2 letters: Freedom Fest a success; Stereotyping of pit bull breed

Many organizations and volunteers pitch in to make Freedom Fest a big success
Dear Editor,
From the bottom of our hearts, the Morgan Hill Freedom Fest committee extends a sincere, “Thank You,” to the Morgan Hill Times for its generous donation of newsprint materials for fundraising activities and providing enthusiastic and extensive publicity for the July 4th celebrations.
It has been an amazing year for us getting events organized, soliciting sponsors, wrangling with paperwork and pushing through challenges. It’s no wonder our events were better organized than any other time in Morgan Hill’s 118 years of celebrating our nation’s birthday! Our sponsors, volunteers and businesses pitched in to help make this celebration the best yet, and we sincerely say, “Thank you” to everyone involved.
Morgan Hill Freedom Fest is thrilled that so many people attended and enjoyed the events.  We are aware that this is partially in response to the wonderful publicity that the local newspaper has provided.
We are honored and very pleased that you appreciate what we provide for the city of Morgan Hill and its residents and that you chose to be a part of it. We look forward to working with you in 2013 for the celebration of our nation’s birthday here in our delightful hometown of Morgan Hill.
Charles Weston, president, Morgan Hill Freedom Fest
Columnist’s stereotyping of pit bull breed seems ’very similar to racial profiling’
Dear Editor,
I have never written to the paper before, but I am very offended by a recent column by Lisa Pampuch. It is very disturbing to see a columnist promoting the stereotyping and discrimination of pit bulls. More than that, it is very, very sad.
As an animal lover, I am sad to see read that  a horse was recently attacked. It is heartbreaking and I can’t imagine the anguish the owners feel. My heart goes out to them. But it is not the fault of every pit bull in America. How can you judge every  pit bull, based on what some pit bulls do? People love to throw statistics around, but why don’t people ever see statistics of how many great pit bulls there are in America? Why do people only see the bad?  
That’s an injustice to an animal, who cannot speak. No one can ever convince me that pit bulls, as a breed, are bad.
When my kids were small, we rescued a pit bull mix off Monterey Highway.  We named him Spike, and if you ask the staff at the Gilroy Vets, they will most likely remember him, even though we had to say goodbye to our 12-year-old Spike last November.  That’s what a great dog he was – loving, loyal, smart, and affectionate. He was part of our family.  Spike was over a year old when we found him. I slowly introduced him to our other dogs, then our cats.  I could trust him around my kids, even when my son was just a toddler. I had no idea of his history except that he had the worst case of mange I’ve ever seen, and had a rope burn around his neck when I found him.
Clearly he had been neglected or abused. I guess he should have been a “bad” dog.  But he wasn’t, and neither is every pit bull.
Despite all the negative publicity:  Pit bulls are great dogs. I was raised with a rescued pit bull, my children were, and I have family and friends who own them and will adamantly tell  you that a pit bull will be the best dog you’ve ever owned.  The problem is that people judge them by their reputation. You will never know how wonderful a pit bull is when your judgment is clouded by a stereotype.
I thought that Americans were progressing past stereotyping. What’s going on is very similar to racial profiling and the idea that pit bulls cannot be a positive part of society without government regulation.  
I hope people realize that someone who lashes out on an entire breed has no credibility. There are good and bad in every breed of dog, just as in every race of people. Let’s not take ourselves back a century, and forget that we don’t know better than to stereotype.
How are pit bulls ever to rise above this cloud of shame if America doesn’t look deeper and see the positive in this beautiful dog. Are people truly scared of them? Or are they just scared of what they’ve been told about pit bulls. It has been reinforced since I was a little girl to be scared of pit bulls, that they are bad dogs, aggressive and incapable of being a good dog. We have been trained as a society to think one way about pit bulls and it’s a shame. Is it fair to stereotype them?  Absolutely not …
Pit bulls are one of the most affectionate, intelligent and loyal dogs I’ve ever known. They sit in shelters all across America, including our own San Martin Animal Shelter, waiting patiently for their second chance.  They sit in cages for weeks and weeks, with 20 minutes of yard time every other day.  They watch as people pass them by, and they don’t understand why.  If they are lucky, someone will adopt them, and there are amazing people who do.  And if not, a perfectly good dog might be euthanized just because of his breed. This would make any truly “fierce” animal lover cry.
I’ll end by challenging dog lovers to consider the breed, visit them at the local shelters and  take them to the yard to play.  Then make an educated decision for yourself about pit bulls. I know you will find that they are not the devils they are sadly portrayed to be, but loving dogs who will melt your heart if you give them the opportunity.
Lorie, Emily, and Alissa Castro, Gilroy