Random Thoughts
Recently I read a blog post on the Bad Rap site about a pit bull, Dusty, caught in the clutches of our legal system and slated for destruction.
Given our family lives with a tabby cat and two fantastic bully breeds, I was interested to read more. Even if you don’t own a bully breed, you should read the blog post, Dangerous Testimony in Monroe County Michigan, and judge for yourself how objective are the guidelines for destruction. For that matter, ask yourself if the dog is any different than practically every puppy you’ve owned or ever met.
Below is the comment I posted on their site, with revisions only seen here:
This is CRAZY AND OUTRAGEOUS.
Dusty is much better behaved than the majority of dogs I see EVERY DAY in my neighborhood. By these "standards", if you can call them that, there should be no dog left alive, regardless of breed.
Dusty just looks like a happy puppy that wants to play.
I’m upset, angry, and in tears.
Dr. Houpt is a disgrace to her profession. She should have her license revoked. Her actions are similar to a medical doctor attending to her patients in a hospital, poking and prodding them, searching for ways to give them a lethal injection, instead of focusing for a [means and signs that prompt her action] to save lives.
The fact that the court is not allowing another group to train Dusty is upsetting and unsettling. We give more opportunities to rapists, serial killers, and daily criminals than this poor dog. Shouldn’t we use AT LEAST the same standards for rescued dogs that we do for criminals, giving them second chances at rehabilitation?
I write AT LEAST since with dogs there’s substantially better odds of being successful, given the right focus on training and socialization. This is especially true for dogs since they tend to move on much easier than humans. Perfect examples of this scenario are the Michael Vick’s dogs as told in the book, The Lost Dogs.
In Dusty’s case, he just needs a loving home and human companions that’ll give him standard, proper training. He needs nothing extreme and certainly should NOT be euthanized!
What Do You Think?
I hope you get a chance to read the original post Dangerous Testimony in Monroe County Michigan and comment there. In fact, I encourage you to do so, instead of making any comments here.
Photo Credit
Yours truly (with a picture of our older Pit Bull mix, Lola)