Pit Bulls Essay Example for Free

Pit Bulls Essay American societies famous bully breeds is too often stereotyped as malicious animals, but that stereotype is false due to evidence that pit bulls can be just as loving as the iconic golden retriever. According to the American Temperament Test, which is a test that focuses on and measures different aspects of temperament such as stability, shyness, aggressiveness, friendliness and self-preservation in the face of a threat shows that Pit Bulls have a temperament of 86.8%, (American Temperament Test Society) a much higher percentage than other breeds which justifies that these animals can withstand a higher tolerance of aggressiveness. If this is the case, why are Pit Bulls one of the most discriminated dog breeds in today’s society? Due to irresponsible owners, Pit Bulls have been labeled cruel and violent animals, leading people to be frightened for themselves, their children, and their pets. By experience and owning a pit bull for oneself, people would begin to understand something entirely different. Pit Bulls are a misunderstood breed; they are one of the most loving and loyal breeds that deserves a fair chance just like any other dog would, but because of irresponsible owners, and their negligence toward teaching their pit bulls the right mannerisms this may never happen. The reputation of the Pit Bull has taken a dramatic downfall in the past few decades due to negative publicity. Originally, Pit Bulls were considered to be   Ã¢â‚¬Å"American darlings†; during WWI they were claimed to be the sweetest and most loving dogs a person could own, but in the 1980’s the view of the â€Å"American darlings† changed due to an illegal â€Å"sport†, dogfighting. Although dogfighting is illegal in all fifty states, inhumane persons who participate in the sport choose pit bulls because of their strong physique and loyal personality, which contribute to the stereotype of all pit bulls being violent due to the public only viewing them as fighters. A famous example of this is the widely known scandal around NFL player Michael Vick, who was convicted of running Pit bull fighting kennels in Smithfield, VA. The outcome of this case brought on more discrimination toward Pit bulls in general. Although Pit Bulls were viewed badly, people still used them as the preferred guard dog not only for the bad as in drug houses and gang members, but also as one would get any dog, to use them as protection for their property. In 1987 an incident regarding a Pit Bull and a two-year-old sent red flags up for this prestigious breed. A pit bull that was under the care of an irresponsible owner had the dog guarding an illegal marijuana crop, in California, when a two-year-old boy who was unsupervised was wandering around and fell victim to the pit bull. This attack was immediately publicized because of the pit bull being involved as the main concern, which made the reputation of Pit Bulls sink even lower. People began to think that Pit Bulls were heartless killers, due to the mis-training of their owners. The public was misinformed; they did not know that the child was wandering around unsupervised in an enclosed area. This situation would create a threat to any guard dog, not just a Pit Bull, and the outcome would have been the same. Because of that horrible mistake, the Pit Bull was killed. In a situation like this, it is in no way the Pit Bull’s fault; he was merely doing his job. Rather, it is the owner’s fault for not clearly training him and the parent’s fault for being careless with their child. This was brought to the courts attention and soon thoughts of a ban against Pit bulls were raised. The public was outraged by this attack and proposed a ban on Pit bulls. This ban was granted throughout 39 or more cities and states without the consent of any animal professionals or the owners of this breed. These bans lead to the death of many innocent Pit Bulls in many areas. Many Cities reportedly spent over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in rounding up and killing these animals. Devastated owners had their animals confiscated and killed without warning. In Tijeras, New Mexico, the ban was so strictly enforced that animal control officers were allowed to kill any Pit Bull seen on sight without compensation to the owner. Due to their misunderstood reputation, people made rash decisions that affected the lives of many loving Pit Bulls that never stood a chance. They have even become a â€Å"liability† due to their â€Å"overly violent† personalities and because of this have been banned from many areas in the United States. One thing that frightens people the most is a Pit Bulls jaw. While they do have one of the strongest jaws, it is not the strongest. Dr. I. Lerh Brisbin, of the University of Georgia, states, â€Å"The few studies, which have been conducted of the structure of the skulls, mandibles and teeth of Pit Bulls show, that, in proportion to their size, their jaw structure and thus its inferred functional morphology, is no different than that of any [other] breed of dog. There is absolutely not evidence for the existence of any kind of locking mechanism unique to the structure of the jaw and/or teeth of the American Pit Bull Terrier. † There is no evidence to prove that Pit Bulls have unique jaws or any lethal â€Å"lockjaw†. The â€Å"lockjaw† method is learned through training, it is not a special killing tool, and once again the owner creates this issue for the breed. Pit Bulls are not the only kind of dog to be able to do this; most breeds can. The difference is people are already scared of Pit Bulls, so they continue to publicize it much more than the other breeds. Christina Berry, writer for The Lazy Pit Bull states, â€Å"Pit Bulls are the most discriminated dog in the US. This is in part because there are so many myths surrounding them, which makes some people believe theyre not suitable for adoption. This is not true. A rescued Pit Bull can make a wonderful companion. † Once people realize this, then Pit Bull adoption rates will rise and they can be put into good homes. These animals need someone that will take care of them and love them. That is all that is required for a happy dog and no accidents will be encountered. If these animals were provided the rights training and proper care than there would not be any worry about owning one of these animals. There are many precautions that have to be taken when owning these animals. Such as; proper housing and fencing, this contributes to a safe environment where these animals can roam and live without the disturbance of others. Also a calm and secluded area where no one can be around or taunt the animal in its own territory. When these animals are out in the public they should be constantly under supervision, this will allow you to know what the animal is doing at all time and give the proper amount of time to react if the Pit Bull feels threatened. Throughout the awful times many people continue to stand by Pit Bulls, these people are the ones that have experienced owning this loving creature and understand that the bad reputation Pit Bulls have is merely a misconception. I believe that Pit Bulls are the greatest breed a family could have. I have had fourteen Pit Bulls and each one was very special to me. They are very playful, confident, strong, humorous, loving, but most of all loyal. They will do anything for their owners. They are just like any other dog, but unfortunately they are not seen the same. Not one of my Pit Bulls ever harmed or attacked any other animal or human. They continuously proved themselves to being the sweetest animals that many have had the great fortune to meet. What normal, other dogs can do, like jump on somebody or behave like a dog, a Pit Bull can do that and be deemed dangerous, (Kingsbury) Unless people start taking the time to get to know the extraordinary breed that Pit Bulls are, they will never be able to understand their true personality or help them. Pit Bulls need to stop being looked at as monsters and killing machines, they are just like any other dog. They are loving, trusting, loyal, and fun. Pit Bulls are a wonderful versatile breed and are used for many different purposes; Fighting is not the only thing they excel at. They are a breed always focused and determined to please its owner, thus if we start using them for the right purposes these dogs make wonderful therapy, guide, rescue, service, weight pulling, but most of all companion dogs. â€Å"Pit Bulls love people. Although this breed frequently gets a bad rap in the media, if you have ever met a Pit Bull that was raised by a loving, conscientious family then you will understand how much they like to be with people.   All they need is the right kind of guidance, and owner. Pit Bulls are just like any other pet that one takes into their home, these dogs are wrongly named and deceived for the acts they are trained by their owners to do. JRL Solutions states, â€Å"It is in actuality the humans who continue to make a series of hasty or ignorant mistakes that are helping to perpetuate the bad reputation this breed has gained over the last decade. † If a law should pass against these dogs, it should be the law to mandate the right methods of training. To punish these dogs and classify them as malicious or dangerous is a hypocritical judgment as any dog, small, medium, or large could be classified into these categories. After much research and experience as I have had my fair share in taking responsibility and care of this precious breed, it is safe to say that society should rethink their opinions and misconceptions of these dogs. It is proven that they were the â€Å"American darlings† of our time, they have the tolerance to withstand aggressiveness, and they are one of the most loyal companions any man could ask for.