(Photo: Dog that killed 10-year-old boy was not an illegal breed) Petr Ilić
My first reaction when I learned that the pit bull attack which killed 10-year-old AJ Larsen was that illegal pit bulls should not be allowed to be mixed breeds. But, this does not seem to be the case.
Recent exposure of the “bulldog-mix” who was pounced on by the same pit bull that killed AJ revealed that the dog has a previous history of assault and is not restricted in breed; a fact that surprised many. The pit bull AJ attacked was named “Bear.”
The breeds that were involved in the attacks are Levi or Maverick pit bulls who appeared to be untrained. For a well trained dog to attack a dog who appears to be being willfully aggressive, it has to be extra training.
My initial thought was that those responsible for training these dogs and then putting them on the streets should not have been able to put training time into the dogs they put back out into the community, without even tracking their behavior.
As a result of this attack, threats against the manufacturers of a certain breed of pit bull have grown by the day.
Calls to boycott certain breeds continue to come from irresponsible individuals, but the animals themselves, like bear the pit bull in the Larsen attack, cannot be controlled or destroyed. They will have to be placed in new homes.
Unlike most dogs that are euthanized, these dogs have a history of violence that someone was responsible for and they cannot be changed.
Take the time to learn about the breeds that may have been involved in your neighborhood and identify which ones are dangerous.
You may save lives.
Petr Ilić is a former United States Navy Commander and author of “Shotgun.” He is currently a national security and history commentator on Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.