Persuasive essay outline/script:

Dogs are often considered as "man's best friend," a loyal companion through history that some
may even consider as the Paleolithic teachers of morality. Stemming from the Canis lupus
thousands of years ago, dogs have been our closest animal companion earlier than other
creatures. They've been bred into various looks and sizes and there's a personality for just about
any member in a household; In fact, approximately 44% of American households have a dog.
Dogs rank as number 1 in most popular pets /Despite/

What's the fault: fear of out of control dogs that will bite children, other dogs, or their owners.
Many people who do not own dogs or are not often around dogs cite dogs as a little unlikely
----//(YouTube search where top 10 aggressive dogs tend to repeatedly show pit bulls and
German shepherds)- Why do certain dog breeds get wrapped up in these controversies more than
others, namely dogs like Pit bulls and Rottweilers. / These dogs are usually mislabeled and the
biology of a dog's tolerance comes down to more than just their looks and statistics. (Most dogs
can be well behaved, no matter the breed, and a responsible guiding hand can do that.)

[Body introduction:] Studies suggest dogs (and modern gray wolves, by shared genetics) have
been evolved from ancestral wolves called the Taimyr, as far back as 30,000 to 130,000 years
ago. The earliest accounts of man and wolf relations and wolf domestications are actually still
not fully known, but domestication of wolves could have happened around 15,000 years ago,
where human hunters likely crossed paths with wolves. Relationships blossomed as wolves
proved valuable as mobile trashcans and exterminators. Likely, hunters found advantages in
keeping an animal that is easily alert and willing to bend for scraps. --Early breeding would have
been applied for safer and friendlier wolves, and basically animal companions with desirable
traits that could benefit the hunting conditions. From this time period came the basic, first level
dogs: Sight Hounds, given impeccable vision and long legs for tracking and keeping up with
quarry; Scent Hounds, with large nostrils and built-in endurance to stay on the track of quarry; A
combination of Sight and Scent Hounds, Hound Dogs, having good sight and smell and the
added strong speed and stamina. Soon, there were Working Dogs, big and strong dogs meant to
perform tasks like herding, hauling, rescuing, and guarding; and with evolved sophistication,
there are Sporting Dogs that can point out quarry and retrieve them, due to their ridged muzzles
and bodies and/or water-repellent coats. ///Breeding in variations of coats or size, almost
unrecognizable from wolves, didn't start happening until as early as the 19th century. Breeders
experimented with all kinds of dogs to achieve anything ranging from a smaller, friendlier dog,
to a powerful, instinctual dog. The interbreeding has created 400 officially recognized different
dog breeds | In a way, there are 5 to 6 dog breeds with the hunters and herders Hounds, just 400
different looking kinds of them. Indeed, a dog may on average come with an energetic or laid-
back personality as advertised by breed, but dogs are as individual as humans are, and their
personality can depend on their socializing and training in their puppy years. [perhaps at this
point, zero in on the Dogtime article, 'A brief history of breeding," on the lines pulled from the
article.] [Colin Groves of the Australian National University...our species is partly
due to help from dogs: "The human-dog relationship amounts to a very long lasting symbiosis.
Dogs acted as human's alarm systems, trackers, and hunting aides, garbage disposal facilities,
hot water bottles, and children's guardians and playmates. Humans provided dogs with food
and security. The relationship was stable over 100,000 years or so, and intensified in the
Holocene into mutual domestication. Humans domesticated dogs and dogs domesticated
humans."] (**Refer to this article**)

The relationship today between dogs and humans is considered [by John Archer of University of
Central Lancashire] 40% like family to most dog owners. Dogs and Humans are quite attune to
their emotions and are similar in their desire to bond with other members of their species. | If
owning a dog in an American household is as casual as a piano, why then are people weary of
potential dog attacks? -Around 350,000 people a year become victim to dog bites, and in most
cases, the dogs causing the most drama appear to be the same breeds over and over again:
[showing 35 dog breeds that have attacked... Top 5 dogs report] Pit Bulls (generalized),
Rottweiler, and Siberian Huskies (although those could be interchangeable with Dobermans,
German Shepherds, and Great Danes, Presa Canarios, it varies.)-Pit bulls being the number 1
case with over 3,000 attacks in one decade. [show dogbitelaw statistics] Editor of Animal People,
Merritt Clifton, has also done research and found these top ranked dogs are responsible for 74%
of attacks on humans and 65% of deaths/68% of maimings in the past couple of decades. | News
headlines have also often cited the Pit bull as the problematic dogs likely to have been the one to
stir controversy in dog attack incidences [*refer to 'In Dog Attacks is the Problem Bad Dogs or
Bad Owners?'] --Despite years of study and what your neighbors will lead you to believe, 'deadly
dogs' are not limited to these infamous breeds, and in almost all cases, humans are to blame for
dog attacks and dogs getting a bad rap. Just about the
19th century, where newspapers became more popular, a new dog breed after another has been
labeled as a 'dangerous dog.' Bloodhounds, which were used to chase down runaway slaves and
criminals, were depicted as bloodthirsty killing machines. The blame was soon removed off them
as they were realized to be as ordinary as any other dog similar to it. The Northern Malamutes
and Huskies were the new targeted breed, as they resembled wolves closer than any other dog
breed. Because these dogs were free to roam in Northern Canada, human run-ins led to fatal
incidences, and families lived in fear being outside their homes, alone. The attention on Huskies
was soon glazed over by a new demon dog, the German Shepherd, used in World War I.
However, these dogs were seen as loyal soldiers by their partners' sides, and were eventually
integrated into the police force as protective buddy-cops. For WWII, Dobermans and Rottweilers
were in action, and the breeds soon became everyday guard dogs prime to attack given their
strong territorial behavior. -- [but] The most interesting development of love-turned-to-hatred-in-
a-minute is the view on Pit bulls. In the early 1900s, they were known as the all-purpose family
dog, and featured in film/TV series like "Little Rascals." Around the 1950s (and more so every
decade), underground dog fighting conducted by inner-city gangs selected pit bulls as their
fighter. As opposed to bigger dogs like German Shepherds or Mastiffs, Pit bulls were easier to
hold back when the fights got out of hand, and Pit bulls at that time, had been bred to least likely
bite its handler. As these fights continued, Pit bulls received a reputation of being a vicious guard
dog, bolstering the image of their drug dealing masters. Because of the environment and kind of
owners they lived under, Pit bulls began a new transformation in breeding, with having their ears
clipped and being neglected and sometimes abused. They were not socialized or trained dogs,
and many criminals being the kind of people who collected these dogs, became the breeders,
creating an altered version of the beloved early 1900s dog. A discrimination
against certain dog breeds has also imprinted an uninformed opinion on Pit bulls and other
victimized dogs, as some have been banned across the country, and faced with instant death no
matter its history or the owners' pleas.

Many jump to the conclusion that the dog's breed is to blame, as a bigger, meaner looking Pit
bull appears more worrisome and dangerous than a cute little Pomeranian. [show survey statistics
of 'bad dogs or bad people,']. Yes, not every dog ever born is innocent and only ever made bad by
human warping; Puppies, like humans growing up, come with all kinds of personalities and
temperaments. Sometimes a mix of bad tempered dogs can create even more bad mood dogs.
Some cases, the dogs sex, mainly male, can be 6.2 times more likely to fatally bite- a male dog's
restless behavior in attacking can be further proved if they are not neutered, being 2.6 times more
likely. Some dogs like the infamously pin pointed Pit bull may be susceptible to aggression, but a
high-risk dog comes from a high-risk owner. A finding conducted by Jaclyn Barnes and a
research team found that high-risk dog owners had nearly 10 times more criminal actions than
any other kind of dog owner, being [for example] 2.4 times more susceptible to domestic
violence and 5.4 times more to alcohol. An additional study by psychologist Laurie Ragatz from
West Virginia University said high-risk dog owners were typically risk takers in everyday life,
and usually more careless and had strong manipulative, and self-defeating tendencies.
Aggressive nature in dogs is usually injected by mistreatment and misunderstanding with
disciplining puppies. Punishing a dog with physical force, choke chains or shock collars, will
increase its aggression. A poor bond with a dog also led to riskier behaviors, and irresponsible
owners usually neglected their dogs of necessities.

Not every high-risk dog is owned by terrible owners, and not every so-called high-risk dog is
likely to attack at any moment. Likewise, not every sweet, travel-sized dog is going to be safe.
As far as temperament goes, smaller dogs like Chihuahua and Shih Tzu have bigger tempers than
bigger 'killer' dogs (Dachshunds ranking number 1 on most angry). A positive fix to shaping a
happier and more loving dog is early puppy socialization lessons. Establishing appropriate
behaviors and understanding your dog as it is understanding you suggests an association of 1.6
times reduced risk of aggression to unfamiliar surroundings.

It's reasonable why many may fear being attacked by a dog, as countless stories of being ripped
to shreds by dogs surface in the mind, and concerns over children and the greater good being
bitten by dogs. But as dogs have been a creation of man, the responsibility and careful
maintenance of dogs is all on us, whether it is our pet or a frequent bystander of a pet. When a
problem arises, research should be consoled to be better informed in fixing a solution. If any dog
goes vicious, the people should research the situation to learn how to properly fixing, to spare
'out of control' dog attacks and to spare the lives of 'out of control breeds.'
 Works Cited

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