Campaigners have welcomed the move to outlaw the breed they argue is "a clear and present threat to public health", but concerns have been raised it may not be practical and lead to other kinds of dogs being prohibited.
One reason is that many people see these arguments against the breed as arguments against their own pet. It’s easy to see why someone would ignore the statistics when they’ve had pit bulls that were all sweeter than any other dog they’ve owned. When you start bombarding people like that with statistics and news stories it doesn’t convince them that good old Velma is actually a ticking time bomb, it convinces them that people on the internet just hate their dog for no reason. After all, while pit bulls do attack people and animals disproportionately often, Velma has lived with a chihuahua and a cat for ten years without ever so much as growling, as do the majority of pits.
Then there are comments like “garbage dogs for garbage owners,” and arguments against the breed become arguments against the owner. Do you expect someone to just not say anything when someone insults them?
One reason is that many people see these arguments against the breed as arguments against their own pet. It’s easy to see why someone would ignore the statistics when they’ve had pit bulls that were all sweeter than any other dog they’ve owned. When you start bombarding people like that with statistics and news stories it doesn’t convince them that good old Velma is actually a ticking time bomb, it convinces them that people on the internet just hate their dog for no reason. After all, while pit bulls do attack people and animals disproportionately often, Velma has lived with a chihuahua and a cat for ten years without ever so much as growling, as do the majority of pits.
Then there are comments like “garbage dogs for garbage owners,” and arguments against the breed become arguments against the owner. Do you expect someone to just not say anything when someone insults them?