2 CHICAGO READER | MARCH 3, 2006 | SECTION ONE

CHICAGO READER | MARCH 3, 2006 | SECTION ONE 3

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Pit Bull AbuseCould you have possibly found amore prejudicial and inflamma-tory headline than “Born Bad?”[February 24]? No, I don’t thinkyou could. Then you open byusing a severely abused dog toexamine the nature of an entirebreed. Even though the bulk ofyour article largely exoneratesthe breed, you put so much neg-ativity at the front of it that itends up being terribly biased. Asnewspaper publishers, you knowthat many people don’t finishlong articles. Your articleencourages the prejudice that iskilling perfectly healthy dogsthat would make good pets. Allto increase circulation.Congratulations, assholes.

Thomas J. WestgardAttorney-at-law

N. Glenwood

That Was NoEndorsementWhile I think it is fantastic thatyou wrote a relatively unbiasedarticle to educate the generalpublic on pit bulls, I have to askwhy you only spoke with trainerswho use compulsion-based train-ing techniques [“Born Bad?”February 24]. You write aboutthe horrors that these dogs gothrough to make them attackhumans—the beatings and star-vation. What is so differentbetween beating a dog to train itand shocking a dog? Because one idiot thinks you can’ttrain a pit bull with “cookies” andyou have to inflict physical pain,you just take her word for it? Ipersonally am a certified dogtrainer, and both I and my col-leagues who use positive rein-forcement have trained hundredsof pit bulls with varying degreesof issues and seen wonderfulresults. To completely promotecompulsion-based training as theonly way to go is irresponsible. Iam very surprised at the lack ofresearch done on the options fortraining, especially from yourpaper, which I in general hold invery high regard. I had hoped tosend this article out to my clientsas some good information on thebreed, but with your blatantendorsement of these horriblyabusive techniques I never would.

Lisa CollinsRoscoe Village

An Argumentfor EuthanasiaPerhaps a better title for “BornBad?” might have been “IsLucky Lucky?” Call me crazy,but living in a kennel, scaredshitless, medicated, and regu-larly shocked into submissiondoesn’t sound so good. Did theauthor consider talking to apositive-reinforcement trainerre pit bulls and their plight?What reasonable person wouldsuggest using pain to train adog bred to withstand pain?Dominance as a model isextremely outmoded. I’m guess-ing this same person mightchoose to speak at a deafeningvolume as opposed to makingan intelligent argument.

Any type of game terrier isgoing to have a lower excite-ment/bite threshold. It is theway they are made. The bullybreeds are a potent combina-tion of drive and strength. Likeall breeds which become fash-ionable, they have suffered dueto mismanagement.

Is it really fair to expectpeople looking for a pet toadopt an animal which hassuffered so much abuse in itsshort life that it can only mild-ly participate in its “new” life?It is well-known in the animal-behavior field that shelter ani-mals begin to deterioratealmost immediately. It is arace against time. What hopeis there for dogs without bag-gage, pit bulls and mongrelsalike, if no-kill shelters insistthey are doing the right thingand continually waste valuableresources on dogs they can’ttruly rehabilitate.

By the way, can pit bulls besafe? The article never reallygot there.

Megan Ores-UhrichLogan Square

The FearFactorNot only was the article “BornBad?” unable to answer the ques-tion whether or not pit bulls canbe safe, it gave far too much creditto foolish no-kill shelters and abu-sive trainers with their remote-control laziness. Dogs do not needto be “dominated” by an alpha buttaught what is expected of themand rewarded for their correctresponse. This dog wasn’t beingstubborn but reacting out of fearby barking and lunging at somescary things to keep them the hellaway from him. Can you blamehim? Plus he only has one eye. Tomake the dog as terrified as possi-ble and then cause it physical painfor any sort of normal reaction isnot only inhumane and cruel, it’spoor and lazy training. Trainingan animal takes time, not force.Orphans of the Storm should beashamed of themselves for put-ting this animal through this andpromoting this type of training.How could someone think that adog is “lucky” to have been tor-tured and mutilated by dogfight-ing, only to have the pain contin-ue by being forced to live in coldconcrete isolation for two yearsand then electrocuted by astranger when he shows signs offear?? Total bullshit!!!!! Dogs(especially pit bulls) deterioratementally and physically in theshelter environment; people whothink no-kill shelters are kind aresadly mistaken. These sheltersneed to consider an animal’squality of life, not their own self-righteousness. The most humanething for Lucky would have beento put him down immediatelyinstead of prolonging the agonyand the inevitable. Are pit bullssafe?? Sometimes.

J. CollinsChicago

“The trendamong pet dogtrainers istoward positivereinforcement,which involvesrewarding goodbehavior withfood or praise.”—“Born Bad?”by TasneemPaghdiwala,February 24

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MARCH 3, 2006VOL 35 | NO 23 Letters

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26 CHICAGO READER | MARCH 3, 2006 | SECTION ONE

Letters

ShockingAlternatives

Great article [“Born Bad?”February 24]. Thanks for doing a story on this issue. Onecomplaint though. It’s very dan-gerous to promote negative-reinforcement training. Mostpeople are clueless and end uponly abusing animals furtherwith these methods. These meth-ods are very old-school. Thereare a number of new, more pro-gressive, humane training meth-ods used by animal behaviorists.I wish you would have presentedtheir perspective as well.

One such behaviorist is LauraMonaco at DoGone Fun, whohas worked at the San DiegoZoo, Brookfield Zoo, and theShedd Aquarium. We work veryclosely with this first-class opera-tion, and we are always verycareful not to promote trainerswho use fear, pain, and intimida-tion as training methods.

Anyone can be a self-pro-claimed “dog trainer” or “dogwhisperer,” and it’s faster and eas-

ier to use negative-reinforcementmethods to train. I was particu-larily angry with Ami Moore’sterm of “cookie pusher” for train-ers that don’t use negative rein-forcement. This is not a goodmessage to send out to the public.

Thanks for listening.

Melanie SobelDirector of program services

Chicago Animal Care and Control

Rugai’s FollySteve Brownstein’s statements in“Born Bad?” are the cornerstoneof the pit bull argument andreflect this city’s response todamn near everything controver-sial: stronger law enforcement.Let’s take a look at two otherlaw-enforcement priorities inChicago. The first, which is hint-ed at by Brownstein, is illicitdrugs sale/use. I don’t knowabout you, but the so-called waron drugs has made it nearlyimpossible for me to get any kindof narcotics in the city ofChicago. If only I could findsomewhere to acquire cocaine,marijuana, or ecstasy in myneighborhood. I have to go all

the way to a bathroom in a clubin the Gold Coast to get my fix.The second, a crackdown onfirearms through increased legis-lation and jail times, sure haskept our murder rate down.Chicago was the murder capitalof the U.S. a few years ago. Thathas abated drastically since. Weare now only in the top five.

People like Virginia Rugaiwould have us believe that pitbull attacks are an epidemic, thatthese animals run rampantthrough our streets and parks.Consequently, she will step inand save the public from thisproblem by increased legislation,fines, and punishments. I suream glad that we have people likeVirginia looking out for our bestinterests. Hopefully soon afterlaws are made to contain pitbulls, she can also apply those toGerman shepherds, rottweilers,and other “mean” dogs. Sincemore kids have died in swim-ming pools than from handgunsand dogs combined in the lastdecade, I hope she creates legis-lation for that as well.

Truth be told, the pit bull“problem” has nothing to do withpit bulls or law enforcement. It isall about the papers that are sold,

the “reporters” like Nancy Graceand her ilk, and a public thathasn’t gotten straight facts aboutthe issue. Have pit bulls beeninvolved in attacks? Absolutely.Will increased legislation help?If our city’s response to guns anddrugs is any indication, don’thold your breath.

Chad Mummert Bucktown

Save theDogs, Punishthe PeopleFor those who would considerexterminating pit bulls, theyshould consider the possibilitythe worst acts perpetrated by pitbulls are induced by their own-ers. These owners, in turn, willnot stop their activities becauseof any legislation. So the dog ispaying a horrific penalty for anowner who would do the same toanother dog or another breed.Perhaps consider helping pitbulls, sheltering them from theoutrageous behavior of thehumans in their lives.

You can demonize them allyou want. The fact is, they aren’tdevil dogs. Their owners, on theother hand. . . . Save the pit bulls.

I really appreciate the fairmedia attention you gave them.

Andrew Falkowski

Not So Fast,DocDear Chicago Reader,

Did I miss the retraction forthat awful Straight Dope piece afew weeks ago [February 3]?The one where Cecil Adamscompletely missed the markregarding the airplane and thetreadmill?

I went online, and I amunwilling to pay 15 bucks amonth to tell Cecil he is wrongonce, when it is unlikely to occurin my lifetime again.

Just for the record. An air-plane on a treadmill would nottake off. The forward motion ofthe plane against the treadmill isirrelevant, and so is the motionof the wheels. The wings of aplane work on an airfoil princi-ple. The air above the wings is

continued from page 3

forced to travel a longer paththan the air below, creating asuction effect. This is why air-plane models in wind tunnelsexperience lift, despite the lack of forward motion. Treadmill =no air rushing over wings = nosuction = no takeoff.

Very truly yours,

Dr. Alan MolumbyUIC

Cecil Adams replies:Alan, I admire your having

the guts to write a letter like thisand include your institutionalaffiliation. Hopefully the tenurecommittee, and for that matterthe admissions office, won’t holdit against you. Since my initialstab at an explanation evidentlywent wide, see if my secondattempt in this week’s columncomes any closer. If still no go,you might want to check out the discussion on the StraightDope Message board at www.straightdope.com. (Incidentally,the SDMB costs $15 per year, notper month, if you want to post,but merely reading it is free.) Butbe assured, regardless of whatthe treadmill is up to, the planeadvances down the runway andtakes off.

Ink Well by Ben Tausig

Tee TimeACROSS 1. The Chicago ______6. Split bit

10. Sidestepper?14. Kicking, so to speak15. Sticking a fork in the toaster, e.g.16. Head light17. Free-for-all18. Crypt judge?20. It may have a gate attached to it22. It isn’t pretty23. Ancient Mexican25. Blows off steam26. Affectionate term for a soda bottle?31. Iraqi minority32. Eurasia’s ______ Mountains33. Common winter bug36. Name in lifts37. “America the Beautiful” color39. Spring training stats40. Try for damages41. Like some pickings42. Couples in tabloids

43. One surveying the orchard?46. Syrup flavor49. “For Whom the Bell Tolls” poet50. For fun53. Circling, as a satellite57. Exuberant novelist?59. Aptly named English novelist60. Dog in a strip61. Wine and dine62. Sandwich and Salisbury63. E-mailed64. “Or ______!”65. Wintry mix

DOWN 1. “Club” for bulk-buyers2. A util.3. Former This Old House host4. 50/50 chance5. Pine stickers6. The point of a male?7. As well8. Treater’s words9. Whale Dick

10. Beer, at times11. Betray, as an accomplice12. A serious one may be red13. Drills19. Party21. Org. for an ob-gyn24. Resort company26. Refs’ ring decisions27. Tutsi foe28. Toledo’s lake29. Rage30. Feather partner33. Guitar guide34. Unconvincing, as an excuse

LAST WEEK: BUZZWORDS

46. Conjurer’s items47. Battery pole48. Contribute51. Rampant52. Big name in compilation albums54. Exposed55. Run in place?56. Beta version, e.g.58. UFO pilots

35. Former red states?37. Yodeling spot, perhaps38. “Cool” fig.39. Ghostly41. Single pickle42. Tunes out43. Soaked44. Evening affair45. Rest stop

CHICAGO READER | MARCH 3, 2006 | SECTION ONE 27