As I was wrapping up my walk with my human friend Rich in Cambridge, Mass., the other day, we saw a neighbor, whose political suggestion for the day was, "Say no to measures banning pit bulls!"
While I was unable to contribute to the debate that followed, I thought Rich advocated my position very well, which is that some pit bulls are dangerous enough that they might require being banned.
Case in point: A few weeks ago, I was out with Rich on the North Cambridge bike path when we saw a pit bull with its owner ... or rather, without its owner. The dog had slipped out of his owner's grasp and fixed its eyes on me. In seconds, it caught up to me as Rich was trying to lift me up to safety. Luckily, it seemed all bark and no bite, as a trip to the Porter Square vet confirmed that it had not made contact with me. Rich did some barking himself at the owner when she caught up to her dog and, thankfully, led it away.
I have not seen either the dog or its owner since then, but this incident has made me more aware of the dangers of pit bulls ... or, to be fair, of the dangers of irresponsible people who own pit bulls.
