To the average American, our dogs are our best friends. According to the ASPCA, it's estimated that about 70 to 80 million dogs are owned as pets just in the United States alone. That's a lot of flippin' dogs!
Out of that 80 million or so dogs owned, 10 percent are pit bull breeds. This includes, but is not limited to, American Staffordshire Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers, American Bull Terriers and American Bulldogs. Congratulations, you just learned a fact that the majority of the population does not know.
FACT: "Pitbull" is a broad category, not a specific breed, used to describe several different breeds.
We use the term "collie," or "spaniel," to categorize different breeds within these terms. This is the exact same concept as the term"pitbull."
Now that the statistics lesson is over, we can move onto the nitty gritty.
Did you know that every day, your average American is forced to follow a legislation that limits what type of dog they own?
As ridiculous as it sounds ... it's happening all over the U.S., as well as several other foreign countries. This claptrap of an idea is called BSL, more formally known as Breed Specific Legislation.
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Pit bulls are dangerous!" But are they?
According to WhatAPittie.org, there is no specific breed more "aggressive" or "dangerous" than another. In fact, the American Temperament Testing Society found that these "bully breeds" pass in nearly the 90th percentile when it comes to temperament. Dog breeds that scored lower than this include beagles, dalmatians and toy poodles.
The huge problem with these "bully breeds," is that they are extremely mistreated and misused based off of their natural given abilities and character traits. And by who? None other than the people that decide to own and breed these dogs for something other than pet-hood.
Yep, you heard me, right folks, it's us humans that are making these dogs aggressive. Who would've thought?
Yes, it's true that "pit bulls" have very sharp teeth and strong jaws. They are extremely loyal, dedicated and easy to train. This is why they are a target. And despite popular opinion, pit bulls do not have locking jaws.
The flaw in these dogs isn't found in their natural instincts, rather than our way, as humans, of manipulating them to be violent and untamed. So we pass off that this dog breed, being an instinctual animal, is "vicious in nature," and "unfit to be pets," when in reality, we are the ones to blame for this behavior.
Pitbull facts aside, there is no specific evidence that breed-specific legislation prevents dog bites or attacks. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention is strongly against BSL, stating that there is an inaccuracy in dog bite data and there is no solid way of identifying dog breeds. Not only is BSL difficult to enforce, but it's extremely costly to exercise.
In 2001, a Baltimore, Maryland auditor estimated that it would cost $750,000 to enforce breed-specific laws. More or less, we are spending endless amounts of money on something in which there is no scientific evidence. There is no proof that BSL has benefitted in reducing dog bites, nor is there proof that these breeds are inherently dangerous. Not to mention, banning of a specific breed only attracts more attention and desire to use and abuse these animals.
Moral of the story? BSL doesn't work. It has no scientific backing as to why it is in place. There is no evidence of any breed of dog to be more violent or aggressive than another. It's simply about how we treat our animals.
Ban BSL. Because it's BS.
