Dog Discrimination
BSL stands for “Breed-Specific Legislation”, and the only problem with this is that it bases its reasoning off of the looks of the animal (Kray 1). Legislation is beginning to be passed in different parts of the world, that discriminates dogs just because of their looks. There are many different opinions about this and its effectiveness. The main reason that cities and states pass this law is because there are often multiple cases of dog attacks, and BSL is supposed to improve public safety. Consequently, there are proven facts and instances where BSL has actually not done anything at all but kill and outlaw a breed of dog. I honestly think that it is amazing that BSL is still even an option to obtaining stronger
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When BSL is enforced, great dog owners are forced to give up their dogs, which are put into homeless shelters or put down. Today in Montreal, BSL has been passed and there are many organizations that are looking for people to adopt Pit Bull type dogs so that they are not euthanized (CBC 1). In Canada, there are veterinarians who disagree with BSl and refuse to euthanize the dogs who are affected by this legislation (Tremayne 1). Adam Goldfrab once said, “Pet owners look to veterinarians as a resource, but when it comes to banning a breed, the veterinary opinion is trumped by inaccurate statistics and mob mentality hysteria” (Goldfrab 2). Also, there are many different animal holding agencies who are threatening to revoke their agreement with the city of Montreal if the legislation is passed. This would be a major problem for the city because if this happens then homeless dogs will have nowhere to go and then the city would have to resort to a different method of putting the dogs somewhere. Many people who are apart of the general public having mixed feelings about this, so much that there has been protests in the center of the city. All dog owners are banning together because of the outrage they share for this unlawful passing of …show more content…
Today, if you own a Pitbull and take it out in public for a walk, you automatically can see what the media has done to people’s belief about them. There are numerous outlets for people to obtain news about what is going on in the world, but most of the time these outlets like to stretch or twist the truth. As for the news pertaining to BSL, you can see a trend of how the different networks like to leave out parts of the full story. Humans are quick to jump to conclusions and to blame their actions on others when the situation is not good. People need to realize that it's not always the dogs fault, people like to have pit bulls as aggressive guard dogs because of their appearance and the reputation that has formed about them. It cannot be stressed enough that no dog is born mean they are made mean. That is why the different alternatives to BSL can actually fix more situations than just the main one. This legislation has many factors that appeal to ethos, pathos, and logos, and they are specifically a main reason to why BSL should be outlawed. Ethically, BSL serves no purpose but blaming a dog breed for humans actions and trying to pin their wrong doings on an animal that doesn’t know any better. Logically, BSL does not solve any social or public issues because there are proven facts that show it does not help improve public safety. Last, emotionally many
Pit bulls are targeted in this ineffective solution to dog attacks. Perhaps the reason why pit bulls are feared by society because we are afraid of what they are associated with. Pit bulls are often thought of as a gangster’s pet; a role in violent and illegal activities. People stereotype this breed because of the unfortunate acts of few. In contrast, society needs to understand that they are being racist towards a breed of dog. Denver’s systematic killing of pit bulls could be compared to the actions of the Nazis during the holocaust. Although BLS is not even close to being on the same scale as the Holocaust, it is targeting and killing a specific group of living beings. Breed Specific Legislation is genocide of this breed. Denver alone has killed at least 3,500 pit bulls. It’s heart wrenching to think about how many families lost their steadfast companions because of the ignorance of others. A common phrase among pit bull supporters is, “Judge the deed: not the breed”. This rings true; if we are to bring justice to the breed, then we need to abolish BSL. True pit bulls are a far from the monsters they are made to
The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was put in place to make the public feel protected from dangerous dogs. The act was put in place due to the figures of dog attacks been on the rise. The act came into force on the twelfth of August 1991 and relates to dogs that are bred for fighting.
The media says that it was a pitbull attack even if it was a different dog breed. How is that fair to the Pit Bulls that didn't do anything and are being blamed for this? It's not, so why are we letting this happen. Pit Bulls may be banned because of people that don't know what they're talking about. We hear every time that a pitbull attacks but not when any other dog attacks it is not heard on the news. News reporters think that they can change the story and just say what they want to say happened so we never know if the story is true or not. All in all the media is not doing the right thing by only reporting pitbull
One of the biggest issues with BSL is breed identification. A law that bans a “vicious” being is too broad and can encompass many individuals as it is a personality trait rather than a breed. These laws would then be dependent on what the legislators would define “vicious” to mean. Likewise, there is confusion on what breeds are dangerous. Dogsbite.org claims that breeds such as wolf-dog hybrids, dogo argentinos, presa breeds, cane corsos, and especially pit bulls are indeed dangerous animals and should be banned. However, there are discrepancies involved in even that statement. Of the listed breeds perhaps the most commonly targeted is the pit bull. But what exactly does anyone mean by pit bull? Merriam Webster defines “pit bull” as follows, “a dog (as an American Staffordshire Terrier) of any of several breeds or a real or apparent hybrid with one or more of these breeds that was developed for and is now often trained for fighting and is noted for strength and stamina”. On the contrary, the United Kennel Club has recognized the American Pit Bull Terrier, also called APBT, as a standalone breed since 1898 when UKC founder C.Z. Bennett registered her APBT Bennet’s Ring (Uk...
...d-Specific Legislation (BSL) FAQ." The National Canine Research Council. National Canine Research Council, LLC., 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
...ociated Press published an article “Pit Bulls are A Danger to Society,” yet this year, the same publisher issued an article “Attitudes and Laws Against the Pit Bull Soften – The Big Story” in which the Pit bull advocates hail the changes as recognition that breed-specific laws discriminate against dogs that are not inherently aggressive or dangerous should not be discriminated against or victimized. The debate puts millions of pit bull owners up against a relatively small group of activists against the breed and challenges the notion that Pit Bulls that are well-cared for had any history of aggressive behavior in the first place, closing the argument by again stating what the Canadian Encyclopedia explained, that their actions were just a park of the cycle of favorites and least favorites that has always been and always will be in the history of ownership of dogs.
They have twisted the dogs mind into thinking that they have to fight to protect something all the time. Pit bulls are classified as vicious and harmful animals. This is discrimination and is because of media skewing stories, ignorant people that refuse to listen to hard facts, and public attitudes and opinions. These laws against breeds are unconstitutional; there is no legislative basis for these laws. Pit bulls, like any other dog, grow in their temperament.
Doberman Pinschers and German Shepherd dogs mark 100 years with the AKC. Both German Shepherds and Dobermans were the Devil Dogs in WWII (Mahood). Both dog breeds have given years of service to the military. Both dogs have been faithful loyal companions and incredibly intelligent. Both dogs are ranked in the top five for obedience and working intelligence (“Dog intelligence rankings”). Yet, the German Shepherd is currently the military police’s working dog and its veteran companion, the Doberman Pinscher, is currently banned from living in military bases. How is breed banning fair or even effective?
Many people will argue that the pit bull breed should be banned due to their vicious and unpredictable nature. There is a belief that they are inherently evil creatures and that they have a genetic predisposition to be destructive killing machines. In many states and cities this has brought about breed specific legislation. Breed specific legislation bans or regulates the ownership of specific breeds of dogs, which almost always includes pit bulls.
An increasing number of pit bull attacks have occurred over past decade. People who are attacked by pit bulls always suffer serious injuries because of the pit bulls’ sharp teeth and strong muscles. In October 19, 2009, Dr Hugh Wirth who is the RSPCA’s Victorian president renewed calls for American pit bull terriers to be bred out of Australia. The current laws require owners of pit bulls to register their pit bull. While some people are satisfied with the laws because they think that they are safe, others disagree. From my own perspective, the laws should be improved. The government should ban these fierce dogs and wipe them out instead of just registering them. In my opinion, there are three reasons why I am in favour of Dr Wirth’s proposal.
In 2005, the Ontario Liberal government passed The Dog Owner’s Liability Act: a ban against pit bull terriers in the province. After the bill passed, Attorney General Michael Bryant said, “Mark my words, Ontario will be safer” (Ontario passes ban on pit bulls, 2005). The legislation prevented people from acquiring a number of breeds of dogs that would be classified as pit bulls. In addition, Ontario residents who already owned a pit bull terrier prior to the ban were required to neuter and muzzle their animals. Such policies against this breed of animal are not unprecedented. In fact, similar laws are already in place in Britain, France and Germany. In Canada, Winnipeg has had a ban against pit bull terriers in place for 20 years (Ontario passes ban on pit bulls, 2005). Ontario and other regions have imposed these sanctions because the evidence clearly indicates that pit bull terriers pose a much higher than average risk to people.
b. “Many people have a difficult time properly identifying a true Pit Bull, so added to the statistics are those dogs that have been misidentified. Considering these factors, the actual number of attacks attributable to American Pit Bull Terriers is considerably lower than represented,” according to the real pit bull. i. Do you think a 4 pound Pomeranian dog would hurt anybody? ii. Stated in the Dog Bite Law, “The most horrifying example of the lack of breed predictability is the October 2000 death of a 6-week-old baby, which was killed by her family 's Pomeranian dog.” a. The American Temperament Test is a test that measures a dog strong avoidance, unprovoked aggression, and panic without recovery. “American Pit Bull Terriers passed the test at a rate of 85.3%,” according to Pitbulls.org. They have the highest test scores, and they out beat the golden retriever “family dog” by 7.7%. iii. I identify the justice of my rival’s claim, but I disagree with my rival’s 100 percent about pit bulls having the highest attacks. c. Now you can see how my rival made a mistake because they didn’t evaluate and understood the facts as clearly as they
[Establish credibility] As a life-long dog lover, I have run into BSL many times: from apartments with dog size limitations to cities that outright ban certain breeds.
Countless lives locked away in cages and forgotten about have overwhelmed our society, it has left blood stains on our history as a species and if history has taught us anything, it’s that we have a choice to change our ways of adjusting to situations. A war which was fought in pursuit of ending such criminal means, yet we as human beings do little to nothing to end the horrific crimes of animal deaths in shelters. It is no secret that this world has become infused with problems that have extended from one side of the globe to the other. Amongst these problems lies a terrible truth: nearly every year, sums of almost eight million cats and dogs have been placed in shelters around the world. Out of these vast numbers, half will be euthanized; that equals to one animal being put down every 8 seconds. Animals that are not adopted are kept in shelters until they find a home. Most of these shelters do not have enough space or resources to care for the animal. Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats that enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners. The majority of pets are obtained from acquaintances and family members. Twenty-six percent of dogs are purchased from breeders, 20 to 30 percent of cats and dogs are adopted from shelters and rescues, and 2 to 10 percent are purchased from pet shops. In addition, only 56% of dogs and 71% of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. The 10% of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered, while 78 percent of dogs and 88 percent of cats are not spayed or neutered, in 2009 Statistics from animal shelters in 55 counties in WV (West Virginia) shows that nearly 54% of all animals entering shelters are euthanized, The euthanasia rates ranged from the lowest at 5% to the highe...
Currently, pit bulls have been reported by the media with very horrific and disturbing news of having attacked a child or being shot by a police due to aggression while some are reported to have been abused or neglected by its owners (Forderer and Unkelbach 534). And because the reports keep coming with heated discussions, more and more people have forged a frightening image of pit bulls even to the extreme of refusing to take care of such breed. Pit bull advocates claim that the dogs get a bad reputation considering that people should learn the dogs are not inherently aggressive. What the pit bull advocates would like to point is that the owners of the pit bulls should be considered guilty for mishandling of their own dogs. There are owners of pit bulls that even encourage the dog to be aggressive in order to fight and protect them in a wrong manner and wrong degree of training (Forderer and Unkelbach 536). Pit bull advocates claimed that a well socialized and well trained pit bull would be very intelligent and could be one of the gentle dogs imaginable.