The Truth About Pit Bulls
Experts say pit bulls aren't actually a breed... but a type of terrier, which includes the bull dog and other mixes. It is the dog most likely to spend and end its life at an animal shelter. Local humane societies are trying to change that, but there's a battle going on over the truth about pit bulls.
From the television to the internet, it's not hard to find evidence of pit bulls behaving badly. But it's the other side of pit bulls, the cute cuddly side, is what the dog's supporters say doesn't get enough attention. “Well I hate to have it put on the media but a lot of it has to do with the media hype,” says Rhonda Velie of the Oshkosh Humane Society. “Anytime anything happens with that dog it does tend to be big news, so there's a lot of information that goes out that not so great so you don't really get to hear about the great things about that type of dog,” Veile said.
The Lautenschlager family rescued a pit bull named Princess from the shelter and witnessed firsthand that pit bulls are treated differently than other dogs. "Definitely with our own family it's taken about a year and a half to get some people comfortable with her but she's a loving dog a wonderful breed gets along with other people and she's won over our family that's for sure,” said Steve Lautenschlager.
Both sides of the debate are turning to the internet to prove a point. Sites like “Animal farm Foundation” opposes negative stereotypes and laws targeting pit bulls, while the website “Dogs Bite,” started by a pit bull attack victim, says it's not the owner but the dog's genetic traits that make it dangerous.
Injury attorney Edward Vopel says it comes down to responsible owners preventing attacks. "It's a matter of socialization and training so if you own a pit bull or any type of dog you have a responsibility as a dog owner to train that dog to be in an environment with children or with people,” Vopel said.






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