Down by the Riverside

 
The Introit!

This is such perfect content for The First Church of Pit Bulls, I'm so sad I didn't think of it first! It's a brilliant parable rewritten, the perfect analogy of what has become of  pit bull apologia.  Terrierman's Daily Dose is a must read for all who follow the issue, but unfortunately, it seems, they are preaching to the choir!

Before you read the parable, consider it in the light of this recent account of a woman from Lakewood, WA who is being charged with animal cruelty for drowning four pit bull puppies in a toilet.  The puppies were found in an empty dogfood bag, with a sign that read "Puppies $50 OBO" , by her landlord.  It's odd, she didn't advertise that they were pit bull puppies, which if we take from the recent blizkrieg  of puff pieces by the media, should be the rage for people with an altruistic and more enlightened than thou bent.
It's certainly usual information to include, but apparently, she started with six puppies, so she at least made a hundred bucks from the whelping of her two pit bulls.  Earlier, The landlord, who claimed he allowed the woman to move in because she did not want her young son on the street, said he told the woman to get rid of the dogs because he didn’t want that many animals in a unit. 

Who is at fault, and did she have options?

Is it the landlord's fault, did he have to allow pets at all, certainly two adult pit bulls, which are a significant liability of which most landlords are highly aware?  Was it a direct result of the landlord's request, the fear of losing a roof over her and her son's head, that caused her to drown these helpless little pibbles?

Was she cruel to drown the puppies, or should she just taken them to the shelter, where the puppies may have been adopted people as cruel as she, or where they may have just been dumped in a great big can and gassed?  She may have not chosen to go to the shelter, because sometimes there is a fee for turning pets in.  Perhaps didn't want to face the people at the shelter with their "tisk tisk" statements under their breath, or the silent but loud disgust written on their faces for having to deal with her irresponsibility for the first sin of not having her dogs altered. 

Or does the fault stem from the big "THEY" in the sky, the ones the pit advocacy calls the "fear mongers"... the media for reporting pit bull attacks, contributing to the maligned image that leaves them undesirable at fifty bucks or free, thousands waiting to be sent down the River Jordan,  or to perhaps be adopted by thugs, the irresponsible, and the clueless.  The other fear mongers, the "haters", who are a rapidly growing group of people who have had unfortunate blood shed from the folly of keeping dog fighting dogs as pets, how is it possible that they are at fault for wanting a change in public safety laws?

Or were these puppies drowned because of the "fear mongering" from the pit bull advocacy, does this huge machine create their own problems when they shout it from every rooftop,  how nobody wants these dogs, and they are the most abused dog in world.  Perhaps this woman was being kind to give them a good old fashioned mercy killing in her own little river, Jordan pot (an Elizabethan toilet, he he, linguistic irony!).  Of course, had these puppies survived, think of the money that could have been raised!  There could have been merchandise sold for fundraising and awareness, and a book for children, Galunker II, Saved from the Loo!

Speaking of stories, lay down your break sticks, and let's gather down by the Riverside!

"One summer in the village, the people gathered for a picnic. As they shared food and conversation, someone noticed a Pit Bull in the river, struggling and yelling. The dog was going to drown!
Someone rushed to save the dog. Then, they noticed another yowling Pit Bull in the river, and they rushed in to pull that dog out. Soon, more dogs were seen drowning in the river, and the townspeople were pulling them out as fast as they could. It took great effort, and they began to organize their activities in order to save the Pit Bulls as they came down the river. As everyone else was busy in the rescue efforts to save the dogs, two of the townspeople started to run up the shore of the river.

“Where are you going?” shouted one of the rescuers. “We need you here to help us save these dogs!”
“We are going upstream to stop whoever is throwing them in!”

And who is throwing them in?

And who is throwing them In?
Not Pit Bull haters. Pit Bull lovers.
Almost a million Pit Bulls a year are being killed in animal shelters across the U.S.
All of these dogs were bred by people who said they loved Pit Bulls.
All of these dogs were bought or acquired as puppies by people who said they loved Pit Bulls.
And almost all of these dogs were relenquished to the pound or "shelter" when their owners found out that an adult Pit Bull comes with a lot of responsibility.
Pit Bulls are not being pushed into the river by breed specific laws.
Cities that do not have such laws are killing dogs wholesale.
In fact, some of the cities with the lowest Pit Bull kill rates are cities that have banned the dogs, such as Denver.
Others, like San Francisco, have not banned Pit Bulls but have seen a marked decline in Pit Bull euthanasias after implementing a mandatory Pit Bull sterilization law coupled to free Pit Bull spay-neuter programs.
One thing is clear: Pit Bulls have breed specific problems.
Perhaps their biggest problem is that so many Pit Bull breeders and owners are young, irresponsible adults who have unstable lives and who are acquiring their first dog -- a Pit Bull -- for much the same reason that they might acquire a big-bore motorcycle, a sports car, or a "hummer".
Is it an accident that Pit Bull owners are much more likely to have problems with the law than the average dog owner? I don't think so, and neither does Stanley Coren.
The responsible people who are adoping Pit Bulls from shelters deserve unending applause for their efforts.
But have no illusion: the good work they do will never be enough so long as so many people stand silent while so many people breed Pit Bulls, and so many others are acquiring puppies from these breeders only to "thrown them in the river" in just a year's time.
Pit Bulls have a breed specfic problem.
At what point, do we begin to recognize that these dogs need a breed specific solution?
At what point do we say we are sick and tired of killing nearly a million Pit Bulls a year?
At what point do we agree that if we want something different, we need to do something different?
At what point do we run up the river bank, and start at least talking about all those people who are throwing the dogs in the river