by Melanie Winters

Created on: May 30, 2007

Should we ban certain "breeds" of humans? This question is tantamount to the question of should we ban certain dog breeds. The answer to this question is a resounding no. Dogs in general are not born mean, vicious or nasty. Puppies, much like a baby, learn from their environment.

Let us look at a dog with a very nasty reputation, the pit bull. There are many different breeds that fall into this category, and all tend to be lumped into one descriptive word, vicious.

This simply is not true. We have categorized an entire breed of animal much like we used to classify people. To say this is unjust is an understatement. These animals are very capable of being the sweet, loving animal you have always dreamed of having, capable of protecting their people, just as any other breed of dog is capable of doing so. They learn from their humans, just as a baby learns from his parents. If you treat an animal well, teach them to love and be loved, they will reciprocate. If you treat an animal poorly, abuse them and teach them to hate, they will follow in your footsteps, just as your child will.

Insurance companies have helped to perpetuate this myth, along with the major media outlets. In reality, all should be calling for stricter enforcement of animal rights, pet owners should be held accountable for their pets actions, and the innocent bystander should take a stand. If you see an animal that is being mistreated, report it to the proper authorities, just as you would a child who is being mistreated.

If you do not take a stand, you will continue to answer silly questions such as this and really have no say in what happens anyway. It falls on your shoulders as a responsible citizen and human being to create a world that you want to live in.

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