Pit Bulls

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Erica Wheeler

Dr. Jones

ENC 1101

29 September 2007

Nature vs. Nurture: The American Pit Bull Terrier

Imagine you have a three year old little girl who loves to play out in the front yard. One day she is outside playing in her sandbox and she, like all little girls, lets out a squeal. All of a sudden the neighbors' dog hears it, runs as fast as he can and jumps over your fence. He then proceeds to attack your precious little girl. Horrified, you end up getting the dog off of her just in time so only a small bite mark on her fore-arm remains as evidence. Later you find out this dog was an abused pit bull. He was whipped, stunned, electrocuted and had painful acidic substances poured on its back just so the owner could feel like he had the most powerful dog around. How would you feel? This dog although rightfully so was an incredibly aggressive dog, attacked your little girl. Would you blame it on the owner or on the breed? Would you blame it on the way it was raised or would you blame it on the fact that it was a pit bull? That is the question many are asking themselves these days. Today, the American Pit Bull Terrier, who was once beloved by America, has now developed a violent and untrustworthy reputation.

In order to form your own opinion about these dogs you must know their history. The American Pit Bull Terrier was originally bred between a White English Terrier and an English bulldog (American 345). They were bred in England in the early 1800's for their bull baiting potential and their athletic gameness. Bull baiting was first brought to England by the Normans. Bull baiting involved over 27 breeds including Staffordshire Terriers, Mastiffs, Boston Terriers, Shar Pei's, and even the English bulldog (Morris 342). The English bulldog became the loving

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companion that we know today after bull baiting was outlawed in 1835 (Huemer). After bull baiting was outlawed, illegal underground dog fighting came about. This type of illegal activity is the type of news we hear about even today. The most recent dog fighting bust was in the Atlanta Falcons quarterback home, Michael Vick.

American Pit Bull Terriers have unique characteristics that distinguish them from other dogs. They are the strongest dogs in the world pound for pound (Stahlkuppe 6). They are medium in size and have a low maintenance coats (Stahlkuppe 10). They are athletic, capable of many activities and they even have hunting dog potential. The pit bull is also highly intelligent, very trainable, loyal, exudes lots of personality, and can be often clownish at times (Stahlkuppe 11). These dogs are many times so smart and trustworthy that they are used often to assist disabled people or people in therapy (Anthony). If these dogs weren't responsible for caring around such a treacherous reputation, they might actually be an American wonder dog because they are so smart and low maintenance.

Pit bulls at one time were one of the most loved canine breeds in this nation. Pit bulls were introduced to America in 1870 (American 346). In the early 20th century, the American pit bull terrier was considered an All Ð'- American dog, a sign of courage and power. The pit bull became the American mascot during World War I (George). Children nicknamed the pit bull their "Nanny Dog." During this time pit bulls were never thought of as mean or vicious. Americans watched these dogs play with other children on the TV. Petey, from the Little Rascalls was an American Pit Bull Terrier, as was Tige from the Buster Brown Ads. Other famous people such as Helen Keller, President Woodrow Wilson, and Fred Astaire all owned pit bull terriers as companions (George).

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There is a definite fine line separating this popular pit bull issue. Most people are either on one side or the other when it comes to this topic. Many people think that the pit bull breed is a vicious breed and should be banned from the country. There a generally four reasons as to why targeting the specific breed as a whole is the solution to this controversial issue. The side against pit bulls starts with the fact that the dog is shown in an intimidating light. The places that we see the dogs are in rap videos and on hip hop CD's. Famous rappers DMX, Outkast, and Big Boi all feature mean and bloodthirsty looking pits in their music videos and on their album covers. This image shows that a person using these dogs as an "accessory" is what it takes to be cool and that it portrays a thuggish style (Nesbitt). Another argument against pits is the problem of negative breeders. These breeders do business by purposely breeding mean pit bulls. "Deranged Kennelz" and "Stone Cold Pits" are only a few examples of canine breeders openly breeding aggressive dogs. (George). A third reason is that these dangerously bred dogs are then purchased by dog fighters and are kept under difficult conditions. Unfortunately, the American Pit bull or a mix of the pit bull is the dog most often used today in pit fighting (Kass). These dogs are used to protect drug dealers, their premises, and gang members (Kass). Where there are dog fights and drug dealers there is a heavy amount of drinking, drug and gun use (Nesbitt). Cindy Bailey, a Durham County animal control administrator states, "After a dog has been involved in these types of so called games they are virtually no longer rehabilitatable" (qtd. in Nesbitt). A fourth reason for the vile reputations against pit bulls has to do with dog attacks. Nicholas Faibish, 12, was killed by his families' two pit bulls dogs on June 3, 2005. Rosemary Rodriguez, a Denver city council member comments, "[Nicholas's death is] a perfect example of the propensity of this breed of dog to attack" (qtd. in Weekly Reader). It is true that every single dog on this earth has the potential to attack a child and do some damage. However, it is also true that when a pit bull

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decides to attack they chomp, twist, tear, rip, and maul whatever they are after till it either dies or the dog is distracted by something else. Pedro Rios, age 4, was also killed by his families' two

pit bulls. He was only released when the two were distracted by the lights and sirens of the police cars (Hassan & Bryant). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 66% of the dog- related fatalities were from