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Riley Erlenbeck

Brunskole

ARC

2 May 2017

Dont Take the Pits Away

Imagine, its one of the happiest times of the year. Christmas is right around the corner. A

little girl was so excited to meet the big guy that delivers all the wonderful gifts she gets. It was

her turn to go next, but Santa said no; he did not want to see the little girl. She was devastated.

She took her service dog with her and walked the other way.

This awful situation is exactly what happened to Abcde Santos. According to CNN news,

the Santa had turned away the little girl with autism because of her service dog that was a pit bull

(France). Pit bulls are always being discriminated against because of their violent nature. Some

places are beginning to make it illegal to own a pit bull or any breed that is relatively like them in

their area. Pets are being taken from their homes in just because of the kind of dog breed they

are. Most of the time, these pit bulls are being taken from their families when they have not done

anything wrong. People should be able to own pit bulls if they choose to do so. Society should

not be allowed to dictate what kind of dog they can own. Pit bulls are great pets for families who

have the time and dedication to take care of a pet. These dogs should always legal to own if

families care for them in the correct way.

To begin, pits should not be made illegal to own just because of the violent acts that some

dogs committed. Pitbulls are perceived in the wrong way. Some people think that pitbulls are

only used for dog fights and too aggressive; however this statement is false. Most of time pitbulls

are forced into bad situations. It is not the dogs fault the owner bred it into fighting or other
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violent behaviors. Many of these corrupt owners abuse and neglect their pits, which makes them

behave in such vicious ways. An article from The Christian Science Monitor reports how police

had rescued a group of pitbulls from a property that is being investigated for dog fighting. Many

of these dogs were starving and injured. The article continues on discussing how these dogs we

tied up and confined into small cages (Lewontin). Kathryn Destreza, an investigator on the case,

stated thats how they live their life. If theyre not fighting or being conditioned to fight they

live their life on the end of a chain (Lewontin). It was not the pitbulls choices to be put into that

situation. People should not classify all pit bulls as violent if they cannot help being put into

these awful positions. Pitbulls were bred for something better, not to be pushed away because of

their past.

Pitbulls are also used as service dogs, in fact this is originally what pit bulls were created

to do. According to an article from TIME, The Problem with People, Not Pit Bulls, pits can be

search and rescue dogs that find missing children and lost dementia patients...help kids become

stronger readers are seizure watch dogs, diabetic alert dogs, comfort nursing home residents

and offer a plethora of services to human counterparts (Enos). These dogs can do so much and

can be trained to do hard work. An article from NBC Chicago reported that a city in Iowa took a

handicapped mans service dog away because of the ban on pit bulls in the city (Balde). The

article stated that the man was paired at the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago

with Snickers, who helps him walk, balance and call from help in an emergency (Balde). The

man did not have his working companion because Snickers was a pitbull, and pits are not

allowed in that city of Iowa. This is a danger for the man because if something were to happen to

him, his service dog would not be there to help him. The city is breaking the American

Disabilities Act which states, The ADA requires State and local government agencies,
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businesses, and non-profit organizations (covered entities) that provide goods or services to the

public to make "reasonable modifications" in their policies, practices, or procedures when

necessary to accommodate people with disabilities (American Disabilities Act ). The town could

not even modify its no pitbull law for the man who needed his service dog. Service pitbull dogs

should not be taken away from their owner. Pitbulls are needed for people who have disabilities

because that is what they are bred to do. Without them, people who require a service dog will not

get the help they demand.

Finally, pits are very protective, caring pets. Some people think that these dogs are too

aggressive to keep as a family dog, when in fact they can be the protectors of their home. An

example of an incident where a pitbull defended its handler happened in Brooklyn, New York. A

teenaged girl was walking her boyfriends pit bull in the park when she was attacked and was

almost raped. The dog attacked the man and saved the girl from being rape (Moore, Mongelli, &

Italiano). Maya, the victim, stated he is a sweet dog. I never thought he would bite anyone. He

never bit anyone before(Moore, Mongelli, & Italiano). This just goes to show how caring a

pitbull, that has no previous acts of attacking people, can protect a family member. Another

incident happened in Fort Meyer, Florida where a man attacked a family with a knife and the

familys pit bull attacked the man to protect them. Unfortunately, the dog was stabbed and passed

away, but she was able to save the family from getting hurt (CNN Wire). One of the victims

stated If it wasnt for her, man, Im telling you. He could have killed one of us (CNN Wire).

These dogs just want to be loved and accepted by their families: they show their gratitude by

being the defenders of their owners.

Now, there are some occurrences where pit bulls have attacked people and other animals,

but it was not to protect their families. An older woman was attacked by two pit bulls in
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Glendale, Wisconsin when she took her dog outside (Sears). However, Karen Sparapani, a

director for the animal control in the area, had said that, It doesn't make them a bad dog, but it

does make them a dog that has to be managed (Sears). Her statement means that these dogs just

need proper training. The pit bulls that attacked the woman could have been abused or apart of a

dog fighting circle. The dogs might have felt scared and threatened, so that is why they attacked.

It is important for any dog to have proper training so that incidents like this do not happen. The

article from TIME also pointed out that, dogs need to be subject to balanced training, should be

well socialized and taught proper human/dog social behavior, maintained from a health

perspective, and treated with compassion (Enos). With these five key ideas, pit bulls can be

great pets just like any other dog breed. It takes time and patiences to have a dog; when people

do not have that kind of dedication, that is when the dogs act out. In other words, it is not the

dogs fault that they behavior in violent ways; it is what they are taught to do. If pit bulls are

trained the right way, there would not be a need to make it illegal to own them.

Pit bulls should not be discriminated against just because of the how people think they

act. Most of the time, it is the actions of the owners that cause the dogs to become a certain way.

Abusive, neglecting owners are what make violent dogs. People should not make judgements

based off of what they think pit bulls are. Pits were originally made to work; they were bred to be

a service companion. These dog should not be taken away for their owners who may be disabled.

Pitbulls just want to care for their families. They defend their handlers from evils that may occur.

These dogs are just like any other dog, they have just gotten a bad reputation. Pit bulls require

training and adequate attention like other types of breeds. People need to realize this so that pit

bulls are not taken away from their family. It should always be made legal to own a pit bull.
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Works Cited

American Disabilities Act. "Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA."

Frequently AskedQuestions about Service Animals and the ADA. U.S. Department of Justice, 20

July 2015. Web. 02 May 2017.

Balde, Lisa. "Pit Bull Ban Separates Man, Service Dog." NBC Chicago. NBC Chicago, 23 Dec. 2011.

Web. 02 May 2017.

CNN Wire. "Pit Bull Dies Protecting Her Family from Attacker." New York's PIX11 / WPIX-TV. WIPX,

21 Dec. 2015. Web. 03 May 2017.

Enos, Sara. "The Problem With People, Not Pit Bulls." Time. Time, 26 June 2014. Web. 02 May 2017.

France, Lisa Respers. "Mall Santa Turns Away Autistic Girl and Her Service Dog." CNN.Cable News

Network, 03 Dec. 2014. Web. 02 May 2017.

Lewontin, Max. "How the ASPCA Rescued 23 Pitbulls in a Dog-fighting Investigation." TheChristian

Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Sept. 2015. Web. 02 May 2017.

Moore, Tina, Lorena Mongelli, and Laura Italiano. "Hero Dog Stops Rape." New York Post. NYP

Holdings, 30 Nov. 2016. Web. 02 May 2017.

Sears, Ashley. "It Doesnt Make Them a Bad Dog: 53-year-old Woman Attacked by Two Pit Bulls in

Glendale." FOX6Now.com. WITI, 23 Oct. 2015. Web. 02 May 2017.