When asked about pitbulls, many jump to say that they turn on their owners and attack anything that walks. They think of the news segments about yet another devastating pitbull attack, where lives get unnecessarily taken, and people endure life-changing injuries. They think of the case in Cary, where a little girl died because of the injuries she received after being attacked by a pitbull. Or maybe they think of the article on WRAL, where a pitbull killed an 8-day-old infant. While the concern may be justifiable, news sources don’t mention the case in Florida where a venomous snake attacked two little boys, and their pet pitbull saved them, losing its life in the process. They don’t shed light on the good side of pitbulls, where they sacrifice their lives to save their owners.
The Reader’s Digest quotes Melissa Pezzuto, a member of the behavioral consultant team at an animal sanctuary, who claims that the reason behind a pitbull attack has nothing to do with them being “inherently vicious.” She goes on to say that, “viciousness and aggression are not bred characteristics or personality traits, and they are not specific to any one breed of dog.”
Violence and anger cannot be hereditary, but it can be influenced by their environment. For example, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, otherwise known as the ASPCA defends pitbulls, saying, “...when it comes to influencing the behavior of an individual dog, factors such as housing conditions and the history of social interactions play pivotal roles in behavior development.” Fellow student Kamryn Agurs (12) agrees with the statement, explaining that how the dog behaves depends on the owner and how they raised them. “Any trained dog can be violent, it just so happens that pitbulls get the short end of the stick and get stereotyped,” she adds.
In mid-2021, a Georgia woman had an altercation with a chihuahua while getting her lashes done in her technician's apartment. Inside Edition talks with Kelsey Salmon, who says the dog popped up out of nowhere, jumped up, and bit her in the face. The dog bit her eyelid off, resulting in her heading to the hospital. “I went to the ER. I was in the ER for 15 hours on my birthday. And it took two hours to reattach it,” she posted on her TikTok account. This incident only proves that more dogs have violent tendencies than just pitbulls.
It doesn’t take rocket science to realize that no one wants to be stereotyped. It assumes characteristics, personalities, and beliefs based on superficial appearances. If people don’t like to be stereotyped, why stereotype animals? Humans can speak their minds and communicate verbally, while dogs remain defenseless as people continue to taint their name.
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