Entirely unfair; I had a long conversation with my sister last week about Gladwell and she convinced me to give his writing another look. And look I shall! Anyway, The Toronto Star responded to Gladwell’s shaggy naughty dog story with an editorial that keeps blinky theory on a short leash:

Rather than banning this class of dog, Gladwell’s solution is to subject bad owners to extra rules and attention. People who are irresponsible should have their dangerous dogs neutered, or subject to mandatory muzzling, he says. And bylaw control officers should “track down” and monitor these owners to ensure they are obeying the rules.

In short, Gladwell wants to “profile” bad owners with violence-prone dogs. The problem here is that it’s hard to establish the combination of aggressive dog and irresponsible owner until tragedy strikes. And it’s hard to keep long-term track of bad owners and their pets.

Ontario’s pit bull ban is a far more effective way to proceed. All animals deemed pit bulls are required to be neutered, and muzzled in public. Bad owners are held responsible for the abuses done by their dogs. And owners who deliberately seek bellicose dogs are hampered by the ban on breeding or importing pit bulls.

Still, as I noted before, the cost and bother of fixing animals is still a deterrent for too many people. Maybe owners could even be rewarded for bringing in their pets—with a free leash or a catnip carrot, perhaps.