I found your story about “bad dogs” in the Feb. 8 issue misleading and irresponsible in that you had a veterinarian, not a certified dog trainer, giving his opinion that first time dog owners and families with children should not have Rottweilers, German shepherds, or chows as pets. Although he paid lip service to the idea that all dogs should be socialized and responsibly trained, the overall message to people who may have concerns about dogs after hearing the horrible story out of San Francisco is to fear those particular dog breeds.
I am a first time dog owner who owns two dogs — a Rottweiler and a German shepherd (both mixed breeds) — both of whom I rescued from the SPCA. They are, as any basic dog breed book will attest, smart, highly trainable, and extremely loyal dogs. They are not, as your story implies, more of a danger or nuisance than any other dog when they are not properly trained. Both dogs (still puppies) love children, and have been incredibly responsive to their training.
While your buried message seemed to be to encourage dog owners to take all steps to train their dogs so that they will not exhibit territorial or aggressive behavior, the message that your story leaves us with is that some dogs are just dangerous. The effect will be that you will discourage people from adopting certain kinds of dogs when there is such a great need to find loving homes for the overwhelming number of dogs in city shelters, and/or you will needlessly make neighbors fearful of the Rottweilers and German shepherds in their communities.
Rather than jumping on the sensationalist bandwagon after the San Francisco incident, you should have done what you purported to do — provide reliable information to those who may have concerns arising out of the attack in San Francisco.
Michelle Alvarez