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Pit Bulls; Friend or Foe?

Pit bulls have been around for centuries. Many people believe Pit Bulls are a range of dogs, but technically Pit Bulls are American Shaffordshire Terriers and American Pit Bull Terriers. Throughout time, Pit Bulls have been portrayed very differently. In present day, the media has represented these dogs as mean, vicious, and advised not to be family pets. In the past, these dogs were shown differently in the media. Pit bulls have been rescue dogs, even during 9/11, a way hero dog during World War I, and were called a nursemaid’s dog at one point (aspca.org). “Pit bull’s were dubbed ‘America’s Dog’ and used on posters during WWI to sell war bonds and recruit for the U.S. military” (O’Conner, 2013). Pit Bulls have been negatively seen in the media because of the serious injuries and sometimes fatal attacks these dogs have done to people. This negativity has lead to cities completely banning the dog and creating breed specific legislations against Pit Bulls because of the dangers the public and the media believes the animal imposes. Breed specific legislations (BSL) are laws cities and states obtain that specifically targets types of dogs and does not affect other dogs. BSL “seeks to limit public exposure to dangerous dogs by regulating ownership of these breeds…is to prevent future attacks before an occurrence” (dogsbite.org). This topic is extremely important to me because I own a Pit Bull (an American Pit Bull Terrier) and I know she is not a vicious dog. The six years I have owned her have been difficult because of prejudices against my dog and owning the type of dog and also having my three year old son around her.

Blogs and Websites

There are many blogs that are against pit bulls. They are usually against any dog that is consider a bully dog, Pit Bulls especially. Bully dogs include Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, German Shepherds, and so on. Dogsbite.org is a very popular site that is completely against anyone owning a bully breed, especially Pit Bulls and Rottweilers. They fully support breed-specific laws (BSL) and believe that these laws will “correct the Pit Bull problem” (dogsbite.org). The blog stats that since the 1980s, pit bulls have been a problem because attacks have been on the rise. Not regulating the breeding of these dogs have made the population sky rocket. They believe in pit bulls bans, mandatory spay and neuter, identification and liability insurance, and prohibiting felons from ownership. There blog is filled with stories of people who have been seriously injured or fatally killed by a pit bull or a dangerous breed that is common to a pit bull. The blog states that pit bulls and their mixes “accounted for 74% of the total recorded fatal attacks…from 2006 to 2012” (dogsbite.org). They believe the dog and dog-like pit bulls are dangerous because of their selective breeding for dog fighting. They have surprise attacks, lethal bite style (by holding and shaking), and a “ruinous manner of attack.” Dogsbite.org is a blog and website dedicated to informing people of the dangers of pit bulls and it’s cousins (or dogs similar).

There are also many blogs and websites dedicated to informing people of the myths of pit bulls and how they are not a dangerous breed. Nopitbullbans.com is one of those blogs. The website is formatted to showing articles that are for pit bulls and then showing articles that are against pit bulls and trying to expose their wrongs. They have an article that is written to debunk dogbite.org. They wanted to bring attention “that ‘pit bull’ is not a breed but a slang term describing countless breeds, their mixes, and those dogs resembling those breeds and their mixes; dogs that are merely ‘guilty’ of fitting a type” (nopitbullbans.com). The blog also believes that no breed is more prone to bitting and killing.

“The CDC itself noted of its own statistics 1) the media is notorious for reporting almost exclusively on so-call “pit bull” attacks….notorious for getting the breed wrong, does not take into consideration mitigating factors like owner irresponsibility, abuse or neglect, lack of socialization, etc..CDC statistics are inconclusive…accurate population data for ‘pit bulls’ would be impossible to determine” (nopitbullbans.com).

The blog also states BSL is not proven to effectively prevent fatal or nonfatal dog bites. The ASPCA has also stated the myths about pit bulls. They do not have locking jaws. There anatomy in their jaw is no different then any other dog, but they do state that pit bulls are very powerful dogs. Also, when a pit bull is dog-aggressive is does not mean they are human aggressive. The media has portrayed pit bulls and pit bull like dogs to be dangerous but knowing all the facts before determining this is important especially with news the media deems important.

Objective or Propagandistic

Most of the website and blogs on pit bulls and pit bull like breeds are biased. Most of them are completely for or completely against pit bulls. They are either willing to pass Breed-specific legislations or think the BSL laws are unconstitutional. The websites are the best ones to research when wanting the exact facts for dogs. The ASPCA and the American Humane Association are two websites that people should research if wanting to know the facts. American Humane Association states that “any breed of dog can bite, and research suggest BSL does little to protect the community from dog-bite incidents.” It’s also very costly to maintain BSL. The blogs written are usually propagandistic, which is a person involved in producing or spreading propaganda (dictionary.com). They are there to persuade people to believe what they believe. The websites are usually more objective, which is “not [being] influence by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased” (dictionary.com). They are there to give the readers the facts. There is no emotion with the websites, just truth. My own bias does affect my perception because I do not believe in BSL and do not believe pit bulls or pit bull-like dogs are dangerous. I think people are dangerous and they are able to make a dog into a weapon. I also think that, like humans, dogs have attitude and some are bad and some are good. Also like humans, all dogs have a tolerance level. I have seen many different dogs, timid and outgoing, mean and nice; all dogs are completely different with different personalities. It does not matter about the breed, it was the dog’s own personality. Sometimes when bad experiences happens to dogs, they might become more aggressive, or sometimes when dogs are overbreed, they might be more aggressive, but it completely depends on the individual dog, not the breed.

With any topic or situation where people disagree it is important for people to know all of the facts. Looking at both sides, or all sides is essential to knowing the facts and being able to determine what side is more believable. Knowing what breed-specific legislation is and knowing what the conditions, restrictions, and expectations are, is always important. Some blogs and websites can be propagandistic and knowing which are can help people understand what they are reading. Also, knowing the websites that are more objective and reading those will give the audience the ability to not be so vulnerable to to be able to make their own decisions without being swayed by the media.

I own an American Pit Bull Terrier. I do not know if she is full blooded or if she is mixed with another breed. My veterinarian believes she is mixed, because she is smaller then other females in her breed. I don’t just own my dog, she is apart of my family, and has been for six years. She has never even growled at my son, let alone attacked her. My report may be biased, but I truly tried to report on both sides. I believe it’s unlawful to target my dog with laws, but there are people who agree with BSL. I wanted to report on both sides. I do believe the media sways people opinions about these types of dogs because they believe it’s news worthy. When children or people get attacked by a different breed of a dog, it is not reported because the dog is not considered a threat to society. Doing the research, there are other types of dogs that have attacked and sometimes fatally killed a child. In South Carolina, a 2 month old boy was fatally killed by the family’s golden retriever-Labrador mix. Also malamutes have cases of attacking children and adults, sometimes killing them. People kill people, wild animals kills people and each other, and dogs are no different. Sometimes tragedy happens and a fatal accident occurs. My main point is to prove that all dogs are capable of biting and fatally killing people. I and no one else should be targeted for owning a type of dog. Everyone should have to follow the same rules and regulations for their dogs. Everyone should be required to neuter/spay their dog, everyone should have to have insurance on their dog, and so on. Pit bulls and pit bull-like dogs should be treated just like any other dog and everyone should be responsible for their dogs actions.

References

American Humane Association. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/stop- animal-abuse/fact-sheets/dog-bites.html

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) (n.d.). The Truth about Pit Bulls. Retrieved from http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dogbehavior/truth– about–pit-bulls.

Definitions of propagandistic and objective. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/objective?s=t

DogsBite.org. Some dogs don’t let go. Retrieved from http://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs.php.

O’Conner, R. (March 19, 2013). National Geographic. The Truth about Pit Bulls. Retrieved from http://tvblogs.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/19/the-truth-about-pit-bulls/

NoPitBullBans.com. (June 28, 2013). Debunking dogsbite.org. Retrieved from http://www.nopitbullbans.com/pages/debunking-dogsbiteorg/

As she stared at all the wood surrounding her, her eyes glazed over with tears. She ran her hand down the wood and wished she was somewhere else. Why was this happening to her? Hadn’t she been through enough?
‘Miss Clayton?’
She shook her head.
‘Miss Clayton, you have to answer his question.’
She blinked and let the tears fall. She looked up and the rage and pain left her eyes and all that was left was a daunting look of emptiness.
‘You did this to me,’ she whispered, looking at the monster behind the defendant’s table.
‘YOU DID THIS TO ME!’ she yelled. ‘HAVEN’T YOU TAKEN ENOUGH?’
‘Miss Clay-‘
She screamed. The bailiff came over putting his hand on her shoulder. She jerked away, falling, ‘Don’t hurt me.’ She hugged her knees to her chest and sobbed. Terror filled her eyes before she shut them closed.
‘Order!’ The judge yelled as he banged His gravel. ’15 minute recess for Miss Clayton,’ he finished with a pained expression.
She was helped up and taken to the restroom. There was a soothing voice in her ear but she didn’t hear any of what was being said.
She looked up and saw her expression looking back at her. She had dark hollow marks under her eyes. Her cheeks had sunken in. Her hair was sticking in all directions and there were tear stained marks on the front of her blouse. When she finally looked into her own eyes, she was taken back. The emptiness of them were terrifying. How could someone take so much of her? Not just from the outside but from the inside. Parts of her that made her who she was. Parts of her that made her feel complete. Was part of it her own fault? Did she let this happen to her? She didn’t know for sure but her therapist tried numerous times to convince her none of it was her fault. But then why did she feel this way?
Was any of this worth it? Was putting her monster away in prison really going to make her feel whole again? She didn’t know but she had to pull herself together. She needed to get back in there and finish this. She didn’t know if putting this evil away would make her feel better but it was a hell of a start.

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Pit Bulls’ Friend or Foe?

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