I recently shared publicly an encounter I had with a pitbull or some hybrid form of a pitbull that brought on varied responses from “The dogs don’t need banning. ‘Cause wunna Bajans does go to the extreme for every li’l thing… I sorry de dog ain’t bite off ya mout and ya hands too” to “Push the story, ppl need to know how irresponsible dog owners could be” to “I hope you don’t let it go because these dogs need to be banned”.
To andreaanikij, yes, sometimes we Bajans do go to the extreme, but I would like for you to imagine going from out jogging on a public road in an area that you enjoy being in, to being on your back, fighting for your life and screaming in agony as an animal half your size bites into you. If you can imagine that and consider it a “li’l thing”, well, to each his own.
To the owner, as much as I think you were highly irresponsible for having your dog off its leash in a public space the way you did, I still want to thank you for eventually saving my life because I am sure your majestic dog – that I am sure you are very proud of – would have taken my life. Yes, you took your dog and walked away, but I understand why; there would have been consequences to your initial actions.
To the kind gentleman who stayed rather than just driving off, enquired as to how I was and then took me to District ‘A’ Police Station, thank you for your kindness, Sir. To the police officers at District ‘A’ and the staff at the Sir Winston Scott Polyclinic, I wish to thank you all for your empathy and your assistance. I believe what I received from you was more than just doing your jobs and I am eternally grateful.
To my family, friends and colleagues, I wish to thank you for your overwhelming support.
To the legislators of Barbados, I wish to urge you to do something now. Do not wait for more people to be injured, more lives to be lost, and maybe one of your loved ones to bring it home to you. You do not have to wait for a tourist to suffer one of these attacks; you can actually do something before that. I was guided by a Barbadian attorney residing in Trinidad to have a look at the legislation covering this kind of thing there; maybe you can start there.
Personally, I would go for a ban on a set of these breeds of dogs that are capable of singularly killing people. They serve no societal purpose but exist solely for the purpose of their owners’ gratification. Two Jack Russells can sound the alarm. Dogs as we know them are not naturally evolved animals; they are domesticated wolves that have been bred by humans to possess particular characteristics and some have been bred to kill. Some argue that the right socialisation of such dogs makes them loving pets but there are several stories of such loving pets mauling their owners. At some point, those dogs respond to their nature and do what they were genetically bred to do. I have friends who own some of these dogs and they are very proud of their dog’s potential to kill. These are responsible men, whom I am satisfied do their best to secure their dogs but are always mindful of, and do from time to time express concern or fear of their dogs ever escaping.
I understand that some people are dog lovers; I am not, even though I can appreciate a small friendly dog. I prefer tortoises and fish – they pose no threat to my neighbours or passersby. I also like weapons: guns, crossbows, blowguns, swords, knives etc. I am fascinated by them. I have been trained to use firearms safely and have worked with firearms. I had owned a blowgun before it became illegal. Some friends and I had some years ago for sporting purposes but they were quickly added to the Firearms Act and that was the end of that.
My point here is that while people like myself like weapons and in some cases have been trained to use them safely, we cannot purchase a firearm just like that. There is a process which involves verifying our fitness to own one, requires that we be trained in the proper handling of one, be properly registered to own one and have justification for owning one. While I can go to the hardware store and purchase a cutlass or a dagger, I am not free to walk around brandishing them and I certainly cannot find a katana (Japanese martial arts sword) or a tanto (martial arts dagger) in a hardware store. These are all inanimate objects with no mind or ability to do anything on their own, but any and everyone cannot simply go and acquire one. Why is it that any and everyone can not only freely obtain a killer dog but can just walk them out in public? Anyone can obtain and walk with these dogs that can decide to attack in public but I cannot obtain, let alone walk in public with a cutlass or katana to protect myself should one of these dogs, which some lawless owners unleash in public, decide to attack me. As one did, and almost took my life.
I wish to urge our legislators, our elected representatives, to urgently look at this matter and do something about it. Have a look at the legislation in Trinidad. Let’s consider treating these dogs in a way similar to the way firearms and other similar weapons and even tools have been treated. How many more of the citizens you vowed to represent have to be attacked? And you certainly don’t have to wait until it impacts tourism.
Anthony Reid
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