This is a rough draft of the letter I'm planning on sending to the editor of the Cape Cod Times as a result of this article and others like it. The article is only a midday update and I imagine a more complete article will be in the print and online version of http://www.capecodonline.com tomorrow.

In recent years, MA, and especially Cape Cod has been seeing a large number of dog attacks and of course, with every article the witch hunt for "dangerous dogs" gets bigger. I know this is happening across the country as well.

I finally decided to address it publically.

 Quote:

To the Editor:

This letter is in response to the May 24th article concerning the Rottweilers who attacked children at the East Falmouth school.

I realize that the recent attacks will have even more people calling for bans of the so-called "dangerous breeds" such as Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, Dobermans and German Shepherds, and this concerns me.

These particular breeds are not newly created Frankenstein monsters. Collectively, they have proven their usefulness for many years—for security, law enforcement, drug detection, search and rescue, bomb detection and as assistance dogs for the disabled. And the vast majority of individual members of these breeds have managed to live their lives from start to finish as beloved members of the family without ever once showing up on the front page of the paper.

I would like to suggest one possibility for the recent upswing in publicized attacks is because these dogs have increasingly become status symbols for people looking for yet another way to tell the world how tough they are. They purchase the dogs because the dogs look intimidating and because of their natural protective instincts.

They train the dog to act aggressively. They reward the aggression. To illustrate a point: Other breeds can be bred and trained to be just as aggressive, but it wouldn't help the owner's tough-guy image to have, say, a vicious Standard Poodle on the end of a chain. Image, image, image.

The positive qualities that have made these dog breeds so useful and popular in the past, such as intelligence, trainability, loyalty, versitility and courage, are pushed aside by these people as they are often breeding for profit with an eye towards size and aggressive temperaments, almost exclusively.

The fact that these dogs have been around for so long without the spike in attacks such as we're seeing over the last few years implies to me that perhaps these dogs are only manifestations of the aggressiveness and irresponsibility of the owners.

It is much easier to prevent aggression in dogs by raising them properly than it is to try and take it out of them once it has been established. Therefore, the future for the Rottweilers in the article is grim.

It is time to stop pointing fingers at the breed of dog and start pointing fingers at the irresponsible owners. My interpretation of the article is that the owners of these dogs demonstrated their outrageous lack of responsibility to the society they live in by improperly containing dogs with demonstrated and documented aggression issues.

The result? Injured, traumatized and perhaps permanently scarred children who may have to undergo painful rabies treatments and will possibly have dog phobias for the rest of their lives. I do not believe this event would have happened if those dogs had lived their lives with an experienced and responsible owner in the first place.

My solution? Penalties for owners of dogs who have a history of attacks that include jail time, confiscation of the dog(s) and a court order preventing them from ever owning another dog. Perhaps the threat of ending up in a cage themselves will make them pay closer attention to responsible dog ownership.

We often hold parents accountable for the actions of their underage children. Why on earth should it be any different with dogs?

Also, I think it should be mentioned that little dogs tend to bite more frequently than these "dangerous breeds." Since the damage is usually not as severe, these stories never make the paper. But the owners of these little dogs who scream for breed bans should take a closer look. They are no more responsible dog owners than the owners of the Rottweilers in the article.

ALL dogs need training and limitations.

Signed,

Amber Morgan
German Shepherd owner and trainer

I doubt they'll print all of it...I'm wordy as hell. But this breed ban crap is pissing me off and these moronic idiots should NOT OWN DOGS OF ANY KIND. My letter was much kinder than I felt. The article stated that when these Rotts attacked the kids they were under "house quarantine" as a result of a previous incident.

Are you kidding me? House quarantine, for those who don't know, means that the owner is trusted to keep the dogs locked up for the 10 day period. The same owner who allowed the incident to happen in the first place. No wonder they don't take the situation seriously. And wonders of wonders...it happened again.

I can understand a single incident. Sometimes people make mistakes or they incorrectly judge their dog's temperament, or sometimes the dog manages to plain find a way out. But after the second time they attack, as far as I'm concerned...no dog for you! And don't come back one year! Or ever.

Obviously, I'm a dog lover. But that doesn't mean that I think I should subject every single person, anywhere and everywhere, to my dog just because I think he's cool. I used to smoke, too, but did I go around blowing smoke in people's lungs at a restaurant just because it's what I chose to do? No, I agree that other people should be allowed to choose if they want to have smoke in their air, and I agree that other people should be allowed to choose if they interact with my dog or not.

This is sort of a tangent, but people who have their dogs off leash and are unable to recall them AT ALL TIMES reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally piss me off. There is a leash law, so if your unruly Lab or Yorkie or whatever the hell comes running and barking over to my well-trained German Shepherd who is on a leash and heeling and you can't call your little Smoopsy back... and as a result my dog eats your little Smoopsy...well, I'm not paying your damn vet bills. My dog was on a leash and will ignore other leashed dogs, but he will attack dogs who come after him. I'll just be sorry Carbon didn't eat the owner instead.

Obviously, I have to deal with this a lot. First they yell, "Snuggle, come here! Come back here! Snuggles, you bad dog...COME!" And after Snuggles ignores them and keeps bee-lining for my dog, then they shout, "Don't worry...he's friendly to dogs!" Yeah? Well my dog's not. But it's not a law that he be friendly to dogs. It's a law that he BE ON A DAMN LEASH! Jerkbags.

This is not to say that I never let Carbon run around. When I take him to a beach and there are people there, with or without other dogs, I keep him on a leash as a courtesy to people who may not like dogs (especially big wet ones).

When the beach is clear, I have him on a 20 foot nylon leash so that I can grab it if people or other dogs suddenly show up. I'm the one who wanted a German Shepherd so I'm the one who has to be responsible for him. The same goes for any dog owner.

The people who let their dogs off leash with no means to control them are idiots and holier-than-thou butts...or just inexcusable morons. The people who own Rottweilers that have been allowed to (or encouraged to) be aggressive and are KNOWN to be aggressive have no damn sympathy from me if they go to jail because they didn't contain their dogs (or let's face it, even raise them properly) and they attacked CHILDREN, without any known provocation other than running around in their school yard.

If that was my son Eben those Rotts attacked, I'd be f*%$ing training Carbon to take a chuck out of the owner's genitals every time they stepped out of their house. They live by a school. Were they somehow unaware of this? No. It just didn't make a big enough blip on their radar.

I found out that someone in my neighborhood lets their dog roam. This dog has bitten people seven times. SEVEN times. Believe me when I tell you she and I will be having words. I'm fed up. Blaming the dog or breed is really getting on my nerves. If all the tigers and lions got out of the zoo and attacked children would we blame them, too? Or, um, say...the zookeepers that didn't keep them properly contained?

I HATE that idiots like these are causing breed bans and harming kids. I really do.

Great letter, Amber! (great rant, too)

I hope they print it in full and I hope they don't leave out the part about small dogs. That's been my peeve for a long time. I see and hear of more small dog bites than I ever do of large dogs. And because of this hysteria and because of the banned breeds list filled with so-called "dangerous dogs" we aren't able to have a GSD....and we so wanted one.

It REALLY pisses me off...I just can't express myself right now as well as you. Hats off to you!

Also scarey are the comments attached to the article. Seems like a lot of the general public seem to be jumping on to the Breed Ban Wagon as if it's the answer. More & more people bring it up as the solution whenever there is mention of a dog bite.

It's a great letter Amber but I'm worried the press wouldn't print it because they are more interested in what's popular opinion rather than boring old fact.

I want to say thank you for taking the time to write that for the paper.

I'm a falconer and the people in the United States who revived the sport in the 60s and 70s collectively created the current federal regulations for using a bird of prey for hunting. The process is involved but it ensures that the people who own birds are doing so responsibly. Not only is there a fee for a federal and state permit - there is also a written test, a facilities inspection, and a requirement for annual reporting to the local Fish and Wildlife authorities. Also a person interested in starting has to apprentice for two years under a master level falconer.

Now in the US many people hate over-regulation but because of this the US has the best and most responsible falconry program in the world. The people who started this were falconers concerned about mis-use of birds by people who may have one for the wrong reasons (to look cool, etc).

I wish that there was some sort of similar system for dog ownership so that people could be help accountable and that more could be done to intervene when someone isn't being responsible. I think that even though I have invested over 1,000 dollars in dog training and health bills for my deaf pit bull that my state, city, or county could pass a law against me owning her because someone was irresponsible and their dog bit someone.

I'm not against gun ownership but people die wrongfully or accidently from being shot every day yet NEVER has their been a ban in any state or town that I know of against gun ownership. Why can't the people who pass the laws understand this is a similar situation?

Sorry if this is a rant. Would you mind if I saved your letter to modify for a version of my own to send to my local media and representatives the next time such a story comes across? It is very well written. Thank you! Kelly

Yes! Yes! Yes! I am also fed up with idiotic dog owners who allow their dogs to run off-leash! There is one particular owner around here who allows an annoying Chihuahua and a Pitbull to run free out in the street, without his supervision!!

I've encountered his dogs in the past, and I've taught both of them a lesson. Everytime his dogs see my dog and I coming, they'll run. I haven't seen the pitbull anymore (the owner saw when I kicked its butt). Believe it or not, but my can of mace is almost empty due to so much use (too many encounters with dogs roaming the neighborhood).

One of these days, I'm going to hear about a child getting bit in this neighborhood. If this ever happens, I'll be the first to snitch on the owner.

*quiet and lengthy clapping from the back*

Amber, if there is a public radio station, or college radio station, or ANY radio station in your area that will air a "Voice of The Public" style of message, you should get your letter on the air.

In Ohio there are rumblings of BSL as well, and as my wife and I are planning on not only owning one, but several Rotties for sport/companionship, this concerns us too.

You have eloquence. You have passion. You have our support!

Luck!
-Jim

Very good letter to the editor. I hope they publish the entire document. Responsible dog owners everywhere will probably print it out and put it on irresponsible dog owner's front doors, gates, attach it to the collar of the dog(s) running loose. Maybe it will plant a seed in someone's mind...hopefully, wishfully...
Very very good article, wonderful rant.

 Quote: Jim Thomas

You have eloquence. You have passion. You have our support!

Luck!
-Jim

I'm with Jim on this one, and everyone else who posted.
You're thoughts are well written. IDIOTIC owners DO need to be addressed. Keep a copy for every dog attack in America and send it out...maybe someday, by you making it standard, this type of thinking will become the standard. Maybe everyone on the board can have a copy to send in to the editor of their local news (after talking with you first) to simplify the process and cover more ground. ??? !!!

Hey Amber,

You want to hear something even more idiotic. Whenever one of our K9s gets a street bite the dog is put on a 10 day working dog quarantine. That means the dog has to be contained at home but still can work. At one time I was on triple quarantine. I never could figure that one out.

Kelly,

Washington DC has had a ban on guns since the late 70's. Just recently it was challenged in court but the ban still stands. Ironic that the most free country in the world bans a constitutional right in the nations capital. Another one I can't figure out.

Howard

Great letter, but at the end, did you mean to say

"They are no more responsible dog owners than the owners of the Rottweilers in the article."
or
"There are no more irresponsible dog owners than the owners......"