Pitbulls Research Paper

Give Pit Bulls a Fighting Chance Most Americans do not know that pit bulls were once known as, “America 's Breed,” or that they were owned by individuals such as: Theodore Roosevelt, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Helen Keller. Pit bulls also served honorably in the military (Sargent Stubby was the most decorated dog in the first world war), were featured in films (Pete the Pup was a member of the Little Rascals), and were celebrated on famous World War I posters (“proclaiming: 'Land of the Free, Home of the Brave '”) (Dayan, 2010, p26). Indeed, pit bulls were once the darlings of American life and even regarded as man 's best friend. It wasn’t until the 1980s, when pit bulls began to develop a negative reputation. Rolling Stone, Sports
The ways the media does this includes: tunnel vision, using politically charged labels, and misleading pictures. Tunnel vision includes, “providing little breadth or perspective and narrowing one 's perception of what is newsworthy to what has been newsworthy in the past or to what one was looking for in the first place”, which has been used to further a negative characterization of this breed (Cohen, J. & Richardson, J., 2002, p 291). Pit bulls across the nation make major headlines and capture the attention of numerous people for dog fighting and attacks, but has anyone ever stopped and thought, “Is there anything good pit bulls have ever done?”. There are stories regarding pit bulls that have acted in heroic ways to save their owners, and other animals, but they will never be covered in the news as much as the negative stories do. Another way that the media skews the opinions of the public is, using politically charged labels, such as: “viscous” and “unpredictable.” Without knowing the temperament of any pit bull, most people would assume them to be vicious because of what they have been fed. Also, many dogs that have been confiscated after being matched in dog fights and have been described as viscous. Even though there was no evidence that these dogs were ever aggressive towards people. In this context, the label is more than
(2002). Pit bull panic. Journal of Popular Culture, 36(2), 285-317.Retrieved on November 12,2013, from http://library.keuka.edu
Dayan, C.,(2010). Dead dogs: Breed bans, euthanasia, and preemptive justice. Boston Review, 35(3) p26-28. Retrieved on November 12, 2013 from http://library.keuka.edu/login
Hallsworth, S. (2011). Then they came for the dogs!. Crime, Law, and Social Change, 55(5) p391-403. Retrieved on November 13, 2013, from http://link.springer.com/statistcs
Pratt, H. K.(2004). Canine profiling: does breed-specific legislation take a bite out of canine crime?. Penn State Law Review, 108(3) p855-879. Retrieved on November 13, 2013, from http://library.keuka.edu/login
Tullis, P., (2013). The softer side of pit pulls. A reviled breed gets a makeover. Time, 182(4), p54.2p.Retrieved on November 12, 2013, from http://library.keuka.edu
Twinning, H., Arluke, A., Patronek, G., (2001). Managing the stigma of outlaw breeds: A case study of pit bull owners. Society & Animals, 8(1). p25-52. Retrieved November 12,2013, from http://library.keuka.edu
World-wide failure of breed specific legislation.(2010). National Canine Research Council. Retrieved November 20, 2013, from