Kirsten Ross Blk.

7 1-30-2007 Killer Dogs Going Unpunished Pit Bulls have been stirring up a lot of commotion recently because of the debate over whether or not they should be banned. This breed is well known for, and has a long history of being very aggressive and attacking humans. Pit Bulls have been responsible for 118 of the 238 dog bite related fatalities from 1979 to 1998, based on a study performed by the Humane Society of the United States. Pit Bulls should be banned nationwide in order to decrease the number of dog bite related fatalities and to increase public safety. These bans have proved to be successful in cities and countries throughout the world, and could very possibly be effective if one were to be instituted here in America. Michael Bryant says it best in his article The Case for Banning Pit Bulls when he says this: we also need to face the fact that pit bulls are a breed apart. They dont just scare the hell out of people because there not always pretty; they are frightening because of the injuries they routinely inflict upon people and their pets (Bryant). This breed has killed a significantly higher number of people than any other breed so therefore a ban to outlaw this breed could show a significant decrease in the number of attacks. Animal Control officer Nick Johnson had this to say about the issue, During my seven years with the force, I have responded to more dog bite calls involving pit bulls than any other breed, and attacks by these dogs usually end up being more disturbing than others because of their extreme aggression (Johnson). During the 1980s and 1990s the pit bulls image declined the most and it has not become one of the most feared breeds. Tim Williams was attacked by a pit bull 8 months ago and his four year old brother was killed, here is what he had to say about these stats, Those dogs are more violent then any of you can imagine, their instincts are to attack you and they never slow up to give you a chance to escape. I am not surprised at all that they are responsible for nearly 50% of the deaths during this study (Williams).

Today pit bulls are known for their participation in dog fighting and drug dealing activities. This can bring about the thought that the owner is responsible for how the dog is raised. Even though they are responsible for proper care of the dog, even dogs from family upbringings have been known to snap and people and even sometimes attack and even kill people. A perfect example of this is the attack that Tim and his brother experienced where the dog that attacked them was from their neighbors just two doors down, and that family has 3 young children. This is why laws holding only the owners accountable would not be successful. Around 15% of the pit bull population is used in illegal activities such as those listed above, and this has proven to be a big problem for animal control. When asked about this topic, here is what officer Johnson had to say, We have a hard time dealing with dogs used in illegal activities because they are often not licensed and can therefore sometimes be harder to identify in the eyes of the law (Johnson). Dogs brought up in these environments are almost always tortured and abused, and this can lead to them being highly aggressive. Pit bull bans have been very successful in cities throughout the world. A great example of this would be in Winnipeg, Canada. In Winnipeg attacks were averaging 30 to 40 a year, and once the pit bull ban was put in place they have now been averaging one attack a year total. Some critics argue that the pit bull could be replaced by other breeds, but Michael Bryant states in his article that no other breed has filled the gap left by the banned pit bulls. Pit bulls need to be banned because there are just some animals that should not be allowed in public. (Bryant) The Opposition of a ban argues that breed specific bans are not successful and owners need to be held accountable instead of the breeds. Their problem is that there is not a lot of evidence to support their view since all of the studies show that their have been a decrease in the overall number of attacks since this ban has been put in place. They also argue that a dogs

upbringing matters more than what breed it is, but as was mentioned above, even family pets have been known to suddenly attack. The most support they can find for their argument stems from the fact that the pit bull makes up approximately 20% of the total dog population and because there are a lot of this specific breed, then there will be more attacks by this breed (Caston). Pit Bulls are very dangerous dogs and a nationwide ban on them would be much more successful than individual cities placing bans on them because there would be more man power and money available to enforce the ban. The opposition would have some room to fight if the numbers didnt so obviously point towards pit bulls being the root of the problem. Anyone reading this article is probably interested in joining the cause so in order to do this by contacting a local animal shelter to find a group that supports this cause in an area near you. Anyone who wants to be safe should support this ban, Tim William wraps this up best, Once you have experienced an attack by these beasts, you know that they are bloody monsters that should not remain legal (Williams).