American Pit Bull Terriers; the Incredibly Misunderstood Breed
American Pit bull Terriers; The Incredibly Misunderstood Breed
“Pit bulls are vicious dogs,” people say, “They’re just time bombs waiting to destroy.” When it comes to conversations about pit bulls, they are almost never positive. There has been hype about pit bulls and how dangerous they are all over the United States. This false media going around is causing officials to want to ban pit bulls everywhere. Many states in the United States have already implemented the BLS (Breed Specific Legislation.) I believe that this law should be stopped; no single breed should be singled out because of the bad decisions of their owners. If the legislation is trying to ban pit bulls, why haven’t they banned alcohol? Alcohol hurts and kills more people every year than pit bulls will ever do in a lifetime. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there are approximately 79,000 alcohol related deaths in the U.S. each year (CDC, n.d.). Pit bulls, however, accounted for 14 deaths in the year of 2009 (U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities in 2009.) Despite the fact that pit bull breads have earned a bad and misleading reputation of being dangerous dogs, they should not be banned because they are not as dangerous as people think, they serve society in great ways, and they do not deserve to be punished for having irresponsible owners. The first reason why the dog breed of American Pit Bull Terriers should not be banned is because they are not the ferocious beasts people believe them to be. Although people may not think so, pit bulls have characteristics that make them great pets; they are remarkable dogs that are eager to please their owners. As the PBRC states, as well as I have learned from my own experience, these dogs are energetic, intelligent, playful, strong, and loving animals. They have determination to do what they set out to do and are always looking to please those around them. Pit bulls are very responsive to training, if cared for properly and are taken to
“Pit bulls are vicious dogs,” people say, “They’re just time bombs waiting to destroy.” When it comes to conversations about pit bulls, they are almost never positive. There has been hype about pit bulls and how dangerous they are all over the United States. This false media going around is causing officials to want to ban pit bulls everywhere. Many states in the United States have already implemented the BLS (Breed Specific Legislation.) I believe that this law should be stopped; no single breed should be singled out because of the bad decisions of their owners. If the legislation is trying to ban pit bulls, why haven’t they banned alcohol? Alcohol hurts and kills more people every year than pit bulls will ever do in a lifetime. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there are approximately 79,000 alcohol related deaths in the U.S. each year (CDC, n.d.). Pit bulls, however, accounted for 14 deaths in the year of 2009 (U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities in 2009.) Despite the fact that pit bull breads have earned a bad and misleading reputation of being dangerous dogs, they should not be banned because they are not as dangerous as people think, they serve society in great ways, and they do not deserve to be punished for having irresponsible owners. The first reason why the dog breed of American Pit Bull Terriers should not be banned is because they are not the ferocious beasts people believe them to be. Although people may not think so, pit bulls have characteristics that make them great pets; they are remarkable dogs that are eager to please their owners. As the PBRC states, as well as I have learned from my own experience, these dogs are energetic, intelligent, playful, strong, and loving animals. They have determination to do what they set out to do and are always looking to please those around them. Pit bulls are very responsive to training, if cared for properly and are taken to
References: CDC. (n.d.). Alcohol and Public Health - General Information on Alcohol Use and Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 17, 2010, from http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/quickstats/general_info.htm Crawford, K. (n.d.). Where Heroes Are The Pits. FOR PITS ' SAKE. Retrieved February 11, 2010, from http://www.forpitssake.org/ Breed Info Center. (n.d.). American Pit Bull Terrier, Pit Bulls, Pit bulls. Dog Breed Info Center®, DBI. Retrieved February 11, 2010, from http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/americanpitbull.htm Bully My Breed. (n.d.). The Truth About Pit bulls. Don 't Bully My Breed, Inc. Retrieved February 10, 2010, from http://www.dontbullymybreed.org/index.php DigitalDog. (n.d.). DigitalDog Thanks Military Dogs Past and Present. USMC Sargeant Stubby. Retrieved February 19, 2010, from http://www.digitaldog.com/stubby Farm Foundation, Inc. (n.d.). Animal Farm Foundation, Inc. From Victim of Cruelty to TV Star! Retrieved February 19, 2010, from http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/ PBRC. (n.d.). Breed Information. Pit Bull Rescue Central. Retrieved February 10, 2010, from http://www.pbrc.net/breedinfo.html U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities in 2009 - DogsBite.org. (n.d.). Pit Bull Attacks and Pit Bull Legislation. Retrieved February 17, 2010, from http://www.dogsbite.org/bite-fatalities-2009.htm