Punish the Deed, Not the Breed

Jordan Lindsey

English Composition I  

February 9, 2017

Punish the Deed, Not the Breed

        Punish the deed, not the breed. What does that mean? It means not punishing the animal for what is not their faults. Most of the time, the reason that the Pitbull is consider “aggressive” is because of the way the owner brought them up to be. Although, that is not the cases for all Pitbull’s. Pitbull’s were not always used for dog fighting, baiting and other harmful actions that were forced by the owners. The Dogs were originally brought up to be either work dogs or just family companions. The wrongful owners of these Pitbull’s are the reason why many people are afraid of them.  

        For centuries, Dogs have been bred to be family companions. It is hard to find a family that doesn’t have a dog or any other animal as a companion. Children use them as a learning experience to show responsibility, parents use them as a friend. Families often have Pitbull’s as their family friend and it is perfectly fine. They were bred as working dogs and family companions prior to being bred to bull bait and then dog fighting. Bull Baiting was extremely popular in the 18th century England. They would a bull and tether it to a post in the ground and then to make the bull angry they would take pepper and put it in the bull’s nose. Then, they would release the dogs to harass and attack the bull. Now, this is cruel for both parties. Dog fighting also started in England between 1700-1900.  In dog fighting they would bred different breeds together to get certain characteristics from each breed, to have the perfect fighting dog. Illegal or not dog fighting still happens to this day and is common in gangs. In japan, it is legal to have dog fights and is a popular sport there. The owners of the dogs would often put heavy chains around the dog’s neck to build the muscles in the neck. They also would give their dogs drugs, vitamin, and supplements to improve their performance.  

        In 1987 in Midwest city, Oklahoma Pitbull’s were banned. “Midwest City residents currently owning pit bull dogs now have 10 days to register their animals with the city and acquire $50,000 in liability insurance for the dogs. Pit bull owners also must provide the city with two color photographs of their dogs.” (“Midwest City Restricts Pit Bulls”) The city made in difficult for someone to own Pitbull.  They came up with these tasks to for the owners to do so they could keep their family companion. It also said, registered pit bulls must be kept inside or in a fenced and locked kennel with a Beware of Dog sign promptly displayed. Also, when outside of their pens must be muzzled and put on a short leash. This ordinance also said any offspring must be removed from the city within six weeks of birth. The four breeds specified in the ordinance are the bull terrier, the Staffordshire bull terrier, the American pit bull terrier and the American Staffordshire terrier. Any breed or any combination of these breeds were to be registered by august 7th. After that date the keeping of any pit bulls will be unlawful. Now, Oklahoma state law prohibits passing breed bans. Even though, Midwest city had a long-standing breed ban. A resident dog owner sued the city, and after several years of ongoing courts battles, in 2011 the state supreme court declined to hear the city’s appeal. Which, the ruling against the city stands; Midwest city cannot legally ban breeds. ( “stop the BSL”)

        Breed-specific legislation (BSL) is a law that bans OR restricts certain types of dogs based on their appearance, usually because they are perceived as “dangerous” breeds or types of dogs. -        Breed-specific restrictions may require an owner of a targeted breed do any of the following or more, depending on how the law is written: Muzzle the dog in public, Spay or

neuter the dog, Contain the dog in a kennel with specific requirements (6′ chain link walls, lid, concrete floors, etc.), Keep the dog on a leash of specific length or material, Purchase liability insurance of a certain amount, Place “vicious dog” signs on the outside of the residence where the dog lives or, Make the dog wear a “vicious dog” tag. Breed Specific Legislation, or BSL, is a subset of a larger set of laws aimed at regulating dangerous dogs.   BSL developed as a reaction to the growing dog bite problem in communities. People who supported BSL felt that the increased danger posed by certain breeds of dogs, mainly pit bulls, necessitated a ban on ownership. The supporters of BSL claim their goal is to put an end to dog attacks by targeting certain breeds of dog that are "inherently vicious/dangerous", and dogs that tend to appeal to people who are involved in criminal activity. (“the real Pit bull”)