In a perfect world, all other-than-human animals would be free of human interference, and dogs and cats would be part of the ecological scheme, as they were before humans domesticated them and as they remain in some parts of the undeveloped world. The world we live in is far from perfect, however, so in the meantime we must take as good care of companion animals as possible. Most of the PETA staff members have at least one dog, cat, bird, rat, horse, or other animal -- not from "pet" shops, of course, but from shelters or the street.
Those of us who keep horses do ride them, sometimes without a saddle or bridle, which the horses prefer, of course! (A company called Wintec makes a nonleather saddle, which is advertised in major horse magazines and is available in many tack shops.)
We oppose any use of horses to make money, such as a horse rental business or horse racing, but we do not, in this imperfect world, fault people who keep horses as companion animals and ride them for exercise and "bonding," and who never abuse them by riding them too long, using painful bits, soring their feet, breeding them to sell their offspring, forcing them over high or dangerous jumps, etc. In a perfect world, of course, horses, dogs, and cats would never have been domesticated. Their dignity and intelligence are so much better when they are in the state nature intended them to be.
We are not opposed to humane, interactive obedience training for dogs, because it protects them from harm and ultimately gives them more freedom than a dog who must be constantly restrained from running off into a street, etc. However, we oppose any activity that puts unnatural stress on a dog, such as training and using them as guard dogs on car lots, breeding and mutilating them (docking and cropping) for "show," and so on.
Thank you for contacting us about breed-specific legislation. We are happy to have this opportunity to clarify our position on this issue. First, let me explain that our support of such legislation is NOT out of concern that some dogs may be vicious. Our concern is only for the dogs who are being abused and neglected because of the way they look, and because we cannot ignore the extremely serious problem of dog and cat overpopulation in this country.
I, along with many of my coworkers, live with purebred dogs including pit bulls, German shepherds, Doberman pinschers, and others. However, all of these animals were rescued from cruelty investigations, our local animal shelter, or the streets, and we would NEVER breed these or any other animals.
As an animal rights activist, you must be aware of the special problems facing dogs who are used as cheap weapons by criminally minded people. You must also be aware of the killing of millions of animals every year because of dog and cat overpopulation. A ban on breeding some dogs would certainly help alleviate some of the horrible suffering caused by both of these problems and we must not let the preferences of some people stand in the way of ending that suffering.
PETA supports breed-specific legislation ONLY when such legislation includes a grandfather clause giving immunity to dogs already in homes when the ban is implemented. Such legislation would help reduce the number of animals brought into the world only to be dumped at shelters, abandoned on roadsides, abused, neglected, and killed. That in itself is enough reason to support breed- specific legislation.
...If you want more information or materials, please don't hesitate to contact us. Meanwhile, I am hopeful that if we cannot agree on this particular issue, we can continue working together to end animal suffering in laboratories, on factory farms, and in the entertainment and clothing industries where billions of animals every year are violently abused and killed.
Yours for animal rights,
Teresa Gibbs
Investigative Correspondent
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
P.O. Box 42516
Washington DC 20015-0516
(301)770-PETA