Essay: Fear Based Reasoning: Pit Bulls and Society

Studies show that one in twelve dachshunds have bitten their owners and are the most aggressive, despite the belief that pit bulls are the most aggressive breed. Pit bull is actually not a breed of dog but a generalized term for many breeds, such as American Staffordshire Terrier and . These dogs have muscular builds and boxy heads. Because these dogs have such muscular builds they are the perfect targets for discrimination. As social media becomes more popular each year, the amount of attention brought to pit bulls increases both in their favor and against them. Over the years, there have been many myths made up by people who do not like pit bulls, but they do not realize that there are dogs that break these myths. Although dog fighting and dog attacks are not myths, people take these actions out of hand and will make the situations way worse than they truly are. Pit bulls are taking over the shelters because of the perception they have. Even though there are many things to make an argument that pit bulls are bad, the history is often forgotten about. These dogs have proven their worth with their will to protect, but because of dog fighting it is more often over looked than it is recognized.
Social media has made it easier for the world to get to know what is happening in a pit bull’s daily life. When an attack has happened, everyone seems to find out within a few hours. Social media can work for pit bulls but can also work against them. It can work for them by posting stories that are about fighting dogs who have been retrained or pit bulls that are in families and have never bitten a human or another dog. However, stories of dog attacks are shared faster and people will pay more attention to those than a story of a rehabilitated dog.
Myths about pit bulls have been circulating for many years and have not died down. Many of the myths do not have any scientific proof behind them. Some of myths include lock jaw, all pit bulls acting the same, they attack more than any dog, and every pit bull will turn on their owner. Lock jaw is when the dog bites someone or something and is unable to let go. People believe this myth because of a pit bull’s strong jaw. The larger the dog’s skull means the stronger the bite, so people will mistake this for lock jaw. However, they often overlook the proof that many other breeds of dogs have much stronger bites than pit bulls. These dogs include breed such as __list three or four____. Many of the fatal dog bites are from pit bulls, so it is believed that every pit bull is the same. Pit bulls have started to be used for police dogs and therapy dogs. Police dogs will help the cops find drugs or find someone they are looking for. A therapy dog is trained to remain calm and go into hospitals and/or nursing homes. Therapy dogs are a huge benefit to patients and this will give the dogs a chance to get out of their homes.
____ percent of fatal dog attacks were caused by pit bulls in 2015, which makes society believe that they are the most aggressive breed in the world. Smaller dogs, such as Chihuahuas and Dachshunds, are more aggressive than pit bulls. Dachshunds are the most aggressive; however, these attacks are often overlooked and not recorded because they cannot do near as much damage as a pit bull can cause.  A majority of the pit bull attacks have been involved with someone who knew the dog or knew the owner of the dog. Since pit bull attacks are often on people they know, it is believed that every pit bull will end up attacking their owner at some point. Training is a big part of how the dog will act towards their owner. Almost any breed of dog, even pit bulls, can be trained to become service dogs. These service dogs will not turn on their owners, but can help save their life. Service dogs can complete many tasks, such as turning on lights, opening doors, alerting a seizure, comfort someone when an anxiety attack happens, or find help when their owner needs it. When asked why people should train their dogs, service dog and dog trainer Shala Sims said, “
Some people who have never dealt with a pit bull believe that they are all aggressive and will attack any dog. However, dogs who are put into fighting rings are bred and trained to fight. Trainers will take a heavy chain and tie them up with very little room to roam around. These dogs are not socialized, which will make the fights easier to start when they are put together. In the training of these dogs, they will steal dogs and use them as bait dogs. Dog fighting is not only about whose dog is the stronger one; it is more about gambling than anything. They can bring in over twenty thousand dollars per fight. If they have multiple dogs to fight, they can do as many fights as time allows. Dog fighting could be possibly happening in your town and you may not know it. The training, capturing, and the fights are mostly done in abandoned houses. In the article ______ by _______ it explains how training can include the use of drugs, catmills, weights, bait dogs, and many other devices. The use of drugs will make the dogs become stronger; during a fight they will be able to tolerate pain and last longer. Catmills are built for the dog to chase another dog or animal. When they are done, the trainer will reward their dog with the animal they were chasing. Weights and heavy chains will be used to make the dogs become stronger. The dog will become used to that weight, but when it comes off for the fight they will be able to fight and move much faster. A bait dog is another dog, usually weaker and/or smaller, that they trainer stole off the street or from a backyard. The bait dog’s mouth will be taped shut or the trainer will rip out the teeth, so the dog will not be able to defend itself when the other dog practices on it. Trainers will also use a rape stand in order to breed their dogs. Fighting dogs are not socialized which makes breeding a very difficult task to complete. In order to make this work, they take a female pit bull that is in head and strap her down on the stand. A male dog will come up and rape the female dog.
Although dog fighting has been going on for decades, the Michael Vick case made it more known in society. Michael Vick, NFL football quarterback, had fifty-three pit bulls housed and used for dog fighting. Reports show that he was involved in the killing of dogs that did not do well enough in the fights. Vick would bash the dogs into concrete or electrocute them until they were dead. He only spent eighteen months in prison and paid a small fine. A few months after his release he was picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles and played again. Just as many other cases of different crimes, the punishment was not as harsh as it should have been since Vick was a celebrity and had a large amount of money. Since Vick is a star in the NFL, it made this case more known than any case before. This helped bring attention to dog fighting but also brought negative attention to the breed.
Pit bulls have been known to attack their owners and other people, but everyone does not always know the whole story. In December 2015, a twenty-two year old woman, Rebecca Hardy, committed suicide. Hardy climbed over a fence in a backyard where two pit bulls were being kept. The dogs may not have known who Hardy was; when she jumped the fence the dogs attacked her. She did not die immediately from her injuries but died later in the day. Any pit bull can become very protective over what is theirs and will do anything they can to keep it safe. For example, when I rescued my pit bull we would spend many hours together and she knew that I was her owner, who would protect her no matter what, which she also did. When she would hear noises she was familiar with yet, such as wind coming through my window, she would cover me with her whole body to “protect” me from the scary noise that she did not like. Many of the fatal pit bull attacks are children. While reading most websites, they will only tell you the story of how the child was killed or how badly the injuries were. The child could have been antagonizing the dog, such has pulling on its tail or trying to sit on it. It is very sad when a child is injured or killed, but if parents are not watching their child and their child causes the dog to attack the dog should not be put down. Dogs will not attack for no reason, they will show some sign before it happens.
Pit bulls are filling up the shelters and are often being euthanized. Shelters all around America constantly get pit bulls but they cannot adopt them out as fast as they come in. At least thirty-five percent of animal shelters will get one pit bull a day, if not more. Because there are so many pit bulls in shelters, they are often euthanized in order to cut down their numbers. Forty percent of all dogs in shelters that are euthanized are full blood pit bull or a mix of breeds with part pit bull. Since some shelters are no kill shelters, these dogs could sit there for years until they are adopted or they end up dying. Only one out of every six hundred pit bulls will be able to find a home.
The history of these dogs is often overlooked because society only wants to look at what is happening today. Pit bulls were often used as nanny dogs, used in wars, and they were first bred to fight bulls in rings.