How would you feel if your devoted dog was discriminated against based only on what he looked like? Canine breed discrimination is a real problem in today’s society in the United States. There is always an enormous amount of hype when one hears about a dog attack. The first thing people want to know is what kind of dog was involved in the attack. That breed of dog then gets labeled as “dangerous”, quietly forcing people to change their opinion on a certain breed based on an action of only a couple of dogs. Dogs are bred and born to praise their masters. It is in their blood. Based solely on their potential to cause serious injury to a person, the top five most dangerous dog breeds are the Caucasian Ovcharka, Pit bull, German Shepard, Rottweiler, and the Alaskan Malamute (Josef, 2013). All of these breeds have ancestors. For centuries, canines have been bred for many reasons. Although it depends on the breed type, many breeds were bred to handle livestock and keep them in order. For a dog to handle livestock, they need to be tough to handle animals much larger. These instincts have passed down through generations and into the canines many people own today. When forming ones own opinion about a breed, there are many factors to consider such as breed specific legislation, the individual canine’s past, and the influence of the media. Breed specific legislation, otherwise known as BSL, is legislation that targets certain dog breeds. Breed specific legislation will typically target breeds that are “dangerous”. In the 1980’s BSL came into the spotlight (Weiss, 2001). The number of injuries and fatalities was increased and brought into the publics view. The breed that was considered the most dangerous around this time wa... ... middle of paper ... ...d. Dogs are programmed like any other mammal. As humans, whenever we feel threatened we tense up. We will fight for what we love and if someone or something is hurting us we will physically fight to protect ourselves. The same scenario goes for canines. If a canine feels threatened, they will protect themselves the only way they can by biting, attacking or snapping at whatever is threatening them. Breed discrimination against canines is a huge problem and has many factors that determine it. Such factors include breed specific legislation, that individual canine’s past, and the impact of the media. Canines are only mammals and may attack when they feel as if something is threatening them. They are not angels, but with the right training and love, a discriminated breed has the potential to be a great dog and a loving piece that belongs to ones’ family.
There are often cases of apartment buildings, rental homes or even whole towns banning the breeds without question. A case that is reaching media today is in Moreauville Louisiana, the town passed a ban that originally stated that everyone who owned a Pitt bull (or Rottweiler) had to get rid of their animals before the first of December or the “vicious” animals will be confiscated for "further disposition” and the owners will be forced to pay a fine. One of the dogs who is in danger from this ban is Zeus, a pitt bull who acts as a therapy dog for his owner O’Hera Owens who has severe neck problems that leave her in a brace and wheel chair. (Greenquist) Zeus is a loving member of his family who is being discriminated against just for his breed. Is it fair for a family to lose someone they love just because of how other dogs have acted?
Every year an estimated 4.5 million dog bites occur in the U.S. BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) is a law that suggests that certain breeds are more prone to aggression than others. By banning or restricting the breeds in question, it is believed to help reduce the number of attacks. BSL determines which breeds are dangerous using statistics. These statistics cannot be relied on for two reasons. One, there is no concrete method to determine a dog’s pedigree. Thus, a victim, animal control officer, or owner is trusted with identifying the dog through appearance. According to Scott and Fuller, authors of Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog, “It has been known for decades that the cross-bred offspring of purebred dogs of different breeds often bear little or no resemblance to either their sires or dams (1965).” Visual assessments are questionable. Two, population is not accounted for. Population is important, in that it provides context to percentages. Because a dog’s breed is impossible to pinpoint, we cannot provide numbers. BSL’s cause is rendered useless when we consider these points.
Collier, S. (2006, July). Breed-specific legislation and the pit bull terrier: Are the laws justified? The Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 1(1), 17 - 22.
Spectators say that it is very difficult for people to get in and watch a dog fight and it can be hard to figure out where the fights take place because people do not want the fact of their fight getting out to the public. (Gibson 6). Now spectating is not one of the levels of dog fighting. There are three levels of dogfighting and the First level is known as “street Fighting” this is where the fights take place in alleyways, streets, and playgrounds and the people who are typical in the street fighting are the people who are involved in gangs and drugs. The next level a person would be known as a “hobbyist” which are the people with multiple dogs participating in many fights that are arranged and planed for both amusement and money purposes, but a Hobbyist is more likely to focus on the breeding and responsibility of the dogs. Next is the group known as the “professionals” who are ore into the majors of dog fighting and own a very large amount of dogs and will keep good dogs only for the purpose of money usage. If the dog that belongs to a professional and loses in a fight or is unable to breed the owner will kill that dog. Professionals and Hobbyist that have a human aggressive dog will sell that dog to the “street” fighters which causes people to be scared of aggressive dogs that
If you were judged solely because of your race, how would you feel? The answer, most likely, is a negative one. Pit bulls, a breed of domestic dog, are victims of harsh stereotyping and unfair judgement. Many people believe the dog is naturally aggressive, but that is far from the truth. The breed does not matter, the size does not matter, and the age does not matter. The key factor on how a dog behaves, is, believe it or not, the person who raises it. Pit bulls are not a dangerous breed of dog.
Introduction in this article i'm talking about pit bulls. Many people assume that pit bulls are a dangerous breed of dog and that they will attack no matter what. Those people are assuming that because of the people who train the pit bull some pit bulls don't get the proper love and affection that dogs need to not be aggressive.
Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL) has been embraced by some communities, shunned by others, and strongly opposed by a number of dog owners and canine organizations. Breed-Specific Legislation is a regulation that is directed toward many specific breeds of dogs. The majority of BSL is focused on breeds traditionally known as “dangerous,” or those that have demonstrated a tendency for aggression and violent behavior. Most breed-specific laws are created as a misguided response to a dog bite incident or attack.
b. “Many people have a difficult time properly identifying a true Pit Bull, so added to the statistics are those dogs that have been misidentified. Considering these factors, the actual number of attacks attributable to American Pit Bull Terriers is considerably lower than represented,” according to the real pit bull. i. Do you think a 4 pound Pomeranian dog would hurt anybody? ii. Stated in the Dog Bite Law, “The most horrifying example of the lack of breed predictability is the October 2000 death of a 6-week-old baby, which was killed by her family 's Pomeranian dog.” a. The American Temperament Test is a test that measures a dog strong avoidance, unprovoked aggression, and panic without recovery. “American Pit Bull Terriers passed the test at a rate of 85.3%,” according to Pitbulls.org. They have the highest test scores, and they out beat the golden retriever “family dog” by 7.7%. iii. I identify the justice of my rival’s claim, but I disagree with my rival’s 100 percent about pit bulls having the highest attacks. c. Now you can see how my rival made a mistake because they didn’t evaluate and understood the facts as clearly as they
Dogs are a man’s best friend. If you go into many American’s homes you will find a furry four legged friend. Chances are if you watch television you have seen that ASPCA commercial with Sarah McLachlan’s “Arms of an Angel,” playing in the background. The most prominent dog in these heart wrenching videos are pit bulls. Pit bulls have a ferocious stigma in the United States and are being put down is mass numbers every day. Studies estimate that up to 1 million Pits are euthanized per year, or 2,800 per day. (D’Addio, 2011) The fact that pit bulls are being put down for solely being pit bulls is astonishing. I will be discussing the ethical dilemma for euthanizing this dog breed for the stigma we have given them. Although there is contradicting
When large animal-baiting was outlawed more than 200 years ago, people bred the English bull dog with a smaller, more energetic and agile terrier to produce the ultimate athletic dog perfect for fighting other dogs. Since 1980’s the media have falsely portrayed the pitbull as a blood-thirsty monster. Pitbulls are the most frequently abused, tortured, abandoned and euthanized breed of dog in the U.S.
For example, the popular statement that ‘pitbulls have the most dangerous bites due to their ‘locking’ jaws’ is entirely false. Pitbulls do not have jaws that ‘lock’ onto prey when they bite, in fact, no breed of dog does. Also, according to the Behavior Program manager at the Wisconsin Humane Society, the bite strength of a pitbull has been measured in pressure per square inch and ended up ranking lower than the bites of german shepherds and rottweilers. Pitbulls are not even considered to be the breed of dog that bites the most -- chihuahuas are guilty of that title. Another common misconception is the fact that the pitbull is not actually a breed, but is just a ‘type’ of dog. Breeds that fall into the pitbull category include American Staffordshire Terriers, the American Bulldog, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Since there is quite a loose definition as to what a pitbull truly is- other than shared characteristics of muscular bodies, large heads, and short-haired coats- it is easy for the media to falsely identify the breed that may have caused harm and therefore incorrectly blame the pitbull. With incorrect myths such as these constantly circling pitbulls in the media, it is easy to see how the public can wrongly view pitbulls as a threat to members of
Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is a term used to describe laws banning or restricting certain breeds of dogs, with hopes of reducing dog bites and attacks. It also deals with aggression, an extremely broad subject area. There are many problems that come with BSL including, but not limited to, blaming the breed, blaming the dog(s), and banning some innocent dogs. Some people feel safer in an area where BSL is in effect, despite that, BSL does not work as there is no such thing as a mean dog breed and evidence it makes things worse.
Imagine yourself sitting peacefully in your house with your dog, and then the police storming in to tell you and your dog need to leave the county. This is the life of some people with a certain type of dog. Pit bulls. They are known as bloodthirsty, vicious, violent dogs. This is incorrect for most of them, only some pit bulls attack. Pit Bulls have been targeted by the media, putting fake stuff for everyone to see and over exaggerating the attack, if it was an attack at all. They used to be respected historically, until a couple of instances of dog attacks, people claiming it was a pit bull. Owners don’t think of their own pit bulls at all as vicious, violent animals, loving and trusting their fluffy puppies. So why shouldn’t people be allowed to have pit bulls in certain places?
Everyone should have heard this phrase that dog is man’s best friend. We live with them, love them, and take good care of them. When people talk about dog breed, the advantages and disadvantages of purebred dogs is always a controversial issue. Lots of people like purebred dogs because they are beautiful and cute; some people prefer crossbred dogs because they believe purebred dogs usually have genetic disease. Indeed, many evidence and research show that purebred dogs are easier to have genetic disease, and many purebred dogs die from incurable genetic disease every year. However, people still do not pay highly attendant to this problem. Even though purebred dogs are pretty, cute and inherited pure blood compared with the mixed-breed dogs, people should not excessively breed purebred dogs in order to satisfy our desire because a lot of them suffer serious genetic disease, are abandoned on the streets and performed euthanasia in shelters.
Over time, different breeds of dogs have been considered more dangerous than others. Today, the pit bull is considered the most “dangerous” breed and has become the target of numerous laws (Labonte, 2005, p.102). There is a long debate over pit bulls in America. One point of controversy is whether a dog can be classified as dangerous or vicious solely on the basis of its breed. Most of the media suggest pit bull attacks occur at an alarming rate and local governments have tried to ban the owning of pit bulls (Enos, 2014). Breed Specific Law is a law that bans pit bulls or pit bull mix in certain counties, cities, or states. Supporters of these bans believe that these dogs pose such a great risk to public safety that a ban is necessary, even