My BSL Paper

[ESSlover]

Hey, I dont know how many of you remember that I was going to be writing a BSL paper for english. So I'm starting today (I'm a glorified procrastinator). I dont know what my title should be! I want something catchy...

I'm also going to have a "Find the Pit" thing. Anyone have some good pics of pits and/or doggies that I could throw in to mess people up? :lol:

[Crystal]

I would say if some people on here were willing to submit there dogs pictures you would have a pretty good "find the pit" thing.

Good Luck procrastinator, hope things go well and you do good.

[ESSlover]

Crystal napisał(a):

Good Luck procrastinator, hope things go well and you do good.

:lol: Thanks! Did I mention my 5 page paper is due on Friday? :oops: Oh well, I always write better under pressure!! :P

[Crystal]

:o Work fast. I always had to get mine done as soon as possible. I hated to save it untill last minute.

[Guest Anonymous]

"The Pits of BSL"
Make sure you post a copy of it when you are done!!

[Crystal]

Hmmmm napisał(a):

"The Pits of BSL"

That's good!!!

I know you can't use it but "BSL is BS"

[ESSlover]

Dog Lover napisał(a):

No more bull...the truth about the american pit bull terrier... :D

Hmmmmm somehow that sounds a little famliar! :lol:

I'll post it up when I'm done. As of now: Two pages down, three to go! And I'm only on the first part! The history of the pittie. :D

My title right now is - Pit Bull: Ticking Time Bomb or Family Love Bug?

I'll keep Hmmm's in mind too!

[ESSlover]

Neener Neener!!

3 pages down, 2 to go!

I'm so pathetic! I've been writing for about a half an hour now.. and I have more then half my paper done! :lol:

[ESSlover]

Ok, heres what I've got. Any suggestions/comments/critizism (wow i cant spell) is welcome.

Pit Bull: Ticking Time Bomb or Family Love Bug?

The Pit Bull, affectionately known by the breed lovers as “pitties”, are at the center of a country and world wide controversy, known as Breed Specific Legislation; the breed wide banning of dogs in order to keep communities safe. Myths formed by the community, and the lack of knowledge about the breed leads to breed stereotypes that these dogs do not deserve. When looking at the straight facts, it becomes clear that BSL’s (Breed Specific Laws) are not the way to solve the problem. Approximately 150 people are killed every year by falling coconuts. Therefore, you are more than 60 TIMES MORE LIKELY to be killed by a PALM TREE than a pit bull. Maybe people should be focusing more on banning palm trees then banning pit bulls. Putting a BSL in place does nothing to solve the problem of people being attacked by dogs. People, who want to own dogs that will attack, will just turn to other dogs, as Dr. Gary Landsberg, a veterinarian, says (George 2). The real way to stop the attacks is to spread knowledge of dogs and respecting their surroundings is the only real way to make safer communities. Pit bulls are dogs too, no different then your average day Labrador.

Attorney General Michael Bryant of Ontario said that pit bulls are “ticking time bombs,” (George 2). If he knew anything about the breed itself, not just the stereotypes, he may have made his decisions differently. Ontario animal experts say that the BSL there is based on myths and “media-generated hysteria,” rather then facts. The community needs to know the facts about the breed before they make up their mind based on what they hear. Pitties were bred as bull fighters, a sort of entertainment for people in the 1800’s. It was made illegal in 1835, as it was inhumane. This is where the idea of dog fighting came from. The dogs were being bred, from then on, as dog-aggressive. They were also being bred, the same dogs, to have a very strong bite inhibition towards humans (Reynolds 2). This means that if a dog bit a human, it would not be bred again. The owners had to jump in the “ring” and be able to pull apart the two dogs at the end of the fight, without being bit. The breed became incredibly devoted to humans, and were very good family dogs.

In America, the dog was the mascot of the country. Friendly, brave, and hardworking; how America looked at itself. Many famous people had pits, including Helen Keller, Theodore Roosevelt, and the breed was even recognized in “The Little Rascals”. Pit bulls are on the small end of the dog size range, ranging from 30-60 lbs. They are spunky, loyal, funny, amusing, intelligent… and the list goes on. As many people see dogs with big heads and an athletic build, they assume it is a pit. Not true. There is the APBT (American Pit Bull Terrier), AmStaff (American Staffordshire Terrier), and then mix breeds. AmStaff’s are bred for conformation (showing), while APBT’s are bred for their working drive (Reynolds 5).

So, are Pit Bulls bad dogs? Not in the least. If bred properly, they are loving and loyal dogs. Information from the American Temperament Testing Society (ATT) shows that pit bulls have an average passing rate of 83.9%. Other breeds have done worse. How about the “all American” family dog, the Golden Retriever? They got an average rate of 83.2% passing rate. Not much lower, but not any better! In the test, they put the dog through situations they will face in life. That being petted by kids, pulled on, walking by wheelchairs, having people take their food away… any sign of aggression or panic leads to failure, and the dog will not be adopted out (Reynolds 1). Can they be vicious? Yes, as can any other breed. If bred improperly, raised without love and affection, and abused, they will be vicious. But it is not a breed specific trait! Any dog that grows up in that surrounding will be that way. That is only one reason why BSL’s do not solve the problem.

BSL’s are incredibly expensive to enforce, and in most cases, don’t solve the problem. When Baltimore was trying to put one into effect, they were looking at upwards of $75,000 a year to enforce it. This was just a pit bull ban, no other dogs. There is currently a ban in PG County, too. The ban has not stopped the vicious attacks. Many owners have gone over to bigger dogs, such as the Neapolitan Mastiff and Presa Canario. There have also been more Rottweilers in the county. Secondly, even your average day family dogs have been involved in attacks! In the past 40 years, there have been 37 breeds involved in fatal attacks in North America. Some of these breeds being Irish Setters (the dogs from the Purina commercials that go running through the fields, with long red flowing hair), Brittany Spaniels, and a Pomeranian (big fluffy short dog) cross. The most shocking, is of the dachshund, otherwise known as the “wiener dog,” has killed three people (George 4).

One issue with BSL’s is the question of rights. Is it a violation of people’s rights to say that they cannot own a certain breed of dog, because of what others have done? The government says no, seeing as how many bans are going on. One of the most shocking is the Denver Pit bull ban. Two-hundred pit bull owners in the city were notified that they would have to relinquish their dogs to the animal shelter to be put to sleep, or they would have to find a new home for the dogs out of the city. Officers would literally go to the owners homes, and take the dogs out by force. William Hollowell was one of the owners that gave up their dog voluntarily. "I'm definitely sad," Hollowell said. "He's like a member of my family. There's going to be a lot of sad people." Many friends of mine that are dog lovers say it’s like Germany all over again. Except now, instead of the poem “First They Came for the Jews”, it’s “First They Came for the Pit Bulls”. It will only be a matter of time until another breed will surface as the main dog of dog fighting and will be in the public eye once again. It really isn’t much of a difference.

In not all cases do they take the dogs out of the homes. Sometimes they require a muzzle to be worn whenever the dogs are outside. This is one of the laws that bothers me the most. The lawmakers act like Pits are the only dangerous dogs. If another dog comes up, for this example I’ll use a Lab, and starts to attack the Pit, he is left completely defenseless. There is no way for him to protect himself, and the Lab would have the upper hand. It creates an incredibly unsafe environment for the Pit and the owner.

Then there are the people who I call “breedist.” Its prejudice but with dogs; based on a judgment of the breed without knowing the real facts. One example, a friend of mine’s mom was talking about this dog she saw inside a house one time. Her words were, “The thing almost jumped through the screen, it must have been a pit bull!” That’s the type of person who I would consider breedist. I’m sure the only thing she knows about pits is what she’s seen and heard on T.V.

Television plays a major role in the stereotypes of pit bulls and other so called “dangerous” dogs. Many people who are for BSL’s and are “breedist” believe everything they hear on T.V. One thing that I have found many pro-BSL people believe is that Pit Bulls have locking jaws. This is so unbelievable, it’s crazy. As Pit Bull activist Donna Reynolds says, “They’re dogs, not alligators!” Pit bulls are incredibly determined, the only thing that “locks” them on, is that. Another falsity is that dog-aggressive dogs will go after people. Not true at all. Remember, Pit Bulls were first bred to fight bulls and then other dogs, not people. Any Pit that bites a human, is acting out of the standard of the breed. Many people are led to believe that dog aggressive should be put down because they are dangerous. As long as the owners of this dog are responsible, nothing should go wrong. If they know how to train the dog, and know how to manage him or her when he gets aggressive, there is no concern of safety to other dogs in the community. Lastly, the belief that pit bulls are ticking time bombs, as Michael Bryant said; this is so untrue, I don’t even know where he got his proof. Pit bulls can be easily compared to guns. It isn’t the dog that kills people; it’s the person behind it. It’s the person that pulls the trigger, and it’s the person that lets their dog, or trains their dog to become aggressive. As many behaviorists agree, breed-specific bans are ineffective because they do not solve the problem. They don’t get to the root of the problem, the high-risk owners (George 2); the irresponsible owners that are not knowledgeable about dogs, especially the ones who just get dogs as “lawn ornaments” so to speak, or to toughen up their reputation, and in return, are killing the Pits’.


I dont know how to wrap it up! Any ideas?

[courtnek]

Any dog can be a menace to society. they are dogs, not people. they need to be trained to be dogs living in a human environment. They are born neither good, nor bad. they become what we make them.
we as people need to make sure that they become the dogs we want them to be....

[JackieMaya]

I dont know how to wrap it up! Any ideas?

How about "love and kisses." :buzi:

[ESSlover]

haha, atfirst I couldnt figure out what cournek meant.. i get it now.. that was an idea for the closing!

Lol @ JM! I love you! :lol:

My mom just went through it and found a couple of spelling/gramatical errors but she said it was pretty good over all. 8)

[AllAmericanPUP]

very good paper!! :D :D

i wish i'd could write papers :lol:

[ESSlover]

lol AAP.. writing papers is one of the things I'm good at! That was my rough draft.. lol. Took me bout 45 mins.. My teacher dies because I always tell her how long I take on them.. She's always yelling at me telling me that I could do even better then i already do if i just put some effort into it! :lol:

I put a couple little things in here and there, but heres my closing thing. Thanks Courtnek for your idea! :lol: I hate ending papers.. i copmletely suck at it.. :oops:

Any dog can be a menace to society, as they are dogs, not people. They have to be trained to be dogs living in human environments, they can’t be expected to just know how to. They are born neither good, nor bad. They become what we make them. We as the humans, and their owners, need to teach them how to behave. This country needs to stop pointing fingers at the dog, but the person on the other end of the leash.

[JackieMaya]

Good job ESS! I give you an A!

[Crystal]

I think it was good ESS.

[ESSlover]

Thanks guys!!

And K... huh? Its early, and I'm confused already. Niiiiiiiice. :lol: