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Rachael Watts
December 17, 2013
Honors English, 1A
Argument Essay
How dangerous are they really?
Imagine a newly born puppy, its eyes are still closed, and its fur is still fuzz. What do you
think when you look at it? That puppy is a pit bull, now what do you think? Many people at first
imagine an adorable, tiny ball of fur; after finding out the breed, that image is immediately
replaced by a vicious, blood thirsty monster. This is a common stereotype, which is so strongly
believed that we actually have law enforced restrictions against them. The media always
exaggerates their attacks and we never hear anything good about them. This misunderstanding is
so popular because there aren’t many pit bulls that were given the chance to show their good
side. The numbers of pit bulls that have bad owners or are used in fights outweigh the numbers
of pit bulls with good owners who raise them right. A pit bull is the same as any other dog, and it
will act how it will be raised and treated.
How was this stereotype created? Corrupted people breed pit bulls and train them to fight
for their amusement. These dogs didn’t choose this life style to live, the people did. Why do they
choose pit bulls as their fighting dogs? It’s because they are strong and durable, and have
powerful jaws with sharp teeth, not because they were born monsters. The reason these innocent
creatures fight so brutally in the arenas is because they are fighting for their lives. Either they
will be killed during the fight, or they will be severely punished after for loosing; those people
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are the monsters. The article “Forced to Fight and Left to Die” explains, “Dogs who are used for
fighting are chained, taunted, and starved in order to trigger extreme survival instincts and
encourage aggressiveness.” Basically, the article is saying that they torture them and force them
to fight, solely for the purpose of their entertainment. If those types of people didn’t exist, neither
would the stereotype. If the dogs were raised right and had only good owners, there would be no
problem with them at all. According to Andrea Arden, “If all pit bulls were treated in this
fashion, it might help some of those generalizations fade, simply by adding more well behaved
pit bulls in the world.” There are many more vicious pit bulls than well-mannered ones, which is
why this stereotype is so strong. People just need to know that not all of them are the same, then
more people would accept them which would give pit bulls the loving homes they want and
deserve. Furthermore, like any other dog, pit bulls are only reflections of their owners; they are
what you choose to make them.
This stereotype has grown to the point where states have varying laws against pit bulls.
Specifically, over 600 U.S. cities have enacted breed-specific laws (BSL) that reject pit bulls.
Many apartment complexes, parks and even dog parks ban them. In some regions in Utah, it is
unlawful to own or sell them. In many states it’s illegal to breed them, and even require an
annual permit just to own one. They are always the last to be chosen and the first to be put down,
that is, if the shelters even accept them. They are rejected, homeless, and many people who do
have them aren’t the best owners or trainers. That is the reason why they still attack sometimes.
If more people could give them a chance and treat them how they would with any other dog,
there would be significantly fewer attacks.
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Generally, when there is a pit bull attack it is blasted throughout the news. People
exaggerate these attacks and make a bigger deal about it than with any other dog. What the news
fails to report about are the heroic stories. Pit bulls are actually very smart, loving, and loyal
dogs, in my opinion. On KSL.com, there’s a story of a pit bull, TatorTot, who saved a boy’s life.
Tracie Snowder reports, “Smith's son, Peyton Anderson, was in bed when the 10-month-old pit
bull started whining and barking in the middle of the night. TatorTot apparently sensed
something was wrong with the boy. Smith quickly went to check on her son.” The boy’s blood
sugar was dangerously low and he could barely breathe. Because of TatorTot, they were able
take him to the hospital and save his life. Another pit bull saved a cat from hungry coyotes.
Bryan Nelson states, “Dogs and cats are supposed to be mortal enemies, but Jack the pit bull
would risk everything to save his feline friend.” In other words, Bryan believes this pit bull is
extraordinary among other dogs; while most other dogs wouldn’t have done this, people still say
pit bulls are low. USA Today tells of a story where a pit bull saves his family from a house fire.
Sean Rossman summarizes, “At about 2 a.m. Thursday, Onyx began barking so loudly that he
awakened his family, and Trevor Myres, Sierra Plair and their two sons were able to get out of
their house here safely. But when Myres found Onyx yelping on the patio outside, he noticed that
the dog was on fire.” Onyx burned as much as 30% of his body to save the family. Finally, BSL
News has a Pit Bull Heroes Hall of Fame page which contains many unbelievably brave stories.
Many are about fires, home invasions and attackers, but the titles that stand out most are: “Pit
Bull Defends Home against Bear”, “Pit Bull Pulls Unconscious Owner from Trains Path” and
“Pit Bull Takes Bullet to Save Owner”. These families and owners ignored the common
stereotype and gave a pit bull a chance. Because they saved the dogs’ lives, the pit bulls returned
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the favor. Just like any other dog, their actions reflected how they were raised and treated. These
daring dogs risked, and in some cases, gave their lives for the ones they love.
In final conclusion, pit bulls are merely reflections of us. Unfortunately, most reflect bad
people, so society creates a stereotype and sees every pit bull the same. This stereotype has
spread so much that most of our states ban them. No one ever hears about their valiant actions.
It’s important to not judge others by stereotypes. People need to realize that not every pit bull is
the same; they need to give them a chance to have a good home with a loving family. Then more
pit bulls would be well-mannered and this stereotype would disappear. We need to understand
that pit bulls are the same as any other dog.
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Work Cited Page
Peta2. “Dogfighting.” peta2.com.McGrath Family Foundation, 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
Arden, Andrea. “Stereotypes and generalizations of the pit bull.” Pets for Patriots. Petiquette
with Andrea Arden, 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
“Breed-specific laws state-by-state.” DogsBite.org. Lynn Media Group, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 15
Dec. 2013.
Snowder, Tracie. “Newly rescued pit bull saves life of owner’s son.” KSL.com. 11 Oct. 2013.
Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
Nelson, Bryan. “Pit bull saves cat from hungry coyotes.” mnn.com. Mother Nature Network, 12
Oct. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
Rossman, Sean. “Hero pit bull saves Florida family from house fire.” USA Today. A Gannett
Company, 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
“Pit Bull Heroes Hall of Fame.” bslnews.org. BSL news, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.