[yorkietalkjilly]

My dad used to say hating an attacking dog is just like hating an SUV that ran over a person or the gun or knife that killed one. Big dogs barking ferociously to protect their property are usually highly praised and encouraged by their often proud owners, encouraged to act aggressively to protect the property and anything that approaches it, teaching the dog anything outside it and the immediate family is a natural enemy. That is all too often the story of big, powerful dogs. Many breeds have long been bred to kill, hunt and guard for centuries so that aggression is part of their very brain-cell content. They are often praised and rewarded for their ferocious attitude and actions by their owners.

Dogs don't have our values - they are just simple animal reflections of what people make them by breeding, environment, training and interactions with them. Canines have an affectionate and loyal nature with humans when left to their own devices. Heck, their ancient ancestors, wolves, don't even attack people - are actually scared of us, timid around us. The poor pitbull, as scary and ferocious as they are and the breed who most often stays with its attack through to a kill, was once known as the nanny dog since it was so gentle around children! What changed them? Humans! Breeding the occasional aggressive dog to another over and over for years and years has produced a monster, it is true. But the breed didn't do it to itself - mankind did it.

I imagine if pitbulls listened to or read our evening news and found out what people do - humans who do know better and can make better decisions if they want - kill, maim and seriously injure each other and innocent dogs and cats daily, they wouldn't think so much of us. They could very well look over to their next door, neighbor dog and say, "You know, I hate humans - they are always doing terrible things to each other and to us dogs. They kill and hurt each other daily! Have you seen how many of us dogs wind up filling shelters when they are done with us? They starve and abuse us, over-breed and train us to be tough and mean and then kill us by the thousands every single day! Have you heard of serial killers, dictators, rapists and puppy mills - humans are behind all of that. I'm sick of humans - they are out of control. Humans should be outlawed".

That's not to make light of a terrible, traumatic attack by a pitbull, GSD or a human on an innocent. All are tragic. But it shows where the real blame for all this carnage really lies.