AP-Petside Poll: Keeping Breedism at Bay

According to a recent AP-Petside.com poll, all breeds of dogs are not considered equally. Some people go as far as to say that certain breeds should be banned entirely. You walk into your local animal shelter looking to adopt a cute, friendly pup. The decision is between a poodle and a pit bull: Which would you choose?

According to a recent AP-Petside.com poll, all breeds of dogs are not considered equally. Some people go as far as to say that certain breeds should be banned entirely.

Fortunately, however, when asked, 60% of people said that all breeds should be allowed in residential communities.

At 38%, however, there is still a considerable minority who think some breeds should be banned.

Wondering which breed was most often chosen to be banned by those who think it's an acceptable practice? You guessed it- the pit bull, with a whopping 85%. Rottweilers were a long way away with 23%, followed by Dobermans at 8% and German Shepherds with 4%.

Fifty-three of pet owners say that they are a safe breed for residential neighborhoods, while 43% believe they are too dangerous.

However, younger people are coming around to pitties. The poll showed that 76% of people under 30 say pit bulls are safe, but only 37% of seniors did. While 64% of urbanite pet owners are more likely to believe pit bulls are safe, suburbanites were at 52%, and those in rural areas at 49%.

Although all the recent attention pit bulls have gotten is setting them up for future acceptance, any breed that has been previously recognized as dangerous has a lot to overcome. In fact, 28% of people polled believe that some dog breeds are truly dangerous, regardless of how they are trained or cared for.

However, at 71%, the majority choose not to judge the dog by its breed and say that all are safe as long as they are correctly trained.

The poll shows that 7% of people believe that any type of dog used for violence or fighting should be banned while 2% want to outlaw any large dog. As a society, are we judging dogs based on breed rather than individual temperament? Are we breedist?

Do you think any breed can result in an obedient dog with the right training and care? Or do you think whole breeds can be grouped together? Let us know in a comment.