“Oh my God, it’s a wiener dog walking down the street without a leash! Somebody shoot it! It’s going to eat our children!”

Sound a bit ridiculous doesn’t it?

Well, just switch wiener dog to pit bull, and for many that statement would make sense.

Pit bulls have received a bad rap from the media and public at large, and it’s disappointing.

Yes, pit bulls are strong animals that can do extreme damage to human beings, especially children, if provoked. But so can many other breeds.

German shepherds, boxers, heck, even a golden retriever could do some serious damage to a child if put in the right situation, but there have been few calls for bans to those types of animals.

Pit bulls were selectively bred for their strength and athleticism to help aide in the driving of livestock and wrangling wild animals, so should these animals be blamed for their physical prowess and stout, rather ominous appearance? We did breed it into them.

I believe Pavlov said it best when he proved that animal behavior could be manipulated by an outside stimulus in his famous classical conditioning experiments when he measured saliva in his dogs. This experiment can account for the temperament of many pit bulls that have attacked people.

Some pit bulls today are bred as fighting dogs, and are positively or negatively reinforced for their fighting ability. Therefore, it would only be logical to assume that these animals, if put into a confrontational situation outside of the fighting ring, would respond with violence.

Any breed of dog, even the vicious wiener dog, could react in the same way if they were conditioned in a way similar to a fighting pit bull.

Moreover, pit bulls have not been bred to be cooped up in a home, apartment, or city-sized yard all the time. They were meant to be working dogs that roam large expanses of territory.

These animals, if contained in small areas, should be exercised regularly to burn off all of the extra energy they have. Take them for a long walk. Play some fetch. Just don’t keep them cooped up all day.

The reason these animals are often accused of behaving poorly is not because of some phony predisposition to violence. It is because of lackluster ownership and training.

Many breeds of working dog are naturally aggressive when compared to other animals that are bred to be house dogs, and if an owner wishes that these more aggressive breeds become family pets, and not just workers, they have to train them to behave in that role.

Governments should stop making legislation that keeps breeds such as pit bulls out of their jurisdiction, because these animals, if raised properly can be wonderful family friends.

If governments feel they need to curb dog violence, they should ban individuals from owning animals if they are ever found abusing or fighting animals.

Throw owners in jail, or fine them heavily, if they are found in possession of an aggressive breed that is unlicensed.

Or, force potential pit bull owners to take a training class on how to raise these breeds of animal, sort of like how individuals who want to carry a concealed weapon have to take CCW classes.

And, those who own an aggressive breed such as pit bulls should keep these animals on leashes when off their property, and keep them behind a fence when on their property.

Remember, aggressive dogs are a lot like guns — dogs don’t kill people; bad owners do.