Journal-News.com

We don't envy the job that workers at the Animal Friends Humane Society have — dealing with thousands of unwanted and stray dogs and cats that find their way to the shelter near Trenton. The most heartbreaking requirement of the job? Euthanizing so many of the animals that cannot be adopted.

Pit bull terriers are reportedly a distinct problem because they are bred for illegal fighting, and then are often neglected or abandoned. After a recent weekend in which 15 pit pulls passed through the shelter, Leland Gordon, executive director of Animal Friends, said he's had enough.

He said he is calling on local cities to pass legislation that would require residents to spay or neuter their pit bulls. Animals advocates here and across the nation routinely urge all pet owners to have their dogs and cats neutered in order to avoid overpopulation and the number of unwanted animals.

Regarding pit bull terriers, we all know the horror stories associated with attacks on people by the breed, known for its aggressive nature and powerful jaws and physique. And yet, most responsible pit bull owners insist that if the dogs are raised correctly, they are excellent, loving pets.

The irresponsible owners of the breed are the problem, and whom Gordon would like to target. "The moment you tell them they have to have those animals fixed, I guarantee they won't have them," Butler County Chief Dog Warden Julie Holmes told staff writer Josh Sweigart recently. She said she agrees with Gordon that the county has a problem with too many pit bulls.

After pit bulls are abandoned, "it's next to impossible to get them adopted because most people do not want to adopt pit bulls because of their reputation," Gordon told Sweigart. So when they're not adopted, they're put to death.

Courts have been brought into the debate over whether local laws can be so selective as to regulate specific breeds of dogs, but the Ohio Supreme Court last year upheld Toledo's law regulating ownership of pit bulls. And in fact, Gordon was one of the loudest voices urging Middletown to drop its breed-specific ban on pit bulls a year ago (which City Council did), so it's clear he has a soft spot for protecting the breed.

The bottom line? We agree that this particular breed should not be abused and suffer ignominious deaths — all for the illegal amusement of those Neanderthals who call dog fighting a sport. If mandatory neutering will limit suffering and discourage this abhorrent practice, then we recommend that county and local municipal governments explore possible legislation requiring spaying and neutering of this breed.