About the publisher: I completely agree that a dog is a better deterrent to burglars than a gun. This dog doesn’t have to be a $100,000 attack dog, though. The mere barking of a dog deters thieves, even the barking of a small dog. There are so many dogs in shelters that need homes right now. If you are concerned about your safety, adopt a pet. It’s much better for your emotional and mental health than a gun.
Lia Eng, Aliso Viejo
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About the publisher: This article made me so sad and very angry at the same time. Sad because it shows us that we live in a very fearful society and people are so paranoid. Angry at the inequality that allows a small percentage of people to spend six figures on a watchdog, while hundreds of thousands of people are homeless and millions of children go to bed hungry.
Vicki Rupasinghe, Ojai
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About the publisher: People pay up to $100,000 for a guard dog, while an estimated 93% of pit bulls in shelters are killed because of the stereotype that the breed is aggressive. How pointless and depressing.
Karen Dawn, Santa Barbara
The author is CEO of DawnWatch, a non-profit animal welfare organization.
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About the publisher: Theft is just one of those evils that the mediocre try to solve, and owning a well-trained “guard dog” seems to be the solution for some. In affluent areas, these well-trained dogs seem to meet those needs and become a weapon, more of a living “weapon.”
The current and growing financial inequality fuels much of this situation, which will only worsen if lawmakers seem powerless or unwilling to address these concerns. The training of these dogs is intensive and expensive, but the demand is growing with the extremely high price of the “finished product”. This burgeoning dog protection industry is another unfortunate indication of the unraveling of our societal norms, which can only get worse if those who can afford to return to such tactics stay home safely.
Elaine Livesey Fassel, Los Angeles
Source: LA Times