Pit Bulls

This is another paper I wrote for my writing class, and it's about a topic very dear to my heart. I hope maybe that I can help open a few eyes to what wonderful dogs pits can be if cared for properly and if they have people who are willing to take the time to learn about these wonderful dogs!

About Pit Bulls & Why They Shouldn't Be Banned

Before anybody seeks to outlaw or ban something, shouldn't they first be able to define it? Then, if they can define it, shouldn't they seek to understand it?

There are many people, on both sides of the debate surrounding "pit bulls" and the issue of whether or not they should be banned. A large percentage of those people can't accurately define a pit bull or don't even realize that the term "pit bull" doesn't refer to a specific breed but rather a loosely defined group of breeds.

According to a February 2007 article titled "Is This Dog Dangerous" written by Cameron Lawrence for Louisville Magazine, "The pit bull is not recognized as a breed per se but rather as a type - a descriptor of several breeds of dogs with similar physical characteristics." The article goes on to say this commonly includes the American Pit Bull Terrier, the Staffordshire bull terrier, and the American Staffordshire terrier among others.

Generally pit bulls are described as "a medium sized, squarish dog usually weighing 40 to 60 pounds with a short coat revealing their strength. They are sometimes referred to as 'dog body builders' or more commonly 'the bully breeds". These dogs also tend to be "intelligent, confident, and loyal" though their critics say they are "hyper-aggressive and unpredictable". (Lawrence)

My experience, as someone who has had dogs her entire life including three American Staffordshire Terriers in addition to a Basset Hound, Maltese, Cairn Terrier, Beagle, and Dobermans to name just a few, is that these dogs are extremely loyal and intelligent dogs that will do anything to please their owner.

As stated by Lawrence, this group of dogs descended from breeding a mix of various bulldogs and terriers. Several of the resulting breeds were recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC), begin with the American Staffordshire Terrier in 1936, and have set and recognized breed standards. The breed standards define the ideal build, color or markings, and temperament for the breeds.

The so called "bully breeds" fall in the terrier group which includes dogs such as Yorkies and Scotties. The terriers, as a group, require training, discipline, and an owner who knows how to handle them since, again as a group, terriers are generally described as being "strong willed".

Marcy Setter is the director of education and public relations for a large rescue group known as Pit Bull Rescue Control which is based in Missouri. Lawrence spoke with her during research for his article. She points out that pit bulls are merely the latest dogs to be targeted as dangerous or vicious and that the fear of aggression toward people is overblown, "This is really easy. It rotates every 10 years or so. Back in the 70's it was the German shepherds. In the 80's it was the Dobermans. In the 90's it was the Rottweillers. Now it's the pit bulls." She pointed out that while pits may have some tendencies toward dog aggression other breeds, including the Great Pyrenese and Australian Cattle Dog, have been bred for that same tendency. She insists "pits were never bred for human aggression". (Lawrence)

My personal experiences as a dog owner, and specifically a "pit bull owner" back up this assertion as well as the description of them being intelligent and loyal. For example our first "pit" was an American Staffordshire Terrier named Caesar. We had Caesar when I was in middle school. He was a very intelligent and well behaved dog who went a lot of places with me including walks to the corner store after school most days. The owner even allowed him into the store while I shopped because he was so well behaved. One such afternoon, after completing our shopping, we were headed back home when a clearly intoxicated man bumped into me. Caesar was, of course, protective of me. When the man bumped me, Caesar rose up on his hind legs and used his front paws to push the man away from me but didn't attack or present any vicious tendencies whatsoever, just a message to "back off and leave her alone". The man was a bit startled by this but did continue on his way leaving us to continue on home with no further incident.

Lawrence interviewed Linda Laun, a local dog trainer, who had this to say "some breeds have a heightened alert mechanism" and "these dogs are a bit weary of unusual circumstances, less accepting of new experiences." This trait, she says, can make them useful as guard dogs. She includes "German Shepherds, Dobermans, and some types of pits" as being examples of such breeds. However she adds "these breeds have no more propensity for causing harm, or likelihood of causing harm than a Golden Retriever, a Yorkie or any other."

I can attest to that as out of all the dogs I have ever owned or known only one has ever been determined by animal control authorities to be a "dangerous dog". The dog wasn't a pit, a Doberman, or any other medium to large dog. It was my dad's seven pound miniature pinscher, Bud who bit, of all people, the homeowner's insurance adjuster. Yet, nobody is seeking to ban miniature pinschers or any other small breed.

Dangerous dog ordinances have been passed in cities across the country. Some locales, such as Denver, Colorado and Bracken County, Kentucky have instituted breed-specific laws or bans that are aimed at "pit bull dogs". (Lawrence) These laws fail to recognize that any breed or individual dog has the potential to be dangerous and cause harm to a person or another animal.

PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) is a large and well known animal rights organization that supports a ban on ownership and breeding of pit bulls "as long as they include a grandfather clause allowing all living dogs who are already in good homes and well cared for to live the remainder of their lives safely and peacefully". According to PETA pit bulls are the most abused group of dogs in the United States. They use that statement to justify their support of banning these dogs. They also state that a large portion of people who seek to own pit bulls do so because they "are attracted to the 'macho' image of the breed as a living weapon". These people then encourage aggression in the dogs by abusing them in various ways including physically restraining the dogs with heavy chains in all weather extremes as well as kicking or beating them to make them tougher and thus more aggressive. They are basically stating they want to ban pits to protect them from cruelty but that would be punishing the dogs for the bad behavior of people and is not the way to solve the problem.

Despite their support of laws banning them, PETA does do some admirable work with pit bulls such as rescuing them for abusive or negligent owners in addition to speaking out against dog fighting, and subsidizing spay and neuter programs. They admit that pits can be loving companions and the problem is with or caused by cruel and irresponsible owners. (PETA)

Why, then, punish the dogs? Shouldn't we instead punish the people who are mistreating them and encouraging this aggressive and overly territorial behavior?

PETA contacts "cruelty case prosecutors" when they rescue abused dogs, which staffers and volunteers do everyday. They have personally witness thousands of pit bulls who have been treated reprehensibly by their owners. Dogs like "Bear who was permanently chained outside and suffering from several painful conditions, including flystrike and a skin condition his owners tried to 'cure' by pouring motor oil all over him".(PETA) Bear wasn't the problem here, his owners were. They were the ones who were cruel and caused harm, not the dog. Again, why punish the dogs for the actions of people?

Perhaps, instead of supporting laws banning pit bulls, it would make more sense if PETA and others worked to strengthen laws that protect dogs from abuse and promote harsher penalties on irresponsible owners who subject the animals to the abuse and neglect often witnessed by shelter and rescue group volunteers.

Here in Louisville there have been proposals to outlaw pit bulls and in January of 2007 the city council instituted re-vamped animal control laws. Due to protests and outcry from owners, breeders, and the local branch of the AKC the breed specific wording was removed and the law applies to all dogs and their owners. It restricts the selling of "dangerous" and "potentially dangerous" dogs as well as defining what constitutes a "dangerous dog". The law defines a dangerous dog as "any dog that has been used in dog fighting, injured or killed a person in an unprovoked attack, a dog that attacks or injures other pets or livestock, or is used in the commission of a crime. It defines a potentially dangerous dog as one that "bites or harms someone in an aggressive manner or attacks and injures another pet or livestock."(Lawrence)

Again, I've had dogs all my life and the only one I've ever known that has been declared by animal control to be "a dangerous dog" is a tiny, seven pound miniature pinscher.

As the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP) says, "breed specific legislation does not protect communities nor create a more responsible dog owner" and "limiting the risk of dog bites should be the legal responsibility of the dog owner". They point out that it is more than the breed or physical appearance of a dog that determines its disposition and personality. The factors involved include, but are not limited to, genetics, training, socialization, health, supervision, adequate shelter, and general care a dog receives.

Thus, it is logical to say, as stated in the IACP's position statement, "The vast majority of dogs typically affected by breed-specific legislation are not 'dangerous" by any standard" and should not be judged by phenotype or physical appearance. Laws directed at any specific breed unfairly punish not only the dogs but also responsible dog owners which includes the majority of people who own any dog. This is a point worth repeating. Don't punish a dog just because of how it looks. In my experience, just as with people, a dog's appearance can be quite deceiving.

At the same time we had Caesar we had a small dog too. Peppy was a Cairn Terrier and maybe about 6 inches tall. (For those who aren't familiar with them, Cairns look similar to a Scottie). Caesar, by contrast was 22inches at the shoulders and his jaw muscles made it look like he had baseballs in his mouth. Peppy, however, was the "mean one" and was much more likely to snap or bite. Peppy actually did bite my sister twice, Caesar never so much as looked at one of us the wrong way. This, I think, helps to demonstrate why you should never judge by appearances.

There is no such thing as a bad breed but there are many bad owners. It is up to people to be a responsible owner and take proper care of their dogs. This includes obvious things as providing proper shelter, food and water but it also includes less obvious things such as training, socialization, and supervision of all pets. It also includes strengthening (and enforcing) "dangerous dog" laws which are not breed specific and animal cruelty laws that help to protect dogs from the harm they suffer at the hands of people.

We have four dogs in our house right now. Among them we have Stacey, a Border Collie mix, and Dillon, my American Staffordshire Terrier (one of the "pit bull types"). Stacey absolutely bullies Dillon. If he walks past her dog bowl she stands guard over it and lets out a low growl, if he gets near a treat or toy she thinks is hers, she snaps or growls at him. (Actually she does the same thing with the other dogs in the house too, she is definitely the "alpha dog" in the group). Dillon is, by far, bigger and stronger than she is yet he is cowered by her and will tuck his tail and run away if she even looks at him sideways.

Stacey and Dillon were playing in the back yard one afternoon, chasing two tennis balls I was throwing for them and having a lot of fun. I needed a quick break so I tossed the balls to them and went in the house to get something to drink. I was inside for about five or ten minutes then went back outside where I found Stacey had decided both balls were hers. She had one tennis ball in her mouth and the other between her front paws while she stared Dillon down, watching every move he made. When he would come near, or when she thought he was trying to come near and take one of the tennis balls Stacey would let out a low growl that steadily got louder. Dillon's reaction to this was to look at her like he was pouting, tuck his tail, and slink up onto the deck where he lay down at my feet not daring to go back out into the grass and try to play any longer.

My big "bully" is definitely not the bully in this house and despite what many claim, I have never witnessed any of the pits I have known be the bullies they are made out to be. That title has always fallen to the dogs who are supposed to be "harmless", not the big, bad "pit bulls".

Banning pit bulls is not the answer. Teaching and enforcing responsibility and accountability in the people who raise not only pits, but all dogs, is the only answer there can be.

Works Cited

Lawrence, Cameron. "Is This Dog Dangerous?" Louisville Magazine. February 2007.

Web. 24 August 2009

"Position Statement on Breed Specific Legislation"

International Association of Canine Proffessionals. IACP, 2006. PDF file.

"PETA: Position On Pit Bulls" PETA.
About PETA. Web. 25 August 2009.