Since the late 1980’s, the number of breeds of dog that are added to the banned breeds list has risen steadily. However, the focal point of this legislature has always centered around the Pit Bull Terrier. These days, Pits are often, associated with the illegal rings of dog fighting that have become prominent, as well as attacks.  The funny thing is, not even four decades earlier the breed was used as a symbol of American grit against Germany, the Axis, and the Central Powers during WWI and WWII. Due to trials like the 2007 case against Michael Vick’s “Bad Newz Kennels”, politicians, and media hysteria, the public opinion of the breed has steadily sunk. People suddenly feared the dog that 4 decades earlier was used to baby sit their children when they were busy. In Fact, Pits were even referred to as the ‘Nanny Dog”, as they were protective of children, as well as their family, but were gentle enough to be playmates for the kids as well. Breed specific legislature and the demonizing of Pits is not only unfounded, but cruel and, as a result, causing more problems than they even come close to addressing. Pits were an American icon, and the reason for this change can be attributed to: the media, politics, and cruel owners. The stigma that dogs are aggressive biased off breed must end, as there is no statistical evidence supporting this. Most cases where Pits are aggressive can almost certainly be attributed to the upbringing of the animal. 

For over a hundred years, the American Pit Bull Terrier was beloved by people around the world; in America, it was even more celebrated. However, during the 1980’s the breed began to develop a notorious reputation as a “demon” dog. After this sudden burst of hatred, breed specific legislature began to pop up all over the world. According to politicians, this was to help protect the public from its newly found menace. Is this title of “menace” fitting? It seems more likely that politicians were riding the wave of hysteria, in order to acquire more power through votes. The justifications for these laws are that the overwhelming majority of dog attacks are committed by the Pit Bull breed. This data is flawed, and in fact, refuted by studies performed in Australia. These studies found that Pits were actually exceeded by several other dog breeds in terms of attack fatality. Many would ask, “But how could that be?” The answer is simpler than one may think. As per Dr. Collier “Of 19 human fatalities in Australia over the past two decades, none has involved a dog verified to be an American Pit Bull Terrier. The evidence does not sustain the view that this is a uniquely dangerous breed, and breed-specific laws aimed to control it have not been demonstrated by authorities to be justified by its attack record.” (Collier 17-22) This brings me to my next point. Of all “Pits” brought into shelters, around 48% are actually mislabeled as being Pits, when they are not. This can be problematic as 60% of all US shelter dogs are euthanized each year. Of that 60%, another 60% are actual Pit Bulls. In Fact, 86% of Pits admitted to open shelters end up getting killed. And another 30% are dogs that have been labeled Pit Bulls. (O’Connor 1)

One would expect simply being mislabeled as a breed would not be that bad, however, it can have deadly consequences. Once a dog has been labeled as a Pit, in a breed specific legislature zone, it is as good as gone. You lose all rights as the owner, with animal control being within its rights to seize your animal and choose whatever method they choose to dispose of it. This is, in addition, to the hefty fines you will be likely to receive.  During the late 1980’s when breed specific legislature was first being introduced, one of the harshest bans was instituted in New Mexico, just outside of Albuquerque. This legislature allowed animal control officers to seize and destroy the breed on sight without compensation to the owner, all out of hysteria and need for power. According to a study performed by the University of Florida School of Veterinary medicine found that respondents in their study incorrectly identified a “prominent breed” in a shelter dog 73 percent of the time. The researchers used the term “prominent breed” to refer to the breed that was most present in mixed-breed dogs. In a larger version of the study, the photos were posted online and over five thousand dog experts were invited to attempt to label the breeds and it was found that 70% of the time only 15% of the dogs were actually labeled properly. The amount of misinformation surrounding Pit Bull Terriers even overflows to breeds that are not even Pits, causing death to befall dogs that aren’t even part of the stigma in the first place. (Cardona 1) 

Now, that we have explored the history and impacts of breed legislature, I would like to examine, exactly how inherently aggressive this breed is. In a study pulled from the Applied Animal Behavior Science Journal surveyed the owners of more than thirty dog breeds using the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire, a test of a canine’s typical response to several common stimuli and situations. Two independent data samples were used, one random sample of breed club members and a separate online sample found significant differences among breeds in aggression directed toward strangers, owners and dogs. 8 common breeds including: Dachshund, English Springer Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Poodle, Rottweiler, Shetland Sheepdog and Siberian Husky ranked similarly for aggression directed toward unknown persons, other dogs and their owners, respectively. Chihuahuas and Dachshunds scored statistically higher than average for aggressive behavior directed toward both humans and dogs while Pits scored above average only for dog to dog aggression. Chihuahuas and Jack Russells, and Dachshunds came in first with the largest percentage exhibiting serious aggression toward humans. However, only 20% Pit Bull Terriers were reported displaying serious aggression toward unfamiliar dogs. Thus, statistically it was found that while Pits did display a higher amount of aggression towards unfamiliar dogs, size often played an important role, and smaller breeds such as the Chihuahua displayed much higher levels of aggression towards humans and dogs, unknown as well as known. (Duffy 441)

But what was life for the Pit like before the 80’s when breed specific legislature came into play? Well, during World War I the American Pit Bull Terrier was an American icon. The breed was used for propaganda involving the Central powers, as well and later in World War II against Adolph Hitler. This breed wasn’t limited to posters and war bonds, some army regiments even had Pits in their units, for various reasons. (Lauerman 1) The 102nd Infantry, 26th Yankee Division had a Pit Bull named Stubby. He was the mascot of the regent and had even learned his own salute. His obituary stated that he would wake up soldiers and warn them of poison gas attacks. It also states that Stubby held a German soldier by his pants long enough for American troops to capture him. He returned home a decorated hero and even toured the US and met the president. However, the members of Stubby’s division said that his most admirable trait was the cheerfulness and hope he brought the troops. In fact, there are records of Pits serving in the military as far back as the Civil war. (Hanson 1) The Pit was a very important part of American heritage and culture. The breed could be found in movies, tv shows, literature, you name it. Americans couldn’t get enough of the breed, up until the 1980’s. This was when dog fighting rings began to reach their peak, and the abuse of Pits finally began to escape the confines of the darkness. After an attack by a Pit, owned by a drug dealer who had been abusing the canine and using it in fighting rings, on a two-year-old child resulted in the death of the child, America was outraged. Rightfully so I may add, but at the wrong thing. The people simply went with the knee jerk reaction to demonize the entire breed that was being selected by the fighters, rather that direct their anger towards why this happened in the first place.

You see, any dog can be trained to be aggressive to humans, but Pits were the breed being selected, and sadly they were being lumped in with the very people who tortured them into what they have become today. After this, criminal activity surrounding the breed rose dramatically, causing more and more of these animals to be sucked into the horrendous dog fighting underground. Even the people you would least suspect were members of this dark organization. In 2007, the most infamous dog fighting trial occurred, Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels Investigation uncovered one of the largest dog fighting rings of its time. Over 70 dogs, many showing signs of injury or abuse were seized from Vicks property, which was later discovered to be the site of a massive drug, gambling, and dog fighting ring. The arrest and indictment resulted in a simple two-year prison sentence. Of the One hundred and twenty-seven animals that were seized from Vicks property only forty-eight were allowed to be adopted out, fostered, or sent to a sanctuary, with strict supervision. Thus, because of Vicks actions seventy-nine animals were euthanized, as they were deemed unfit to find homes. Sadly, this was an all too common occurrence around America and the world. Dog fighting rings continued to grow and more and more Pits were forced to suffer. The dogs were beaten, starved, cut, shot, electrocuted, and that not even the worst part. It was around this time that dogs referred to as “Bait” began to enter the system as well. Criminals would break into shelters, sanctuaries, and even people’s homes to steal their dogs and or cats to be used in the sadistic “training” of the fighting dogs. As I stated before the criminals would starve the Pit and beat it to make it as aggressive as possible, but to train it to kill, was the bait animals purpose. The smaller cats or dogs would be tossed into the pens with the starving beasts, and the dog did the only thing it could do in order to live, it was forced to kill and consume the bait animal. (Haaser 1)

A major factor in public opinion of the breed, has always came from the media. In the new age of “Fake News”, it seems like the public is finally beginning to realize the truth. This is that the media, has and still has control of the populace. Whatever is stated by the news is automatically consumed as fact. That’s, where the myths, stigmas, and placebo effect of Pits originates from. The media has a tendency to label any attack a Pit Bull attack for reasons of increasing viewership, as well as including escapes, or encounters where no one was injured under the category of attacks. The effect of this is a noticeable spike in hysteria surrounding the breed as well as increasing numbers of criminals perceiving the breed as being more attractive as a fighting animal. Thus, the media starts its on endless cycle of perpetual hatred, where Pits are demonized, the public freaks out and criminals put more Pits into the system, which in turn results in more abused Pit encounters. It is as if the media is creating its own news. Thankfully in recent years, the media has begun to back off of the Pit, in favor or other issues. However, the damage that they have done will take decades to reverse. (Delise 1)

Thus, the real issue surrounding breed specific laws, and the demonizing of the breed, is not the fault of the dog, or any inherent evilness, but the cruelty of people themselves. People are to blame for the aggression in dog breeds in my experience, the majority of the time. Dogs are a product of their environment, any dog can become a killer, just like any dog can become a hero. This is a trait that shows similarity between people and dogs. Just like dogs, people are a product of their upbringing and experiences, so why expect dogs to be any different? That’s why dog attacks, just like assaults committed by humans should be dealt with on an individual basis. Owners should be responsible for the actions of their dog, just as parents are responsible for the actions of their children. It is comparable to banning an entire race of humans from areas of our country, just because there are some cases of individuals committing crimes. You simply cannot blame the entirety of a group of people for the actions of one.  Even a good dog can do bad things when under the control of bad people, it’s the same with humans. Dogs require training to learn the proper behavior around other people and animals. People must realize that owning a dog is not like owning a toy, it’s a responsibility that requires patience, persistence, and time. (Enos 1)

Finally, I would like to give some advice on how to care for a Pit and why they make such good companions. According to the American temperament testing society, Pits were found to be statically less aggressive than Golden Retrievers, and Beagles. Another myth that has spread around is that Pits have locking jaws and a bite strength of over 1100 psi, however testing proves this to be false as pits actually have less bite power than the average dogs bite strength. With those two statistics aside, Pits are extremely loyal dogs and have been found to be protective over their owners, while also being gentle enough to be a family dog. Pits are very active and love to be able to run, and explore. With this attribute, Pits also make great rescue, and service dogs. Also, because of their strong protective bond the breed also does well in the role of police dogs. What is important to consider, is that these things are all general characteristics, and each dog has its own personality, some Bullies may not be suited to family life, just as some may not be suited to service work. The key is training, with training even the rowdiest of dogs can become model companions. The question is, are you ready to handle the responsibility of an animal, in particular a Pit Bull. You must be willing to accept the stigmas that people with inadvertently have about you dog, because of the social rhetoric. But, if you can get past that, A Pit bull terrier is one of the most loyal and loving companions you could have. (Animalist 1)

In conclusion, breed specific legislature and the demonizing of Pits is not only unfounded but cruel and as a result causing more problems than they even come close to addressing. Pits started as an American icon, and the reason for this change can be attributed to: media, politics, and cruel owners. The stigma that dogs are aggressive simply because of genetics has no statistical support. Most of cases where Bullies are aggressive can almost certainly be attributed to the upbringing of the animal, and the owner themselves. Pit Bull Terriers can be some of the most loyal and loving breeds, given the proper training, time and commitment. Just like people, aggression should be dealt with on an individual basis, and not solely based on the genetics of the animal. In order to stop this vicious cycle, we as a society must stand up and say that we do not blame the breed, but the man who made it that way. 
