's lives are to be more valued then all other life forms that regularly get attacked by them.
"I have friends who seem sensible in every other respect but cannot be reasoned with over the pit bull situation. I am a dog lover but, as such, I can clearly see this breed of dog as the menace it is and support strong laws banning the breeding of pit bulls, the judicious use of muzzles for all those who presently are living their short lives out, and strict fines for those who are found to own such a breed that is found loose or unattended.
"The dogs most often to be found running at large in my area of the country are pit bulls and pit crosses. I have personally known friends who have cats that have been killed, small dogs that have been killed and horses who have been attacked by these vicious creatures. I am alarmed by the regularity of deaths of humans through pit attacks. The story of the [Tennessee] family who lost their sweet babies to these creatures should cut through any and all denial of even the staunchest defender of the breed. This senseless carnage must stop!"
Bill McNew wrote: "At some point we're going to have to be able to reach the people who claim it's only due to poor treatment that a pit bull attacks. That seems to be the standard excuse for every single attack. So we have to emphasize that many of these were raised in a loving home where they were fed and cared for and petted.
"Everyone should be made to understand that they are are an inherently aggressive and combative breed. I got into a discussion with people online with this attack and some woman said, well, it's only due to poor treatment, and I told her it was the breed and that they're an extremely violent dog.
"I also told her I had been bitten in the Walmart parking lot that very day by a pit bull puppy. He was on a chain and he was a cute little bugger and I just reached down and patted his head which he seemed to like and then proceeded to bite my finger. If he was a full-size dog he would have taken my finger off."
Michael Lemaster said: "Outstanding column this morning. A young female neighbor of mine and I had this exact conversation yesterday regarding pit bulls indiscriminately owned by folks who have no dog training experience but desire a macho dog to perhaps enhance their own image.
"My wife and myself pleasure-hiked around Fayetteville with our female black Lab mix (on a leash) about three to four years ago. We were a quarter-mile from our car when I looked up to see a pit speeding toward us. In seconds this male pit was going tooth to tooth with my dog while I still held the leash. The owners, a young couple along with their young son, finally ran up and began kicking his dog (which didn't faze the pit). ...
"After what seemed like eternity, we got them separated. They tried to leave but I insisted on calling Fayetteville police, who responded. Seems the father had given the son the leash to hold and the pit, upon seeing my dog 75 yards away, suddenly jerked away and attacked.
"No tickets were issued, but upon looking my dog over, I found a 1½-inch gash on her throat and she had dealt the pit a bloody face in defense. The young man said he had adopted his dog six to eight weeks earlier from Springdale Animal Shelter.
"I'm now very wary when a Pit (on leash) approaches and I now carry a small pepper spray container when out hiking. Keep up your magnificent fight with your illness--your words are inspiring, educational, emotional, and add about any other positive adjective."
Thank you for such a kind compliment, and for reading. What caught my attention was my point in arguing for much tighter laws on negligent large-dog owners who fail to effectively restrain their animals. The failures I see in your attack were allowing the pit bull to escape its restraint and the police not issuing a meaningful fine. Your dog, or even you or your wife could have been badly injured or worse by this unprovoked attack. People often are.
It's apparent to me that many people believe as I do that enough is enough when it comes to vicious dogs going unrestrained in our supposedly civilized society.
What's the difference in allowing one's unrestrained pet mountain lion to run that mauls, even kills, people and their pets in an otherwise peaceful neighborhood if the end result is the same with a vicious dog?
Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master's journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at [email protected].