Breed

Hold it. Stop the presses. I demand a retraction or at least a clarification. In "From Plain Pooches to Top Dogs" (July 14) Kathie Jenkins quotes anonymous dog show judges as incredulously allowing that, "Yes, even corgis are beautiful." As the owner of two such creatures and a member of the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of Southern California, I am stunned. I can only assume another breed was the intended target. Corgis (corgwyn actually) are beautiful by all true canine standards: Foxlike faces with eyes ringed by natural "eyeliner," usually a crisp white blaze from nose to forehead and large ears held erect combine to handsomely betray the breed's intelligence and aesthetic appeal.

Jamón Serrano . Cured ham made anywhere in Spain from cross-breed pigs, such as Duroc, Large White. Jamón Ibérico . Cured ham made from ibérico breed pigs raised in the dehesa forests in southwestern Andalusia, Extremadura and western Castille. Ibérico or Ibérico de Recebo . Designates ham from ibérico pigs finished on pig feed and grain, not acorns. Ibérico de Bellota . Designates ham from ibérico pigs fattened on acorns.

Jerry Hulse's articles are always so well done. Over the years I've found myself clipping them and referring to them later. I clipped the wonderful tribute to Delaplane, who was "a particular breed of newspaperman who won't pass our way again." LOIS S. CLINE Laguna Hills

The recent bad publicity given pit bulls in the media bothers me. It bothers me because most people will reach wrong conclusions regarding what makes a dog vicious. It also bothers me because a lot of beautiful dogs will be needlessly sentenced to death because they did what their masters trained them to do. The most graphic and damning pictures were those of Joy Hauser's dog, Benjamin, attacking the animal control officer sent to check on her. However, it was obvious that she gave the dog a command to attack and the dog obeyed her. After the attack when she had the dog on a leash, it behaved normally and did not attack anybody.

Re "Pit Bulls' Bullish Rescuer," Oct. 23: Thank you for the responsible story on pit bulls. They are truly a wonderful breed, with most of the bad press undeserved. I would like to expand on some of the information in your story. The reason there are so many of them in pounds is not because they are bad dogs but because of uncontrolled breeding. The scum that breed these dogs for illegal fighting may get only one good fighter out of a litter and so breed and breed, either using the pups to bait the fighters or turning them out on the streets.

I am disturbed by the stories about the bull terrier (Feb. 9 and 16). I would like to know who is Patricia Walters' "expert" who has caused a profound and disastrous effect on our beloved breed by claiming a ridiculous value of $300,000 on Shavin Kingsmere Notty Nada. You can bet your life it was not a bull terrier breeder or anyone concerned about bull terriers. The information in that article has done an injustice to the bull terrier breed, not only by encouraging puppy mills, but also bull terrier owners are now in fear for their dogs' safety.

Schrage's cold and merciless article on the use of aborted babies' bodies for medical research makes the new breed of horror movies look like a little girl's tea party. The final irony was the phrase "the gift of life" in a quote by Dr. Willard Gaylin. I don't think it is a fitting remark for such circumstances. Schrage remarks that, for the record, he is pro-choice. He need not have told us. MARION FORD GLENDALE

Re "Woman, 91, Loses Arms After Attack," Feb. 18: Yet another kind, loving, sweet pit bull attacks and mutilates a 91-year-old woman, resulting in the amputation of both of her arms. Every few months for the last 20 years this scenario has been replayed over and over -- men, women and children killed or mutilated. Pit bulls are killers by nature. They were originally bred to kill each other to provide "sport." When will it stop? Sterilize all pit bulls and let the breed die out. Then do the same for other "killer" breeds.

Re "Blind Puppy Love," editorial, July 28: As a rescue group in New York City, we take in every dog we can manage and love them all, purebred or mutt. But we do have a motto: "Purebred is worse bred," and any honest geneticist will tell you that is true. The emphasis on breeds is not -- should not be -- what dog companionship is all about. Who wants a cranky purebred Lhasa apso if you can have a good-natured German shepherd mix? People may have a passion for a particular "look" in a breed, but personally, I would rather have a dog that has his own look -- who is a breed of one and hasn't been cloned thousands of times to an entirely arbitrary standard.

I love reading stories about horses who make "comebacks" (June 29). Precisionist is 7 years old and should be out on some farm enjoying middle age. Instead, his owners drag him out of retirement because he can't perform well in the hay with mares. This horse earned more than $3 million for his owners and was then sent off to breed more money-making offspring. Now that the owners realize he can't make them any more money through breeding, they make him go out and earn it on the track.