There is talk now by the Aurora City Council surrounding the possible repeal of the pit bull ban that was put into place in 2006. While no formal legislation has gone before the council, I wholeheartedly support repealing this ban, and any other ban on dogs. The focus should be the owners, not the dogs.

I do not own a pit bull, but I have an Olde English Bulldog which is a breed that is often considered similar to the pit bull in the “danger” it poses to society. I will also be the first to tell you that my dog can be intimidating. She weighs over 80 pounds (the majority of it muscle), has a nice looking set of teeth and a very loud bark and deep growl. But that is the point.

When my family was looking for a dog, we wanted something that was loving but that would also serve as a guard dog. And my dog is certainly both. She has made my family feel more secure, but has also been an irreplaceable member of our family.

To give an example, whenever someone comes to our door, my dog will bark and look pretty aggressive. But the moment she recognizes the person or when my parents or I say that it is okay, she becomes the nicest dog. All she really wants is her belly rubbed anyway.

Using my personal anecdote, I extend this to all other dog breeds. Dogs are very loyal creatures; they want to protect their pack. As long as you do not pose a threat to the pack or the dog itself, there is not a single thing to fear. The claims against pit bulls (and other “aggressive” breeds) are just over-hyped.

Furthermore, any dog breed can bite. Pit bulls are not the only dogs with teeth. Granted, pit bulls have more power in their bite, it does not mean that they are any more likely to actually bite someone. So limiting people from owning pit bulls is pure discrimination.

However, I do recognize that lifting this ban will cause the number of pit bull bites to increase (makes sense, since there will be more pit bulls around). That’s why I recommend that instead of spending money on enforcing a discriminatory pit bull ban, we should be using that money to focus on education for owners. A major reason why dogs become aggressive is because of poor ownership. We should be cracking down harder on dog abusers and neglecters.

Also, the American Humane Society reports that “approximately 92 percent of fatal dog attacks involved male dogs, 94 percent of which were not neutered.” We should encourage people to go get their dogs spayed and neutered to not only help out with overpopulation, but to reduce the chances of a bite occurring. There are more options available to us than simply banning the dog.

I would fully support any legislation to repeal this ban. The stigma around pit bulls, bulldogs and other dog breeds are, for the most part, unjustified. Pit bulls can be just as loving as any other dog breed. It just takes the right upbringing.