BULLY BREED LEGISLATION

BY STEPHANIE SCOTT

My baby Hobo

HISTORY OF PIT BULLS

Pit Bulls are not a breed., they refer to a group of dogs. The three most common

breeds in this group are:

American Pit Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier

http://www.badrap.org/sites/default/file
s/wwllpits1.jpg

In 1066, when butchers would use large, Molossus dogs as bullenbeissers, which

translates as bull biter. Trained to latch onto a bulls nose and not let go until the
animal was subdued, these dogs were the only way that humans could regain
control when a bull became agitated.Which is where the term Pit Bull may have
come from ("Breed History.).
Immigrants moved to the dogs to America. They were entrusted to protect

homesteads from predators and worked as vital helpers on family farms ("Breed
History.).
The USA admired this breed for being friendly, brave, hardworking, worthy of

respect. Pit Bulls were thought of less as pit fighters and more as regular dogs.
World War I posters displayed illustrations of Pit Bulls as proud mascots ofneutrality

and bravery ("Breed History.).

The pit bull was also a favorite dog among politicians, scholars, and celebrities.

Helen Keller, Theodore Roosevelt, and the "Our Gang" Little Rascals all had pit bulls
("Breed History.).

http://www.badrap.org/sites/default/fil
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WHY PIT BULLS HAVE A BAD REPRESENTATION

MEDIA
Firstly, the media creates a belief that Pit Bulls attack more than any other breed of dog by only

reporting Pit Bull attacks.

The media then adds to this by always putting the words Pit bull and Attack together in the
headline if the attack was done by an alleged Pit Bull while hardly ever including the breed of any
other dog attack simply stating Child attacked by dog or Dog attacks woman ( Bastian, Jon).
Gang Members
Those who smuggle drugs and weapons are usually dog fighting.

Over Population
There is an estimation of 5,256,000 Pit Bulls in the U.S. There are only 900,000 Rottweiler's. Because of
the over population there are more fatal cases. In 1979-1998 there has been 66 Pit Bull fatal attacks and
only 39 for Rottweiler's ("Pit Bull Fatal Attack Statistics.).
When you divide the total population with the number of fatal attacks, it can create a percentage on the
probability of Pit Bulls of attacking a human ("Pit Bull Fatal Attack Statistics.).
Pit Bulls: .00125%
Rottweiler's: .00433%
German Shepherds: .00217%

DENVER, COLORADO BSL

Denver Pit Bull Ordinance Sec. 8-55 states:
It shall be unlawful for any person to own, possess, keep, exercise control over, maintain, harbor, transport,

or sell within the city any pit bull ("Denver Area Breed Bans.).
A "pit bull," for purposes of this chapter, is defined as any dog that is an American Pit Bull Terrier, American

Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one
or more of the above breeds ("Denver Area Breed Bans.).
If the dog is found to be a pit bull, it shall be destroyed, unless the owner produces evidence deemed

sufficient by the manager that the pit bull is to be permanently taken out of Denver and the owner pays the
cost of impoundment ("Denver Area Breed Bans.).

Officers are not trained to identify pit bulls. They use subjective measures such a bulky head and

a stalky body.
Test your skills by trying to identify a Pit Bull

http://www.pbrc.net/poppysplace/games/AdultFindabull/findpitbull_v4.html

PIT BULL MYTHS

Pit Bulls have a locking jaw
Pit bulls do not have a locking jaw. If you compare the skull of a Pit Bull with any other dog breed they all

share the same characteristics and general bone structure ("Pit Bull Myths.").

Pit Bulls are inherently vicious

Any dog breed can be vicious depending on how they have been trained and based on what they deal with

a daily basis.

Pit Bulls do not feel pain

Pit Bulls have the same nervous system as any other dog and can feel pain.

Pit Bulls have more bite pressure per square inch than any other dog breed
Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic conducted a comparativetest between a Pit Bull, a Rottweiler, and a

German Shepherd.The PitBull had the lowest PSI. The highest pressure recorded from the Pit Bull was 235
lbs PSI. Thehighest from the German Shepard was 238, and the highest from the Rottweiler was 328 ("Pit
Bull Myths.").

Pit Bulls turn on their owners

Dogs, as a species, do not performbehaviors just because. There are always reasons for behavior,

andwhen aggression becomes a problem the reasons can be such things asimproper handling, lack of
socialization or training, a misreading of dogbehavior by the owner, or, rarely, disease ("Pit Bull Myths.")

CONSEQUENCES FOR BSL

It roughly costs $68,000 to confiscate and euthanize a Pit Bull ("Expense.).
The ban might actually be having a negative effect on public safety; animal control facilities and

workers were stretched thin because they were constantly having to respond to pit bull
complaints and house alleged Pit Bulls.
In 2001, In Baltimore, Maryland, it is estimated it would cost $750,000 to enforce a breed-

specific ban ("Expense.).

Even small cities and communities can spend tens of thousands of dollars annually to uphold

their BSL ("Expense..)

Owners of targeted breeds feel that BSL violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S.

Constitution.
Breed-specific legislation violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Good owners and dogs are being punished.
Studies estimate that up to 1 million Pits are euthanized per year, or 2,800 per day (Addio, Pam

D).
A study by the organizationAnimal Peoplereports a 93% euthanasia rate for Pit Bulls and only 1

in 600 Pits finding a forever home (Addio, Pam D).

ALTERNATIVES
Containment Laws
All dogs should be on a leash and always remain at home with indoor or outdoor kennels, fence or increased security.

Abuse Prevention
A dogs behavior is strongly affected by its environment, need to prevent dog fighting. Is the dog a guard dog vs.

Family dog?

Safety Education
Children make up the majority of dog bite victims. This points to a clear need for education of both

childrenandparents about how to behave around dogs and how to avoid being bitten by dogs.

Spay and Neuter

More than 70 percent of all dog bite cases involve unneutered male dogs. An unneutered male dog is 2.6 times more

likely to bite than a neutered dog.

Low Cost Training

Dogs must learn what is acceptable behavior and what is not; through training and socialization, owners teach their

dogs to interact with others properly and safely.

Breeder Regulation
Breeders have control over puppies during important formative stages. Puppies develop social behaviors very early. If

a breeder does not properly socialize, handle, and care for the puppies, thedogscan easily develop behavioral
issues. Most commonly seen in Puppy Mills

WORKS CITED
Addio, Pam D' "Pit Bulls and Euthanasia Rates."Examiner.com. Examiner, 13 May 2011.

Web. 9 Apr. 2015. <http://www.examiner.com/article/pit-bulls-and-euthanasia-rates>.

Bastian, Jon. "How Did Pit Bulls Get Such a Bad Rap?"Dog Behavior. Cesars Way, 9 Jan.

2015. Web. 8 Apr. 2015. <http://www.cesarsway.com/dogbehavior/basics/How-Did-PitBulls-Get-a-Bad-Rap>.

"Breed History."Breed History. BADRAP, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.

<http://www.badrap.org/breed-history>.
"Denver Area Breed Bans."Animal Rescue of the Rockies. 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.

<http://www.animalrescueoftherockies.org/info/display?PageID=12447>.
"Expense."Stop BSL. Stop BSL, 26 Aug. 2008. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.

<http://stopbsl.org/bsloverview/expensive/>.
"Pit Bull Fatal Attack Statistics."Defend Pit Bulls. 11 July 2009. Web. 9 Apr. 2015.

<http://defendpitbulls.com/pit-bull-attack-statistics/>.
"Pit Bull Myths."Pit Bull Myths. Real Pitbull. Web. 9 Apr. 2015. http://

www.realpitbull.com/myths.html