The pit bull debate

Defenders say the breed is misunderstood and misrepresented.

And it is true that, under certain circumstances, any dog can bite and seriously injure a child or an adult.

But most pit bulls I’ve seen (and I try to keep my distance) seem aggressive by nature.

Jeremy Williamson of the nonprofit Merit Pit Bull Foundation, which rescues and finds adoptive families for pit bulls, contends that’s not true.

“At the end of the day,” he said today, “I don’t think that a pit bull is any different from any other dog,” he said.

Williamson noted that the current puncture wound on his hand came courtesy of a Jack Russell terrier and that, among the most aggressive dogs he’s seen are feisty little Yorkies.

But he also says a pit bull is well-equipped to do serious damage. “Most pit bulls are powerful dogs.”

Williamson, who is working on an op-ed for us, said the key is training — for dogs and owners (70 percent for the owner, 30 percent for the dog).

“It’s a horrific tragedy,” he said of the child’s death.

“At the end of the day, it’s my responsibility to protect my family,” he said. “It’s all about being responsible.”