Some time after high school, I visited a pet store to look at the dogs that were up for adoption. The dogs were loud and unrestrained, just begging for attention. Looking around, my eyes rested on a tan, short-haired, and calm puppy. He stood out from the rest of dogs with him just lying on his side with his head rested on another fellow puppy. That was when I decided to take the “Labrador Retriever, Boxer, and German Shepard mix” home with me. Over the years, Neeko showed me nothing, but love. He never strayed from my side, even when he was off his leash. For fun, my friend and I tested to see, what Neeko loved more: me or a bowl of cookies. Without hesitation, he came towards me, with his tail wagging, and wearing his big, goofy smile. It was not until much later, when I found out that Neeko was actually a Pit bull mix. At first, I could not understand, because Neeko was too friendly, too loving, and too gentle to be “Pit bull.” My realization was that I have experienced both sides of the spectrum as a stereotyping, Pit bull-fearing, skeptic and as a loyal Pit bull fan. So, the idea of a Pit bull ban is nothing, but based on fear and ignorance.
Pit bulls were once “America’s sweetheart breeds,” before the media began to show negative perspective of the animal through biased stereotyping. Since the 1500’s, pit bulls were used as hunting dogs, because of their remarkable strength. In Ireland, the pit bull was considered the “old family dog,” because they made wonderful pets, even around children. In America, they were considered the “nanny dogs,” and old family photos can be found of pit bulls posing with their human family. When bull baiting became banned in 1835, American Pit bull Terrier owners turned to dog fighting as a way to make profit. They had taken a breed of dog that is originally good with people and turned them into vicious fighters, tarnishing the breed’s reputation. Ami Ciontos who works with Pit bull Rescue Central says, “It all goes back to the root of the issue which is the people problem. It’s irresponsible owners that either don’t supervise their pets, their children, or pay attention to their surroundings, and to find out the proper way to manage their animals.” The “irresponsible owners” may refer to a report that had been made by cruelty investigators that individuals who are involved with gambling, drugs, illegal weapons, and gangs are more likely drawn to pit bulls and turn them into dog fighting.
Doctor Mark Wulkan who treats children, had met fifty-six patients with dog injuries, and “of the fifty-six, twenty-one were pit bulls.” However, Amy Ciontos argue back, “‘pit bulls’ are not necessarily a breed. There is over twenty-five breeds of dog that one commonly mistaken as pit bull terrier. The actual breeds are the American Pit Bull Terrier, The Staffordshire Terrier, The American Staffordshire Terrier, and the American Bulldog.” The problem with dogfighters is that they take a People dog like Pit bulls and mix them with guard dogs such as the German Shepherd to make the ultimate “bigger is a better, badder pit bull.” Any breed of dog can bite. The first face transplant that took place, because of a dog attack was not from a Pit bull. Of all breeds, it was a Labrador retriever that had mutilated an innocent woman. Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that there is no evidence that dogs are genetically dangerous, because according to the American Temperament Testing Association, American Pit Bull Terriers passes 85.3 percent, while the passing average for all breeds was 81.9 percent. In the test, a dog was placed in trial of different confrontational situations and any sign of aggression or nervousness was marked as a failure to the test.
