Cyndy Hackett: Special rules for pit bulls tantamount to animal racism

Re “Pit bulls are different and so must be the rules” (Page A13, Nov. 14): The opinion column was incredibly offensive, inflammatory and misinformed.

I’m setting the record straight: There is no such breed as a “pit bull.” We affectionately call many dogs of mixed breeds “pit bulls” based solely on how they look. But as a DNA-testable breed, they do not exist. Every single “pit bull” is a mixed breed of Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier or Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Any of these breed’s DNA may be found in a “pit bull,” but in the end they are all mixed breeds.

To say that they “are not suitable for ownership as pets” is simply heartbreaking. There are three “pit bulls” in our family. They have been wonderful, loving pets for us; all three are rescued dogs, spayed/neutered, licensed and vaccinated routinely. And very “suitable”!

You said “Given the right ‘trigger,’ a well-trained, loving dog of any breed will do what it has been bred to do.” Yet you specifically targeted only “pit bulls” in your op-ed story as a platform for promoting breed-specific legislation. I equate that to animal racism, and that is unacceptable. Any dog can be vicious, but not all vicious dogs are pit bulls.

This story was originally published November 21, 2014 at 9:55 AM with the headline "Cyndy Hackett: Special rules for pit bulls tantamount to animal racism."