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Sunday, February 06, 2000 Page: 5B
If the animal rights group PETA is dedicated to “establishing and
protecting the rights of all animals,” then why are they promoting the
destruction of the pit bull population (Jan. 30)?
Pit bulls are misunderstood creatures, whose reputation was fueled
throughout history by man’s lust for blood and money, as well as negative
publicity from the press. It’s simple. People like Ingrid Newkirk turn to the
media to fuel public panic. They count on people being like sheep and
believing everything that they read.
For PETA to claim that pit bulls should automatically be put to death is
like a child welfare agency telling inner-city mothers that they must be
sterilized and their children must be executed because they are born killers.
After all, the only way to stop the killing of gang members is to stop
creating new ones, right?
The issue brought up in the commentary about pit bulls is one of nature vs.
nurture. A strong prey-drive may be in their genes, but pits are a product of
their environment like anything else. What Newkirk neglects to tell you is
that any canine has the potential to be a time bomb on four legs if it is
mistreated. It is only through responsible breeding and pet ownership that
society can take control of the problem. Pits, like those other breeds and
lovable mutts that PETA promotes, are also on death row through no fault of
their own.
If the entire pit bull population is exterminated, then who will be next on
PETA’s hit list? Lassie? Or better yet, what happens when Beethoven turns into
Cujo?
If PETA really wants to protect animal rights, it should promote canine
good citizenship, not canine genocide.
Christy Buzinski
Wilkes-Barre