There is wide public acceptance of the influence of genetic traits; these include known attributes for breeds of dogs.

Yet, pit bull advocates would have us believe that known traits of this breed are not to be recognized, are, in fact, disowned or if presented are distorted and hailed as something laudatory.

Example: aggression might be portrayed as bravery. Attack factor is dismissed as “prey driven” and failure to release “prey” is touted as tenacity. The powerful, lock down bite of the pit bull breeds is essentially dismissed with the frivolous reply that all dogs bite. 

These advocates never acknowledge or concede the horrific effect of a pit bull’s grinding bite which destroys tissue beyond repair.

While the advocates for pit bulls give their pets such dissembling names as “Angel” and “Sweetie”, one need only go on-line and look at the descriptive language by pit bull breeders. This is tough, macho, mean. This is a bully pulpit for bullies.

And the iconography should not be overlooked as it is disturbingly sinister. The more “xtreme,”(their coined spelling) the better.

Dogs are bred to enhance those known characteristics and that means a dog that will fight to the death, a dog inured to pain, and a dog who is a canine IED just waiting to explode into a vicious frenzy that usually ends in death, dismemberment, disfigurement, or when survival is possible, the victim suffers for years if not forever.

The pit bull breeds uniquely attack without provocation and without warning. No bark, no growl, no crouching posture; it’s sudden flying muscle streaking in with killing ferocity and blood lust.

How can people excuse these horrific attacks and permit these dogs to return to their homes?Why place the offending dog’s “welfare” ahead of its innocent victims? Why risk harm to themselves, their family, especially their children, and their community by persisting on keeping a canine IED in their midst?

We cannot avert a natural disaster or accidental tragedy, but we do have it in our power to remove this canine threat to our safety. Persons who have perverted the idea of a household pet to one of reckless endangerment ought not to keep all the rest of us in harm’s way.

Pit bulls and pit bull breeds and mixes have no place in the pet pool.

Attacks take place every day in the United States. Do your own Google news alert for straight news reports of pit bull attacks.

A powerful pit bull advocacy lobby would like us to believe that this is a simple problem of a bad owner. 

Speak up and speak out and demand that we, the public, has a right to safety of body and limb that supersedes the right to chose a dangerous (fighting) breed (pit bull and pit bull mixes) as a pet.

Make your voices heard now.

By Gayle Bodorff

— Gayle Bordoff is a San Juan Island property owner and former dog owner, who, in respect for wildlife near her home, currently does not own one. She intends to own a dog, or two, sometime in the future.