Patt’s for Pets

I’m enthusiastic about Patt Morrison’s writings about animals in general and companion animals in particular (“Earning the Right to Be the Leader of the Pack,” SoCal P.O.V., Aug. 29). The behaviors and actions she described are abhorrent and reprehensible. The way some people regard and treat their pets is scandalous--proof that we haven’t advanced beyond barbarism. If we’re as civilized as we think we are, we’d better start humanizing our relationships with all sentient creatures, not just those who talk back and reward us in dollars.

Rachel Rosenthal

Los Angeles

*

Morrison’s column perpetuates the party line of trainers and breeders that there are no “bad dogs.” Common sense should tell us that any breed used by police and military forces for attack purposes, though intelligent and trainable, should never be kept in a family with children, whose inadvertent sudden gestures could prompt a dangerous response. And the pit bull, a popular guard dog here, is as dangerous an animal as exists, despite owners’ claims that they’re “as gentle as a lamb.”

Although many breeds are good family dogs, some of the toy dogs, despite their benign looks, are prone to snapping and biting. For anyone who doesn’t want to pay for an alarm system, a yappy small dog that’s also amiable can be effective at keeping strangers away, provided that it’s kept indoors where an intruder cannot see or poison it.

B. Rosalyn Moran

Torrance