Introduction
A pitbull has been described as a dog whose ancestors were bull and terrier type dogs once used for dog fighting.
This paper asserts that pitbulls should not be banned. There are no bad dogs but bad and untrained breeders and owners. It is these uninformed owners who are allowed to purchase pitbulls and then the dogs go without proper training and socialization skills. Owners need to be responsible with their dogs because any dog can be bad if the owner is irresponsible and doesn’t train it right. You wouldn’t blame a child for being violent, would you? You would blame the parents. This is the same case. It is even better to buy a pitbull (any dog) as a puppy so that you can know if it has an aggressive or mean side.
Main body
There is a lot of truth in the notion that we should punish “the deed and not the breed” when it comes to pitbulls. This is because they become violent because of owners who stir the genetic stew, looking to bring out the breeds’ vicious inbred behaviors. Every year hundreds of loving, gentle pitbulls are taken from their owners and killed simply because of the way they look.
Previous attempts to ban pitbulls have been ruled unlawful by the government. For example a city in Illinois was sued when it went on to ban the pitbulls and it lost the suit. This is because various animal groups oppose the ban on pitbulls and when they sue the state they always win.
It is correct to say, “Get a knife, get a dog, but get rid of guns”. Introduction of severe measures such as pitbulls being shot dead has led to decrease in number of gentle and loving pitbulls and increase in number of violent ones. As I stated earlier, every year hundreds of loving, gentle pitbulls have been taken from their owners and killed simply because of the way they look. Just because a small number of pitbulls are violent doesn’t mean that the entire breed is violent.
Various states have enacted laws that have forced pitbull owners to be responsible when training them. They now realize that once their dogs become violent to the society there is a heavy fine to pay and in some states they are shot dead by the police. These tough measures have made pitbull owners to be responsible and hence able to train their dogs not to be violent to the society which is something positive.
In some states, owners have been forced to insure their pitbulls or else they are criminally charged. These measures make the society safe from violent pitbulls.
If this problem of pitbulls is not solved then the society is going to let gentle and loving pitbulls to be eliminated hence leave the dangerous pitbulls in the society. This is because I believe there is a small group of responsible pitbull owners and a large group of irresponsible ones hence a big danger to the society.
Not all pitbulls are dangerous. All that is needed is good and responsible training and they will not be violent to the society. As it was said earlier, there are no bad dogs but bad and irresponsible breeders. It is correct for one to say that “get a knife, get a dog, but get rid of guns” when it comes to pitbulls. It basically means the society adopts stricter laws. However if we enact severe penalties such as killing the pitbulls as some states are doing then the many gentle and loving pitbulls will be the easiest targets. These facts support my argument in that the pitbulls shouldn’t be banned but should be trained responsibly by competent owners. If people want to own pitbulls, they should be willing and able to pass tests of competency and have proper training and certifications.
Summary
Pitbulls should not be banned. As the saying goes, “get a knife, get a dog, but get rid of guns”, all that I needed is for owners to pass tests of competency and have proper training and certifications. This is better than imposing tough measures such as shooting dead the pitbulls yet it is not their fault.
Gail, Golad, co author of the study published in 2000 by Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association observed that “generic non–breed-specific, dangerous dog laws can be enacted that place primary responsibility for a dog’s behavior on the owner, regardless of the dog’s breed. In particular, targeting chronically irresponsible dog owners may be effective.”(Monti, Dean, 2000) Which basically means that the owner must be held accountable if the pitbull becomes violent to the society? These laws when enacted should lead to paying of hefty fines or one being banned from owning a pitbull instead of banning the pet.
Although those campaigning for the pitbulls to be banned have a right to do so, they should realize that it is not the fault of the pitbulls but those irresponsible and untrained owners who do not even have certifications to proof they are competent to train and breed pitbulls.
My final conclusion is that all these facts illustrate that it is not the fault of pitbulls but the fault of the owners hence the pitbulls should not be banned.
Work cited
Monti, Dean & Gail, Gonad.” Responsible ownership the alternative to breed banning, other restrictions” American veterinary medical association (2000): Web.