Debunking Pit Bull Stereotypes: Unfair Breed Bans

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Pit bulls and several other breeds of dogs that are thought to be overly aggressive and violent are being banned in cities and towns. Are pit bulls a dangerous breed or are they just like any other dog? Many people believe that they are in fact dangerous and aggressive by nature but this is not true. Pitt bulls are being falsely accused for being a violent breed and because of the negative aspects associated with the breed, such as dog fights and vicious attacks, they are being unfairly targeted in breed specific bans. It’s not the dog breed that is aggressive but the owners of a dog that makes them aggressive. Many pit bulls that are aggressive are aggressive because of the way they are treated by their owners. Jane Hoffman, president …show more content…

Denver and Miami are among the more than 300 municipalities that ban pit bulls (Tullis 54). One reason that pit bulls are being banned is because of the false ideas that they are violent dogs by nature. Another reason is people’s associate pit bulls with dogfighting and vicious attacks. Although it is true that many people have been attacked by pit bulls, it is unfair to say that pit bulls are the only dogs that attacks people. Debora Bresch of the ASPCA says “laws against individual dog breeds unfairly punish countless dogs that have never caused any trouble”(A Fierce Dog Debate …show more content…

The media has been accused of covering more stories of pit bull attacks and covering less of other dog breed attacks. This accusation may be true according to what John Davidson of The Denver Post said which was that pit bull attacks seemed to garner more media attention than attacks by other kinds of dogs (Gomez). Media outlets shouldn’t sensationalize pit bulls in their news reports. It gives people false ideas of pit bulls and in turn hurts the breed. According to a compilation of news reports, pits were responsible for 52 of the 88 U.S. deaths from dog attacks from 2006 to 2008. Yet in controlled studies, pits have never been identified as "disproportionately dangerous,”(Tullius 54). Because of the media’s image of pit bulls shown in the news, many people are afraid of

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