Pit bull panic is unnecessary

Whatever it was, her unnatural fear of the water caused her to miss out on a little bit of heaven. St. Croix's ocean waters were warm and soothing and always gave me a sense of peace.

Peanut gave me a sense of peace too. I loved that dog.

In recent weeks, pit bulls in the Bay Area have grabbed a lot of media attention. A 12-year-old boy, Nicholas Faibish, was mauled to death in San Francisco by either one or two pit bulls. The female pit was in heat and the male pit was so possessive of his female counterpart that Faibish may have somehow posed a threat to the dogs and suffered the fatal consequences.

It is a true tragedy and a shame.

The incident prompted San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to create a task force to determine what measures must be taken to ensure others don't one day suffer Faibish's same fate.

The task force report is due soon and it's likely to recommend mandatory spaying and neutering of aggressive dogs and that pet lovers wanting to own dogs such as pit bulls get special breed-specific permits.

However, San Mateo County Sheriff Don Horsley suggested on Monday that the Peninsula Humane Society ban pit bull adoptions outright and to have all abandoned pit bulls killed.

"I'm sorry to say that, but they are just too dangerous," Horsley told the Daily Journal on Monday.

I'm not sure I heard that right but it sounds like the county's top cop is calling for the wholesale slaughter of unwanted pit bulls. Horsley's comments seem reactionary and irresponsible.

And Peninsula Humane Society Director Ken White agrees.

"We absolutely believe there are problem pits our there but there are dangerous dogs in every breed," White told the Daily Journal.

White called Horsley's plan a knee-jerk reaction to Faibish's publicized attack.

And, besides, state law prohibits any community to pass breed-specific laws, White said.

In San Mateo County, the second most dangerous dog based on incidents is the Labrador retriever.

Nationwide, pit bulls do top the list in biting incidents. But rotweillers, German shepherds, Huskies, Doberman pinschers and chow chows also have a high incident rate of biting humans.

In fact, every breed of dog is capable of biting a human and causing serious injury or death.

Horsley's comments earlier this week only help to perpetuate unnatural fear of pit bulls. Pit bulls are like any other dog. They need love and a caring home. The breed has been around for centuries dating back to the Roman Empire and, yes, they were bred for fighting. But times have changed and dog fighting is now illegal. Pit bulls, as a breed, shouldn't be faulted for human failure.

As I recall Peanut's unnatural fear of the water I can't help but to think that more people will die this year on the Peninsula from a drowning accident than will die from a dog attack. I will even say that it is highly improbable that anyone will die from a dog attack in San Mateo County this year.

Let's stop panicking and come up with a responsible plan to help alleviate people's fear of pit bulls.

This week, the PHS began giving $10 to anyone who brings their pit bulls to the shelter to get spayed or neutered.

Now that's a responsible start. Let's hope cooler heads prevail in the pit bull debate.

Otherwise, if Horsley's plan to euthanize all unwanted pit bulls becomes a reality, what's next. Will a Labrador retriever bite a kid? What will Horsley suggest then?

Bill Silverfarb's column runs every Friday. He can be reached by e-mail: silverfarb@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105. What do you think of this column? Send a letter to the editor:

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