Guest columnist Carol Miller is an animal lover and proponent of responsible pet ownership.

I just read your sweet story about the adopted pit bull. You asked for stories from readers about their own animals. Here is mine.

I have a Paint Horse named Blue. His looks and talent should have taken him to a career in the show pen, but his show prospects ended with a pit bull attack in the Cleveland Metroparks in 2007. Blue was mauled during an attack that lasted for 20 minutes and covered a mile. Hundreds of horrified park patrons witnessed the attack.

Blue lived, but he is no longer sound; he is a 1,000-pound pet. I required major surgery to control the pain caused by the injuries I suffered during the attack

When you write the soft stories on rescued pit bulls, you ignore genetics. Dogs are purpose-bred.

Border collies herd instinctively. Training can sharpen those skills, but they are bred into the dog.

Pointer pups will point at a feather on a string held by the proud owner of a litter. Training sharpens the skills, but nobody has to get down on their hands and knees to hold the little puppys legs in position until they get the idea. The skill is bred into the dog.

Bloodhounds track because they are bred to do so. Livestock guardian breeds do that job without fuss.

Pit bulls were bred for an activity so violent that it is a felony in all 50 states. The criteria for inclusion into the breed/type gene pool was the drive and ability to attack unprovoked and to continue that behavior until death occurs. Pit bulls are blood sport dogs. DNA is real.

American shelters are drowning in pit bulls. Most shelters harbor as high as 90 percent pit bulls. Look at the dogs available at the City of Cleveland shelter. Last time I did this, I found roughly 90 pit bulls and three or four other dogs.

There is no demand for those pit bulls, and many of them are warehoused for months to years waiting for placement. Is this humane?

I have a number that I consider significant. That number is how many Americans have been killed by pit bulls since the date of my own attack in 2007. Sadly, that number changes regularly.

The number stands at 364 as of Nov. 4. That is 364 Americans killed in 14 years.

A great deal of research has been done on pit bull-attack fatalities, and that research goes back to the first documented pit bull fatality in the United States back in 1833. From that first fatality, it took pit bulls 174 years to kill 291 Americans (up to the date of my attack). And in the 14 years since, pit bulls have killed an additional 364 Americans.

What happened in 2007 to kick off this bloodbath? The Michael Vick case brought pit bulls into the public eye, and those looking for profit seized the opportunity. The rest is history.

The date of my attack is my personal choice, but pick any date you like. The numbers dont change much.

Please give the downside as well as the upside when you share stories about pit bulls. The safety of the peaceful public should be considered. Humane treatment of the dogs should be considered.

Neuter and spay would be the best thing ever for pit bulls and would have been appropriate for inclusion into your article. Dogs that are not conceived do not suffer.

Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Ann Norman at anorman@cleveland.com. Essays must include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting todays topics are also welcome.

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When it comes to pit bulls, you cant ignore genetics: Carol Miller - cleveland.com