More Opinions About Pit Bulls

In my previous post, I wrote and researched on how there are many common misconceptions about American Pit Bull Terriers. What I found in my research is that the temperament of a pit bull is almost always reliant on its treatment from humans. If the dogs are handled with respect and their needs are met, there are fewer temperament issues. If any breed of dog, not just pit bulls, are abused or not given the care they need, problems start to occur. Sometimes pit bulls especially may have temperment issues because of post-traumatic stress disorder from previous abuse.

When I continued my research, I focused on statistics with pit bulls. One article by the Huffington Post gathers many statistics on causes of injury or death. For instance, common causes of death are compared to the likelihood of dying from a dog bite. An example from the article states, "Maybe more striking is the fact that you are FAR more likely to die from eating a hot dog (choking from inhalation of food) than from being attacked by an actual dog. Death by a real dog- 1 in 116,448. Death by a hot dog- 1 in 3,375." This reveals that there is always a possibility to die from a dog attack, yet there are many other things that are more likely to occur.

This shows how getting killed by a dog is a very small chance compared to many things

Sara L. Wilson, from the Canine Journal, has a blog post all about pit bull statistics. Similarly to the Huffington Post article, this post has a lot of information which puts pit bull casualties and behavior into perspective. One example is about how American Pit Bull Terriers are technically a “bully breed.” There are many other dogs on the list of over 40 breeds. Some of the other dogs on the list include Pugs and Boston terriers. One point this post makes is about canine behavior. Wilson writes, “What we do know from statistical analysis is that 86.8 percent of American Pit bull terriers have passed their temperament testing according to the American Temperament Test Society, Inc. This is a higher number of American pit bulls to pass their testing than collies, beagles, and even golden retrievers.” I think this quote proves that pit bulls do not have temperament as bad as we think.

Some examples of a bully breed. The quotation marks around “bully” show how those breeds are not necessarily rough.

For my original research on this topic, I created a survey to gather people's opinions on pit bulls. I chose to do this because in order to change people's view on pit bulls, I should know their opinions first. The survey helped me learn the surveyee's experiences with dogs in general, more specifically pit bulls, as well as what they think of pit bulls. Some people have had positive experiences with pit bulls, and some have had less positive interactions. Many of the people who took my survey were very open-minded; some said they had heard bad things about pit bulls, but they were sure pit bulls were friendly and kind dogs. This information lets me know that some people have similar opinions on pit bulls as me, but some people also have more negative views. Generally, more people had a positive outlook on the breed. My goal is to make sure everyone has a positive outlook on pit bulls.

(Top) Some responses of what people thought about pit bulls

(Bottom) People describing a dog- seen below

The dog that I asked people to describe

My opinion on this matter has changed a little bit. Now that I know some of the behavioral statistics, I have an even greater opinion on the matter. I am interested to see what specific experiences, positive and/or negative, people have endured. I am especially curious to see what the negative experiences have been. There is nothing I have been left wondering.

The final step of the project is called an agent of change. This is where we use all of the research we have made and act upon our community problem. I am not very certain what I will do for my agent of change. I have had a few thoughts. One idea I have is that I will collect some supplies (dog toys, dog food, treats, etc.) and donate them to a dog shelter. A second idea that I have is to put up images in my school of pit bulls and caption it "Does this dog look mean to you?" When I do pursue with my agent of change, I am sure it will be great.

Check out my

annotated bibliography

too!