ONCE again Rachel Moore has voiced a flawed opinion.I am referring to the tragic death of a child killed by a rottweiler.I have never owned a rottweiler, however, I have owned and worked with other breeds since I was a child.

ONCE again Rachel Moore has voiced a flawed opinion.

I am referring to the tragic death of a child killed by a rottweiler.

I have never owned a rottweiler, however, I have owned and worked with other breeds since I was a child. I have also known many people who have, and do, own rottweilers. With all my previous encounters with the breed owned by responsible and caring owners the dogs have, without exception, been placid and friendly.

I have also witnessed distinctly unfriendly and aggressive rottweilers. These dogs were like the way they were because they had been trained to be so or because they had been ill treated by their owners. The bottom line is that the breed is no more dangerous than any other large dog if it properly trained and cared for.

About 15 years ago I was attacked and badly mauled by a dog. There were two dogs present at the time, only one attacked me. Both dogs were large animals; one was a rottweiler, the other a German sheppard. The one that attacked me was the German sheppard, the rottweiler did not even growl. After a police investigation it turned out that the German sheppard had been trained to attack and apprehend humans. The dog had been re-homed to an irresponsible individual after it had ended its working life, it had attacked people on several occasions. However, the dog was not at fault; many people were responsible, including the owner. The dog was merely doing what it had been taught to do by humans.

To emphasise Ms Moore flawed case against a particular breed I am sure many readers will recall an incident in Yarmouth several years ago when a child was attacked and killed by a greyhound.

Surely these examples show that any breed of dog has the potential to maim or kill. However, in the majority of attacks by dogs, human failure or medical conditions in the dogs responsible have been evident.

All dogs have the potential to cause injury whether it is nipping the postman's ankles or worse.

In the majority of cases where an attack has occurred it has been a result of ignorant or irresponsible owners. Like having children, some people are just not suitable to raise a dog.

BILL STEVELY

Pakefield Street

Lowestoft