Analytical Essay on Pit Bulls: Killers or Pets

Pit bulls are typically perceived as an evil and ruthless pet. Many people also say that they are the most lovable dogs. In history, Pit Bulls were originally bred for herding cattle, and protecting farmers’ livestock. But were more prevalent with children often called the “nanny dog”. The USA would soon admire these dogs and would name then the best companion dog for the working-class. During WWI Pitbulls were named the “All-American Dog”. And through WWI and WWII they were the United States mascot. Soon Pit Bulls would be more of a “Regular Dog”, mainly used in hunting, cattle herding, and guards. Then in 1997, the Supreme court legalized the fighting of dogs. And people would begin to seek them out as money-making purposes instead of the loyal dog they use to be. The long lost breed that was used as a companion now was used as a vicious killing machine. Pitbulls would soon be associated with poverty-stricken neighborhoods and “thugs”. When seen as the vicious dogs they were, eventually, animal shelters would begin to fill with Pitbulls at an outrageous rate.

“A 5-year study conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia found that 50.9% of the dog bites were from pit bulls”(p.1). People’s views of Pitbulls can be very onesided and fact-based that all of them are crazy killing dogs and this can be very true if you’ve never owned one of these dogs. “Every breed of dog can be aggressive. It’s time to stop blaming the wrong end of the leash.” -Anonymous. This quote stood out to me because it not only sounds very true but is very true because it’s all in the way you raise a dog. In the online article: Position Statement on Pit Bulls it states that “Some pit bulls were selected and bred for their fighting ability. That means that they may be more likely than other breeds to fight with dogs. It doesn’t mean that they can’t be around other dogs or that they’re unpredictably aggressive”(Par.4). When dogs are mean or disliking to other breeds/dogs this could mean that they can and will do the same thing to humans. All-in-all dogs that are trained to be mean to other dogs eventually if no dogs are in the picture they will take their aggression out on adults and children. So many resources like ASPCA and kennels will state that when dogs are pushed to have aggression to another animal they’ll always have a fighting sense in them unless they are shown care and love. But Pitbulls have always been known to be very passionate and loyal to their owners. And Pitbulls can be considered a very smart dog because of their intellect and their enthusiasm to please people. These dogs are also healthy and easy to keep around the house. Since most Pitbulls were born to fight they will always be on a mission to please the owner, which in effect makes these dogs easily trainable.

In everything, there are a lot of cons. In order for people to form a complete opinion against them they look at facts like….. An article 2018 dog bite fatalities “In 2018 72% of the fatal dog attacks whereby Pitbulls, and during a 14 year period(2004-2018) Pitbulls killed 311 Americans”(Par.1). And here are some typical cons of Pitbulls. These dogs are very strong and when they bite they shake their head in a brutal way, which can lead to flesh coming off and can be compared to an alligator and how they death roll. They are energetic and need lots of attention and most owners will always wonder how to calm down the dogs. Pitbulls have strong jaws and are prone to biting but not mean to go so hard. These dogs are also terribly aggressive towards other dogs, and often attack other dogs and can cause them to attack humans. A

In conclusion, Pitbulls can be trained to be very good dogs but also can be trained to be killers and even end up killing humans. But like many articles said Pitbulls are always responsive to how you treat them, this will reflect on what they do in many situations. Throughout history they’ve been considered family reliable dogs. Many cases suggest that they are a breed that can’t be tamed and they will always be dangerous. Most people say that if you haven’t owned one or know someone who had one you can’t make a perfect assumption on how they will act and how dangerous they are. In the end, the most important thought is to always give an animal a shot no matter if you think its a killer or not you can’t just make a false opinion on a dog if it hasn’t directly impacted you!