Peace, Love and Bully Pride shared Sav-a-Bull's photo.
Running this cartoon in the Cape Cod Times was tasteless, but I felt the need to share this person's response. Priceless!
The Cape Cod Times posted this tasteless, discriminatory cartoon in response to the recent repeal of BSL. Laws being rightly overturned because it has been proven that outlawing specific dog breeds does not decrease dog bites, but instead only causes needless suffering, death and increased costs in communities. While the cartoon is awful - it inspired one of the most thoughtful, evenly-writen letters to the editor we have ever read. We wanted to share it with you.
Dear Gentlemen:
While I enjoy a good chortle as much as the next girl, I don't like when it's directed at an already unjustly maligned group like pit bulls.
And I'm not the only one that feels this way. The patients suffering from the complications of AIDS who were comforted and loved by my pit bull therapy dog Sam, would become riled when they found out the big mush of a dog who had become their friend (and in some cases, their only visitor) had experienced some sort of breed-discrimination.
The hospitalized children that Sam would visit however, knew nothing about the bad rap pit bulls got, and we never felt they needed to know. The only thing they needed to know is that Sam loved them as much as they loved Sam. And that he would be there each week to visit them and make them laugh, no matter what.
Sam passed away two years ago, after 5 years of bringing people nothing but comfort, solace, and companionship. He was a loving and much loved dog.
I could write about how pit bulls are killed by the hundreds every day and don't need any more maligning. I could point out the studies disproving the myths that pit bulls are more aggressive than other dogs, that they have the strongest bites or some sort of "locking jaws". I could link to papers outlining the many reasons pit bull bans don't bring down the rate of dog bites. I could point out that over 26 different breeds have inflicted fatal bites, or that most people couldn't even properly identify a pit bull.
Instead I just wanted to tell you about a really special pit bull Sam, and all the people who, should a pit bull ban have been in effect, been denied a source of joy, friendship and unconditional love.
Sincerely,
XXXXXX, West Dennis, MA
Dear Gentlemen:
While I enjoy a good chortle as much as the next girl, I don't like when it's directed at an already unjustly maligned group like pit bulls.
And I'm not the only one that feels this way. The patients suffering from the complications of AIDS who were comforted and loved by my pit bull therapy dog Sam, would become riled when they found out the big mush of a dog who had become their friend (and in some cases, their only visitor) had experienced some sort of breed-discrimination.
The hospitalized children that Sam would visit however, knew nothing about the bad rap pit bulls got, and we never felt they needed to know. The only thing they needed to know is that Sam loved them as much as they loved Sam. And that he would be there each week to visit them and make them laugh, no matter what.
Sam passed away two years ago, after 5 years of bringing people nothing but comfort, solace, and companionship. He was a loving and much loved dog.
I could write about how pit bulls are killed by the hundreds every day and don't need any more maligning. I could point out the studies disproving the myths that pit bulls are more aggressive than other dogs, that they have the strongest bites or some sort of "locking jaws". I could link to papers outlining the many reasons pit bull bans don't bring down the rate of dog bites. I could point out that over 26 different breeds have inflicted fatal bites, or that most people couldn't even properly identify a pit bull.
Instead I just wanted to tell you about a really special pit bull Sam, and all the people who, should a pit bull ban have been in effect, been denied a source of joy, friendship and unconditional love.
Sincerely,
XXXXXX, West Dennis, MA
No comments:
Post a Comment