Pit Bull Reputation Essay Research Paper Fighting

Pit Bull Reputation Essay, Research Paper

Fighting, attacks, and vicious are words thought of when one mentions the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT). Society definitely portrays the APBT as an inherently violent. Groups have even gone so far as to demand breed specific legislation. These groups wish to ban the APBT. Some even go as far as genocide. Negative articles towards the APBT exist in abundance. Does the breed itself deserve all of this negative attention? What has given this dog a bad reputation? Is there anything good about this breed? These are all very important questions which the answers to may shock some people.

To understand part of the APBT s reputation, it is important to understand the infamous history of this breed. The APBT is a breed that descends from old time bulldogs in England. These dogs were used in a form of entertainment called bull baiting. This is a very violent sport where a group of these dogs would be put against a bull. It was said that this practice tenderized the meat before slaughter but the only purpose it had was to line the pockets of the man who organized the event. This practice was ultimately deemed illegal in 1835. The dogs that possessed great skill at this were looked upon as heroes. The consistent breeding of these dogs created aggressiveness towards other dogs in this breed. An inhibition to attack humans was also bred into the dog. This made the dogs great for fighting each other. The dogs were placed in a pit and the fights would end with a pin or till the death. Violent acts and occurrences like these have made the APBT seem very deserving of a bad reputation. Also, not helping the situation is the bad publicity the breed gets from the media.

In an attempt by reporters to sell papers and an attempt to ban dog fighting by the Human Society of the United States many stories have been blown out of proportion. Often times, when reporters are unsure of the breed, they will call the dog an APBT just to sensationalize a bite. Also, often times the Bull Terriers, Boxers, American Bulldogs, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and dogs who are mix breeds are mistaken for purebred APBT s. In all actuality, German Shepherds, Chow Chows, and mixed breeds are the top three biters. In one instance, a man was taunting an APBT. This dog eventually bit the man in the leg. The press then wrote that the dog bit of the man s leg and he died. In all actuality, the bite was minor, and the man died because of mistreatment of the medical attendants. In another well publicized attack, a camera crew films a small female animal control worker approaching a house. All of the sudden, a lady opens the door and an APBT comes running out and immediately latches on to the lady s arm. This attack has appeared on such shows as Maury Povich, Real TV, and When Animals Attack. This attack seemed almost planned. Why would there be a film crew at a routine dog seizure? Why didn t the camera crew help the woman instead of just filming? Why did they send a small woman equipped with only a snare to pick up this dangerous dog? What makes this seem extremely fishy is that the film crew received an award for this footage. The APBT seems to appear more frequently in the news than not lately, and always for negative publicity. Things like this have sparked movements for breed specific legislation.

Breed specific legislation can be reasonable but in some forms are ridiculous. It can vary from muzzle laws to banishment or even genocide. In one specific article, a man suggests that the APBT should be eradicated. If not that, he suggests that $1 million liability policies be mandatory, muzzles, $1 thousand dollars a year to keep them licensed, and strict repercussions against the breakers of these laws. If a dog is caught and is not licensed or is out and has no muzzle it will be gassed. This is an approach that is too severe. There are around 52 million dogs in the U.S. There are only 12-15 fatal dog attacks a year, along with 800,000 serious enough to require medical attention. There is an average of 93 deaths a year due to lightning strikes. So, a person is more likely to die from lightning than a dog. It is obvious that the dog has the potential to be very dangerous. It has tremendous jaw power and overall body strength. It has a high threshold for pain and is very persistent so it is hard to break this animal from attacking. But just like something as deadly as a gun, education is the key.

When any dog is mishandled, it is a threat to society. The APBT may become more dangerous because of its physical attributes; however, it is no different than a cocker spaniel that has been mistreated. The type of people that mishandle APBT s are often drug dealers, people who hold illegal weapons, people who fight them, or just people who want them because of their bad image. These types of people are obviously not good for this breed. These people often train these dogs to be aggressive towards humans and other dogs. The dogs are also often left on a chain or in a very rickety pen. With the APBT s ability to climb all sorts of things including chain link fence and its strength, these modes of restraining/holding captive the dogs are futile. These dogs often escape, and with their lack of socialization, attack anything they want to. These people often breed dogs also. When these people breed these dogs, they are trying to attain an aggressive disposition. They a