Why Pitbull Bans Make Absolutely NO Sense

I am from Ontario Canada, the only province in Canada that has enforced a complete ban on pitbulls and pitbull type breeds since 2004. Other provinces in Canada have bans in certain cities or regions and others list them as restricted breeds which in my opinion, is basically the same thing as a ban. Outside of Canada, various countries across the globe have either enacted full bans or allowed individual cities to enforce their own bans on pitbulls. In some extreme cases like New Zealand, pitbulls cannot even be put up for adoption and will in fact, be euthanized simply for existing.

The reason behind this is the perceived notion that pitbulls are aggressive, menacing, and dangerous. The media sensationalizes pitbull attacks further promoting the idea that pitbulls are these aggressive, ill tempered beasts just waiting for an opportunity to attack. We hear about pitbull attacks and pitbulls being involved in dog fighting schemes and these stories motivate our governments to enforce bans on the breed entirely without actually investigating the root cause of these attacks which is not the dogs themselves, but the people who are responsible for caring for them. The logic behind blaming the breed is simply unethical, incorrect, and discriminatory towards a breed that now has a horrendous, undeserved reputation.

Any dog, much like a child, looks to us as their caregivers to teach them right from wrong on top of  feeding, bathing, and loving them. It is wholly up to us to ensure that our fur babies grow up in a loving environment, one that not only showers them with love but educates and trains them to be the best versions of themselves. Whether we're discussing pitbulls or any dog breed for that matter, the environment these animals grow up in will shape how our dogs behave and it is entirely up to us to make sure our dogs are responsible, obedient, and most of all, loved. When we start looking at the back stories of some of these pitbulls who have attacked humans, often times you can see that their environments are what turned them into bad dogs. 

In the case of pitbulls, this breed is one of the most abused and exploited of all dog breeds. Simply because they are the breed they are, they are looked at as ideal for bloodsports like dog fighting. These dogs are often starved, teased, taunted, and forced into becoming aggressive so that when it comes to fighting, they will be ready to attack. This environment allows for these dogs to become aggressive and promotes the idea that pitbulls are dangerous to humans especially after the media gets a hold of these stories. The people who get busted for dog fighting are often penalized for the sport itself, but rarely do we see them held accountable for what they've put their dogs through and ultimately, for allowing their dogs to be deemed dangerous and potentially euthanized after being seized. These poor babies spend their entire lives being beaten and taunted into aggression only to end up being euthanized after being exploited to such a high degree.

We cannot hold an entire breed accountable for the actions of people who have put these wonderful creatures into these positions. I remember a time when Rottweilers and Dobermans were also deemed dangerous but once that subsided, we moved on to pitbulls. Look, put any dog in a cage, abuse it, starve it, tease it, taunt it etc., it will become aggressive, this is not breed specific. It's unfortunately discriminatory towards pitbulls because those are the chosen breed to engage in all of these horrendous activities. To blame the entire breed is wholly unfair and unethical and now has put these beautiful dogs in danger of being euthanized simply for existing.

The logic used to label pitbulls as dangerous is completely unjust and focuses only on these incidents without actually investigating whether or not these dogs would have been aggressive if brought up under the right circumstances. Using this logic and applying it to humans, if we identify that almost all mass shootings and serial killings are committed by middle aged white males, should we not also be taking measures to protect our citizens from middle aged white males? We don't do this however because we continue to value human life over animal life so it's easy to simply label the breed as dangerous and start banning them because they're only animals. It's wrong and discriminatory in every way.

What we should be doing is lifting these bans and ensuring there are pitbull specific rules in place. Registering your dog on a yearly or bi-yearly basis, ensuring your dog has obedience training, making sure your dog leaves the house with a muzzle or other approved mouth gear, etc. We haven't given these animals a chance and it breaks my heart to think that these misunderstood and mislabelled animals could potentially be euthanized simply for being born despite being all around good dogs with a reputation that puts the nails in their coffins. 

My point through this story is simple, we have put pitbulls in the position they are currently in through our own actions. Using these dogs for fights, spreading falsities about the breed itself, and promoting the idea that these dogs are nothing more than vile, aggressive animals just waiting for the opportunity to attack, these things have all been detrimental to the position pitbulls now find themselves in. It's wrong and these dogs continue to suffer because of this.

Lift the bans, give the dogs a chance, and stop blaming the breed. 

HAPPY VEG