by Lalinda De La Fuente

You may have already seen it, a Verizon Wireless commercial depicting a man lunging for the new LG "Dare" cell phone while he battles a couple of "vicious" junkyard pit bulls. It may just be a commercial but already animal welfare organizations such as the ASPCA are up in arms.

"The ASPCA is disappointed that Verizon has chosen to perpetuate an unfortunate stereotype of pit bulls,” said Jo Sullivan, senior vice president of development & communications for the ASPCA. “Our own ASPCA “Adopt-A-Bull” Contest has demonstrated that these dogs can make wonderful additions to a family."

Pit bulls have recently been enjoying a lot of love due to controversy surrounding the breed. The ASPCA reiterates this trend. "The public also recently showed its support for the evaluation and rehabilitation of the pit bulls rescued during the Michael Vick case, suggesting that they are ahead of the corporate world in their understanding of pit bulls," said Sullivan.

So now the questions is, are organizations such as the ASPCA right in their disapointment or are they over-reacting? These types of depictions are common on television shows and in movies as well. Is it these types of depictions that we have to change or is it our attitudes?

What do you think? Are these depictions in poor taste or is it "just" a commericial? Weigh in in our forums and tell us what you think.