Revised: September 11, 2014; 16:13 GMT
Revised: September 12, 2014; 16:47 GMT
Revised: September 12, 2014; 16:47 GMT
An extraordinary dialogue was published in the pages of the Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) between June 22nd and August 13th, 2014. The exchange consisted of two letters written by Dr Ellicott McConnell, to which Susan Sarubin responded. The dialogue ended with a bitter attack by Ms Sarubin on one of animal welfare's most respected figures.
Collective Wrath Part 1 responds to Ms Sarubin's attack on Merritt Clifton; Part 2 responds to two charges of a more general nature.
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6. Susan Sarubin: In a popular Internet test, “Pick the Pit,” the participants are asked to identify the photograph of a pit bull among 25 purebred and mixed breed dogs.
The numerous "Pick the Pit" and "Find the Pit Bull" tests available on the web would be laughable but for the fact they are sometimes taken seriously by gullible people. These internet games are intended to throw uncertainty on pit bull identification. In response SRUV has developed a "Find the Pit Bull" test which resolves pit bull identification.77. Susan Sarubin: Breed-specific legislation is nearly impossible to enforce. There is also a cost to enforcement to be assessed to the taxpayers, as well as underfunded animal control departments and local shelters bearing the burden of housing, and likely euthanizing, many family dogs, most of which present no bite risk.
That Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is ineffective and expensive is one of the greatest canards of the pit bull advocacy campaigns. Breed specific legislation is effective in every city where good legislation is enacted and enforced.* * * * *
Pit bull advocates conveniently overlook the costs of allowing (and even encouraging) unregulated backyard breeding of pit bulls. The cost of euthanizing surplus pit bulls in 2013 exceeded $2.3 million dollars.8
The cost of BSL is minimal when compared to the costs of Life-Flight evacuations of pit bull victims, with costs beginning at $10,000 and ranging up to $50.000. The costs of police and animal control incurred during hundreds of pit bull attacks are ignored by BSL advocates.
Advocates studiously avoid mention of the enormous medical costs, which often soar to the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and are borne primarily by the victims.
Ms Sarubin has failed to check the statistics at Denver, Aurora, Miami/Dade, Sioux City, and hundreds of other cities with BSL, all of which find that BSL in their cities is ethical and effective.
Dr McConnell was correct: Unless one accepts a wildly unlikely level of coincidence, pit bulls are disproportionally involved in severe attacks on humans. As long as private ownership is permitted these attacks will continue.
Ms Sarubin owes both distinguished men, Dr McConnell and Mr Clifton, apologies for her harsh and unwarranted attack.
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See also: Collective Wrath: Part 1
Statistics:
Statistics quoted on SRUV are from the nation's only authoritative source for current dog attack statistics, the 30+ year, continuously updated Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada.
View or download the current PDF
This page may also include information from Dogsbite and Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.
Notes:
7 See Find the Pit Bull
8 Based on a 2007 estimate of euthanasia costs from American Humane, multiplied by one million surplus pit bulls euthanized each year.
Sources:
Don't confuse me with the facts
Star-Democrat; Easton, MD; August 13, 2014
by Susan Sarubin
Temperament vs. Teachings
Star-Democrat; Easton, MD; July 27, 2014
by Dr. Ellicot McConnell
Prejudice against pit bulls unfounded
Star-Democrat; Easton, MD; July 1, 2014
by Susan Sarubin
Blame the owner?
Star-Democrat; Easton, MD; June 22, 2014
by Dr. Ellicot McConnell
Taxpayers should only fund animal control
Star-Democrat; Easton, MD; June 3, 2014
by Dr. Ellicot McConnell
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