Chritz 1

Amanda Chritz
Mr. Willett
English 9B
7 June 2013
Dog Fighting Breeds Fight for Freedom
For over 31,700 years, dogs have accompanied humans on many adventures as domestic
pets (Viegas). Even with positive histories, some dog breeds are being banned from cities. It is
estimated that over 600 U.S. cities have created breed-specific laws in 38 U.S. states (Breed).
Many experts and organizations are fighting against these laws, saying that banning dogs should
be based on the specific dogs, not the breed. The entire foundation of their opposing argument
includes the incomplete and therefore inaccurate breed specific dog bite statistics that are used to
make these laws.
There are laws in place that regulate Vicious dogs, but do not ban them altogether.
These dogs are defined, under part b in the California Provisions as Any dog which, when
unprovoked, in an aggressive manner, inflicts severe injury on or kills a human being
(California). Any dog can be considered vicious if they fit the criteria. Some dog breeds, like Pit
Bull breeds and Rottweilers are known to have these reputations as vicious.
In a 2012 study, 61%, or twenty three deaths of the thirty eight fatal dog attacks in the
United States were Pit Bull Terriers. Along with the Rottweilers that were responsible for 8%, or
three of those deaths, these specific dogs are representing their breeds badly (2012). Genetically,
larger and more powerful dog breeds can produce more physical, and fatal, damage on a human.
However, in a California case in October 2000, a six-week-old-baby girl was killed by the
families pet Pomeranian, a breed that would cause little to no damage on an adult (Salzberg).

Chritz 2
This confirms that it is not the breed of dog that makes it dangerous, but the individual dog
itself.
Dog bite statistics only record official reports of bites, and do not count the ones that do
not seek medical attention or police charges. A survey by the CDC concludes that nearly 2
percent of U.S. residents, or almost five million people a year, will be dog bite victims, 60% of
them children. Countless more bites, especially from small dogs, go unreported (Salzberg).
In this way, the data itself is inaccurate. Statistics can only be made with reported attacks,
but the reported attacks are mainly from larger dog breeds. This creates a very large difference in
attacks for certain breeds. It is this big difference in numbers of that breed specific laws are being
passed, all because of incomplete dog bite statistics.
Pit Bulls have been incredibly popular for years since their notorious history as being
used in dog fighting. This popularity would explain why the numbers of attacks for Pit Bull types
would be so much higher than others. A controlled study quotes, it seems that increased
popularity is sometimes followed by increases in bite reports in some large breeds (Dog Risk).
An example was with the distinct peak in American Kennel club registration of Rottweilers.
Following this, between 1990 and 1995, Rottweilers were at the top of the list of biting breeds,
for the first time (Dog Risk).
The experts that are fighting breed specific laws would claim that dog bite statistics are
not really statistics, and they do not give an accurate picture of dogs that bite (Golab). Another
statement along these lines is from the Center for Disease Control, and they quote, there is
currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently
no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill (Dog Facts).

Chritz 3
Unlike drunk driving and other accident statistics, there are not many regulated
organizations that gather dog bite statistics, or shares them with the public (Dog Statistics). In
1998, the Center for Disease Control stopped tracking dog bite attacks for specific breeds (Dog
Facts). Referring to the previous data available for specific breeds, the CDC quotes these
relatively few fatalities offer the only available information about breeds involved in dog bites
(Dog Bite).
The misrepresentation of specific dog breeds has now, more recently, affected humans as
well as canines. Some insurance companies have denied insurance to owners of certain dogs,
based on breed. In February 2013, Farmers Insurance declared that they would no longer provide
liability coverage for dog bites of three breed groups; Pit Bull breeds, Rottweilers, and Wolf
Hybrids (Doan). This change is widespread throughout the United States and is based on the
incomplete dog bite statistics that was used to make breed specific laws.
Any dog will act in the way their owners train them to act. If a dog is encouraged to be
aggressive, they will. This even includes the Chihuahua, who only weighs six pounds at maturity.
Banning only certain breeds however, is by most definitions, very similar to discrimination.

Works Cited

Chritz 4
"Breed-Specific Laws." Breed-Specific Laws. Lynn Media Group, 9 June 2013. Web. 09 June
2013.
"California Dangerous Dog Provisions." California Dangerous Dog Provisions. Michigan State
University

College of Law, 2013. Web. 09 June 2013.

"CDC - Dog Bite: Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease
Control and

Prevention, 01 Apr. 2008. Web. 09 June 2013.

Doan, Claire. "Farmers Insurance." Farmers Insurance No Longer Covering Dog Bites for
Certain Breeds. KCRA.com, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 09 June 2013.
"Dog Bite: Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 01 Apr. 2008. Web. 06 June 2013.
"Dog Bite Risk and Prevention: The Role of Breed." Dog Bite Risk and Prevention: The Role of
Breed. American Veterinary Medical Association, 17 Apr. 2012. Web. 09 June 2013.
"Dog Bite Statistics." Edgarsnyder.com. Edgar Snyder & Associates, 2012. Web. 09 June 2013.
Golab, Gail C. A Community Approach to Dog Bite Prevention (abstract)." A
Community Approach to

Dog Bite Prevention (abstract). Avma.org, June 2001. Web.

06 June 2013.
Salzberg, Kathy. "Small Dogs." Biting - Small Dogs. About.com, n.d. Web. 09 June 2013.
Viegas, Jennifer. "World's First Dog Lived 31,700 Years Ago, Ate Big." Msnbc.com. Discovery
News, 10

Oct. 2008. Web. 06 June 2013.

"2012 Dog Bite Fatalities." 2012 U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities. Lynn Media Group, n.d. Web. 09 June
2013.