Pit Bulls Research Paper

Kaitlin Eagle
English 1001
Waddell
2/23/17
Breed Bans: Anything with a mouth can bite Four paws, wagging tail, and cold wet nose, the image that comes to mind probably isn’t a Rottweiler, Doberman, or Pit Bull even though the description covers all dogs. Assuming you are like most people you associate those specific breeds with junkyards, heavy chain leashes, and flash of sharp white gnashing teeth. Have you ever been bitten by one of these breeds or had a negative encounter? Probably not, but just like so many other misconceptions provided by the media, you believe it. Per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Approximately 4.5 million dog bites occur each year in the United States.” (“Dog Bite Prevention”). There always seems to
Unfortunately getting an accurate number of Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and other breeds traditionally considered dangerous that are currently living as beloved pets without incident, is impossible. So, what gives anyone that right to declare an entire breed unacceptable based on the actions of a few? Those in favor of BSL laws (Breed Specific Legislation) use “facts” and “statistics” reporting, “The danger of pit bulls and Rottweilers is well established, in that they account for 75% of all reported canine-inflicted human deaths in the past two decades.”, to support their argument (“Argument in Support of Breed Bans”). However, a statement by the American Veterinary Medical Association describes the flaws in the “facts”:
Dog bite statistics are not really statistics, and they do not give an accurate picture of dogs that bite. Invariably the numbers will show that dogs from popular large breeds are a problem. This should be expected, because big dogs can physically do more damage if they do bite, and any popular breed has more individuals that could bite. Dogs from small breeds also bite and are capable of causing severe injury. There are several reasons why it is not possible to calculate a bite rate for a breed or to compare rates between breeds (qtd. in Breed-Specific Policies: No Basis in
In about a quarter of fatal dog-bite cases, the dog owners were previously involved in illegal fighting. The dogs that bite people are, in many cases, socially isolated because their owners are socially isolated, and they are vicious because they have owners who want a vicious dog. The junk-yard German shepherd -- which looks as if it would rip your throat out -- and the German shepherd guide dog are the same breed. But they are not the same dog, because they have owners with different intentions. (qtd. in Argument in support of breed bans).
As Gladwell states, often dogs involved in attacks have not been raised in a normal loving home. Being isolated on purpose isn’t a life for any living being but instead of changing the dog’s life, not allowing this kind of treatment, we are focusing on eliminating the breed. If we banned all the breeds considered vicious most likely these irresponsible owners will either turn another breed vicious or ignore the