A tragic intersection

The plight of pit bulls in our community is a tragic story that takes place at the intersection of societal failure and human cruelty.

I have a hunch your reporting would have been very different if local government did a better job of controlling crime and local businesses and community leaders provided better opportunities and support for poor neighborhoods. It would be a different story if education was valued and supported by every person and institution in our city. It would be a different story if parts of our community were not suffused by a gang culture that glorifies violence and cruelty.

As poignant as your reporting was, the accompanying photographs were more so. There were two pictures of a dog known only by her Memphis Animal Services intake number: 151166. One photo showed her sitting sadly in her cage, a savagely injured victim of dogfight training. The other picture showed her being held tenderly by MAS worker Tracy Dunlap shortly before she was euthanized. How sad that the only human kindness this dog likely ever knew came at the end of her short, brutal life.

Compare that picture with the photo of Terrell Clay dangling a pit bull pup by the scruff of its neck, trying to sell it to a passing motorist. How soon will that puppy end up in the cage vacated by 151166? What cruelty will it have faced, what injuries will it have suffered in that time?

The contrast between Clay and Dunlap is enormous. One exploits God's creatures as a commodity, condemning innocents to a life of unimaginable terror and misery. The other gives such creatures what comfort and love he can in the short time he is able to share with them, even if the only relief he can provide is a painless exit.

We are told that we are judged by how we treat "the least of these." God help us all to treat helpless creatures with love and respect, to eliminate the parts of our culture that celebrate violence, and to improve the lives of the poor so they are no longer so desperate for protection or money that they perpetuate this tragedy.

Paul Williford

Memphis

Punishment, up close and personal

After reading the March 4 section devoted to the problem (termed "menace") of the present state of pit bulls in the city, it was rewarding to see that your Hot Button respondents, without exception, saw the problem as one caused by the cruel and sadistic nature of the owner rather than the dog.

Without any present solution to stop the inhumane treatment of the animals, perhaps an immediate measure would be to forget fines, etc., for the real perpetrators of the menace, who are the owners, and send them into the pit to see how well they fare against their man-made killing machines without access to use of selected instruments of brutality and domination.

It is heart-breaking to conclude that the best and only way to protect such animals is to give them a lethal injection.

Jeanine E. Mah

Memphis

How many more maulings and deaths?

The picture on your March 4 front page showed the bias of your pit bull coverage. You should have used the one of the snarling dog lunging at the dog catcher, shown on Page V1.

People who are considering buying a pit bull should carefully study the personality and traits of the breed and should talk to several reputable breeders -- not the puppy mill trash.

Perhaps they should also think about their own personality: Why do they need such an animal? You showed a snarling dog with a sneering punk who said he "feels like Superman with these dogs." I've got news for him: If he needs that dog, he is not a man, much less Superman.

You had the nerve to compare these animals with "any breed," in a list from the American Temperament Test Society that showed pit bulls ranking fourth on the "good" list. What you did not make clear is that these tested dogs are from superior bloodlines and responsible breeders, not the trash in your articles.

Enough cities and states have banned these dogs to show a need for a national ban, especially since you stated yourself that a federal study shows that these dogs "are responsible for more fatal maulings than any other breed." You said they accounted for 40 percent of all dog bites reported in Memphis last year. How many more maulings and deaths will it take?

Barbara Chambers

Senatobia, Miss.

Chain of cruelty

One sunny afternoon I looked outside to see a neighbor's pit bull puppy crawl to him and be chained for the first time. The puppy whined, barked and tugged. He could not figure out what had happened. The sweet puppy I gave treats to will join his litter mates on the end of a chain.

He is better off than one of the females. She disappears for a few weeks and comes back skin and bones, bitten all over. She looks better after a few weeks. I have reported it; so far no change. I know there are worse cases, but for someone who loves animals, it is torture to watch.

Cases of animal cruelty must be reported, and we have to have enough people to work these cases. Memphis has a terrible crime problem. This is part of that same criminal element.

S. K. Mayes

Memphis

TLC loses to vicious nature

I am a lifelong animal lover and have never had serious problems with any pets, with one brazen exception.

Several years ago I was given a tiny pit bull puppy. Knowing their reputation, I felt that, if raised with tender, loving care, he would hopefully make a good pet. Instead, before even half-grown, he had gotten loose several times, killed two of our neighbors' pets (one cat and one dog), viciously attacked and maimed two of our full-grown dogs and had tried to chase down our neighbor's children, at which time we had to get rid of him.

I feel this breed is inherently vicious and dangerous. I would never consider owning one again.

Don Hopper

Jackson, Tenn.

Stop the dogfighting criminals

These dogs are not born like this; they are made to be this way by man.

Congress needs to pass the animal fighting enforcement act. This bill is designed to help crack down on animal fighting and give law enforcement some power that means something. Other states have laws on the books to go after gangs that have these dogs. We need that here in Tennessee, so state lawmakers and city council members take note. Go after the criminals, not a breed of dog; that is what will stop this.

Mario J. Chiozza

Cordova

Punish the abusers

I have owned many different kinds of dogs, from German shepherds to Shelties. Pit bulls are the most loyal dogs I have ever owned or been around. Two friends and I started a kennel about two years ago. We breed pit bulls we have bought from all over the U.S. These are not the backyard breedings you wrote about. We strive to produce correct pit bulls. We also go through a lot to make sure these dogs go to good homes.

I will never own or sell a dog I cannot have around my children. Two pit bulls live at my house. One sleeps with my 2-year-old daughter.

Any dog can be made into a monster. All it takes is a coward willing to take advantage of the loyalty of this wonderful animal. I say make stiffer penalties for these people. Punish them, not the dog that is doing nothing other than what its nature tells it to do, that is not to fight but rather to obey its owner and make them happy. These dogs are just looking for the love they so desire and live for.

This is no different than any other type of abuse that occurs in our society. Do we punish the abused or the abuser? Your report was a sad story, but its focus was on the wrong party. We should be trying to figure out a way to end the abuse, by making laws to help stop the abuse these and many other dogs endure daily.

Sean Brewer

Bartlett

Raise retrieval costs

The problem is not pit bulls, but rather irresponsible owners, and it's far too easy and cheap for irresponsible owners to retrieve dangerous dogs from the Memphis City Animal Shelter. Any vicious, out-of-control dog, regardless of breed, can be retrieved from the shelter for a mere $80 plus boarding and food costs. Raise the fee to $1,000 per animal, plus boarding and food costs, and give owners only 48 hours to retrieve the animal. I bet that will bring about change.

Loretta McClure

Memphis

Toughen rules for owners, breeders

To discourage what is going on in Memphis with pit bulls, we should make owners earn the right to own these dogs so they don't end up in the wrong hands. A test of some kind should be passed to be sure they won't be made into fighting dogs; to be a breeder, an owner should be required to have no prior offenses in dogfighting, etc., and have the dogs registered to get a breeder's license. Tougher regulations will also reduce the number of stray pit bulls and hopefully dogs fights as well.

As for existing pit bulls, I think owners in "problem areas" or with multiple pits should have to spay/neuter any dogs they cannot provide registration for or purchase a license for (if such a law could be enacted). This would make it harder for people to make quick cash off multiple litters on street corners, selling puppies that end up dead, injured or abandoned because they are cheap enough to be disposable.

Make the pit bull breed less attainable before they become an exterminated breed, and we will be certain to see fewer problems. They are a great breed when someone with the right intentions is their owner -- as with any other breed.

Candace Turner

Oakland, Tenn.

Any dog can be made dangerous

Which breed is the most dangerous is really beside the point. I have two sisters who were, in separate incidents, attacked and horribly bitten by German shepherds.

As state Sen. Jim Kyle said in his Feb. 27 Viewpoint guest column, Tennessee's dog bite laws must be changed. Owners must be held responsible for the damage/suffering their dogs cause. A large fine and/or jail time would be a good start.

I hope James Chapple is able to sue the owners of the savage dogs that attacked him, to the point that they are left with not even a single nut or bolt from their auto repair shop.

Vickie Lewis

Memphis

More than an animal control issue

Thank you for your courage in taking on this controversial issue and for your accurate reporting of the issues. I believe your well-rounded coverage will not only affect local lawmakers, but will also help other cities to step up and take notice of this epidemic.

As director of a rescue organization and a veteran in the field of dog obedience/behavior, I can say with confidence that the issue of "menace" dogs (pits and other dangerous dogs) will only intensify as long as we as a society continue to believe it is only an animal control issue. Your in-depth reporting of this multifaceted issue is a positive step in the right direction.

Wannda Turner

Northeast Arkansans for Animals Jonesboro, Ark.