Pet transportation at the airport is now reaching its holiday peak. I could never understand why we are transporting pets in the first place, since shipping them by aircraft can cost more than a reputable kennel could. I suppose it's up to the passenger, but I would think a kennel would be less disorienting than literally flying blind, 30,000 feet above ground.
Still, it's our policy to take them. I don't like dealing with them at any level, especially since the German Shepherd mix two doors west of me constantly wakes me up with his unnecessary barking.
I absolutely draw the line, however, at handling pit bull cages. I'm sorry, but I believe the pit bull is a breed that should be put out of existence permanently.
Examine this essay I wrote in December 2005 (this time last year) in my personal computer blog:
"... Here is a breed of dog that will likely never be fully domesticated, because it is totally unpredictable. According to a study shown on CDC.ORG, pit bulls were responsible for nearly 1/3rd of dog attacks on human beings between 1979 and 1996; over sixty in all.
In the past three years, I recall at least four cases in the Metro Detroit area where a child or elderly person is walking around, minding their own business, when a pit bull escapes its leash and runs over to attack, with no previous provocation by the human in question.
Doesn't that share at least some similarity to shooting off a gun at a random person in the neighborhood?
We recently received a pit bull cage at the airport over the 2005 holidays. Asked to take it off the shelf and put it on a cart, I refused and walked away. I wasn't ignoring my duties. I just used common sense, which meant I know better. Those cages are not going to hold those pets in, if they want to be aggressive. And we're total strangers, so that increases the odds.
We should fear anything that can attack us - it's not just limited to chemical weapons or foes with guns. Pit bulls are just too aggressive for their own good. Face it: some things in life, we don't have control over; we'll never tame all the wild animals in this world.
We need to get rid of the ones we have no control over, because our safety in this confusing world is more vital than ever."
It didn't help today that the dog's owner was poking fun of my fear of these animals. Who is he to say what I'm afraid of or not?
He may love the dog, but it doesn't mean everyone else has to.
