Talks have been swirling in the United States about banning the popular dog breed: the Pit Bull Terrier. The breed, along with many others has been banned in the UK dominantly due to the outbreak in dog fighting but also because of their behavior.
The argument behind this is that they are dangerous and aggressive. Although, yes the Pitbull is a strong breed of dog, this does not mean they are anymore dangerous than another dog. The truth is, any dog of any breed can be dangerous and aggressive. The behavior of a dog is reliant to the way they are treated by their owner.
“Dogs need structures growing up,” says MSPCA of Methuen worker, Meghan O’Leary.
“If they’re owners don’t provide that, then they get frustrated because the dog is more than they bargained for and then they surrender them.”
When simply looking up “pitbull stories” on Google, all you see is negativity.
Headlines pop up saying things like “Pitbull mauled a boy to death in Massachusetts” or “Pit Bulls are DANGEROUS”
One can barely see a headline that is positive about this breed of dog. But when looking up “golden retriever stories” they all seem to be positive stories.
In reality, an article online called “How to Deal with an Aggressive Retriever” states that a Retriever can be very aggressive depending on how the the dog was raised.
“People see dogs like Golden Retrievers to be sweet dogs all the time,” says Dr. Nancy Field, a veterinarian at Muddy Creek Animal Hospital in Rowley.
“It can be any breed of dog that can give people a hard time.”
Similarly, in an article named “Why do pitbulls attack”, it also states that they can be aggressive depending on how the dog is raised.
Many people in Massachusetts own pitbulls, some living in towns where pitbulls are banned.
“I live in Salisbury, a town where pitbulls aren’t allowed,” says owner of a pitbull-lab mix, Nicole Morgan.
“My dog is registered as a ‘lab mix’.”
Majority of owners of pitbulls despise the horrible things that are said about this breed of dog and only see their dog as the loving, caring breed that they are.
“Pitbulls are one of the most sweetest and friendly dogs to own,” says Pitbull-owner Mackenzie Silverstein.
“It makes me so sad to hear that people are really trying to fight to get them banned and punish them when they don’t even know how good of a dog they really are.”
“There are ideals of dog fighting when it comes to pitbulls,” says Dr. Marilyn Hayes, a veterinarian at Rowley Animal Hospital.
“We don’t have these around here and they really aren’t that common, but the media does make it seem otherwise.”
According to an article online named “A Closer look at Dog Fighting”, Pitbulls were the first choice for dog fights because they are the most able bodied breed. These dogs are built with lean muscle and have lots of stamina when brought up by their owners to fight. This is what causes people to get the wrong impressions.
People tend to be scared of pitbulls based off of their muscles and huge jaws, which can only do harm if the animal is brought up in the wrong ways: for example, being abused, not being trained or not socializing with humans or other animals correctly.
“People are intimidated by the way pitbulls look,” says Dr. Field.
“People aren’t intimidated by the way a five-pound chihuahua looks, but they can do just as much damage.”
The expert opinion on the stereotypes behind pitbulls and their aggression is that pitbulls are just like any other dog. Going off of their judgement the breed should not be banned in Massachusetts.
“It really has to do with training, socializing and genetics within the dog themselves,” says Dr. Field.
“People just tend to pick on this specific breed of dog for no good reason.”