Monday, May 28, 2012

What's Acceptable


 . . . . a 2010 study conducted by the American Temperament Test Society found that pit bulls passed temperament tests 86 percent of the time, placing them ahead of several other breeds.

Lyndsay Anderson, Animal Humane New Mexico

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Revised: May 31, 2012 01:38 EST
Revised: June 01, 2012  08:57 EST
To: 
NM State Senate
Doña Ana County Commioners
Las Cruces City Council
The Board of Directors, Animal Humane NM
Peggy Weigle, Executive Director, Animal Humane NM

Ms Anderson made the statement above to a journalist, shortly after two maulings by pit bulls in New Mexico, one of which caused the death of a child. Shortly after she made the statement a woman in neighboring Arizona died as a result of wounds inflicted by pit bulls in October of 2011. 


And shortly after that, all within a matter of days, another attack occurred in Las Cruces. 63-year-old Bill Boling was dragged into a ditch as two pit bulls pulled his border collie mix, Carley, in their attempt to dismember her. He stabbed the dogs 60 or 70 times with his pocket knife, then went to his house to retrieve his handgun before shooting them.


The rollcall for May:


  • 5/02 / Mauling death of Clifford Wright by family pit bull
  • 5/08 / Mauling death of Jazilyn Mesa by family pit bull
  • 5/15 / 12 year-old leukemia victim Christian Hobbs is attacked
  • 5/19 / Pomeranian killed at children's soccer game
  • 5/24 / Bill Bolling's collie attacked; Bolling stabs two pit bulls 60-70 times
  • 5/28 / Pit bull injures 88 yo woman and kills pet

After this riot of mayhem a local dog behaviorist, April Oxford, attributed the problems to poor training.

Ms Oxford also claimed that fighting breeds are like children. Your dogs are just like children. You have to teach them what's acceptable, what's not.

Ms Oxford talks as if she's entirely unaware of the recent havoc in her neighborhood. Las Cruces has witnessed all manner of human and animal suffering, and Ms Oxford explains it all away by inferring that the attacking dogs might have been frightened.

Ms Oxford also suggests using an air horn to discourage pit bulls from attacking; an air horn to discourage dogs which continued to attack despite 60 knife wounds?  Ms Oxford has obviously not read the posts in our Gameness series. Ms Oxford has implied that the pit bulls are misbehaving; this is not misbehaviour, it is lethal aggression.

Advocates of fighting breeds have chosen to place their concern for pit bulls above the suffering of humans, and above the suffering of our More Vulnerable Animal Companions (MVAC).  

We ask the media why the advocates of fighting breeds are provided such generous coverage, following a month of unparalleled violent attacks?  Who will speak for the victims? 

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Notes:

Sources for this post:
   ABC7 KVIA.com: Pit Bulls Attack Las Cruces Man
   ABC7 KVIA.com: Dog Trainer Says Owners to Blame for attacks
   Las Cruces Sun-News: Man stabs, shoots pit bulls after attack
   Doña Ana County: Sheriff's Dept Press Release
   KRQE com: Pomeranian killed at children's soccer game
   KRQE com: 88 yo woman injured and pet killed