The Tragedy Of America's Dog Summary

Breed selection legislation (BSL) is the regulation or banning of specific breeds of dogs in attempt to reduce canine attacks, and has become one of the biggest matters of disagreement regarding animal ownership. In Flanagin’s article “The Tragedy of America’s Dog: A brief history of the vilification of the pit bull,” the author successfully argues that the pit bull, one of the main breeds discriminated against by BSL, is unrightfully blamed for an uninformed and irresponsible people. Flanagin attempts to reach the reader by using the breed’s shifting reputation, as well as the misleading facts, to show how society has been deceived into believing that the dog is to blame.

Flanagin writes for the Pacific Standard, a magazine that focuses on

In the next section of the article, he seeks to reinforce his case by claiming that the outlawing of pit bulls is not a fair solution, for it wrongfully pins blame on the dogs and avoids the true root of the issue. Instead, he clearly claims that it is people and their lack of responsibility to be blamed for the modern day pit bull reputation. He presents the fact that pit bulls are especially popular in low income areas, leading to “a large number of un-spayed and un-neutered pit bulls living in an extremely close proximity to one another” (Flanagin). This cycle has led to pit bulls making up the majority of unclaimed dogs, composing “90 percent of the homeless dog population” (Flanagin). He continues to support this claim redirecting the thought that pit bulls are aggressive to statistics showing that it is un-neutered and unclaimed pit bulls that are responsible for most of the dog bites. He quotes the American Humane Association as he provides the statistic that “94 percent reported pit bull attacks involve an un-neutered male canine” and sensibly claims that it is the “high testosterone levels in mammals that produce heightened aggression” (Flanagin). Flanagin, alongside The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the CDC, argues that the answer does not lie in banning, but instead in “[regulating] individual dogs and owners on the basis of behavior” by spaying and neutering these breeds (Flanagin). By refuting the idea that BSL is an effective solution, and then providing an alternative approach, Flanagin proposes a logical and convincing argument that any reader should be willing to