FEATURE Pit bulls in paradise Continued from Page 1 The dog in question had ripped its chain leash free of its anchor and was now on the loose. No wonder no one was stopping to lend a hand. In search of a telephone, | nulled into the nearest gas sta- | Bion, mere yards from the inci- dent. As I got out of my car, I hesitated. When last I looked, the dog was heading my way: No matter, I got out and went into y the station’s office, where I asked the attendant to call 911. While I was making the call, the dog was charging yet WK another unsuspecting cyclist. Luckily, he too escaped injury. Soon another motorist stopped to help. We quickly conferred. Meanwhile, the pit bull ran be- hind some nearby houses. Afraid the dog might flee into an area filled with children, we separated to see where the dog” might have gone. We lost sight of it before any Saanich pound officials arrived at the scene. An official later toldus thatthe dog’s owner lived in a house directly facing the site of the first attack. Like most dogs, the pit bull is a territorial creature. It instinctively sought to protect the perimeter of its turf. Public e street or not, the cyclists un- knowingly rode along its permeter. Most dogs settle for a little barking when defending their territory. Unfortunately, this Some weeks later, the Saanich pound gave me another call. An official said the owner had aban- doned the dog, leaving it with the landlord — an arthritic elderly man unable to care for it. The SPCA took the dog away. Though the owner was alerted and told she had a week to reclaim the dog, she did not. Result: another of “man’s best friends” was put down. What went wrong? Pat Glen- dinning, a manager at an area pet store and long involved in the world of dogs, doesn’t think the pit bull breed is the problem. In her lifetime, her family has endured three bites — two from German shepherds and one from a St. Bernard. “ve seen pit bulls brought into my store that are pussy cats,” she said. Glendinning also believes the pit bull’s reputation of an ag- gressive temperament has more to do with the owners and indis- criminate breeding. Local trainer Irene Copus concurs. “I know a couple of pit bulls that are absolutely delightful. It depends on how theyve been treated and trained.” Both feel heavier dog-at-large fines, more stringent enforce- ment of existing laws, court-or- dered obedience training and the compulsory muzzling of dogs with a history of biting only rep- . doghad an aggressive tempera- Tesent part of the solution. The ment, a temperament hazard- true source of the problem is ous to the public. owner responsibility. Though the owner could have While Glendinning acknow- > been charged with having a edges that breeds like “dog-at-large” and fined $50, the shepherds, Dobermans, St. Ber- fine hardly seemed an effective nards, rottweillers and pit bulls -solution. Instead, theowner was ¢2 be roused to the point of asked to build a fence-enclosed attacking and even falling their area and to enlistitin obedience Victims, this would rarely hap- penif owners were properly edu- training; otherwise, the charge cated and breeders were more would be laid. The owner was Selective about the kind of per- | given a reasonable period to son to whom they sold pups. @® comply. The behavior of a dog reflects Fai Vv Alrwa » | CORRECTION NOTICE In the “Town & Country” Shopping Centre flyer, the following products should have AN EXPIRY DATE OF NOV. 17, 1990. FRESH MILK 4 litres at 2.59 LEAN GROUND BEEF AT 1.58 Ib - : -@, This Week An Island Publishers Newsmagazine » 626A Fisgard Street, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 1R6 381-3484 a = Reg Cowie, Publisher Tony Kant, Editor the character of its human master. As such, a powerless or fearful person may seek psychological compensation by encouraging aggressive be- havior in a _ potentially dangerous breed. Like the canaries coal miners carried below to warn of dangerous gas, the “pit bull phenomenon’ tells us something about ourselves and the pres- sures of modern lifestyle. In these days of mounting distrust among strangers and the decay of community, ill-tempered dogs may reflect the degree of fear and anguish being experienced by certain people. During a recent car drive across North America, my mate and I stopped overnight in Gary, Indiana. Our motel room neigh- bor — a man from Detroit who drove a beat-up 1970s sedan — kept us awake most of the night yelling in a drunken stupor at his dog. Where else could he download the frustrations of his life? The dog was the only crea- ture he knew that wouldn't talk back. An unquestioning loyalty of dogs plays an important emo- tional part in the lives of their masters, a part reinforced by their practical value. For tens of thousands of years, our species has benefited from a symbiotic relationship with dogs. When we were hunter/gatherers, dogs helped us track game and alerted our encampments to un- expected and at times hostile visitors. In animal husbandry, they assisted us in the herding of sheep and other grazing animals, a practice still common in Australia, New Zealand and Scotland. Even today, on the road to material paradise, dogs remain a deterrent to would-be thieves intent on plundering homes of their VCRs, color TVs, CD Bes ‘POCKET PIT BULL,’ Carelee has a good gnaw at her frisbee. The 6-year-old terrier helps her Owner train other dogs. players and other modern-day techno goodies. But dogs whose value is measured primarily in functional terms become little more than machines. Add a few neurotic human ego needs to the FORT ST. FUTONS DOUBLE PINE BEDFRAME °99°° DOUBLE FUTON MATTRESS °99°° QUEEN PINE BEDFRAME *109°° Photo by CHUCK RUSSELL mix, and voila, you get machines whose purpose it is to in- timidate, maim or kill. The pit bull “problem” is but another broken cog in the mechanistic vision of paradise. FORT ST. FUTONS *SOFA BEDS from?319°° *xUPHOLSTERY FABRIC SALE $1.99 - $4.99 PER METER 381-3633 942 Fort St. (on the left at Vancouver) FALL CLEARANCE CONTINUES - CHECK OUT THESE SAVINGS! SPICY VIVA OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK HOURS: Mon. - Sat. 8-5 pm Sun. 12-5 pm NAVAHO FLAIR Stainshield Nylon 25 colours Plush Style Cut & Loop Stainrelease Reg. $28.95 BCF Zeftron Nylon Heavy Twist Reg. $31.95 BRING IN YOUR PLANS TODAY Limited Time Offer Full Rolls/ Roll Ends/ Remnants in Stock Berber Style 6 Colours Reg. $16.00 ON SALE psy 13". Reg. $21.95 ON Heavyweight - BCF Nylon ON SALE ON SALE DAN’S CARPET 19°, 22”.. FINANCING NTRE 3090-D Nanaimo St. (Next to Fanny's) AVAILABLE O.A.C.