|
It's time to get facts straight
 |
|
Guest Commentary
June 19, 2005
 Print  Email
AFTER READING YOUR June 5
editorial supporting a ban on pit bulls in Weld County, I wondered. How
often do people fully research an issue before printing half-truths.
Was that the idea? Take snippets of information from the Centers for
Disease Control that seem to support your view.
Until you read the rest of the report. What was printed is not the whole story. Yes, some pit bulls bite, and they bite hard.
Great. Now that we have all agreed on that, let's get to the truth.
All dogs can bite and kill. A 10-pound Pomeranian
killed a baby a few years ago. The dog, owned by a relative, mauled the
baby, while the relative filled the baby's bottle.
The numbers that your editorial refers to from the
CDC are in question, even by the CDC. The data may be biased for four
reasons:
-- Dog-bite-related fatalities are underestimated; the approach used identifies only 74 percent of actual cases.
-- Attacks by some breeds are more newsworthy than those by other breeds.
-- Identifying a dog's breed may be subjective; experts may disagree on the breed of a particular dog.
-- It is not clear how to count attacks by crossbred dogs.
The Humane Society of the United States offers its
position regarding breed-specific policies: "The HSUS opposes
legislation aimed at eradicating or strictly regulating dogs based
solely on their breed for a number of reasons. Breed Specific
Legislation (BSL) is a common first approach that many communities
take. Thankfully, once research is conducted most community leaders
correctly realize that BSL won't solve the problems they face with
dangerous dogs. ... Out of the millions of bites, about 10-20 are fatal
each year. While certainly tragic, it represents a very small number
statistically and should not be considered as a basis for sweeping
legislative action." This is from the Web site of the Humane Society of
the United States.
Even the CDC does not advocate breed specific
legislation as a solution, and states as much on its Web site. Yet this
newspaper uses them as a source for backing their position.
A story from Detroit about a fatal attack by a pit
bull ran in more than 30 separate national newspapers, was picked up by
Fox News, CNN and two British newspapers. Two weeks earlier, a man was
killed by his own German shepherd, and that only ran in a local
newspaper. Media uses specific cases to bolster their theory that pit
bulls should be banned. They decide which dog attack stories to
publish, so the truth takes a back seat to sensationalism.
The Tribune editorial described this incident: "In
May, police arrested David Riley, 37, of Firestone for ownership of a
dangerous dog after the pit bull attacked a neighbor's dog."
However, KMGH-TV, Channel 7, in Denver reports the
dog in question was not a pit bull but a boxer mix. In fact, all
Riley's dogs were boxer mixes. Yet the Tribune used this story to
support a pit bull ban. Another example of half-truths?
How many other supposed pit bull attacks were a
case of mistaken identity by people who didn't have their facts in
order and weren't willing to take time to find the truth before
"burning the pit at the stake?"
According to the U.S. National Canine Research
Foundation, 32 percent of dog attacks were committed by dogs in packs.
This demonstrates a strong sense of pack mentality. The siege against
the pit bull is nothing more than the same pack mind-set. This is a
lynching organized by "rational people" with a mob mentality, who don't
have their facts straight but have already lit their torches.
We cannot solve this problem with ill-advised,
knee-jerk legislation. It is costly, ineffective, and doesn't deal with
the real problem today: the irresponsible dog owners.
Chanda Conboy moved to Greeley with her husband
five years ago to raise their four children. She is very active in
quality-of-life issues, human rights issues and also is a strong
proponent of bipartisan, common-sense legislation to tackle the issues
that face families in today's world.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following correction appeared in
the June 8 Tribune: "David Riley of Firestone was arrested in May for
owning a dangerous dog after his massive mixed-breed dog attacked a
neighbor's dog. Riley has three dogs, which also have been described as
mixed boxers. The Tribune's (June 5) editorial misidentified the breed
of dogs that Riley owns."
TO KNOW MORE
-- To read the position statement by the Humane Society of the United States, regarding dangerous dogs, go to www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/dangerous_dogs.html.
-- The Web site for the Centers for Disease Control is /www.cdc.gov/.
|
SUNNY 82°
