OPINION - On each occasion someone is bitten by a pit bull, usually leaving them seriously injured, the breed’s defenders will pipe up and say it’s not the breed, but how they are brought up and trained that matters.
However, there have been far too many instances of people being attacked and wounded, sometimes even killed, by these dogs for this to wash.
It is patently obvious these dogs are unsuitable to be kept as pets in a suburban setting.
On many occasions they have also turned on their loving owners and helpless children, with tragic consequences.
They can be kept for use as guard dogs in industrial areas, but should be kept far away from domestic settings.
I pray that Aphelele Shandu, the latest victim of this vicious breed, recovers from her injuries and that the owner of the dogs is held responsible (“Teen severely bitten by pit bulls”, Daily News, June 1).
The owners of dogs that attack people should be charged with criminal negligence or culpable homicide, as circumstances require.
S PERRY Durban