Sir, – Dog pounds and shelters are in crisis mode, asking the public for support, as they are at capacity and cannot accommodate any more dogs.
The disproportionate number of bull breeds, either in their care or on the waiting list to be relinquished, is the result of years of sustained campaigns by vocal naive or misguided “dog people” denying the genetic characteristics and behaviours of these dogs, created over centuries to succeed in bloodsports.
There are two ways to address this sad situation.
They can either do what is right and tell the population that these dogs are not suitable pets for urban environments and fight to halt the breeding of these powerful breeds or they can do what “feels good” by trying to improve the chances of these dogs being rehomed, sugar-coating the breed’s natural instincts, passing them as “misunderstood” dogs who only need the right loving owner.
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The former option, albeit unacceptable to some, is cheaper, safer, and more honest to the population and also more considerate to the bull breeds by quickly reducing their population which now fills up the shelters.
The latter cements the rescues in their current cycle of misery with a constant supply of these dogs as it increases their demand and the frequency of suffering and trauma to the communities, jeopardising the entire rescue initiative due to litigation when severe cases and fatalities occur. – Yours, etc,
EDWARD POSTER,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.