My family has a dog named Jessie. We adopted her from the animal shelter my mom volunteered at about nine years ago. I don’t know her exact age because she was found on the streets but I am guessing she is about nine or ten years old. She was the perfect fit for our family because she was friendly and well mannered so I assume she ran away from her previous owners and that’s how she was found because she already had the traits of a family dog (and during the first few months at my house enjoyed the challenge of running away). Jessie is actually a mix of my two favorite dog breeds, golden retrievers and pit bulls. You can see both breeds in her based on how she looks, she is soft like a golden and smiles like a pittie. But the reason we know her “heritage” is because my mom actually bought Jessie the DNA test kit for Christmas, you should have seen the look on Jessie’s face when she saw that gift! We adopted Jessie when I was around nine years old and she has since been living proof that pit bulls and pit bull mixes can live non-aggressive lives. Pitbulls are given a reputation that negatively impacts the way they are viewed. Every dog is different and society not only stereotypes breeds, but people also stereotype an entire category of dogs. Pitbulls should not have to face harsh judgment, especially not from the minute they are born.
I could not have asked for a better dog than Jessie (I’d just request she doesn’t shed as if her life depends on it). Jessie always has had a very relaxed personality. This trait has amplified as she’s aged but she still is considered very active for her age. She loves sleeping by windows with cracks of sunshine seeping through them. She also loves to play and is impressively fast. She is extremely well behaved so she very rarely barks and she patiently waits for someone to let her go outside or give her food and water. She has no problems with other dogs and people though apparently she isn’t the ideal roommate (Jessie stayed with my cousins and their dog Rambo for a week while my family was away on vacation and took Rambo’s bed to sleep on. Luckily Rambo is a very understanding dog and didn’t cause a scene but I think it is safe to say that Jessie lacks proper etiquette as a guest in another dog’s home). Despite some unfortunate flaws, she is a very good family dog, similarly to many pit bull and pit bull mixes. These dogs are not showing any signs of being a danger to society and yet there are bans and restrictions on them in more than 700 cities across 40 states. Pit bulls are specifically targeted due to their athletic abilities and constant stories of people getting attacked. I won’t deny that there are dangerous pit bulls that shouldn’t be around other people and animals, but I strongly believe that most of them are like Jessie (well almost as good as Jessie because she raised the unreasonably high). It is understandable that people believe the statistics that support the bans on pit bulls, pit bulls are big strong dogs and are shown all over the media accompanied by threatening words and images. When in reality breed-specific attack statistics are unreliable, PetHelpful recognizes that “Every time there is a biting incident, especially if it is serious, a pit bull is blamed. It does not matter if the dog is not a pit bull since no matter what the dog breed involved if no one identifies the dog it is assumed to be a pit bull.” Not only are statistics unreliable, but Huffington Post also explains that when it comes to categorizing a dog as a pit bull “upwards of 30 individual dog breeds may currently fall in this broad category.”
While Jessie is far from being a pure breed pitbull and looks more like a golden retriever, I wonder what would have happened to her if she were a pure breed pit bull. Even with the same personality and behaviors, she would be so much more likely to have a harder life solely based on her appearance. Laws banning these dogs certainly do not help the reputations of pit bulls. While discussing laws against pit bulls, Today Show writer Arin Greenwood explains “Mountains of evidence show that these laws are ineffective at promoting public safety, and are expensive to enforce, while also leading to heartbreak for families and dogs. Every reputable animal welfare organization has come out against BSL, but the breed-discriminatory laws persist in many jurisdictions”. Every dog owner that I have ever met loves their dogs like a family member. To have your family ripped apart would be traumatizing. The article What is a pit bull? Written Arin Greenwoodbrings attention to the fact that there are “countless stories of people whose dogs are taken away from them for no better reason than the way they look”. Families with pit bulls also commonly have a difficult time moving and keeping their dogs. Not only do many communities ban the dog breed altogether, but pit bull-friendly housing can also be hard to find even in areas that don’t the dogs. Learning that your dog can’t join you in your new life and will have to be left behind is a hard concept to grasp but it’s unfortunately all too common among pit bull owners. If you are lucky a family member may be able to take care of your dog but many people are apprehensive about letting a pit bull into their homes and even if they say yes, you would only get to see your dog every once and awhile. If you aren’t fortunate enough to have a family member take in your dog they will probably end up in an animal shelter. Animal shelters are filled with dogs labeled as pit bulls and these dogs are not likely to all get adopted which means the shelter may be forced to euthanize pit bulls for space for dogs that people want. People need to wake up and come to the realization that the breed as a whole is sweet and family-friendly. There definitely are aggressive and dangerous pit bulls but they are much more rare to come by than society suggests. Dogs should be regulated by behavior instead of by appearance or breed. Communities should fight for breed-neutral dangerous dog laws. Individuals should keep an open mind on pit bulls and give them a chance to prove their stereotypes wrong. Potential dog owners should consider adopting a dog at a shelter and they may end up with a new family member (maybe even a pitbull).
Discrimination of any nature should be fought. Whether it’s discriminating against a certain religion or race or (on a much smaller scale) a dog breed, people have to keep in mind that they can not let the few bad individuals dictate their perspective of a whole group.
