Chad Glasheen
Dr. Murfee
English 112
11 November 2014
A Proposal for Dangerous Dog Breeds
Dogs are among the most popular pets to own in America and throughout the rest of the world. People love their dogs and this should continue to be so. However, many opt to own breeds that are known to be dangerous. One of the more common dangerous breeds to own in the United States has become the Pit Bull. While Pit Bulls are not actually recognized as a breed, the name is slang for a dog that shares the characteristics of American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or American Pit Bull Terriers (Roemer para 1).
People own these dogs for a number of reasons. Not only are they cheap and very commonplace to find, people own
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them because they are enamoured with the macho factor that is associated with the dog. While this is fine if the dog is owned and taken care of by a responsible, well experience dog owner, it can spell disaster if the dog is irresponsibly raised. Many of these dogs end up in the hands of owners that are irresponsible and own them for reasons such as fighting or just to have a powerful dog. Pit Bulls are known to be potentially very dangerous. Pit Bulls are not recognized by the American Kennel Club as an official breed due to the fact that they know these dogs can be dangerous. If one is improperly raised or handled, it can inflict major harm on an owner, other people, dogs, or even children. There have been many documented Pit Bull attacks in this country, and many of them are due to improper care of the animal. In nearly every county in the United States, it is required that a tax be paid in order to own a dog. Every county should require owners to pay a higher fee and go through a series of background checks in order to own more dangerous breeds like Pit Bulls. Dangerous breeds not being handled well is a problem in the United States. There are around 4.7 million dog bites each year and 6,000 of these require hospitalization (Huemer para 6). Not only are Pit Bulls among the most dangerous breeds, they are the number one most dangerous breed. According to the Center for Disease Control, data collected from 1979-1988 indicated that Pit Bulls were the most dangerous breed with 66 bite-related deaths (Barlow para 6). The other most dangerous breeds are Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Huskies, and Malamutes with 39, 17, 15, and 12 deaths respectively. Part of the reason why Pit Bulls are potentially dangerous is that they were originally bred to help hunt large prey.
Thus, they needed to be very strong, muscular, aggressive and have powerful jaws (Roemer para 1). These breeds are naturally aggressive due to the fact that they were purposely bred to be aggressive. Many use this breed for what it was bred for, hunting, and for that reason people should own them. Although data indicate that these breeds, especially Pit Bulls, are extremely dangerous, they are only as dangerous as the owner allows them to be. An irresponsible owner who does not raise a Pit Bull correctly is setting their animal up for failure. These breeds have the potential to cause harm, but like most other dogs, they can be tamed through proper training and a responsible owner. However, this is essentially placing one’s safety in the hands of …show more content…
another. When a dangerous dog is not taken care of properly, very bad things can become of it. Chad Glasheen encountered a situation that is a prime example of being a victim of an improperly raised Pit Bull: In the Summer of 2013, he was on a walk with his seven-year-old dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, in his apartment complex.
Ridgebacks are known to be very strong-willed, intelligent dogs. He is always very alret and he is aware of what is going on around him. Midway through the walk, a fellow resident opened his door only for his Pit Bull to come charging out without a leash on. Both the dog and Chad were not prepared or expecting what was to follow. The Pit Bull immediately charged toward them. Chad’s dog did nothing but stand by him because he had no idea what this dog wanted. Maybe it wanted to play. As soon as the dog reached them, it bit and latched onto his dog’s ear. Soon the owner came running out. For the next two minutes they frantically tried removing the dog by prying open its jaws which did not budge. They had to resort to literally beating the animal by kicking it in the rib cage. Meanwhile, Chad had to make sure the attacking dog did not pull too much on his dog’s ear so that it wouldn’t be ripped off. The whole time he had to endure his dog’s screams, and there was literally nothing they could do to remove the other dog expect to beat it. Finally the dog let go; Chad and his dog charged back to his apartment with his dog gushing blood the whole way. He had to call the police to get the situation documented. Animal control was eventually brought into the equation and the other dog was euthanized. Chad had to take his dog to an emergency animal hospital. The
hospital bills totaled about $2000. In this situation, Chad felt extremely helpless. This feeling of helplessness is rather scary to him when he reflects upon the situation (Glasheen).
One can only imagine if Chad’s dog was replaced with a human being or even a small child. What if the child was alone and had no one to help? The owner of this Pit Bull admitted to having bought the dog from a man that had it tied up to a tree. Thus, it was raised improperly from birth by an irresponsible owner effectively making it an extremely dangerous animal. Not only was the animal improperly raised, the current owner of the dog was on probation making him a suspect guardian at best.
Pit Bulls are somewhat common in the United States and are fairly easy to find. For this reason, many pounds and animal shelters have Pit Bulls up for adoption. Currently, the average adoption fee for dogs ranges from $75 to $150 (“Dog Adoption Fees” n.d.). In most counties, an annual registration fee is also required for dog ownership. The average registration fee ranges from $10 to $20(“Dog Adoption Fees” n.d.). This is fairly cheap considering the long term cost of owning a dog makes these initial fees seem very minute. This makes owning these dangerous breeds very easy. Thus many of these dangerous dogs end up in the hands of owners that have no business owning such a dog. This can lead to the dog being raised improperly, and the odds of it potentially harming someone go up exponentially. One might as well be handed a weapon for a cheap price.
Irresponsible owners of dangerous breeds is a problem. The simple solution would be to ban all dangerous breeds. However this is not viable due to the fact that there are plenty of known dangerous breeds that are given proper care and make great pets. Since disallowing people to own dangerous breeds such as Pit Bulls is not a viable solution, something must be implemented in order to deter people from owning such breeds, as well as deterring irresponsible people from owning them. Every county should require an annual dog registration fee, and there should be a substantially larger fee for breeds that are deemed dangerous by the county. These dangerous breeds are a cost to society for the damage they inflict whether it be people or fellow animals. Not only would this higher tax help fund this cost to society, it would hopefully discourage people from owning them - especially irresponsible owners. Since dangerous breeds like Pit Bulls are so readily available and cheap, it makes it very easy and almost the more practical choice in a financial aspect to own one. If they were more expensive to own, hopefully potential dog owners would be more inclined to buy less dangerous, cheaper dogs instead. Potential dog owners that are irresponsible are probably less likely to fork out more money than they would for a non-dangerous dog. People that have the heart set on getting a dangerous breed would still be allowed, but for a price. The idea would be for people that actually have business owning such a dog to do so, and the opposite for those that do not. This is a win-win situation where everyone can be happy. The reputation of these breeds may even improve since there will be fewer improperly-trained dogs leading to fewer attacks. The most important outcome of this of course would be to keep people and their pets safe.
Though many responsible people own dangerous breeds like Pit Bulls, they often end up in the wrong hands. Dangerous dogs that end up in the hands of criminals can often lead to disaster. Not only can the breed be mistreated and improperly raised leading to the dog becoming even more dangerous, they can be forced into fighting other dogs for sport. In the United States, there are around 50,000 people who breed dogs to fight. (Nesbitt para 30). These dogs - mainly Pit Bulls - are bred solely for the purpose of fighting other dogs. Many of these dogs end up abandoned and eventually find their way into local pounds where they can be adopted. Such dogs can end up forever both emotionally and physically scarred. They are then set up to fail in a normal environment.
Although most criminals that own dangerous breeds for the purpose of fighting most likely have the dogs under the radar or not registered, something could be done to reduce the amount of people that have no business owning these dogs. In addition to a higher fee to register the dog, a background check could be implemented on the person trying to acquire the dog. If there are any crimes that could imply the dog will be improperly raised or handled, the person would be rejected for ownership or required to take classes for dog training. If they were required to take dog training classes, this would ensure that the dog is being properly raised.
Dangerous breeds like the Pit Bull will always be popular with their current place in our society. There will always be attacks and fatalities as long as they are as popular as they are now. The chance these breeds will end up in the wrong hands in unacceptably high. Something must be done in order to at least diminish the popularity of them. Higher fees to own them would effectively decrease the amount of dangerous breed owners. Not only would there be fewer dangerous dogs to worry about, all of these potentially dangerous dogs would have a much higher chance of being successful, safe pets since more responsible people would own them.
References
"The Misunderstood Pit Bull!" The Misunderstood Pit Bull! N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.
Pit bull terriers have a long track record of attacks against people and animals. A 1987 study of a particularly savage attack against a child was documented by four doctors in the hopes...
Pit bulls, the most dangerous dog to ever live. People like to train Pit Bulls to fight other dogs until they are either hurt or dead. The owners that train the dogs are usually the ones that make the dog turn out to be vicious and dangerous. “Each year, 1.2 million dogs are euthanized, approximately 40% of whom are Pit Bulls”(Moore). Pit Bulls don’t know better to understand which is right from wrong since they’re being raised up to fight and protect. Pit Bulls aren’t good family dogs due to the power of their strength and that they could attack at any moment.
Pit bulls, like any other dog, grow into their temperament. The way the dog is raised rounds out their character and general temperament. According to the “American Temperament Test Society: Pit bulls pass temperament tests 84.1% of the time, which ranks them slightly better than golden retrievers (83.8%) and cocker spaniels (81.7%), and well above miniature schnauzers (78.6%),” (The Biting Truth). Myths have generated atrocious attitudes towards this breed for years. The nature of the dog to be a protector to children and the bulky build of pit bulls makes them a very easy breed to target. These opinions ...
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), there is a “great deal of confusion associated with the label ‘Pit Bull,’” as it does not refer to a single breed of dog, but rather to a group of breeds with similar characteristics1. These characteristics include short hair, a wide skull and shoulders, muscle definition, stocky build and a deep jawline, the combination of which create a dog that manages to strike fear into a perfect stranger. The term ‘Pit Bull’ is derived from the bulldog, which was originally bred as a hunting dog for large game, but has since developed into a “loyal companion rather than a working dog.”1 Their history as “gripping dogs” for hunters follows them into modern society, as many of these dogs have been inhumanely pitted against one another as well as other animals for sport and for human entertainment1. It is because of these illegal fighting rings that ‘Pit Bull’ type breeds have become the subje...
What words come to mind when one hears the words “pit bull?” How about aggressive, violent, or dangerous? In many cases, this isn’t actually true. Because of the negative media attention for attacks on humans and other dogs that pit bull breeds receive, many Americans place a stigma on pit bulls, tagging them as dangerous and vicious. This stigma typically applies to all pit bulls, not just the ones that are actually dangerous. To remedy the issue of dangerous dogs attacking other beings, the legislative act known as breed-specific legislation is being debated throughout the United States. Gary J. Patronek, a veterinary doctor, defines breed-specific legislation as a law than “bans, restricts, or imposes conditions on ownership of specific breeds or dogs presumed to pose greater risk of biting people” (788). Breed-specific legislation is commonly debated in communities that have recently experienced a dog-bite related injury or fatality (Patronek, Slater, and Marder 788). However, this law would ban all dogs of the pit bull breed or any related dog based solely on their breed, rather than disposition. Therefore, breed-specific legislation should not be enacted throughout the United States because is biased against pit bulls and is ineffective in reducing dog-bite attacks by ignoring other aggressive dog breeds.
Perhaps the reason why pit bulls are feared by society is because we are afraid of what they are associated with. Pit bulls are often thought of as a gangster’s pet, a role in violent and illegal activities. People stereotype this breed because of the unfortunate acts of few. In contrast, society needs to understand that they are being racist towards a breed of dog. Denver’s systematic killing of pit bulls could be compared to the actions of the Nazis during the Holocaust.
Most of the dogs on this list are common household pets, like the Labrador retriever, and are normally non-aggressive and very friendly. Many times these dogs show no sign of aggression and pose no threat to society. Perspective One Breed-specific laws were put in place with the expectation to help prevent dog bites and attacks. The State and Federal government both came to the conclusion that this is a positive way to promote safety from dog attacks. “Both state and federal courts consistently uphold the constitutionality of breed-specific pit bull laws.... ...
In 18 August, 2011, the source of this event is from Herald Sun. A four-year-old lovely child named Ayen Chol was mauled and killed by a pit bull cross while she was playing in her home. The vicious pit bull escaped from a neighbour’s yard and mauled Ayen in a sudden attack. The dog rushed inside the house and set upon Ayen and some other children who were watching television. Ayen’s mom tried to beat the dog away from the children with a table, but she failed. Then the dog turned on Ayen and the vicious injuries caused Ayen’s death. Dr Cam Day, who is the RSPCA’s Queensland pit bull expert, has claimed that American pit bull terriers are ‘head, shoulder, feet and everything else above other breeds’ in terms of their capacity to injure and maim. If the government doesn’t ban pit bulls, these tragedies would continue to happen and children’s lives would be threatened all the
When most people today see a pitbull they see it as a monster who could snap at any moment. Something that they should protect themselves and their family from; but that is not necessarily true. Is any one man or woman exactly like the last? A human being’s personality along with their capacity for violence is molded by their past and how they were treated growing up; pit bulls are no different. In today’s society pitbulls are unfairly discriminated against because they are favored among street gangs and dog fighting rings, leaving a staggering number of loyal and loving dogs homeless or mistreated.
To say “pit bull,” however, is a vague reference to several pit bull types, which are considered separate breeds by registries like the American Kennel Club (AKC). Each type has a slightly different breeding history; many began with the breeding of bulldogs with terriers to produce a loyal, compact and tenacious breed (“American Pit Bull Terrier”). The standard three pit bull types most often mentioned by name in breed-specific legislation include the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. That is not the extent of the legislation, however, which also includes dogs that “substantially conform to the breed standards established by the American Ken...
Currently, pit bulls have been reported by the media with very horrific and disturbing news of having attacked a child or being shot by a police due to aggression while some are reported to have been abused or neglected by its owners (Forderer and Unkelbach 534). And because the reports keep coming with heated discussions, more and more people have forged a frightening image of pit bulls even to the extreme of refusing to take care of such breed. Pit bull advocates claim that the dogs get a bad reputation considering that people should learn the dogs are not inherently aggressive. What the pit bull advocates would like to point is that the owners of the pit bulls should be considered guilty for mishandling of their own dogs. There are owners of pit bulls that even encourage the dog to be aggressive in order to fight and protect them in a wrong manner and wrong degree of training (Forderer and Unkelbach 536). Pit bull advocates claimed that a well socialized and well trained pit bull would be very intelligent and could be one of the gentle dogs imaginable.
...ports Illustrated cover photo of a pit bull (Pit Bull Rescue Central, "Breed Information”). Dog fighting made a comeback during the 1980s and the pit bull became the favorite macho dog for dog fighters. The dogs were trained to kill or be killed. Pit bulls were also the preferred guard dog for gangs, thugs and criminals. Since the supporters and detractors of pit bulls hold such disparate opinions regarding the ferocity of the breeds, it is only hoped that further discussion and education will help resolve the sad fate that awaits these unfortunate animals. Simply placing all the blame on the breeds will not solve the problems of dog fighting, overbreeding, aggressive training, and excessive euthanizations. Lastly, the biased, sensationalistic publicity of horrific dog attacks which has destroyed the reputation of the once beloved All American Dog must cease.
Pit Bulls are without a doubt my favorite dog, I adore them. Pit Bulls are very well tempered, loyal, and resilient animals. Bred for big game hunting, Pit Bulls are strong, fierce animals and people who have the wrong intentions for ownership should never own them. I am a strong believer that a potential pet owner should do lots of research before getting any type of animal, without exception. Owners should do as much research before getting a dog as they do in planning for a new home or any other new family member. One of the main things to really think about and understand is your intentions for your selection of an animal with the breeding of the Pit Bull. If you choose a dog with the wrong intentions, specifically a Pit Bull, you will get a dog that behaves aggressively and is dangerous. This owner behavior is what has caused the current plight of the Pit Bull today, where laws have been passed in thirteen states and hundreds of municipalities, as well as every U. S. Military base, banning the ownership of the breed and forcing shelters to euphonize Pit Bulls within 24 hours. These laws are unjust and cruel, and victimize the breed based on the owners’ behavior. I also argue that the blame for the epidemic proportions that the laws have reached is 100% the fault of owners who purposely acquired the Pit Bull with the intention to abuse and fight the dogs, and that these owners are the ones who should be punished, not the dogs. (Davis)
Even though pit bulls are the majority of dog attacks anybody hears about, they are loyal and caring dogs. All they want is the love and approval of their owners. They will do anything that they are told to do. Their strength, stamina, and speed fuel the passion they have for their owners. Pit bulls are not vicious by nature; they are good guard dogs fueled by the love for their family; and, they are definitely loyal friends. They have a lower temperament than many other well-known breeds; therefore, they are not vicious by nature at all. They are very strong guard dogs. Pit bulls are known to be a scary breed, so people stay away from them. They have an amazing amount of speed and stamina that they can use to chase predators away, too. Pit bulls are the best friends anyone could ask for. They are loyal and loving creatures that just want to please their family. They are good dogs to train to be around children. If the children are a part of the dog’s family, then the dog will protect the child at all costs. Pit bulls are a good breed to have as a family
Contrary to that popular belief, dangerous animal behavior is the function of inherently dangerous dog owners, not inherently dangerous dogs. One fact that supports this is that pit bulls are the dogs most often shot during drug raids (TELLINGS v. Toledo). Besides the pit bulls that are owned by drug dealers for status symbols and protection, many pit bulls are owned by people that breed them for fighting. These poor dogs have a very slim chance of living a normal and happy life. This is not the fault of the dog, but the fault of the owners that should not have the dog, or should care for them better.