"It will then be up to Vick to prove his worth, on and off the field."

Animal behavior

Dogs run amok: Can nothing be done about their owners?

Editor, The Times:

Regarding "Pit bulls maul sleeping woman after bursting through pet door" [Times, page one, Aug. 22] and "Pit-bull owner cited twice before, could face felony charges" [Local News, Aug. 23], about the pit-bull attacks on Sue Gorman, her service dog and the neighbor's dog, Romeo: Yuppie singles and DINKs have dogs instead of kids, but their priorities lie elsewhere. So they feel guilty about leaving the dog alone and get another one!

My family and I have been attacked on the street, in the alley trying to dump the garbage, and even in our own fenced yard. I am completely at wit's end over what to do about the epidemic of hazard dogs.

Just as the unfortunate Sue Gorman can tell you, complaints either to the owners or the supposed authorities are at best ignored, or more likely bring down the fury of the owners on the victim. I have had numerous ugly confrontations with the hostile, shameless owners of hazard dogs.

About three weeks ago, I spotted a bumper sticker that said, "If you don't like my dog running loose in your yard, stay inside." I see bumper stickers with nasty comments like, "My dog is smarter than your honor student," or "Put a leash on your brat, not my dog."

Dog owners are apparently outraged that parents care more about their children than someone else's dogs.

The victims of dog maulings are usually kids, but unfortunately, the body count doesn't seem to spark enough outrage to actually do something about this epidemic.

— Rob Wagner, Seattle

Bred for dread

Like all dogs, pit bulls are the product of generations of selective breeding. All AKA-recognized breeds were selectively bred to have specific traits, and a dog's temperament is as much a part of that breeding as its size, color, head shape, tail style and function.

The hunting dogs I have trained for 35 years have been specifically bred to find game and retrieve it. You can work for months on teaching a poodle or a dachshund to retrieve and it will never approach the natural ability of a Labrador retriever. Fluffy may chase a tennis ball if I feed her enough, but she won't keep retrieving until her heart gives out or until she's dragged back into the truck after searching hours unsuccessfully for a pheasant, like my retrievers do.

Pit bulls were specifically bred for one thing: to attack and kill for sport. It is what they do. That instinct is as much a part of a pit bull's genetic makeup as is my retrievers' instinct to spend hours trying to climb a tree that has a training dummy stuck in it.

Yes, humans can make a mean dog out of almost any animal if they abuse it enough, but Fluffy isn't likely to chew through your bedroom door while you're sleeping and attempt to tear your throat out.

Most dogs are generous, good-natured creatures that give us far more than we give back to them.

It's not the pit bull's fault that it is what it is. Through selective breeding, we created this instinct to kill and through breeding we could get rid of it. The truly sad thing is I doubt many people would want to own one without that killer instinct.

— Kurt Herzog, Edmonds

The domestic strain

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick deserves what he gets ["Sack Vick," editorial, Aug. 22]. The acts of brutal violence he committed on pit bulls in the name of dogfighting are atrocious.

My problem with all the attention this case is getting is that high-profile sports players regularly commit equally horrific acts against their significant others. Every year, we hear of professional sports players charged with domestic abuse, and every year these same multi-million-dollar players receive few, if any, consequences from the leagues they play for.

Isn't it time the NBA, NFL and MLB hold their players accountable for their actions off the field too?

Punishing the abuser should outweigh corporate profits. But, this is capitalism at its sorry finest: Money trumps human life.

— Marika Judi Graham, Shoreline

Can he dig back out?

If gifted quarterbacks were that easy to find, as The Times implies, then every NFL team would have one. So, don't expect the NFL to ban Michael Vick anytime soon. They will leave the door open for his future return.

It will then be up to Vick to prove his worth, on and off the field.

— Roy Weston, Burnaby, B.C.

Mourning Vietnam

Evening the score

So here comes George Bush telling us we could have won in Vietnam ["Bush draws parallels between Iraq, Vietnam," News, Aug. 22].

How would he know? When he had a chance to see the place 35 years ago, he begged off.

Gotta give props to Bush for being right about one thing: If we'd stayed in Vietnam 'til we achieved victory, we wouldn't be in Iraq today. We'd still be in Vietnam.

— Charlie Bird, Sammamish

Now in print

Your child's life story

Thank you for "Read a good book lately? 1 in 4 hasn't" [News, Aug. 22]. I believe the problem is also caused by a lack of good reading role models for children at home. If we are telling our children that they need to read for an hour, and then we sit down in front of the television or turn on the computer, we are sending the wrong message.

Our kids need to see us reading, and not only bedtime stories. When reading is integrated into the fabric of our families' daily lives, our children will grow up to be enthusiastic and avid readers as adults.

As a Kumon Reading Instructor in Seattle for the past 12 years, I have worked with thousands of children. Yes, it is a struggle to get kids to read but the best way to develop a child's interest in reading is to first be a role model.

At our center, we have a reading challenge each summer where our students set their own personal reading goal. Some struggling readers set a goal of just a few books, many are reading the seventh "Harry Potter" book, but many have challenged themselves to read more than 100 books. Once the love for reading is developed it stays with a child for life.

I challenge Seattle parents to put down the remote, turn off the computer, pick up a book and read for pleasure. Your children need to see you read.

— Jeannie Ianelli, Seattle