User blog:Hannahhound/Essay: Pit bulls are misunderstood animals

The Truth About Pit Bulls
Imagine yourself in these situations. You are walking down a street when you notice a Pit Bull dog in the yard of someone’s house. He is not on a chain nor is he fenced in. He has noticed you, but seems to not really care. Now imagine this. You are walking down the street when you notice a Labrador Retriever dog in the yard of someone’s house. He is neither on a chain nor in a fence. He has also noticed you. Ask yourself this: Which dog are you more afraid of? You likely said the Pit Bull. These dogs are widely known as dangerous and somewhat uncontrollable animals. They are used as attack dogs and feared by many. The American Pit Bull Terrier is nothing like what people claim. The Pit Bull is just one on the long list of animals victim to stereotyping and prejudice.

Let me begin by saying that I do know that Pit Bulls are very powerful animals and that people should exercise caution around them. I have seen what a Pit Bull can do. My dog, Patches, got in a fight with a neighbor’s full grown and aggressive Pit Bull. The Pit Bull hopped our fence and pounced on Patches. The minutes the fight lasted felt like hours. After thinking back to the fight, however, I realized that the Pit Bull actually had no chance. My dog Patches is anything but a fighter. In that moment, though, he was determined to protect me and my brother. He held the Pit Bull down until we were finally able to break up the fight. He suffered a large bite on the neck and a bloody foot, but nothing more. Many people claim Pit Bulls have a locking jaw. They also claim Pits can hold on with their front teeth and chew with their back teeth, that they feel no pain or that they have more pressure per square inch (PSI) in their bite than any other dog. I am going to shatter those myths and tell the truth about Pit Bulls.

No dog can have a locking jaw. The idea that a locking jaw is possible in dogs is false to begin with, much less that it is in every Pit Bull. In fact, expert examination I found at http://www.realpitbull.com/ ,The Real Pit Bull website, has shown that their jaw is no different than any other breed of dog. The powerful jaw that seems to “lock” is just an example of terrier determination. This powerful jaw is not unique to the breed, but it is actually unique to each individual dog. Think back to the make believe story at the beginning. You were no doubt hardly afraid of that Labrador at all. Labs are known as lovable family pets. The amazingly powerful jaw found in some Pit Bulls is also very common in Labrador Retrievers. The first thought that came to your mind was probably along the lines of “If that Pit Bull bit me, I would never get him off.” It is possible that that Pit Bull did not have that unique jaw. However, the Labrador might have. The myth that Pit Bulls can hold on with their front teeth and chew with their back teeth is also false. As I stated, expert examination done by Dr. Brisbin showed their jaw to be no different than any other dog. What about the idea that Pit Bulls feel no pain? This is completely incorrect. Pit Bulls also have the same nervous system as other dogs. I could have said this based off the fact that the only one screaming in the fight Patches had was the Pit Bull. This myth comes from the fact that Pit Bulls are willing to complete a task despite pain or discomfort. Many people claim Pit Bulls have more PSI in their bite than any other dog. An experiment recently done by Dr. Brady Barr disproves this entirely. He tested a Pit Bull’s PSI against a German Shepherd and a Rottweiler. The Pit Bull scored the lowest of the three. The rumor that Pit Bulls 10,000 pounds PSI is crushed by the fact the Pit Bull’s highest pressure recorded was 235 PSI. The Rottweiler scored the highest of 328 PSI. Dr. Barr stated that the highest PSI score he knew of was from a Rottweiler. Others say that a Pit Bull’s brain can swell and cause them to go crazy. This was also claimed of the Doberman. When it was proved false, the rumor was passed on to the Pit Bull. It is no truer of the Pit Bull than it was of the Doberman. Still others say yet that Pit Bulls will suddenly turn on their owners and that any dog aggressive to other dogs will be aggressive to humans. Both wrong. Dogs never do anything without a reason. Therefore, no Pit bull will suddenly turn on their human without warning or cause. Aggression towards humans in dogs is completely different from aggression towards other dogs. Just because the breed is commonly more aggressive toward other dogs than some breeds are, it does not mean they will be aggressive to humans. Pit Bulls are not monsters. They do not have a locking jaw, they cannot chew with their back teeth and hold on with their front teeth, they feel pain like a normal animal and they do not have the highest PSI of any breed. These myths were created with the intention of making people fear the breed. People who promote dog fighting for entertainment knew this breed was strong. They intentionally increased the dog’s “fight or flight response.” As a result, some Pit Bulls have reactions that can be intense and this makes people afraid of them. Thus, it is almost innate for humans to be frightened of this breed.

These myths have greatly affected the breed. Around 1-2 million dogs are euthanized each year in the U.S alone. Of these dogs about 700,000-1,000,000 are Pit Bulls. The Animal People organization estimates a 93% euthanasia rate in Pit Bulls. 'Only 1 in 600 Pit Bulls will find a forever home. ''That means there are 599 that do not. '''Why are these numbers so high? The answer is simple. This breed has been victim to discrimination, much like you can find in humans. About 75% of municipal shelters will euthanize Pit Bulls ''immediately. ''Think about this. If only 1 in 600 Pit Bulls will find a forever home, then many must be left on the side of a road or turned over to a shelter. If that shelter finds or takes those Pit Bulls and euthanizes them immediately, the Pits are never given a chance. No wonder the euthanasia statistics for this breed are so extreme. Pit Bulls are the most overbred dog in the U.S., and they are also the most euthanized. The few people that do give this breed a home, typically end up chaining them to a tree. Many Pit Bulls are adopted solely for attack dog, guard dog or dog fighting purposes. This is all due to the myths people have made up about this loving breed of dog.

The media often slams this breed, only showing negative reports about the Pit Bull instead of the far more positive ones. Pit Bull attacks are isolated incidents. While dog attacks happen quite often, the ones involving Pit Bulls almost always end up on the news or in print. Here are some facts to chew on. Roughly .000385% or 1/204,000 Pits were involved in fatal attacks on humans in the year 2000. It is estimated about 2.48 human fatalities are caused by Pit Bulls each year. About 40 children each year die by drowning in a 5 gallon bucket of water. Therefore, humans are 16 times more likely to drown in a 5 gallon bucket of water in their lifetime than they are to be killed by a Pit. About 150 people are killed each year by a falling coconut. Humans are more than 60 times more likely to be killed by a coconut than a Pit Bull. More than 2,000 children are killed by their adult caretaker each year. A child is 800 times more likely to be killed by their parent or guardian than by a Pit bull. As stated above, around 1 million Pits are euthanized each year. Thus, it is 500,000 times more likely for a Pit Bull to be killed by a human than a human to be killed by a Pit Bull.

Now that I have said what is false about this breed, let me say what is true. Pits are just like any other breed of dog. They need to have the right amount of attention, exercise and training. In reality, they are great family pets and when trained properly, are great with many other animals, including cats and other dogs. Just like any other animal, they need the proper time and attention given to them. They are a sensitive breed and neglecting them can lead to behavioral issues. That is not the Pits’ fault, it is the owner’s. Here is a real fact; because the Pit Bull is such a friendly breed they often make terrible guard dogs, letting strangers enter the yard whether their owner is home or not. The Pit Bull is credited with amazing judgment and will only react to real threats. Anyone who has owned a properly taken care of Pit Bull will tell you this breed is hilarious, to the point of ridiculous antics. The only thing this breed really asks for is a responsible owner. What all does a responsible owner entail? Exercise, training, attention and also the owning of a breaking stick. A breaking stick is a tool that is used to make a Pit Bull release its grip if it ever does bite something and will not let go. As I stated, this is not a locking jaw, it is a powerful jaw mixed with amazing determination not often found in other dogs. This determination is good for many other things. They will be determined to help people or animals they love. They will be determined to fetch tennis balls and win tug-of-war fights. They will be determined to be the best dog they can be. They love pleasing their owners and making them laugh. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this breed of dog, it is all just about how it is usually used.

Here is some proof of the above statement and also of the accusation that the media tends to skip over what the Pit Bull really does. A 9 year old boy was playing in his own backyard when a man grabbed the boy and tried to pull him over the fence. Destiny, the family’s Pit Bull, took action. She barked and charged at the man, who let go of the child and fled. Were it not for Destiny, a Pit Bull, that boy would have been abducted. Stories of Pit Bulls protecting their families and other animals are never ending.

This breed is greatly misunderstood. Most people associate the Pit Bull with a vicious, uncontrollable dog with a locking jaw, immune to all pain. While I do believe this dog can be dangerous, it is never the Pits’ fault. Pit Bulls want to have a family, like all other dogs. It is just simply not fair that for every 1 Pit that finds a home, 599 do not. All of this is due to lies, stereotyping and prejudice against this breed. It needs to '''stop. '''They are a dying breed, literally; overbred and underestimated by millions of people. Every dog deserves a chance, despite the breed’s reputation. It is like saying a child will be a horrible person because his father is in jail. It is obvious aggression and even that powerful jaw is unique to each individual dog and it is not only found in Pits. My own Lab might have that jaw, I know she has the determination for it. The breeding and myths about this breed need to be put to rest. It is time we start telling people the truth and give these dogs a voice.