Pit bulls; how dangerous are they really?
I’m sure we’ve all heard about the bad reputation that pit bulls have. Maybe we haven´t all had a good experience with pit bulls. Sometimes there are stories on the news about attacks on people done by a pit bull, but not all dogs are bad. How dangerous are pit bulls really? Pit bulls as a breed are not dangerous. The things that make pit bulls or any breed dangerous are abuse/neglect/abandonment, bad owners, and lengthened shelter stays.
Pit bulls are considered muscular, short-haired, stocky dogs with a square head of any various type of breeds. ¨Pit bull is a name commonly used for dogs that are usually some mixture of bulldog and terrier… Pit bull include the American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, bull terrier, and Staffordshire bull terrier” (Pit Bull). Sterilization of dogs can increase their lifespan by 1-3 years while reducing the risk of cancer and curbs the dogs urge to roam. “One of the more bizarre problems with policies that target “pit bulls” is that the breed doesn’t technically exist” (Hettinger, James). The pit bull name originally comes from England where the
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Because pit bulls are considered a “bully breed”, they are by far the most euthanized breed. “Pit bulls and pit bull mixes average about 33% of shelter intakes nationally, but in large cities the numbers are as high as 40%-65%. About 75% of municipal shelters euthanize pit bulls immediately upon intake, without them ever having any chance at adoption. Those that are offered for adoption are usually the first chosen for euthanasia when overcrowding forces the shelter’s hand and decisions have to be made.” (Save-a-Bull) It is said that being labeled a pit bull can increase the shelter stay by 3 times because they are considered dangerous and aggressive. There are too many pits and not enough people willing to adopt
The media has led many to believe that pit bulls are a dangerous breed that can unravel at any time, attacking anything that crosses their path. However, like most other dogs, pit bulls were genetically bred for a specific purpose and are products of their environment. The history of this breed is a long and extensive account of what was once a beloved canine, too what is now a vilified breed. Even though they are labeled “Pit bulls” they are in fact not a specific breed of dog. Being a mixture of Bull terriers, the American Staffordshire terrier, and the Staffordshire terrier, Pit bulls were bred to be working dogs and family companions prior to being bred to bull bait (restraining a bull with a rope tied to an ironed stake that gave him only a few feet to move.
Mostly because everything you hear is negative, they have been involved in another attack of a small child or they have a raging temper that leads to destruction. However, with this being said, I know a lot of friends who have pit bulls in their own homes and also around small children. Yes, these animals
They are some of the best companions and make great emotional support animals. Also, just like any other breed, Pit Bulls can develop temperament issues if mishandled, mistreated, used for dog fights, etc. Bad breeding is also something that happens to these amazing dogs. Backyard breeders are people who breed animals poorly for money or abuse. Furthermore, as of March 2001, the American Pit Bull Terrier has a passing rate of 82.3%, which puts them in the top five of most stable breed of
Not all pitbulls are mean and will attack you, it’s the people who make the pit-bulls attack and train them to be mean. Pit-bulls are good dogs people just think that they are bloodthirsty beasts and people should not keep them as pets. They can be trained to be good pets and it is the owners faults if the pit-bulls attack you or if they are mean. They are good pets to have and I feel that people should be able to keep them as pets. If people were not
“In the early 1900s, the pit bull was one of the most popular breeds in america.” The article states, “Pit bulls
People should be able to have pit bulls as pets. First, people should be able to keep pit bulls as pets because they are misunderstood. For example, many people believe that pit bulls inherently dangerous traits, but that's false, according to Mary setter of the pit bull rescue center “There is no breed of dog that is inherently more dangerous.”
Statistics show that surprisingly this beast is a great nanny dog for kids and is some of the best service dogs. According to many pit bull owners, trainers,& years of scientific research pit bulls should be kept as pets because they aren't naturally aggressive, banning pit bulls won't stop dog attacks and they are loving and great family dogs First and foremost #1 reason pit bulls should be kept as pets is that they were not bred to be aggressive, they were raised to be aggressive. I can prove this because from pups pal it states in section 2 how pit bulls were raised to fight they were not bred to fight and because of this the dogs were aggressive so when the pups were born they got the aggressive gene not only that the dogs get the stereotype that they are an aggressive and unruly beast. This supports my thesis because it shows how pit bulls were not bred
Pitbulls definitely qualify as one of the most stereotyped and misunderstood breed or category of dogs. They are believed to be fierce, dangerous, and vicious based on past and previous events and complications. But, not all pitbulls are described and portrayed in that manner. The laws that were being passed to ban dogs categorized as pitbulls were being passed by people who have experienced or heard appalling stories of events or complications and accidents caused by or involving a pitbull. Not all pitbulls are dangerous and alarming.
Due to media's false information about the pitbulls, many shelters put them down before giving anyone the chance to adopt them (BestFriends). Many people are forces people to give their beloved pets. Since 2017, 20 states have passed a contract against breed discrimination and has been working on increase the number but still people don't know that they can admit that the breed is the most kind, lovable breed to get to know. The pitbull is the most misunderstood when it comes to the media but pitbulls are like dragons but can be trained to be good. Pit bulls have been the target of breed specific legislation for years despite evidence claiming such laws do not diminish the number of overall dog attacks.
Now it is starting back up again when there has been attacks in california and people want to ban pit bulls in the U.S just like other countries. Here are some pieces of research I have found that will show you that this is a valid concern. A lot of people want to ban pit bulls because they kill more and believe that they a have certain features that make them killing machines. A common false attribute that is believed about the pitbull is that it has a locking mechanism in its jaw that allows it to lock when biting. Recent studies have
According to the Mid-American Bully Breed Rescue, there are approximately 5,000,000 registered pit bulls in the United States alone (Pit). Of that 5,000,000 there are roughly 35,000 in shelters. In Los Angeles alone, 72,800 are euthanized each year; if you break that number down, that means about 200 helpless pit bulls are euthanized each day, however if you would rather look at the bigger picture, in the U.S., 728,000 pit bulls are euthanized in just one year. Numbers like these are immensely horrid especially if you are an animal lover. Research was found to try to notify and persuade people into taking action in the spaying and neutering of their animals, eliminating animal abuse as well as dog fighting.
Owning a pitbull is smart move because they are good with people and children, obedient, and easy to train. The dogs are just so great with people depending on how they are raised and trained. The way humans behave is what leads up to “companion animal attacks” (Time). People are able to have good relationships with pit bulls though.
“There are about 78 million dogs in the United States, meaning less than 17% of dogs bite less than 1.4% and kill less than 0.00001% of the US population.” states Lindsy Marchello, Brian Hare, Vannessa Woods, and United States Burau. It is important to know this because discrimination should not happen against dogs just because they are at the top of the list for being brutal. People need to remember that not all of them are like that. Not all pit bulls are mean.
More than likely the people that get this type of dog would just train a different breed of dog such as german shepherds to do the same thing therefore, “banning pit bulls would make no progress”. http://www.opposingviews.com/i/should-pit-bulls-be-banned. “If it was determined that pit bulls were 5 times more likely to attack than any other dogs, that could mean that 5 out of 1 million pit bulls will attack in their lifetime instead of 1 out of 1 million. The point is the evidence that shows pit bulls are more likely to attack than other dogs is misinterpreted to mean that they are likely to attack”. http://www.opposingviews.com/i/should-pit-bulls-be-banned.
The law states that owning a pit bull is considered a third degree felony. Pit bulls also have the highest bite rate percentage. These types of issues cause a fear of pit bulls. When some people are scared of something they act strange around it. Acting strange around pit bulls might cause them to react in bad ways toward you.