Pitbulls Should Not Be Banned Essay

Pit bulls are known as dangerous and non coward. I Once had a pit bull and never had any trouble with him. He was very friendly and never showed any sign of aggression, But people still criticize these dogs. This means that by banning pit bulls it could lead to many different problems that people are not expecting. And cause chaos for Pit bulls and their owners. Although pit bulls seem to be dangerous, people should be able to own pit bulls in the united states. Historically, many dogs have been defined as pit bulls, and dogs identified as pit bulls have been held responsible for attacks.pit bulls have been known as dangerous , vicious, dogs, and some people think that they should be banned. Also people say that they can’t be trained. But this

isn't true , According to an article “The term "pit bull" often refers to a group of breeds including the American Pit bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Terrier, the American Bulldog, the Bull Terrier, and the Miniature Bull Terrier” (Botkin). What this is trying to prove is that people look at pit bull as dangerous and in reality it isn't just one type of breed it is a whole family, and they shouldn't be banned because of what people think. Another example is that they are in a category and that separates them but most of the time the identifications are not correct . According to National Geographic “People who have studied these cases, ... , have shown that when it comes to fatalities caused by pit bulls, the breed identifications are often not accurate. The title “pit bull” has expanded so dramatically over the years that people are lumping any dog with a large head and short coat into that category rather than separating out each of the pit bull breeds” (Worrall). This means that people have been discriminating against pit bulls as dangerous for a long time and most of the time it is not accurate. When it comes to pit bulls they seem to be the biggest target when it come to dog breeds. This should not be happening in the era we are in now. Pit bulls should not be discriminated by what they look like.
One reason why pitbulls should not be banned is because , Banning pit bulls would cause them to got to animal shelters and wait longer than other dogs to be adopted. Also it would cause more pit bulls to be put down. For example a study showed that dogs are in shelters longer than other dogs. Dogs that are labeled as pit bulls are most likely to wait 3 times longer than other dogs (Botkin).Dogs that are the breed Pit bull are likely to wait 3 times longer to be waiting to be adopted than a dog that isn't a Pit bull, But looks or acts like one. But just because they are labeled a different breed they are off the hook. Another example is that if they were not labeled as dangerous they would not be banned causing them to be in shelters longer and could cause them to be put down because they have been in the shelter too long. According to one study, “researchers found that adoptions of pit bulls rose from 52 percent to 64 percent at a shelter that had decided to do away with breed labels. That corresponded with a 12 percent drop in the number of pit bulls euthanized “ (Botkin). Banning pit bulls would cause them to be in the shelters longer and if they are in the shelter without being adopted they will be put down but if we removed that bann there would be a 12% increase of them being adopted.Because some pit bulls tend to be dangerous it doesn't mean all pit bulls are dangerous also they have to wait longer and have a higher percentage of being put down. Pit bulls should not be put down based on their breed.
Another reason pit bulls should not be banned is because , Pit bulls are discriminated against and treated unfairly as a dog breed because of negative stereotypes. Pit bulls tend to be dangerous it doesn't mean all pit bulls are dangerous also they have to wait longer and have a higher percentage of being put down. Pit bulls should not be put down based on their breed. Discrimination on pit bulls would put a negative effect on them causing people to think they are dangerous. And leading to them not being adopted or put down. For example a James A. Serpell who is a director at an Animal Society In Pennsylvania he believes that people stereotype Pit bulls like we stereotype humans. "As human beings we tend to stereotype dog breeds just as we stereotype people," (QTD in Botkin-Kowacki). This means that people are discriminating Pit bulls just as humans would with other humans based on race, Looks,and Religious beliefs. This is not okay because if dogs were human this would be a discrimination issue, which means that the dogs are being treated unfairly or unequally for something that they have no control over. People should not ban pit bulls just because just because they are labeled as dangerous. Stereotyping pitbulls would be discrimination and unfair. Another example is that people see that pitbulls are muscular and have a different body figure than other dog breeds. According to Alanna Devine she says people just see the muscles and they say it is a pit bull. “People tend to characterize pit bulls by how they look -- muscular, with blocky heads and square jaws -- and associate them with personality traits including dominance and aggression” (Jacey).This shows that people see that pit bulls are very muscular and therefore they think that they are dangerous. pit bulls are stereotyped and judged by their looks, which leads to them being treated unfairly compared to other dog breeds This is also unfair to the owner because he he is just a dog owner but they are being punished just for owning a pit bull. Because people support discrimination against pit bulls they will be banned and it would be unfair for the owner and the dog.
Lastly Pit bulls should not be banned because it causes people to give up their dogs to the shelters or pay legal fees to keep their dog and forced to wear a muzzle.

This punishes the owner of the dog just for owning a pit bull. This means that if the owner of the pit bull does not want to turn in his dog to the shelters he will be forced to pay a legal fee and he/ she has to keep the dog with a muzzle. According to Begin a pit bull owner he said it isn't easy to keep a pit bull once they have been banned “According to Critics of the bylaw said it was unfair, costly and confusing. Mr. Begin said the $150 permit and the muzzle were too expensive, especially for people who owned more than one pitbull . And he noticed that after the provisions were put into effect, people seemed more afraid of Stella than they had been before”(Jacey). This shows that once pit bulls have been banned People have to get a permit that cost 150 dollars and they have to agree to keep their dog on a muzzle in order for them to have it out in public. Also Begin says that he had to buy a muzzle for his dog and it was not cheap. Banning pit bulls causes stress for the dog and the owner. Another example on how banning pit bulls causes the owner to turn him in or let the dog be put down is by banning them out of nowhere for example a pit bull owner by the name MR.Begin said that he never got any notice that his dog was not allowed in this city anymore. At first he was so stressed he was about to take her

into the animal shelter. Also the city gives too much paperwork and makes it very stressful for the owner to fight for the rights to keep the dog.“He said that he complied but nevertheless got a letter from the city in August notifying him that he was in danger of losing Stella if he did not file the proper paperwork. ''I didn't sleep well,'' Mr. Begin said in a phone interview on Friday. ''I almost didn't eat for a few days because i was stressed (Jacey)''. This means that when Pit bulls are banned the city or state that is banning Pit bulls makes the laws out of nowhere and make it very stressful without some time notice. Mr.Begin a pit bull says that when his pit bull was banned he had no time notice to try to fix the situation causing him to be stress full when he found out that his Pit bull could be taken away from him. This could of caused him to think he could not fight for the rights to keep his pit bull and he would of probably turned him into the shelter. Banning pit bulls and making strict laws causes people to turn in their pit bull into the shelter or put the dog down because they cant fight for the right to own the dog.
on the other hand people say that pit bulls are dangerous and that they kill innocent people, but In order for a pit bull or any dog to act dangerous or show signs of aggression the must not have any training or the dog must be abused.

According to a news article a 4 year old boy was mauled to death by a pit bull “The uncle of a 4-year-old British boy mauled to death by an illegal pit bull dog has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, police say”( “Pit bull kills 4-year-old, uncle held” ).People that agree with pit bulls being banned say that people are getting murdered or attacked by pit bulls which is why they should be banned. In that piece of evidence the pit bull killed the 4 year old child and the child was innocent. According to a article a blind person was walking with his pit bull when all of a sudden they spotted a pit bull. The pit bull ran towards them and attacked both the dog and the owner. “A savaging by a pit bull has left Perry the guide dog nursing his wounds and his owner worried whether he will be able to work again”( “Pit bull savages blind visitor's guide dog” ). According to the article a Blind person was walking with his dog and minding his own reason when all of a sudden they spotted a pit bull. They minded their own business but did not know it would lead to them being attacked by the pit bull. Pit bulls attacking people may be a concern but that does not mean that something can’t be done without banning them or that they can be trained so

that they don’t attack people. Pit bulls can be trained to be safe or they can be taken away from a bad owner who causes them to be dangerous.
By taking away these unfair laws pit bulls won't have to wait longer to be adopted and the owners won't have to be charged a great amount of money to keep their Pit bull. Pit bulls are not born aggressive they act based on how the owner treats them. Although there are some reports of pit bull attacks that does not mean that every single pit bull is dangerous. In order to bing a change in this problem there needs to be free training for dogs and we as humans have to take care of our dogs with care and make sure that they are not abused. Also we need to stop criticizing the pit bulls based on what we hear and see not every pit bull is dangerous. Although pit bulls seem dangerous to humans that does not mean it is necessarily true. Also that does not mean that something can’t be done in order to reduce this problem. Banning pit bulls causes great stress for the owners and some money to come out of their pocket. People should not be blaming Pit bulls for something they have no control over. And People should stop overreacting .