Many people who have only seen the gentle side of the pit breeds think they have been unfairly labeled as killers. They obviously don't understand what the 'pit' part of the name indicates: dog fighting pits.

The Greeks used them as war dogs, the Romans used them in their arenas and coliseums for their grisly 'blood sports', the Normans fostered the sport of the prolonged torture called 'bull-baiting', which advanced to sports of using the dogs on bears, boars and horses, and finally, dog against dog. The dogs were bred for their strength and tenacity, but especially for their viciousness.

Now we have the drug-and-pitbull 'aficionados', who have been redeveloping the pit breeds (and mixes) for the same ugly end. This trash breeds only for strength and viciousness. The individual dogs that aren't strong enough or mean enough for their purposes are either used as victims, or simply dumped alongside the road.

These dogs are then often picked up as strays by Animal Control or by well-meaning dog lovers and turned into the shelters. Some shelters simply put them to sleep. Others make gallant attempts to rehome them. But the breeding is still there, often not obvious, but it's there. And all too often, the sleeping demon is awakened.

The first of the pit breeds I knew was Rudy, an American Staffordshire Terrier. He was well-mannered, obedience trained, very sweet, loved children, the perfect pet. Until... he got within reach of another animal. He literally would try to strain himself through chain link fencing to kill another dog. He was the perfect Jekyll and Hyde dog.

I know a woman and her adult son who did some pitbull rescue, and kept four of the dogs for several years. Then one day she came home and one of the dogs was dead, it's head nearly ripped off. A few months later, two of the dogs attacked the old female right in front of her son, who dived in to stop the attack and got both his arms badly mauled. The human and dog medical bills on that was well over $5,000 after insurance.

I don't like breed bans, because politicians always overdo things like that. But the problem is there, it's escalating, and I don't even pretend to know how to control it.

Sue