Protect Our Pitbulls

Did you know that the biggest pitbull in the world weighs 174 pounds and is called Hulk? It was raised to be a protection dog, but it very quickly became a gentle playmate to the family’s young child. He is the loving, caring father to eight tiny puppies (boredpanda). The world is stuck in a constant struggle arguing over these loving dogs, over whether or not they should be allowed to live. Pit bulls should be allowed to live everywhere any other dogs can live. Many people believe these gentle giants that go by the name of a pitbull are violent and dangerous creatures and should be banned, but this essay is going to tell you why that is wrong.

    The sweet breed of the pit bull has been subject to many bans in the U.S. alone. Multiple cities and counties declare pit bulls vicious and dangerous. Alabama; Center Point, Fayette, Gardendale, Irondale, Lanett, Midfield, and many other areas banned pit bulls. In Arkansas, an estimated twenty-three places banned pit bulls. In California, pit bulls alone need mandatory sterilization or required confinement. In Colorado; Aurora, Commerce City, Denver County, Denver, Fort Lupton, Lone Tree, and Louisville all ban pit bulls (banpitbulls.org). In Florida, Miami-Dade County bans pit bulls, says a newspaper article written by Roberto Gòmez. James Cross clearly states the truth: the media intentionally over-reports incidents involving pit bulls, while keeping silent on attacks committed by dogs with better reputations, such as Labradors. Pit bulls are banned because they look violent. The only reason chihuahuas aren’t banned is because they are tiny. If a pit bull goes for you, your reaction is much different from if a chihuahua comes at you. Pit bulls can’t help their size, they can’t help their look, and they can’t help their name. A dog can be only a percentage pit bull and still be banned in many places. The small pit bull gene could have been passed down generations and still count against a dog. “‘Pitbull’ is an umbrella term that typically refers to American and English bulldogs, Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, and mixes with these breeds,” says Nsikan Akpan from PBS. A single bad pit in a state could cause bans everywhere.
    People often say that pit bulls are violent, and they are only evil. Sadie, a senior pit bull from Westchester County, New York saved her home from a deadly gas leak. Says GMA’s Faith Bernstein on the subject; “Sadie is being hailed a hero after smelling a gas leak in her house, leading to the police being alerted to address the threat early. On Feb. 6, when her "mom" was at work, Sadie smelled the leak and knew something was wrong. She desperately tried to escape, leaving bite marks by windows, along with the trim of the front door, and near the back door. From the looks of it, Sadie was able to chew down and remove the wooden stopper from the sliding doors in the rear of the house and escaped into the backyard. From there, she hopped the fence and started roaming the neighborhood. Police were called about a pit bull on the loose and Sadie led them on a chase that ended back at her house. The officers smelled the gas from the open slider door and were able to handle the situation before it got more dire. "The dog saved the house from a potential gas explosion," Lieutenant Lawrence Rotta said.” This shows that pit bulls can be sweet heroes, and they are not evil. The most aggressive dog breed is actually the Chow Chow, and the pit bull is seventh on the list (pethelpful.com).
      Pit bulls represent 64.4% of dog bites in between 2005-2015, according to DogBite.org, a website that raises awareness for how to avoid dog bites. Reading that, you may think ‘Wow! That is a lot, pit bulls must be evil!’, but the truth is, tons of dogs in the United States are classified as ‘bully breeds’, 40% of dogs. The other 60% is taken up by over 300 dog breeds. Pit bulls actually do take up most of the kinds of dogs. In 2017, there were less than 20 people killed by pit bulls, but 84 pit bulls were killed by people that same year (dogbites.org). Statistics clearly show that maybe humans are worst than pit bulls.
    Many people think that pit bulls should be banned. Says one anonymous pit bull hater, “Pit bulls are chosen by drug dealers! They look violent! They were bred for war” This argument is unconventional because pit bulls cannot be identified by image. Many pit bulls look like corgi dogs or any other kind of dog. Sergeant Stubby was a pit bull, and he was in a war, but he did not kill. Instead, he chased on a German by tearing his pants! Stubby became an emblem of hope and bravery among the soldiers who fought valiantly. It may be true that pit bulls are chosen by dealers, but they are also chosen by honest farmers and families, so that really isn’t a strong argument, either. Pit bulls are dangerous, it’s true. Every dog you see is dangerous. Labradors actually are more dangerous than pit bulls, dog attacks are most common among Labrador retrievers! They take up 13.3% of dog attacks, while pit bulls only take up 8.4%, above German Shepherds at 7.8%. Pit bulls actually come in tenth on a chart of most dangerous dogs in the world (chicagoingurycenter.org, dogbite.org)
     All in all, pit bulls are not the most aggressive, dangerous, or deadly dog, and they should not be banned. Pit bulls are banned in way too many places, and the statistics support them. Pit bulls are loyal, lovable, creatures that should not be banned. Not here, not there, not anywhere.