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Ryan Starks
Helen Lovejoy
English 101
18 November 2014
Pit Bull
Many Americans believe that Pit Bulls are a savage, man-eating breed of dog. I on the
other hand, know that this is just a common misconception. In fact, there has been an enormous
movement across the country to clear Pit Bulls of their bad rap. In the hands of ignorant and
ruthless monsters, some of the more unfortunate animals can be transformed into fearless,
tenacious, killing machines. Some argue that such a potentially aggressive breed has no place in
our society or our in homes. I argue however that those people are dead wrong, and that maybe
they need to do a little more research before writing off such an amazing creature.
Pit Bulls date back to the late eighteenth century. In those days, dogs were labeled based
on the jobs they did rather than their appearance. A Terrier was a dog whose job was to dig for
vermin. Bulldogs, a different breed, were cattle catchers. These working farm dogs were
believed to have been crossbred around 1790, and thus came the Pit Bull Terrier, according to
Bronwen Dickey, who wrote the cultural history on Pits (Von Dreble). In the early 1900s Pit
Bulls had a much more positive stigma, and in many cases were viewed as heroic dogs. On
military posters, and even in athletics, pits were the epitome of speed and strength, In fact, they
even fought for the U.S. Military in the first World War, and several went on to become famous.
That is until the stigma changed in 76, when the Animal Welfare Act began to curb animal
fighting, and deemed the Pit Bull a dangerous dog. They were given this title because of their
popularity amongst gangs and illegal racketeering, as I will explain later.

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As the owner of a five year old Pit, I know otherwise. Tika, My Pitbull is a very
tenacious, athletic, and yes even sometimes, a little hyper. However she is also the most loyal
gentle animal that I have ever known. She was born in the summer of 2009, nearly the same time
that my daughter was conceived. After hearing all of the negative hoopla surrounding the Pit
Bull and hearing the stories in the news, I was fearful of the interaction between such a
potentially dangerous animal with my soon-to-be- newborn child. I even believed myself that she
could harm Dionna and I knew her physical capabilities. But boy I was wrong. When my
daughter was born, she was born into a world in which her best friend was waiting. It was
amazing to me that such a young puppy could understand what was happening. She knew that
there was a new baby and seemed to understand the delicate process of having a newborn. It was
like she had grown up already. Just a puppy, at nine months of age, she was introduced to her
first human child. At first, she was cautious and reluctant to approach the baby, and Ill admit, it
made me a little nervous. But as time passed, I started to see much different behavior from Tika.
She would often lay at the feet of Dionnas crib. In fact, it became her favorite napping spot. And
wherever my daughter was, Tika was not far away. I started to see that Tika was becoming very
protective over her. When visitors would come to see our new baby, Tika would always be
nearby watching and sniffing. As the last four years have passed Tika and Dionna have only
grown closer. I recall times of Dionnas first steps. They were partially motivated by the pursuit
of the dog. At times Dionna would use her little hands to grip onto Tikas fur and skin and stand
up, other times shed grab her tail, hoping for a ride. Even in these instances I never saw an
ounce of aggressiveness from Tika. Never annoyed or short tempered, just sheer love and a little
curiosity. When Dionna became old enough to walk and especially run, the games really began.
Dionna would clumsily trot towards Tika, arms wide, making her baby googly noises. Tika

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would sometimes wait until Dionna had nearly reached her, then make a quick shift left or right
and fake her out. Tika would bolt down the hallway, with Dionna right on her heels laughing and
screaming,
This, however, is just my personal example. There are hundreds of stories in the news
and on the internet of heroic Pit Bulls that have rescued their owners, especially the elderly and
young children, from dangerous situations. One of the most recent examples is of a boy in
Oregon City, Oregon, who was saved by his Pit Bull Haites: Exploring on a trail just behind his
home, he stepped on a rotten log, as reported by KCR Channel 3 News, of Oregon City. His leg
was stuck in a hornets nest. It was reported that he was stung nearly twenty five times. Haites,
was able to drag the boy back up the steep trail to safety. If it were not for Haites, the family
said, the Incident could have been fatal.
Then of course there is another painted picture of the Pit. A darker much more tragic
picture of abuse, neglect, and even murder that exists in America. In the early 80s dog fighting
made a huge comeback in The United States. Although dog fighting is illegal in this country,
hundreds of thousands of dollars are circulated each year throughout the racket system. Pits are a
favorite breed among drug dealers, gangs, and of course dog fighting rings. Pit Bulls are the dog
of choice because they are fairly cheap, and puppies acquired outside the fighting bloodline are
often free. Also, they are known to be fearless and tenacious fighters, along with amazing
athleticism. Unfortunately, Pit Bulls raised in racket operations are tortured for profit and sport.
On July 8, 2009 one of largest raids in history took place across eight states. Twenty six people
were arrested, and more than five-hundred Pit Bulls were seized, some were females ready to
deliver puppies. Many of these poor animals were missing limbs, eyes, and lips that they had lost
in a fight. Others were severely scarred at the neck from dragging heavy chains. These were the

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victors. Many times the losers are murdered by their breeder or owner (if they survive the battle).
Most losers are drowned, shot, or electrocuted.
Consequently, when these dogs are rescued it presents a whole new issue. The process to
save dogs raised in such violent and high stress situations is very extensive, when possible. Many
cannot be saved due to infection, disease, broken ribs, and internal injuries. Not to mention their
mental conditions. Taming a fighter is the hardest part. And, let us not forget, that a fighter that
cannot be tamed, is euthanized. There are places and people that have dedicated the time and
money to rehabilitate some of the more unfortunate ones. The rehabilitation process can be a
lengthy, extensive, and expensive process. Most of these animals do not know what love is. In
fact, most have never even slept inside of a house, or been treated ethically by a human being. To
me, any creature that could forgive a human for kicking, beating, and even electrocuting them,
deserves another chance. However, even after months of socialization, and extensive mental
rehab, some warriors are never fully tamed. Experts say that a dog that has been trained to kill
four legged creatures should never be placed in a home with animals or crawling children.(p4449). Most people that are willing to take in a rescue Pit Bull are animal lovers, which means that
they probably already own animals. Nor a good recipe for the Pits, and proves finding a home for
rescue animals even more challenging.
Nearly three decades ago, the United States began passing bans and other restrictions to
keep Pits out of urban communities, particularly for these reasons. The bans ranged nearly sevenhundred cites nationwide. Many of these movements included seize and destroy. Yep, thats right,
seize and destroy operations. During these state and local-government operations, Pit Bull
owners were given ninety days, (in many cases less) to relocate their pets. Yep, PETS. These are
not dogs born, bred, and raised in cages. Many, if not most, were family pets just like mine. They

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knew nothing of the dark and sinister world of dog fighting or abuse, but were innocent victims
to what has been deemed breed-specific legislation. Thousands of family pets lost their lives,
and how is this legal? Is it not stereotyping? Why have the Doberman, German Shepherd, and
Rottweiler breeds been exempted? Why are the animal rights groups like PETA taken to one
specific breed? In my opinion it is the criminals that exploit these wonderful animals that deserve
the punishment. I believe that if harsher penalties are enforced against the thugs that abuse them,
the animals might stand a chance. Otherwise, as bans against these dogs expands, it may not be
long before the Pit Bull is completely wiped out in the United States. Most, would probably just
be innocent pets that do not deserve the death penalty. It is a sad, and enduring issue in our
country, and I pray that Pit owners, and animal lovers in general, will wake up, and protect their
canine companions. I know that personally, no one will ever take my Tika away from me, just
like a mother or father would never serve a child to someone hunting them down.

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Works Cited
Von Drehble , David, Ball, Karen, Time, 0040781x, 12/7/2009, Vol.174, Issue 22. Print.

Tullis, Paul. Time. 7/22/2013, Col 182 Issue 4. P54. 2p