Imagine riding a bike down the street and you see someone walking their pit bull. The pit bull is not on a leash. What is the first thought to come to your mind?  I think people should be allowed to keep pit-bull dogs.
These are some of the questions I thought of when figuring out what to make this essay on. So I did some digging and found great stuff. Yes I get it, people can get uneasy around pit bulls. I use to since my mom kept telling me they were mean dogs, but as I got older I realized that they’re not. Pit bulls in society’s eyes are mean aggressive dogs bred for killing. No, not really. I mean yes you hear stories all the time that people getting attacked by pit bulls, and yes they are true but who provoked the dog to get it to the point where they were attacked by the dog?

“A pit bull will always do it’s best to make you happy,” remarks pitbulls. Honestly I agree, these dogs are known for their loyalty and love towards their owners. This could help your emotional state when knowing they will comfort you no matter what.

“The American Pit Bull Terrier is a companion and family dog breed … and later moved into the house to become “nanny dogs” because they were so gentle around children,” claims dogtime. This would be great for a family looking for a dog that will love everyone.

If you have excited or energetic children then the pit bull can handle rough behavior. Pit bulls are known for having a high pain tolerance. Being athletic and strong could also open up opportunities for a service dog. For example say your children are running around the house pulling your pit bull along with them. You won’t have to worry about the pit bull too much. They can take it. Just make sure no one is getting hurt.

A story from dogtime, “Justin Becker was taken off guard when a burglar posing as a delivery worker ... Justin tried to fight off the attacker, but the man pulled a gun on him. That’s when Kilo, Justin’s pit bull, … attacked the burglar. The gun went off and shot Kilo in the head … Justin held Kilo in his arms, thinking that this might be the end. But he refused to give up and let Kilo die. He rushed the pup to the veterinarian. After a quick x-ray, the vet determined that the bullet never penetrated Kilo’s skull, and Kilo would live... Kilo managed to take a bullet meant for his owner and miraculously survived,” This is amazing that a dog could be so brave and strong.

Those stories you hear about pit bulls attacking are very uncommon. Kilo’s story shows loyalty, companionship, and trust between both Kilo and Justin. Pit bulls will be loyal to their owners till the day they die.

“Its important when considering a pit bull as a pet that you carefully screen all puppies and adult dogs to ensure that they respond positively,” states pitbulls. This is important with any adoption of any animal, doing this can help lower the spread of aggressive pit bulls and other dogs.

Pit bulls surprisingly do not need a lot of care therefore a good family dog. This could prevent stress with having to consistently caring for it. Although you do need to excise your pit bull at least once a day, again proves the point of pit bulls making very good family dogs for all types of family looking for a dog especially with kids.
“While a dog’s genetics may predispose it to behave in certain ways, genetics do not exist in a vacuum. Rather, behavior develops through a complex interaction between environment and genetics. This is an especially important consideration when we look at an individual dog versus a breed. Many diverse and sometimes subtle factors influence the development of behavior, including, but not limited to, early nutrition, stress levels experienced by the mother during pregnancy, and even temperature in the womb … and the history of social interactions play pivotal roles in behavioral development. The factors that feed into the expression of behavior are so inextricably intertwined that it’s usually impossible to point to any one specific influence that accounts for a dog becoming aggressive. This is why there is such variation in behavior between individual dogs, even when they are of the same breed and bred for the same purpose. Because of the impact of experience, the pit bull specifically bred for generations to be aggressive may not fight with dogs and the Labrador retriever bred to be a service dog may be aggressive toward people,” says aspca. This is saying there is not telling if the dog that is being born is going to be aggressive or not. It depends on how the pregnant mother is treated during her pregnancy. Early positive experiences influence the dog’s behavior too. If people would understand this then pit bulls wouldn’t be treated/thought of so badly. The public believes that is pit bulls are bad they deserve to be treated badly. This is not true even though they have an aggressive trait doesn’t mean you get to classify them as a whole different species, they are still a dog.

Did you know that the original pit bull was bred to hunt large animals? Well once baiting large animals was outlawed in the 1800s, people turned instead to fighting their dogs against each other. These larger, slower bull-baiting dogs were crossed with smaller, quicker terriers to produce a more agile and athletic dog for fighting other dogs. But if a dog ever showed aggression towards people the dog would be punished or killed. Now this is proof that humans bred these dogs to be naturally aggressive. Proving my point once more it’s not the dog’s fault if it attacks you. The pit bull could have had a rough life and been scared of humans and become naturally defensive as any animal would do.

Owning any dog aggressive or not is a huge responsibility when it comes to keeping the dog and those around it safe and treated with proper care. To prevent others getting hurt from any dog you must follow simple rules as, “dangerous dog” laws, “leash laws” that prohibit dogs from running loose, and “anti chaining” laws can control the behavior of the dog. This proves that as a dog owner you can help reduce the risk of harm to people and other animals.

This problem could be easily fixed if society would be open to the actual truth, and listen to the world’s problems. I worry the internet has pulled people to deep on this subject and their opinions are to strong to break or a least let in some light, they will never really understand why.