Politicians also hold blame for poor living conditions by their efforts to ban bully breeds instead of targeting the socio-economic factors that attract dog fighting and poor pet ownership. Namely, we should be addressing high unemployment and underemployment, gang violence, drug distribution, and poor pet ownership laws that allow for inner city gangs to fight fogs on the street and motivate people who can neither train nor properly care for dogs to own them until they escape.

A Family Pet
Who'd have thought I'd feel the pride found in a simple pet.
the pride felt in a dog that so many would fear,
or choose to fear, because she's a fighter.

she is a fighter,
but not because she's been bred to fight in the ring,
she's been bred to be a good fighter.

Unscrupulous men would use her
to fight the bear, chained to the ground,
to fight the captive bull, held in the ring,
to fight the dog, held by human hands in the pit;

but to settlers she was America's dog, a guardian
who'd fight the bear on the wagon trail,
and the wolf on the ranch;
who'd fight for the cattle and the children;
who'd fight for her family;

but she'll never fight a bear, bull or dog,
and will never fight a wolf.
she'll spend her life fighting your perceptions;
heuristics of a muscle clad, tenacious and ruthless gladiator;
because she's a family pet.