Peace for Pit Bulls by Bronte

Peace for Pit Bulls by Bronte - July 2017 Scholarship Essay

This summer I became a volunteer at my local Humane Society, a no-kill shelter. As I came to spend more time there, I noticed that a great number of the dogs are Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes. Directly across the street is the over-crowded Animal Services center. I have witnessed the horror story of the conditions there and I can only imagine the high number of Pit Bulls that enter the facilities of Animal Services and never get the opportunity to leave.

After getting to know several Pit Bulls that have made their residence at the Humane Society for over a year, and constantly walking through the kennel after kennel of Pit Bulls, I decided to do some research. In my hometown, there is immense Pit Bull overpopulation due to the popularity of the breed in the region. Along with people relinquishing or dumping their Pit Bulls after finding they don’t really want one, breeders in the area add heavily to the surplus of stray, fighting and sheltered Pit Bulls.

Due to several incidents that occurred in the region as well as nationally, people tend to give Pit Bulls a bad rap. Because of the lack of Pit Bull education in the region, carelessness, neglect and ignorance have led to several Pit Bull attacks. One such incident was a Pit Bull attack on an eleven month old baby which caused quite a stir and increase negative views on the breed. There was even a proposal to ban Pit Bulls all together.

More than one Pit Bull per day was euthanized in my hometown in 2013. Four years later, that number is still increasing. Through my work with Pit Bulls, I realized that they are just like any other dog. Each has its own personality; not all are mal tempered. Many attacks are caused simply by taunting and targeting Pit Bulls. It would benefit the community greatly if several Public Service Announcements were released on Pit Bull awareness. People should be instructed on the care necessary to house a bigger dog, educated on spaying/neutering and dog breeding, and taught to recognize and be wary of the signs of an aggressive dog. No one can stop a person from adopting or breeding Pit Bulls inappropriately, or euthanizing a Pit Bull, but planting the word in everyone’s head can certainly grow a more positive environment.