Bad Reputations For Pit Bulls

Given Pro’s above paragraph I assume the resolution is something along the lines of “Do Pit Bulls Deserve their Bad Reputation?” For this Round I will give a summary of my opponents argument so far with brief rebuttals as to why, yes, they deserve such negative reputation. Con’s Points (Citation Needed): 1. “Pit Bulls only kill if that is what they are taught to do.” 2. “ .. there have been very sad events of people dying from the Pit Bull breed, but with that being said, have you even taken one minute to try and figure out WHY the dog did what they did?” 3. “I dare you to look up pictures of bait dogs.” 4. “All I ask is to stop assuming that it is always the Pit Bulls fault, because I can almost 100% guarantee you that it isn't their fault.” Rebuttals: 1. Pit Bulls only kill if they are trained to kill; not only is this just not true it ignores the original purpose that the Pit Bull was bred for, for violence and to kill. They were selectively bred to be easier to train (easier to trigger) for violence and that training is ingrained in their DNA: “Pit Bulls don’t always growl or display aggressive body language before attacking. They are also more likely than other breeds to attack a dog that has rolled over in submission. In other words, a lot of canine behaviors that are intended to avoid deadly conflicts between members of the species have been bred out of [Pit Bulls].” Fact # 31 [1] Furthermore: “According to a study highlighted by the website Dogsbite, 59% of dogs that bite humans are pit bulls or pit bull mixes. Even more disturbing still, is the fact that pit bull breeds attack adults and children in equal numbers, a phenomenon never observed among other breeds.” [2] Anecdotal Evidence: I work at a pet food store, I’ve heard 2 stories from people I know about how a Pit Bull in their care was inexplicably violent: The first comes from a co-worker, a nice guy, certainly not one who’d train a violent dog. However his pit bull was put down because it had attacked a little girl who wanted to pet it and stepped into the yard. (I’ll address ‘the reasoning’ next point). The second was even more shocking, a professional dog trainer that works at the store was looking after a pit bull for a client she had been taking care of it for about 7 months. One day the trainer takes one of her other dogs for a walk, when she gets back she finds the pit bull had killed a 3rd dog in her care. In neither of these cases can one blame the violent behavior on training. And there are many stories like the ones I’ve heard: “Pit bulls have been known to attack children, the elderly, their owners – anyone that happens to be in their path. If the dog feels provoked or startled, it has been known to bite. Many owners swear that their pet would never attack them; however, this breed has led to more human fatalities than any other. … The sheer volume of Pit Bull attacks have prompted many insurers to deny coverage associated with homeowners insurance.” [5] 2. In regards to the dogs reasoning, why does this animal with a bred tendency for violence react violently? Surely, as my opponent begs, there must be a good reason, a justification that allows us to turn a blind eye to this violent trend. I find this point amusing as it is an attempt at dog psychology, sure we may have basic inferences as to why dogs do what they do but to suggest we can know what triggers a dog to act violently is absurd. Not only that but it seems more of an excuse to absolve the dog of responsibility and blame the victim of their attacks for not ‘knowing’ the signs, even when as noted above pit bulls don’t always show signs of aggression before attacking. Asking us to consider the reasoning behind the violence does not excuse the violence - nor the breed prone to it. 3. Bait Dogs: I did look at the bait dogs. Very tragic. All the more reason why the breed should be discouraged from being bred, it’s already outlawed in dozens of other countries and US cities [3]. My counter argument to this is simple, pit bulls are the most popular dog for dog fights and baiting, to make the breed harder to obtain we logically will see a reduction in the violence associated with this breed (and see a great reduction from dog attacks in general). This dog has a reputation of violence for a reason, again, it is literally what it is bred for. It has been the history of this breed, violence, and I extend that this violent history is ingrained in the breed. There’s already evidence in humans traumatic events affect DNA and respective off spring [4], the same may apply to generation after generation of breeding pit bulls for violence. 4. Can my opponent really guarantee 100% all pit bull attacks are not the fault of the dog? As with point 2 she seems to prefer assuming victims of pit bull attacks are to blame rather than the dog itself. Sources: [1] http://terriblyterrier.com... [2] http://www.hg.org... [3] http://www.browardpalmbeach.com... [4] https://www.theguardian.com... [5] http://www.dognotebook.com...