Dogs have always been considered "man's best friend", but there has also always been a "bad breed". Many dogs breeds have been a "bad breed" at some point in history, but for Pit Bulls, the point in history has spanned from the 20th century and they are still fighting the bad stereotype today. These bad stereotypes have been turned into laws in some places putting bans and restriction on Pit Bulls and some other breeds, collectively called "Bully Breeds". These laws are called Breed Specific Legislation. Although Breed Specific Legislation was made to protect people, it does not do much good, because Pit Bulls are not dangerous and they do not bite unprovoked. 

Although Pit Bulls are commonly seen as dangerous, they are actually quite docile. In a test done by the ATTS (American Temperament Test Society), only 115 out of the 870 Pit Bulls tested failed the temperament test. The ATTS's tests test stability, shyness, aggressiveness, and friendliness towards humans. Plus, Pit Bulls are living in homes across America and are a very popular breed. Pit Bulls are even known for their big smiles. Almost all Pit Bulls have great temperaments, and there has never been an account of any neutered, or spayed, indoor Pit Bull attacking anyone (Myers).  

Of course there are the few bad seeds among the breed, but almost no dogs bite unprovoked. Take, for example, in children dog bites account for the third for emergency admission to hospital after bicycles and baseball/softball injuries (Delise). Of course normally these bites occur because of children's natural habits, such as running, hitting, and pulling (Delise). Since children are closer to the ground they tend to get injured more easily than adults from dog bites, but because of their natural habits, they are also at a higher risk. In most dog bite cases, no one ever mentions what the person did to the dog to make it upset and make it seem unprovoked, but if you were to listen to the whole story, you would most likely find that the bite was provoked. In many cases children will taunt a dog, in others dogs are chained up, and sometimes it's as simple as someone coming into the dog's property. 

Popular belief holds that Pit Bulls cause more fateful bites than other dogs, but the NCRC (National Canine Research Council) and the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) both state that Pit Bulls are not any more dangerous that other breeds. In the study done by the ATTS, Pit Bulls had a higher passing rate than the Beagle, Border Collie, Boston Terrier, Chihuahua, Cocker Spaniel, Dalmatian, Golden Retriever, and Siberian Husky, among others. Along with not being any more dangerous than any other breed, but the laws that prohibit Pit Bulls due to dog bites have received no less bites or hospitalizations than they had before (NCRC). Along with not even helping the dog bites, Breed Specific Legislation often waste public funds (Obama) and are not always accurate (AVMA). Most people cannot identify a single Pit Bull in a group of multiple mixed breed dogs, showing that the only visual means that many Animal Control Officers use can punish dogs that are not even of the banned breed even without them doing anything. 

Even though Breed Specific Legislation was put in place to keep people safe, it is not keeping people safe from Pit Bulls because Pit Bulls are not dangerous and do not attack unprovoked. Even with the pounds of negativity dropped upon Pit Bulls every day, Pit Bulls still remain a very common household dog for advocates and lovers across the country. The ignorance of the population cannot pull this breed down.