Pit Bull ProhibitionPit Bull ProhibitionPit Bull ProhibitionTell me, what is the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions a Pit Bull? I cant speak for everyone, but most of you didnt think of some cute, cuddly, playful puppy. Most of you envisioned a savage, snarling, devil dog, chained to post in an abandoned yard totally focused on tearing you to shreds. Such stereotypes are created and amplified by scandalous media reports which contribute greatly to societies growing fear of these dogs. Fear implores a responsibility for the government to protect its people. So, Pit Bulls are being killed as a result of ignorance and fear, while dog bite related injuries and fatalities continue to rise because the true cause, irresponsible owners, is overlooked.
The public has been manipulated to believe all Pit Bulls are vicious. The medias eagerness to report the latest stories, and gain viewer interest ratings, provides us with stories fabricated with inaccurately identified breeds and false facts using exaggeration and unexamined evidence such as:
Cortland Pit Bull Mauling Death WBNG.com (Channel 12) Dec. 9, 2002[The victim died from blunt force injury. It was later revealed that the victimwas beaten to death by an acquaintance over a drug debt.]and doesnt fully investigate, or purposely ignores, critical contributing factors specific to the attack (The Breed Issue 3). Sensationalizing individual incidents of dog attacks has generated an
unfortunate and inaccurate public and political perception as to the dangerousness and predictability of Pit Bull type dogs (Fatal 1). Ultimately, this misperception calls for disaster by initiating breed discriminatory laws while failing to address owner irresponsibility as the foundation attacks, therefore allowing for the continuance of dog bites and fatalities to occur.
In response the government adopted Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). This statute is directed toward one or more specific breeds and calls for the restriction or prohibition of these breeds. It identifies a dog as “dangerous” solely based on identity, regardless of the individual dogs past and present behavior. Pit Bulls and breeds commonly referred to as Pit Bulls are frequently singled out and discriminated against in application of different forms of BSL (BSL in the US 1-4). In Ohio, although Pit Bulls are not completely banned, the state meticulously restricts them and automatically deems “vicious”, all dogs belonging to any breed commonly referred to as a Pit Bull, their mixes, and dogs bearing resemblance. Owners of these breeds are required to carry a $100,000 liability insurance policy on the dogs, and must keep them properly confined when on the owners property and muzzled, caged, or on a six-foot leash when in public. In Toledo, one Pit Bull per household is permitted and it must me muzzled and restrained or confined in public. Lucas County Dog Warden, Tom Skeldon, has confiscated and euthanized 690 Pit Bulls simply based on identity with no consideration of the dogs past or present behavior (Constitutional Dogfight 2). Ohios interpretation of Breed Specific Legislation poses a ban on a breed that technically does not exist. It attempts to ban all Pit Bull type dogs, using a broad implied definition without specifying exactly what breeds are affected.
It is essential to understand that a Pit Bull is NOT a breed. It is a nickname given to a mix of breeds, irresponsibly cross-bred for the purpose of spectator fighting, and may show aggressive tendencies. The term, Pit Bull, is commonly mistaken and used as reference to registered breeds including the American Staffordshire Terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier which were all bred for their companionship and loyalty (Pit Bull Press 1). Due to the difficulty in accurately identifying which dogs are Pit Bulls and which are actual breeds, all guilty of resemblance are automatically, inherently dangerous to society.
People are at fault because we train these dogs to be vicious; we are the ones who are inherently dangerous to society. Gang members and criminals use Pit Bulls as status symbols of power and aggression in anticipation of relaying an intimidating persona. Pit Bulls are unusually powerful and posses a high tolerance to pain, which is common knowledge so when obtained for intimidation, fighting, or malicious purposes the owners have an advantage. Money-hungry, remorseless, backyard breeders supply pups that are inbred or have a poor genetic background. They are placed into inadequate environments, with irresponsible owners who proceed to torture them by starving them, electrocuting them, injecting them with
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{2} The pit bull of the world: A pit bull is a nonhuman being that can only roam its natural habitat and can thus be domesticated, given the environment. Dogs have a unique ability to detect unfamiliar people and act out fear. A pit bull can be quite shy and a danger to humans from the inside. There are many dogs that were bred in captivity to become feral, meaning they are the original victims of violence, not the victims of the previous owners. Pit bulls are a social breed with a reputation of being a safe place for both domestic and urban dog owners. Dogs have a social network, which makes it easy and often necessary to see each other and bond with and enjoy each other, rather than being treated as human beings. As pit bulls are very social dogs, the owners have a large population of social dogs with a wide range of personality traits. Although the current owners will have no control over the dogs, they are not to blame for not becoming a good breed for that reason. Pit Bulls are very well educated and are easily taken care of, providing excellent work conditions. Pit bulls are known for being intelligent and sociable. They are willing to learn and take the time to understand each other and the problems that come up everyday, and to learn how to cope with these situations. When it comes to social situations, pit bulls tend to be violent, rude, territorial, or aggressive which is not acceptable under the proper circumstances. Pit bulls are social dogs, having a strong friendship, that they do not abuse unless they see an opportunity to do so. Being aggressive breeds can also result in being abused, and pit bulls are frequently abused by their owners. For the last few hundred years, the history of pit bulls has been filled with tragic cases that are difficult to believe. There are countless cases of pit bulls being abused by their owners, as well as those such as these, that are far harder to relate. One of the most significant cases is the death of a pit bull in 2005. In 2005, a pit bull attacked a female employee of a popular TV channel. The pit bull was extremely angry and aggressive. The pit bull killed the female employee at a young age and nearly killed her, but the animal escaped with the young employee. The only way to survive was to kill the bull. This was an appalling incident that was taken by the media and mainstream media to the whole world as normal but was simply too terrifying to have any significance in the real world. With little to no accountability or control over the dog owner involved, one can easily read why this event occurred. The very fact that it took these individuals so long and so many years to have to live without their dogs, made the current owner of The Pit Shetland a liability. This attitude can quickly drive a dog out of the house. The dogs are a liability