Canada's ban on pit bulls is unfair; hopefully US doesn't follow suit

Nobody's pet should be illegal. People should always have the right to choose what they want for themselves.

The recent ban stems off the generalization that pit bulls are all vicious animals. While some may be, not all are. According to DogsBite.org, only about 9.2 percent of dogs are vicious. The stereotype victimizes sweet, innocent dogs. This ban is a death sentence for thousands of dogs, and most have only the best intentions. The law is vague, stating that dogs that even posses pit bull characteristics (such as a large head) can be put to death without proof of the breed. Pitbulls only make up 6.6 of the dog population, says DogsBite.org, but some dogs could be mistaken for them.

This ban opens up opportunities for people to be spiteful. Out of revenge, someone might make a false report of you owning a pit bull, and have it needlessly killed. Without needing proper proof of the breed, nearly any dog could fall victim.

Banning things takes away the freedom people have. Unless something is immediately threatening, there should be no reason to make it illegal. There are many breeds of dogs, and regardless of breed, they can always be vicious. I had a dog who was a lab/husky mix and he was very vicious. He put my mom in the hospital. Should we impose a ban on lab/husky mixes? Of course not, simply because we realize it is ridiculous to assume the intentions of all dogs based off the intentions of some. My mother, dog bite victim, says “vicious dogs are rare, and they don't have a set breed.”

Some may say that pit bulls, or dogs in general are dangerous. Safetyarounddogs.org says that there are more baseball injuries than dog bites annually. There are about 15 to 20 dog bite fatalities in the United States a year, and that's out of the 65 million dogs that Americans keep as pets, the site also states. Worrying about our pets attacking should be the last thing on our minds.

American citizens might be concerned by this bill for many reasons. Many might fear something similar coming to America. Some might just feel sympathetic toward Canadians, or towards the dogs who are being put to death. The bill has sparked a lot of controversy across people of all countries.

This law is based off of false and outdated stereotypes and takes away people's freedom of choice. It is unfair and victimizes innocent dogs. I hope that this law will be banned immediately before more people have to go without their beloved Pets.