Pit Bulls: Pets or Monsters?

Pit Bulls: Pets or Monsters?

Most everyone today has a pet or animal of some kind. People have their own opinions on certain animals also. Unfortunately, in today's society, many people are ignorant about the American pit bull terrier breed. Due to this lack of knowledge, proliferation by the media of false data and reports of individuals, the pit bull has gone from a highly respected and desired pet, to a breed that is unfairly judged, and in many cases around the world, is seized due to prohibition of ownership laws, known as Breed Specific Legislation. This unfair stigma has hurt the Pit Bull more than any other breed of dog and has caused an unrealistic fear of them within most communities. It is of utmost importance for the American pit bull terrier community, as lovers of these beautiful and majestic animals, to not promote unfair treatment and negative views towards Pit Bulls and counteract any such views or treatment through actions and words. Unfortunately, American pit bull terriers history has lots to do with fighting-not necessarily in America, but in the British Isles, where for hundreds or year's people flocked to watch dogs fight bulls, bears, lions, monkeys, and other types of dogs. Gambling and liquor sales boosted profits from the events, and the better dogs were at fighting, the more they were prized or valued. The bulldog was not even a breed, but a dog named for the function he performed (Colby). Many of them belonged to butchers who used them to bait their bulls before slaughter. A popular rumor, which suggested the bull-baiting made the bulls' meat tenderer, resulted in a short-lived law in England that said all butchers had to bait their bulls if they planned to sell the meat. During the same time, bulldogs developed a reputation similar to that of the present day American pit bull terrier. Many people believed Bulldogs were brutal, fierce, unrestrained animals who wanted nothing more than to kill, while others thought of them as a loyal and majestic breed. An article called "Bulldogs and All about Them," stated that Bulldogs were not suitable pets for families (Bulldog Breeds). They were considered to be fierce fighters and hard to control, and they often had to kept in cages or muzzled. However, this was mostly because they were often mishandled and misunderstood. In 1859, Stonehenge, a noted dog writer of the time and one of the first people to write descriptions of different breeds, wrote a statement about bulldogs. He stated that bulldogs have mental qualities that are highly cultivated, brute courage, and unyielding tenacity of purpose. The animals' brutal nature is not natural to the bulldog but is stupidity of want of affection; all the animal wants is for someone to treat him in a proper manner. As early as the late 1700s, Americans were fighting dogs too. People flocked to bull-baiting, rat-killing, and dog-fighting events, so