The Editor, Sir:

The recent call by Dr St Aubyn Bartlett, member of parliament and veterinarian, for legislation to regulate the breeding, importation and rearing of dogs and dangerous dogs control is in my opinion important and long overdue. While Jamaicans have long been associated with dogs, attention to the welfare of these animals, as well as harm to and by them, is lacking.

There can be no doubt that while responsible dog ownership might require the enactment of legislation, the efforts of dog enthusiasts to enervate the process by understating or misrepresenting the enormous potential risk that some dogs pose to the unaware and uneducated will do little to expedite and advance this process.

Data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA in 2000 indicated that there were 300 fatal human attacks by dogs in the USA between 1979 and 1998.

The attacks

Even more alarming was the finding out that of the 227 cases for which data was available, 70 per cent of the victims were children and 75 per cent of the attacks occurred on owners' properties. The two breeds featuring most prominently in these attacks were Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs, the former of which is popular in Jamaica, and the latter of which is gaining popularity here.

It is, therefore, regrettable to see a 'dog enthusiast' opining in your publication recently that pit bulls were "too small, ... too friendly and not sufficiently suspicious of strangers," in an attempt to discredit them as 'bad (dangerous) dogs?'

While 'dog enthusiasts' might vehemently oppose breed-specific legislation, it is my hope that they will embrace the need to advise the process of reform in legislation, attitudes to dog welfare and dangerous dog control that is needed to successfully reproduce the practice of responsible dog ownership.

Kudos to Dr Bartlett for highlighting this issue and best wishes in promoting responsible dog ownership of all dogs.