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Stop stigmatizing all breeds as dangerous

“Lynda O’Sullivan, 47, has 56 stitches after a male bull mastiff, a large, powerful dog that resembles a bulldog, lunged at her and bit her face on Thursday.” This statement that was made in the paper on July 23, 2009, made me stop in my tracks!

“Lynda O’Sullivan, 47, has 56 stitches after a male bull mastiff, a large, powerful dog that resembles a bulldog, lunged at her and bit her face on Thursday.” This statement that was made in the paper on July 23, 2009, made me stop in my tracks!

Please have the writer and editors look more into the different dog breeds before the Advocate reports things like a bull mastiff resembles a bull dog.

They do not in the least.

There are three different types of bulldogs; the English bulldog, the French, and the American bulldog.

The Red Deer Advocate has just given my French bulldogs a bad name by comparing the bull mastiff to a bulldog!

My French bulldogs are 25 pounds and stand less than 10 inches from the ground and so do the English bulldogs.

Yes the bull mastiff may resemble an American bulldog but only in height.

I have been asked questions in the last couple of days when I am out walking my dogs if these were the type of dogs that attacked that woman in the county because they read the Red Deer Advocate and these people know what breed my dogs are.

It also sounds like the paper is trying to attack the pit bull breed as well.

People who are uneducated on dog breeds automatically assume that a bulldog is a pit bull because it has the name bull in it.

This is extremely wrong and detrimental to dog breeds such as the American pit bull terrier and the American Staffordshire terrier, which are being made illegal to own because the hype the media has brought down on them!

The media has to stop stigmatizing other dog breeds because of one unfortunate incident or one unfortunate dog!

I am sick and tired of reading articles in your paper that are based on half truths because your reporters don’t research their stories properly!

Why weren’t questions reported like: “What was O’Sullivan doing to the dog?”

Did the Advocate ask her that? Because anyone who owns a dog knows that dogs don’t attack for no reason.

There are also some conflicting statements in your article like:

“It is the only documented bite from this dog. The dog was on the owner’s property with a ‘beware of dog sign.’ The victim knew the dog and was comfortable with it and she wasn’t interested in pursuing criminal charges.”

And in the next paragraph down:

“O’Sullivan said there was no warning sign on the property and she’s taking the owner to civil court.”

So which is it? There was a sign or there was no sign?

This story leaves more unanswered questions that what you actually answered and you have in all this managed to give the bulldog breeds a bad name!

Lisa Sabean

Penhold