Think of how stereotypes are viewed by society. They're offensive and wrong, right? So how is it different and acceptable to label a dog breed by what stereotypes they’ve been given? If it’s so wrong to do to a group of people, why do it to an animal? Pit bulls should not be banned from our society, especially not because of some stupid stereotype.

These dogs are often labeled as monsters when it is the doing of the heinous creature that owns the dog. According to the  American Temperament Test Society, these dogs scored very high and are considered to be friendly in nature. In fact, there are much more aggressive by nature breeds, such as german shepherds or Doberman that do not get nearly as much hate as the pit bull. Why is this? People for the ban of pit bulls will often argue the number of bite records against the pit bull. However, the records only keep track of when the bite occurred and by what breed. The key information about what generated the bite is seemingly left out. For example, a dog that was very ill went in for surgery and she was sedated. The technician noticed the dog’s mouth was bleeding, so she reached her hand into her mouth. At this moment, the dog began to seize and bit the technician. A bite report was filled out because it broke the skin, but all you will find is the year with pit bull written next to it.

Not only is outlawing pit bulls vacuous in nature but could prove to be detrimental to our society. Aside from being lovable family pets, these dogs contribute more to society than most realize. They are well versed in many different jobs that benefit people more so than they supposedly harm. For example, these dogs are known to search for lost children and dementia patients, work in nursing homes, as diabetic alert dogs, seizure watchdogs and even help children with reading disabilities by listening to them read when they’re too embarrassed to read to an adult.

Ultimately these dogs are misunderstood and stigmatized because of a few wicked people that don’t treat them properly. Aside from the obvious providing them with a loving home, pit bulls should be well socialized early so they aren’t a stranger to different people or animals. Next time you see a pit bull, I hope you think twice about typecasting them as the monsters that society has made them out to be.