Banned, abused, neglected, hated, unloved, and exploited, pit bulls have become “America’s most reviled breed”. People view pit bulls as a threat to society, and even ban them in countless cities around the nation. Along with their involvement in multiple dog attacks every year, dog fighting commonly revolves around pit bulls. New studies now show that pit bulls behave no more dangerously than any other breed of dog, leaving many to wonder where the dogs went wrong, or maybe more accurately, where the owners went wrong. Just recently people have begun to take a stand in their communities and overturn the bans. The pit bull’s origins, a negative opposing opinion, and people, such as Michael Vick, have lead to their extreme discrimination, but
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The present day pit came to existence after crossing two different breeds about 200 years ago in England and Ireland. Farmers bred the large, muscular English bull-baiting dog to bite onto the head and neck of large livestock. Their popularity continued to grow until officials outlawed baiting in 1835, at which point people no longer had interest in the powerful yet sluggish dog. Breeders crossed the English bull-baiting dog with a small terrier in order to make it more quick and agile, which lead to the creation of dog fighting in the late 18th Century. Despite their common participation in the dog fighting ring, pit bulls did not become associated with the gruesome sport until law enforcement began to crack down on animal fighting in 1976. At one point, pit bulls were even one of the most popular dogs in America. Pits even became common in the army, in fact, a pit bull acted as the first U.S. Army dog to be promoted to sergeant. Helen Keller owned a pit bull, and so did the Little Rascals with their dog, Petey. Pit bulls continuously appear throughout America’s history, but rather than appreciate their contribution to society, many people choose to focus on the negative (Position Statement, …show more content…
When authorities confiscated 54 pit bulls from Michael Vick’s property on April 25th, 2007, they also discovered the remains of eight dogs that he and partners shot, hung, drowned, or electrocuted. The remaining dogs acted aggressively, and many people lobbied for them to be put down. Many pit bull advocates argued otherwise, however, and among them stood Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends acts as the largest animal sanctuary in the United States, and agreed to take on 22 of the rescued pits. They received the most difficult cases, and the sanctuary took on the task of rehabilitating and rehoming all of the animals. A majority of the dogs acted extremely aggressive, but cowered in fear at the sight of people. One such case involved a small black and white pit bull named Cherry. He had very poor social skills, and because of his fright he refused to walk on a leash and workers could only carry him everywhere. Trainers at the sanctuary determined that Cherry likely worked as a bait dog. Too skittish and weak to make a good fighting dog, his owners matched him against the more aggressive dogs as an easy target and practice for the real fight. On the opposite end of the spectrum, trainers worked with a female pit bull named Georgia. Unlike Cherry, Georgia acted aggressively when she first arrived at the sanctuary. Though becoming accustomed to
The present day pit came to existence after crossing two different breeds about 200 years ago in England and Ireland. Farmers bred the large, muscular English bull-baiting dog to bite onto the head and neck of large livestock. Their popularity continued to grow until officials outlawed baiting in 1835, at which point people no longer had interest in the powerful yet sluggish dog. Breeders crossed the English bull-baiting dog with a small terrier in order to make it more quick and agile, which lead to the creation of dog fighting in the late 18th Century. Despite their common participation in the dog fighting ring, pit bulls did not become associated with the gruesome sport until law enforcement began to crack down on animal fighting in 1976. At one point, pit bulls were even one of the most popular dogs in America. Pits even became common in the army, in fact, a pit bull acted as the first U.S. Army dog to be promoted to sergeant. Helen Keller owned a pit bull, and so did the Little Rascals with their dog, Petey. Pit bulls continuously appear throughout America’s history, but rather than appreciate their contribution to society, many people choose to focus on the negative (Position Statement, …show more content…
When authorities confiscated 54 pit bulls from Michael Vick’s property on April 25th, 2007, they also discovered the remains of eight dogs that he and partners shot, hung, drowned, or electrocuted. The remaining dogs acted aggressively, and many people lobbied for them to be put down. Many pit bull advocates argued otherwise, however, and among them stood Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends acts as the largest animal sanctuary in the United States, and agreed to take on 22 of the rescued pits. They received the most difficult cases, and the sanctuary took on the task of rehabilitating and rehoming all of the animals. A majority of the dogs acted extremely aggressive, but cowered in fear at the sight of people. One such case involved a small black and white pit bull named Cherry. He had very poor social skills, and because of his fright he refused to walk on a leash and workers could only carry him everywhere. Trainers at the sanctuary determined that Cherry likely worked as a bait dog. Too skittish and weak to make a good fighting dog, his owners matched him against the more aggressive dogs as an easy target and practice for the real fight. On the opposite end of the spectrum, trainers worked with a female pit bull named Georgia. Unlike Cherry, Georgia acted aggressively when she first arrived at the sanctuary. Though becoming accustomed to