More positive press from Parade Magazine

A couple of weeks ago, Parade Magazine ran a cover story on some of the dogs formerly of Mike Vick's kennels in promotion of Jim Gorant's new book The Lost Dogs.

Turns out they got so much response from their 31 million readers, that they did a follow-up last week -- The Top 5 Myths about pit bulls.

The article is good, and continues to do a lot to break down the stereotypes that have been created over the past couple of decades.

The truth is getting out there.

Comments

[J.M.]

I would make one change to Myth 5

"For example, irresponsible owners forgo licensing, micro-chipping and proper vet care -- all of which have implications for public safety and the health."

I would remove "irresponsible" and just say dog owners.

I think BSL also makes normally responsible owners do that.If you`re afraid that BSL might come to your area or you wonder if your dog of unknown lineage might fall under BSL,you may choose to fly under the radar.

[MichelleD]

One could make a pretty good argument that licensing your pit bull is irresponsible...if not impossible depending on where you live.

[Jennifer Brighton]

I was hoping that one of the myths dealt with was the locking jaws. I was in my local bookstore purchasing "The Lost Dogs" with my male dog and an older woman said, "He's beautiful, what kind of dog is he?" When I said a pit bull mix, she responded by saying, "Well, that's odd, a nice pit bull." And then proceeded to tell me about her neighbor's vicious pit bulls and their dangerous jaws. I asked if they were responsible owners and she said "of course not." But as soon as we started talking about pit bulls, she got a pinched, grumpy look on her face. I should have handed her my book and told her to read it, but I didn't think of that until later.

[LYNN]

ANOTHER GREAT INTERVIEW ON FRESH AIR, PLEASE LISTEN:
http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=9-20-2010

LYNN

[Still Alive but Lazy Caveat]

I wish the author had cited the numbers supposedly from the CDC regarding reproductive status and bites. Most of the studies I've read put neutered bitches at the top of the biters' list. It would be very difficult to determine repro status in most bite cases anyway, including in the extremely rare fatality cases. Hell, they can't even identify what KIND of dog bit them most of the time, let alone identify the sex, then whether or not the dog is neutered. I'm always suspicious of people who quote percentages instead of actual numbers. I detect ASPCA propaganda on that point.

And ditto on the 'irresponsible' thing mentioned by JM. Only a fool would license a dog as a 'pit bull' these days, especially since it's not a breed.

[katy perry]

ditto on the 'irresponsible' thing mentioned by JM. Only a fool would license a dog as a 'pit bull' these days, especially since it's not a breed