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 The American
Pit Bull Terrier and You
American Pit Bull Terriers (APBT) are
considered a vicious breed and unpredictable.
Statewide Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL)
prevents many people from owning a dog based
off of these guidelines: 1) The dog must be
muzzled in public at all times, kept on a 6
foot, chain link leash (even in personal
backyard, dog must be muzzled). 2) Insurance
must be purchased for the dog (Lucas County
requires $100,000 liability insurance for a
vicious breed such as the Pit Bull). 3) Many
breeds are on the vicious list such as
Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Chow Chows,
Presa Canarios, Dobermans, Cane Corsos,
Huskies, Boxers and mixes of these breeds.
BSL is an inconvenience and a punishment for
responsible dog owners. BSL has existed in
Ohio for several years with the impact being
minuscule. There are still dog attacks and
BSL actually puts more animals in shelters
and rescues, which is obviously not a
benefit.
Who’s to Blame?
IRRESPONSIBLE PET OWNERS. They are the people
causing BSL to go into effect, not to mention
the possibility of a state-wide ban of Pit
Bulls according to House Bill 568. HB 568
will also allow authorities to search and
seize any animal resembling an APBT. They
will then euthanize the dog regardless of
temperament. Who is Categorized as an
Irresponsible Pet Owner?
Dogs
require a significant amount of effort, time
and money. Puppies, especially, require an
extreme amount of work in order to properly
raise and care for them. Veterinary bills,
the cost of food, toys, accessories, and not
to mention time to potty train and training
for positive temperament, all lead up to a
lot of money and a lot of work. Irresponsible
pet owners do not realize this, and when they
discover the amount of work, they respond by
either ignoring the animal, abusing the
animal or dumping it off at a shelter. By
doing this, the animal can become aggressive.
Many of the dog attacks you hear of are not
based solely on these situations. Owners put
their children at risk by not monitoring
dog-child interaction, which is a guaranteed
bad decision. Children should not be left
alone with an animal. Some dogs are not
comfortable having children around who tease
or bother the dog. Many attacks made on small
children are caused by the child, not the
animal.
Profile of an American Pit Bull Terrier
Ignorance
of this breed is a common trait among people,
though it is mainly due to media’s
exaggerated portrait of a Pit Bull. Pit Bulls
by nature are human-loving animals and are
extremely friendly to strangers. Rumors that
they are human-aggressive are completely
false. That characteristic is not present in
the APBT. They make terrible guard dogs due
to the fact that they are so friendly. They
are, however, dog aggressive. Not all, but
some. Raising them around other dogs and
animals at a young age can prevent possible
aggression, but it is with strange, unknown
dogs that aggression can be displayed. They
are naturally intelligent, somewhat
submissive, and seek to please. The APBT is
considered to have sound temperament, and
passed the American Temperament Testing
Society with an 84.3% in 2007*. Many breeds
that are deemed as non-aggressive actually
have lower passing percentages such as the
Australian Shepherd with a score of 80.5%.
Many dogs have much lower temperament scores
than the APBT.
What We Can Do!
Please
spread the word of this truly amazing breed.
They are wonderful dogs that deserve a
chance. They should not be banned and they
should not be euthanized. If you are
interested in becoming pro-active towards
this issue, please feel free to email
choisek@att.net. Together we can fight
this issue and save many animals lives!
*Information
regarding American Temperament Testing
Society available at
www.atts.org
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