Pits are a controversial topic in today's society. The dogs are being banned left and right from apartments, neighborhoods, and cities.  The sad fact is that the reasons behind these bans is misinformation. So I ask why should we ban Pits in so many places across the world? I am personally interested in this topic because I am an avid animal lover and it personally pains me to see dogs being put down because of mass media hysteria. This issue deeply affects my values, personally and as a human. It is against my ethics to put such loyal animals through such abusive conditions. I have personally worked with many pits in my job at The Carolina Poodle Rescue and know them to be incredibly loyal and sweet creatures. I believe that my extensive experience caring for and rehabilitating Pits as well and owning a Pit myself qualifies me to write about them. The abuse of Pit Bulls is a serious problem in our society today that must be addressed as soon as possible to assure that not one more animal is put down simply because of its breed. 

The first article that I will analyze and discuss is "Pit Bull Panic" by Judy Cohen and John Richardson. I feel that it is a good place to start my investigation as it provides a nice background for the current state of Pit Bulls in today's society. The central claim of the article is that there are two sides to every story and the Pit Bulls are being given the short end of the stick. The media has been portraying the Pit Bull as "the archetype of canine evil, predators of the defenseless. Unpredictable companions that kill and maim without discretion." (Cohen 285) News coverage such as this had profound effects on the average individual's view of the animal. Media stories without any background information make claims about the entire breed based off of isolated incidents of violence. To make matters worse in many cases the Pit Bulls being portrayed are Pits that have been physically and mentally abused and then forced to fight. The lives of living creatures are at stake and decisions are being made based off of singular events. I feel that this article is very fair to the media as well as the victims, as it provides a fairly unbiased view of the issue surrounding the dogs.

The second article that I will analyze and discuss is "Overview of Dog Fighting" by Hannah Gibson. I feel this article provides a nice overview and discussion about dog fighting and the laws surrounding it. This is an important area to gain information in because it provides insight into the reasons that Pit Bulls are portrayed in the way they are today. Dog fighting, a blood-sport, is the pitting of two dogs against one another in a pit or ring for the enjoyment of several spectators. It is most often betted on for monetary gain. The animals are forced to fight to the death, if one survives and loses it is more often than not beat to death, shot, or abandoned. (Gibson 2005) These dogs are born, beaten, starved and abused until they are simply wild and doing their best to get a meal and survive. It is one of the most deplorable actions to ever plague our present society. It is the true mark of a psychopath to torture a loyal creature until it is completely broken in body and spirit. Once again the lives of many beautiful and loving creatures are at stake in this bloody circle of abuse. Not only the dogs being fought but the pets of other citizens that are being stolen from their homes and used as bait dogs. Bait animals are small dogs and cats that are threw into cages with the starving dogs that are being "trained" to fight. They are then killed and eaten by the pit dog because of profound starvation, essentially turning the Pits into cannibals. I feel that this article is very unbiased as it simply covers the laws that currently surround Pit bulls and the fighting of dogs.

The third and final article that I will discuss and analyze is "American Pit Bull Terrier" by PetMD. I feel this article provides a good base of information on the Pit Bull breed. It states that Pits are loyal, protective, and athletic breed. Pit bulls are not naturally aggressive towards humans, and are known to be very affectionate and protective over children. (PetMD 2016) I believe that this article is fairly unbiased as it is endorsed by veterinarians. It just goes to show, a loyal breed is being massively mistreated and misrepresented.

I feel that this issue is arguable because of all the evidence that I presented shows that Pit bulls are smart, affectionate, and loyal animals and the banning and mass euthanization of the breed is not only unjust, but unethical. I found that the majority of the sources that I analyzed agreed with each other. They all said that the media representation and situation surrounding the breed needs to change. These different perspectives give me a wide view of the issue of Pit mistreatment. In the future I may need explore the more extreme side of the pit bull issue revolving around banning the breed. But, as I stand now I believe that the Pit Bull situation is completely out of control and needs to be addressed immediately.  

