Let me start out by saying that I am not one to usually put my opinion out publicly, but I felt that this was a topic I needed to address.

I have always cared about animals and I have always loved, bonded, and connected with multiple animals that have stepped into my life. I claimed I wanted to be a veterinarian for a good portion of my life insisting to my parents that I was going to double major in Veterinarian Science and Spanish so that I could travel to tropical climates and work with animals in such conditions. Though I have changed my mind and decided to major in another love of mine (music education), that doesn't mean that animals have any less of a place in my heart.

This week I read an article on BuzzFeed about pit-bull type dogs being banned in Canada for being "dangerous". As I do with most news articles, I simply brushed it off and went about my life.

Then a friend of mine told me that their family was getting rid of their puppy that they've had for a year - my literal response consisting of: "I'm so sad" "poor puppy" and "It's so sad when people give their dogs away, like you chose that dog...".

Later that week, my mom texted me claiming that we were essentially fostering a golden retriever puppy that is the runt of his litter, is extremely sick, and wasn't wanted by his mother. I came home as I had already planned and as soon as I saw the puppy my heart melted.

Meanwhile, I struggled daily with coming up with a topic to talk about for my weekly article. Naturally, I turned to the Odyssey homepage to get some ideas (since I wanted to write about a controversial issue), and an article the pit bull ban in Canada popped up and was refreshed in my mind. I immediately grabbed my laptop and began to write.

Interested, I googled the characteristics of pit bull's (specifically known as American Pit Bull Terriers), and a few of the words that popped up were "friendly", "obedient", and "affectionate". I'm not trying to pick any fights with Canadians here, but those seem like pretty straightforward traits to me...and they probably aren't characteristics of dogs that should be banned.

I understand that the case of the pit bull fatally mauling a lady in Quebec is devastating, disappointing, and in no way am I undermining the death of the lady who lost her life. However, I am saying that just because one pit bull acted that way does not mean that all pit bulls will act in the same manner.

I truly believe that just because one dog acted inappropriately does not mean that the rest of that breed will do so as well. A Washington Post article recently stated that "It will be illegal for anyone to adopt or otherwise acquire a new pit bull in the city. If the pit bulls are not grandfathered in, they face euthanasia". Granted that this article goes more in depth of the topic than I am willing to, I'm simply here to voice my opinion and make a point: animals are just as entitled to life as we humans are, and they have emotions too.

Come on people, it's the twenty-first century. The idea that other living organisms aren't entitled to life just as we humans are is ignorant. If you refuse to believe that animals have emotions (as I know that there are people in the world who do), I challenge you to yell at my friend's dog for being a "bad dog" and watch her response as she covers her head and holds her paw out seeking for forgiveness, watch as my cats react and snuggle me when I'm crying, and listen to the sick puppy whimpering next to me in pain and misery because he is so sick.

Ending hundreds of pit bulls lives in Montreal because of one aggressive dog is selfish and inhumane. Despite whatever facts you may throw my way, never will I believe in my heart that multiple animals deserve to be euthanized - let alone suffer - because of one.

Needless to say, the people in Montreal that are okay with hundreds of dogs having their lives taken from them because of one pit bull can go on with the inhumane way they are acting. As for me, I'll stay right here in Notre Dame, IN taking care of this sick puppy, hoping that he will make it out of his misery and live a happy dog-life, as all dogs should.