Persuasive Essay: Pitbulls Should Be Banned
Ban Pit Bulls
Abstract
When the words “Pit Bull” come to the front of your mind, what is the first feeling you get? Is it hatred, fear, anger and vicious or is it kindness, loyalty, fun and gentle; whether it be for the good or for the evil, we all can agree that when the word “Pit Bull” comes up there is a feeling we all get inside. The feeling I get inside is disgust, this stems from an attack on my daughter that sent our world into a tailspin. This vicious attack could have been prevented if there was a ban on these breeds of dogs, statistics shown across the world have favored banning pit bull breeds, not only because of the aggressiveness but also because of their killer instinct that was bred into …show more content…
them. Heavier and more stringent regulations would have prevented my daughter’s attack, which changed her life.
Ban Pit Bulls Across America, owning a vicious species of dog, such as a pit bull, is becoming increasingly popular. Attacks not only on adults but also on children are increasing as well. According to Clifton (2012), pit bulls that caused bodily harm between 1982-2012 are at a documented 2235 cases, child victims make up 911 of these cases. My daughter is now a part of this statistic; our society needs to be more aware of how dangerous theses dogs can be. That is why I believe there needs to be more regulations or bans on this species of dog. The pit bull attack on my three-year-old daughter, Ashlyn, occurred August 24, 2013.
We were attending our next-door neighbors BBQ, that we had never met, and the family had just recently moved in and we were invited to a house warming party. As my daughter went to get a drink in the back yard, a pit bull, which was on a leash, jumped at her, knocking her down. The dog bit and mangled her hand before letting go. This attack has had an enormous effect on her and my family. Our daughter was taken by ambulance to Memorial Hospital where the ER doctor evaluated her. He immediately called in the hand surgeon due to the severity of the wound. The hand specialist took Ashlyn into surgery immediately to clean and to stitch up the wound. A second surgery occurred a week later. It consisted of re-opening the wound, cutting an additional one-inch down the length of her pinkie finger, locating the severed nerve and re-attaching it using a nerve …show more content…
bridge. Ashlyn currently has no feeling in her left pinkie from the nerve being severed. She has physical therapy once a week. Ashlyn refers to her injury as her witch’s finger since it is curled up. We are hoping she will regain feeling and be able to straighten it in the coming months or years. Ashlyn wakes up with nightmares nearly every night. She states that her nightmares involve “bad, mean dogs.” The constant nightmares have me questioning the future. The lack of sleep that this has had on both my wife and I, the stress of surgeries, and the emotions I’ve seen my three-year-old innocent daughter go through are heartbreaking to say the least. The effects of this dog attack on my family are more profound than I expected. The trust she once had in animals and even visiting new places is gone. Ashlyn has a deathly fear of animals now and is currently going through both physical therapy and counseling. Last week, our family went on a walk around our neighborhood, and a small dog that was being walked by his owner without a leash ran into our garage as we returned home from our walk. Ashlyn saw the dog and had a panic attack. She vomited all over, hyperventilated, and could not catch her breath. This went on for over five minutes. I would like to do anything in my power to prevent an unprovoked attack from happening to another family.
I would like to see breed bans taking effect in more cities across the U.S. Over 600 U.S. cities have adopted breed-specific laws since the mid -1980s, just after pit bulls (fighting dogs) began leaking into the general population (Vegas, Calhoun, Mader, 1988). Denver is one of those cities, in 2004, the Colorado State legislature passed a statue increasing the penalties and liability for dog attacks and prohibiting any legislation based on breed. This law effectively repealed all pit bull breed bans in Colorado. However, the city and county of Denver contested the law, claiming they were a “home rule” city and the state legislature could not dictate local ordinances such as dog breed bans. They were successful at the district court level and their pit bull breed ban was reinstated. There are appeals in process contesting this ruling, but at this time, breed ban legislation is legal in Colorado for cities that have home rule charters. Unfortunately, during the time this issue was being resolved, there were several highly publicized pit bull attacks and several other Colorado cities moved forward with pit bull legislation of their own. (“Animal Rescue of the Rockies,”
2006) You can see how this event/crime has affected my family. When Ashlyn hears dogs barking she says “Those dogs hate me, daddy” she cries at night from the nightmares of dogs attacking her, she has had to endure surgeries, antibiotics, and anesthesia; she has doctors’ appointments three times a week and asks my wife and I why that dog ate her hand and she has to wear a brace for her hand every night for bed. This has been some of the most difficult times we’ve had to experience as parents. The proper measures should be taken so that this breed of dog is kept out of our cities and neighborhoods. In the 8-year period from 2005 to 2012, two dog breeds accounted for 73% of the attacks that resulted in death, pit bulls and rottweiler’s (Vegas, Calhoun, Mader, 1988). This statistic alone should open people’s eyes about the effects of owning a dangerous breed of dog. On a daily basis, people tell me that not all pit bulls are bad. They say, “It just depends on how you raise them.” I 100% disagree with them. In fact, the owners of the pit bull that attacked my daughter have four children of their own under the age of five. I’m sure they would never intentionally put their children in danger, but the fact of the matter is that these dogs can snap at any moment and are completely unpredictable. (Baker, B. Personal Communications, August 29,2013) If anything, the fact “They aren’t all bad” is what makes the situation even more dangerous than if they were “All BAD”. It is this unpredictability, the inability to tell a dangerous from a non-dangerous pit bull that sees pit bulls as an unsuitable breed for society. If they were simply ‘all bad’, society would take strong measures to protect themselves from the breed. Nobody is arguing that all pit bulls are bad the argument is based on the fact that more than enough pit bulls regularly maim, maul and kill to result in an unacceptable actuarial risk, just like drunk driving, Just like all drunk drivers won’t cause harm or kill anybody, doesn’t mean they aren’t participating in high risk behavior. People aren’t seeking legislative protection based on the belief all pit bulls are bad, but based on the reality they carry far more risk to innocent people than non fighting breeds of dog. Just as the average person doesn’t want to take the risk of being killed by a drunk driver, the average person also doesn’t want to risk being maimed, mauled or killed by a fighting breed of dog. If they are incapable of understanding such basic self-preservation, then there is little hope for them. It must be noted that these people are either risk takers or poor assessors of risk, and quite often have no idea they are putting themselves and others in harms way. It is a battle against stupidity as much as it is dangerous breeds of dog. Do pit bulls deserve their reputation as vicious "attack" dogs? An overwhelming amount of evidence suggests they do. A five-year review of dog-bite injuries from the Children 's Hospital of Philadelphia, published in 2009 in the journal plastic and reconstructive surgery, found that almost 51 percent of the attacks were from pit bulls, almost 9 percent were from Rottweiler breeds and 6 percent were from mixes of those two breeds. (Kaye & Belz, 2009) The risk that you take by owning a pit bull are enormous, Take my story, for instance. The owners of the pit bull are scheduled to appear in court in November. The courts will decide when and if the dog will be put down and how much the owners will have to pay in criminal fines for owning a vicious dog. Then there will be another court hearing for the civil side of the incident, this includes my daughters surgeries, counseling, physical therapy, and the pain and suffering she has had to endure over the past few months and also the years to come. The lawyer who is representing us stated, “ The amount of money that she will be getting in this settlement can and will easily reach over $500,000 dollars she deserves every bit of it and we will get it” (Rossen, D. personal communications, October 2, 2013). This goes to show that some people would risk their lively-hood over owning a dangerous breed of dog. Why? Is it worth all the money to be able to say you own a “pit” is it worth it to have that dog attack an innocent three year old and loose so much money in a lawsuit that you cant live comfortably? All over owning a proven aggressive, unpredictable breed of dog. With the personal story that I have shared and the statistics I have given, it is clear to see that the Pit bull breed is dangerous. My daughter is now part of the statistics I have shared with you and we plan to settle this case and lawsuit in the months to come, so we can move on as a family. I hope that this information has opened your eyes and if you are ever asked to vote YES on a pit bull ban, like there is in Denver, you would please remember my story and what happened to my innocent three- year- old daughter and countless other people, and vote in favor of the ban.
References
Animal rescue of the Rockies, (January 15, 2006) Denver pit bull ordinance. Sec 8-55, pit Bulls prohibited. Retrieved from http://www.animalrescueoftherockies.org/info/display
Clifton, M. (December 31, 2012) Dog attack deaths and maiming, U.S & Canada, September 1982 to Decenmber31, 2012, Animal People. Retrieved from http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bitestatistics-study-dog-attacks-and-maimings-merritt- clifton.php
Kaye, A. Belz,J. (2009) pediatric dog big injuries: A 5 year review of the experience at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Journal plastic and reconstructive surgery, 124(2): 551- 558. Doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181addad9
Vegas, F., MD, Jason H. Calhoun, MD, M. Eng., John Mader, MD (November 1988). Pit Bull Attack. 2013 dog bite fatalities, Case Report and Literature Review Texas Medicine Vol. 84 Retrieved from http:/dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2012.php
Figure 1, (Dog Bite,Ashlyn, B. Taken by Curtis, B. 2013)
Figure 2, (Hosptital Bed, Ashlyn, B. Taken by Curtis, B. 2013)
Abstract
When the words “Pit Bull” come to the front of your mind, what is the first feeling you get? Is it hatred, fear, anger and vicious or is it kindness, loyalty, fun and gentle; whether it be for the good or for the evil, we all can agree that when the word “Pit Bull” comes up there is a feeling we all get inside. The feeling I get inside is disgust, this stems from an attack on my daughter that sent our world into a tailspin. This vicious attack could have been prevented if there was a ban on these breeds of dogs, statistics shown across the world have favored banning pit bull breeds, not only because of the aggressiveness but also because of their killer instinct that was bred into …show more content…
them. Heavier and more stringent regulations would have prevented my daughter’s attack, which changed her life.
Ban Pit Bulls Across America, owning a vicious species of dog, such as a pit bull, is becoming increasingly popular. Attacks not only on adults but also on children are increasing as well. According to Clifton (2012), pit bulls that caused bodily harm between 1982-2012 are at a documented 2235 cases, child victims make up 911 of these cases. My daughter is now a part of this statistic; our society needs to be more aware of how dangerous theses dogs can be. That is why I believe there needs to be more regulations or bans on this species of dog. The pit bull attack on my three-year-old daughter, Ashlyn, occurred August 24, 2013.
We were attending our next-door neighbors BBQ, that we had never met, and the family had just recently moved in and we were invited to a house warming party. As my daughter went to get a drink in the back yard, a pit bull, which was on a leash, jumped at her, knocking her down. The dog bit and mangled her hand before letting go. This attack has had an enormous effect on her and my family. Our daughter was taken by ambulance to Memorial Hospital where the ER doctor evaluated her. He immediately called in the hand surgeon due to the severity of the wound. The hand specialist took Ashlyn into surgery immediately to clean and to stitch up the wound. A second surgery occurred a week later. It consisted of re-opening the wound, cutting an additional one-inch down the length of her pinkie finger, locating the severed nerve and re-attaching it using a nerve …show more content…
bridge. Ashlyn currently has no feeling in her left pinkie from the nerve being severed. She has physical therapy once a week. Ashlyn refers to her injury as her witch’s finger since it is curled up. We are hoping she will regain feeling and be able to straighten it in the coming months or years. Ashlyn wakes up with nightmares nearly every night. She states that her nightmares involve “bad, mean dogs.” The constant nightmares have me questioning the future. The lack of sleep that this has had on both my wife and I, the stress of surgeries, and the emotions I’ve seen my three-year-old innocent daughter go through are heartbreaking to say the least. The effects of this dog attack on my family are more profound than I expected. The trust she once had in animals and even visiting new places is gone. Ashlyn has a deathly fear of animals now and is currently going through both physical therapy and counseling. Last week, our family went on a walk around our neighborhood, and a small dog that was being walked by his owner without a leash ran into our garage as we returned home from our walk. Ashlyn saw the dog and had a panic attack. She vomited all over, hyperventilated, and could not catch her breath. This went on for over five minutes. I would like to do anything in my power to prevent an unprovoked attack from happening to another family.
I would like to see breed bans taking effect in more cities across the U.S. Over 600 U.S. cities have adopted breed-specific laws since the mid -1980s, just after pit bulls (fighting dogs) began leaking into the general population (Vegas, Calhoun, Mader, 1988). Denver is one of those cities, in 2004, the Colorado State legislature passed a statue increasing the penalties and liability for dog attacks and prohibiting any legislation based on breed. This law effectively repealed all pit bull breed bans in Colorado. However, the city and county of Denver contested the law, claiming they were a “home rule” city and the state legislature could not dictate local ordinances such as dog breed bans. They were successful at the district court level and their pit bull breed ban was reinstated. There are appeals in process contesting this ruling, but at this time, breed ban legislation is legal in Colorado for cities that have home rule charters. Unfortunately, during the time this issue was being resolved, there were several highly publicized pit bull attacks and several other Colorado cities moved forward with pit bull legislation of their own. (“Animal Rescue of the Rockies,”
2006) You can see how this event/crime has affected my family. When Ashlyn hears dogs barking she says “Those dogs hate me, daddy” she cries at night from the nightmares of dogs attacking her, she has had to endure surgeries, antibiotics, and anesthesia; she has doctors’ appointments three times a week and asks my wife and I why that dog ate her hand and she has to wear a brace for her hand every night for bed. This has been some of the most difficult times we’ve had to experience as parents. The proper measures should be taken so that this breed of dog is kept out of our cities and neighborhoods. In the 8-year period from 2005 to 2012, two dog breeds accounted for 73% of the attacks that resulted in death, pit bulls and rottweiler’s (Vegas, Calhoun, Mader, 1988). This statistic alone should open people’s eyes about the effects of owning a dangerous breed of dog. On a daily basis, people tell me that not all pit bulls are bad. They say, “It just depends on how you raise them.” I 100% disagree with them. In fact, the owners of the pit bull that attacked my daughter have four children of their own under the age of five. I’m sure they would never intentionally put their children in danger, but the fact of the matter is that these dogs can snap at any moment and are completely unpredictable. (Baker, B. Personal Communications, August 29,2013) If anything, the fact “They aren’t all bad” is what makes the situation even more dangerous than if they were “All BAD”. It is this unpredictability, the inability to tell a dangerous from a non-dangerous pit bull that sees pit bulls as an unsuitable breed for society. If they were simply ‘all bad’, society would take strong measures to protect themselves from the breed. Nobody is arguing that all pit bulls are bad the argument is based on the fact that more than enough pit bulls regularly maim, maul and kill to result in an unacceptable actuarial risk, just like drunk driving, Just like all drunk drivers won’t cause harm or kill anybody, doesn’t mean they aren’t participating in high risk behavior. People aren’t seeking legislative protection based on the belief all pit bulls are bad, but based on the reality they carry far more risk to innocent people than non fighting breeds of dog. Just as the average person doesn’t want to take the risk of being killed by a drunk driver, the average person also doesn’t want to risk being maimed, mauled or killed by a fighting breed of dog. If they are incapable of understanding such basic self-preservation, then there is little hope for them. It must be noted that these people are either risk takers or poor assessors of risk, and quite often have no idea they are putting themselves and others in harms way. It is a battle against stupidity as much as it is dangerous breeds of dog. Do pit bulls deserve their reputation as vicious "attack" dogs? An overwhelming amount of evidence suggests they do. A five-year review of dog-bite injuries from the Children 's Hospital of Philadelphia, published in 2009 in the journal plastic and reconstructive surgery, found that almost 51 percent of the attacks were from pit bulls, almost 9 percent were from Rottweiler breeds and 6 percent were from mixes of those two breeds. (Kaye & Belz, 2009) The risk that you take by owning a pit bull are enormous, Take my story, for instance. The owners of the pit bull are scheduled to appear in court in November. The courts will decide when and if the dog will be put down and how much the owners will have to pay in criminal fines for owning a vicious dog. Then there will be another court hearing for the civil side of the incident, this includes my daughters surgeries, counseling, physical therapy, and the pain and suffering she has had to endure over the past few months and also the years to come. The lawyer who is representing us stated, “ The amount of money that she will be getting in this settlement can and will easily reach over $500,000 dollars she deserves every bit of it and we will get it” (Rossen, D. personal communications, October 2, 2013). This goes to show that some people would risk their lively-hood over owning a dangerous breed of dog. Why? Is it worth all the money to be able to say you own a “pit” is it worth it to have that dog attack an innocent three year old and loose so much money in a lawsuit that you cant live comfortably? All over owning a proven aggressive, unpredictable breed of dog. With the personal story that I have shared and the statistics I have given, it is clear to see that the Pit bull breed is dangerous. My daughter is now part of the statistics I have shared with you and we plan to settle this case and lawsuit in the months to come, so we can move on as a family. I hope that this information has opened your eyes and if you are ever asked to vote YES on a pit bull ban, like there is in Denver, you would please remember my story and what happened to my innocent three- year- old daughter and countless other people, and vote in favor of the ban.
References
Animal rescue of the Rockies, (January 15, 2006) Denver pit bull ordinance. Sec 8-55, pit Bulls prohibited. Retrieved from http://www.animalrescueoftherockies.org/info/display
Clifton, M. (December 31, 2012) Dog attack deaths and maiming, U.S & Canada, September 1982 to Decenmber31, 2012, Animal People. Retrieved from http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bitestatistics-study-dog-attacks-and-maimings-merritt- clifton.php
Kaye, A. Belz,J. (2009) pediatric dog big injuries: A 5 year review of the experience at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Journal plastic and reconstructive surgery, 124(2): 551- 558. Doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181addad9
Vegas, F., MD, Jason H. Calhoun, MD, M. Eng., John Mader, MD (November 1988). Pit Bull Attack. 2013 dog bite fatalities, Case Report and Literature Review Texas Medicine Vol. 84 Retrieved from http:/dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2012.php
Figure 1, (Dog Bite,Ashlyn, B. Taken by Curtis, B. 2013)
Figure 2, (Hosptital Bed, Ashlyn, B. Taken by Curtis, B. 2013)