Dog breed bans is a very hot debate in some countries. I am not for bans on certain breeds such as the Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Chows, etc. Why would I not support a ban? I would not support a ban for various reasons. You can not determine the good or bad in a dog just because it is born from a certain breed just as you can not determine the good or bad of a person born into a family. It is unfair to ban dogs just because of their breed.
When you think of certain breeds of dogs the first thought that comes to mind is vicious, mean, attack, etc. We as people do not like to be stereotyped because of who we are so why should we resort to stereotyping our pets. Just because a dog is a certain breed does not mean it is going to attack the next door neighbor's child or you their owner. The way a dog is cared for determines the way they act. Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and Chows are dogs known to be aggressive but has anyone stopped to consider that these dogs are often purchased or obtained for these very traits?
We want a dog to guard our home or protect us chances are slim we are going to go out and buy a Poodle. We are going for a breed we know to be aggressive and protective. Once we have these dogs we do nothing to nurture a good behavior from them it is the bad in them that we seek. We begin to teach these dogs they are owned to protect at all cost. Many think in order to teach a dog to protect something you must be mean to the animal by chaining it in a small space and not letting it move around, making it pull heavy items to build up muscle, hitting the animal, etc. Would you not be tempted to turn on someone to escape these type circumstances?
Once you have brought out the negative traits in an animal you can not expect that animal to be a loving family pet. You can not expect to be able to have this dog where a mass of people are going to be. You have turned your pet into a guard dog it is no longer a pet. You caused the dog to become the monster that it is. You the owner are to blame for the desire to ban these breeds.
The same dog that above was trained to be a guard dog could be taken in by a family seeking a pet and become just as loving as any other breed of dog. The dog would not be trained to be aggressive but instead to be loving. The family would take time to nurture and pet the dog. The dog would not be chained or held in a small space but given room to run and play. If the family had children the child would be introduced to the dog in a safe manner as soon as the dog is brought into the family's home. The dog learns the family cares for it and in return the dog loves and cares for the family. The dog will be just a protective of this child as the dog trained to protect if not more so. Why you may wonder? Because this dog loves the family who has adopted it. This dog could be a Pit Bull just as it could be a Poodle. The breed alone does not make the dog. The love, attention, care, and raising determines how the dog will act.
Let me tell you a true story of my life. Once a neighbor owned a Pit Bull dog. A point was made that I being a child was correctly introduced to this dog. On the porch with my mother and father's supervision I petted, played with, and feed this dog from my hand. She appeared to love me. She however had not been trained to love. She had been trained to fight for food with other dogs and had little human contact. This dog was mean.
One day as I came home from school I was walking home from the bus stop and this dog began to approach me. I spoke to her in the same loving tone as always but she simply lowered her head into a menacing star and emitted a low hateful growl. I had no where to go she was smack in my way of getting home and I knew she was preparing to attack and probably kill me if she could. I yelled for my mother but was too far away for my mom to hear my screams. The dog continued to make her way to me with her growl getting more intense. Thus the story of a bad Pit Bull but the story does not end here.
Chows are also on the list for a ban and on this day I credit a Chow to saving my life. The Chow was bigger and younger than the Pit and she had heard my screams. She too I had cared for, played with, and fed. She knew my voice and she could tell I was in distress. She came from around a neighbors trailer also growling with teeth barred however she was not after me. She was there to protect me! She jumped right on the Pit Bull and some how wrestled her to the ground. I took the advantage she had given me and ran home to my mom and dad to get her the help I was so very scared she was going to need. I safely reached my home and my parents ran to rescue my guardian but there was no need the fight was over and the Pit had gotten the bad end of the deal. I called to the Chow and she came running to me as I embraced her in a warm thankful hug. So now you tell me put a ban on Pit Bulls and leave Chows? What if that story was turned around and the Pit Bull had been my saving grace?
We do not need to ban certain breeds of dogs. We need to educate people who own aggressive breeds of dogs. Just as I had almost been attacked by a Pit Bull at a later point in my life when I had over come my own fear of that breed of dog I shared my birthday cake with one. Right out of my hand. He was so gentle that he took care to make sure not to hurt me in the process of getting the cake from my hand as it crumbled. This dog was not the least bit vicious. He was a big pet who loved me. If you are wondering did he too turn and try to hurt me, no he did not. He died of old age a loyal pet.
If someone almost attacked by a breed of dog would not vote to ban them why would anyone? Others would vote to ban a breed because they do not fully understand what a ban would mean. I would not vote to ban a breed because I know that just because a dog is a certain breed does not mean they are a monster. The same breed of dog that once tried to hurt you could later in life be the most trusting, loving, and guardian pet that you have ever owned. Don't ban our dogs ban our ignorant dog owners.