Not all bulls have horns

Towards the end of October there was a national holiday that focused on the unjust discrimination of the pit bull dog breed. On October 24th, hundreds and thousands of people coming together to talk about the positives aspects of the breed, working to end the harsh stereotypes put on the breed.

“The National Pit Bull Awareness Campaign encourages responsible dog ownership to strengthen the crucial bond between dogs and their human companions. We are dedicated to working toward a time when no one has to face the loss of a beloved family member due to ignorance, fear and bias,” Jodi Preis, a speaker for National Pit Bull Awareness Month, said.

Many of these stereotypes are centered around the rates of attacks caused by pit bulls. According to DogsBite.Org, pit bulls have the highest attack record. However, that doesn’t mean they are the most dangerous.

There biggest factor that leads into this statistic is the number of bites and attacks reported. According to PetPlace.com, a website based on veterinarians experiences, Chows, Huskies, and Rat Terriers are all breeds of dogs more likely to bite than pit bulls. However, these bites go unreported and pit bull bites get more attention than needed due to the fact that most people feel more threatened or scared by pit bulls.

The fact that many are scared of pit bulls, even if it is for unjustified reasons, caused the state of Nebraska to acquire many laws for an owner of a pit bull. It has basically become illegal for pit bulls to be in normal conditions outside of the house.
According to the Nebraska Humane Society, pit bulls cannot be outside without a muzzle. Then, even with a muzzle, pit bull are still not able to be outside longer than fifteen minutes.

As a fifteen-year-old with a pit bull as my family dog, I feel as if these laws are unjust.

Just because the pitbull breed has obtained a bad reputation through the eyes of the media, does not mean that they are a dangerous breed.

When asking whether or not pit bulls are good, trustworthy dogs is the same as asking whether all children who were raised in different environments are good children. A dog’s temperament is due to many factors that do not apply to the breed as a whole.
Just like in humans, a dog, especially a pit bull, will do what it’s trained to do. If a dog is trained to fight; it will fight. If dog is trained to love; it will love.

When asking whether or not pit bulls are good, trustworthy dogs is the same as asking whether all children who were raised in different environments are good children. A dog’s temperament is due to many factors that do not apply to the breed as a whole.