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What is the big deal about Pit Bull Terriers? Well, let me tell you. They offer their love completely and unconditionally, and they are so innocent, trusting that their pure love will be well received and reciprocated. They certainly do not deserve to be the victims of this despicable, horrifying and sickening treatment, the result of Breed Specific Legislation! Born out of ignorance and fear, this legislation, which is currently active in at least 27 states, makes it possible for the government to take certain dogs from their loving families and kill them, when they have not done anything wrong.
Breed specific legislation, or BSL as it is commonly referred to, targets certain breeds of dogs only. Pit Bulls are the biggest target, with Rottweilers getting some of the heat as well. The idiots behind this way of thinking claim that ALL Pit Bulls are inherently viscous, unsafe, and cannot be trusted, and that they all will eventually harm people. They claim that they are so dangerous that they should not even be allowed to live; all because of what kind of dog they are. It does not matter that almost all of them are wonderful, loving and much loved, safe dogs, many of which live in families with children and they go their whole lives without biting anyone. It does not matter that plenty of other breeds of dogs also have biting incidents. In fact the percentage of incidents where a dog bites is no higher with Pit Bulls than many other breeds, yet some people choose to ignore that. The mass hysteria about these dogs must be replaced by accurate information in order to correct this injustice.
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Pit Bull is not even a breed, officially. It is a term used to group three breeds of dog, the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, and the Staffordshire terrier. And contrary to belief, these dogs are not mean, inherently or otherwise. The American Temperament Test Society, ATTS, has spent the last 24 years testing over 185 different breeds of dog, and the American Pit Bull Terrier scored 86.4%, the American Staffordshire Terrier scored 84.2%, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier scored 89.7%. This means they scored very high for having the best overall temperament, which is why they make excellent family dogs, therapy and service dogs, search and rescue dogs, even law enforcement and military dogs. Consider Sgt. Stubby, a WW1 National hero; he fought on the front lines for the U.S. and is the most decorated dog of any war our country was ever in. One of Helen Kellers service dogs was a Pit Bull. A Pit bull working as a drug sniffing dog for law enforcement has credit for the largest drug find of any canine officer to date and many bull terriers work as service and support dogs. They are well suited for this work due to their good temperament and extreme desire to please. On the subject of temperaments, by the way, the Chihuahua only scored 71.1 %, right behind the poodle at 77.9%. According to these stats, we better start rounding up and killing all the Chihuahuas since they are obviously inherently vicious. Ridiculous, right? So is the breed specific legislation. |
Here are some of the facts about BSL: among the cities, counties and states that have these laws, it is common for them to completely ban all dogs of the breed they are targeting, which is mostly Pit Bulls. You will be stunned to learn how many states have this legislation: Ohio and Iowa have statewide bans; in addition, the following states have some cities and/or counties with BSL: AL, AR, CO, FL, OH, GA, IA, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MS, MO, MT, NE, NC, NY, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, WV, WI. Denver, CO has some of the worst type of BSL; it is illegal just to drive through the city with a pit bull terrier, and they will seize and kill any of them they see. With responsible dog ownership, including adequate supervision, most problems can be prevented. This applies to all dog breeds, not just pit bull terriers. In the past, BSL was targeted towards other breeds, including Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and even Labradors. It is time to target the parties that are truly responsible; a small minority of very irresponsible and sometimes very cruel people. Instead of breed specific legislation that is not only unfair, but ineffective, dog owners need to be held accountable, of any breed dog, for the incidents that may occur. With responsible ownership, and some common sense thrown in for good measure, most mishaps would be avoided altogether. The saying, punish the deed, not the breed, expresses this idea quite well. |
PLEASE HELP CHANGE BSL IN DENVER! A tourist cannot even pass through Denver with a Pit Bull or Pit Bull type dog with them unless they have requested and received a transport permit, and only if they can prove they are only passing through with no stops anywhere inside the city. If seen, the dog will be siezed and killed, no questions asked. There have been many dogs mislabeled as being Pit Bull type that have lost their lives, and many innocent Pit Bulls who have done absolutely NOTHING WRONG have been killed also. This unfounded mass hysteria known as BSL has to be stopped! There is an important petition called: OccuPIT Denver: The city of Denver, Reexamine the validity of the current ban on Pit Bulls. Click on the link to read the entire petition and sign it. This is done online and anyone from any state or country can sign this. For more information about Denver's horrible BSL, and facts about this breed, check out the website for Team Pit-a-Full, located on our links page. Thank you! OCCUPIT DENVER PETITION |