Pit Bulls

929 Words2 Pages

Audience:
• Uninformed people who believe in the stereotypes of “aggressive” dogs.
• Parents of younger children because they are protective.

Purpose:
• Convince people that the stereotype of Pit Bulls being inherently aggressive is completely misrepresentative of the breed.
• Convince parents that Pits are loving and a good family dog and not the vicious animal that people are led to believe because of media influence.
• I want to open the eyes of others to the fact that any dog can be aggressive.

Dog attacks involving Pit Bulls always generates the question of whether Pit Bulls are inherently aggressive or not. If dog behavior analysts and professional dog trainers believe Pit Bulls are not inherently dangerous, then why does everyone see the need to ask? The stereotyping of Pit Bulls that drives media in America is a complex issue and like any complex issue, people form their own biases and end up on different sides of a disagreement. While Pit Bulls are believed to be responsible for the majority of fatal dog attacks, they are not as inherently aggressive as people are led to believe for a couple of reasons including that Pit Bulls are not people-aggressive, and that the media fuels the stereotypes and hatred of Pit Bulls, and the genetic makeup of a Pit Bull has little to do with aggressive behavior.
Pit bulls are not usually people-aggressive although they can be dog-aggressive. “Dog-aggression and people-aggression are two distinctive traits and should not be confused. Unless a Pit Bull has been poorly bred or purposefully trained to attack humans, they generally love people. They are, in fact, one of the most loving, loyal, friendly and dedicated companions you can have”(Rock). Loyal is right, so...

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Holland, Joshua. "Pitbulls Used to Be Considered the Perfect "Nanny Dogs" for Children -- Until the Media Turned Them Into Monsters." Alternet. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. .
"The Price of Freedom: Stubby." Amhistory.si.edu. Smithsonian: National Museum of American History, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. .
Rock, Robin. "Myths and Facts About Pit Bulls." Petfinder Myths and Facts About Pit Bulls Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. .
"The Truth About Pit Bulls." ASPCA. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. .

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