The Pit Bull Myth is Just a Myth

If I were to hate an entire breed of dog based on one, I would hate miniature poodles. When I was a child and rode the bus home from school, there was a group of 23 children who got off at the same stop as I. Everyone who got off the bus at this stop (the cul-de-sac on the opposite side of the block from my house) had to run home. There was a miniature poodle that lived in the house across the street from me and it sat in the driveway by the bus stop . My two brothers and I had to run the farthest; it would chase us and if it caught us, it would bite. This was every day for four years. Despite this, I do not hate miniature poodles.

“It’s official. I hate Pit Bulls,” one of my Facebook friends posted a few weeks back. Apparently, while she was walking her dog, a stray Pit Bull attacked her, making it understandable for her to dislike a single dog, that dog. Pit Bulls are discriminated against for being naturally more aggressive than any other dogs, but they aren’t born dangerous.               

The reputation for Pit Bulls is increasingly worse. The term Pit Bull is used to describe four breeds: the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and Bull Terrier or any mix thereof. The term “Pit Bull” actually comes from when these breeds were used to bait bulls before the bulls were slaughtered to “make their meat tenderer.” From there, they gained the reputation of being dangerous and so they were pitted against each other in dog fights.  If there is a Pit Bull attack, then it makes headlines. Pit Bulls are not the first dogs to get the reputation for being dangerous; German Shepherds had this exact reputation in the seventies and eighties. Pit Bulls, like any other dog, are aggressive if not socialized well as a puppy. But there are two specific reasons why Pit Bulls are considered dangerous and violent.

                The first reason is because of dog fights. On average, Pit Bulls are used more than any other dog in the fighting ring. Dogs that are successful in this situation (fighting rings) are rare, and dogs that have the trait to flourish and enjoy this sort of work are even rarer. Michael Vicks, the professional football player, was a participant in one of the largest dog fighting rings in America. In one year, he bought and killed over seventy Pit Bulls because he could not get them to attack their littermates. He owned twenty-two that were successful in the ring, but treated them cruelly. When his dog kennel was raided by police, the Pit Bulls were either cowering in corners or growling whenever anyone approached them.  Of these twenty-two only one was not adopted out and rehabilitated into being a family dog. Two of these dogs, Hector and Lucas, even became service dogs. Sadly, the loving and protective Lucas had to be put down a few months ago because of a disease he caught while wounded in fighting.

The second reason for Pit Bulls’ negative reputation is the media. If any other dog attacks, the breed won’t generally be specifically mentioned. According to a study done in March 2012, 68% of articles reporting Pit Bulls or Pit Bull “mix” attacks mentioned “Pit Bull” in the headline. Articles with the words “Pit Bull” in the headline 65% of the time included the word “attack.” Only 8% of articles reporting on dog attacks by any other breeds mentioned the breed in the headline. Newspapers are nine times more likely to include the breed of the dog in the headline when the story involves a Pit Bull.

                The media controls not just the minds of the average person, but where legislation goes as well. Currently, there are city-wide bans on Pit Bulls in at least thirty-two cities (and the entire state of Oklahoma). Denver, Colorado is one of these cities that has Breed Specific Legislation.  In 2007, a young boy went into the basement unsupervised where two Pit Bulls were locked up in hopes they would mate. This child was killed. People were outraged that these illegal dogs had the opportunity to hurt someone, especially a child. As a result, the Pit Bull ban was amended so new procedures were put into place.  If a dog has traits of a Pit Bull (large, square head; lean, muscular body; a tail) then it will be taken from its family. It doesn’t matter if this dog has been a family dog, is loving, and has never even nipped at a fly. It doesn’t matter if the dog is considered a service dog or if it is disabled. Dogs with Pit Bull traits are not allowed to enter the city.

                Since 2007, Denver has impounded over 1,900 Pit Bulls. Of those, 1,453 Pits were euthanized. Since 1989, when the original ban was placed, over 4,000 dogs have been killed. Denver is not the only city that has a ban on Pit Bulls, but other cities are now reconsidering the bans. In Cincinnati in 2011, you couldn’t even drive through the city with a Pit Bull or risk your dog being taken and you being arrested.  If you lived in Cincinnati before 2003 and owned a Pit Bull, you had to get the dog microchipped, tattooed, and it had to have mug shots taken. If you wanted to bring pictures of the Pit Bull in rather than take the dog to the police station, the picture couldn’t include children or the dog near someone while looking gentle. You, as the owner, were required to fill out a vicious animal form and be registered with the police department as a vicious dog harborer. In May 2012, due to people fighting for “dog equality,” the Pit Bull Ban was repealed. This is a good step forward, but it isn’t enough.

                When you combine the cities that have banned Pit Bulls, the total number amount of dogs killed because of what they looked like NOT because they were violent is near 16,000. When we start to discriminate one dog breed, what is stopping us from banning other dogs? Saginaw, Michigan has already begun to do that. Just a few months ago, they banned ten different dog breeds and any mixes with these breeds present: Pit Bull, Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Doberman Pinscher, Chow Chow, Great Dane, St. Bernard, and Presa Canario.

                Although in Texas there are no specific bans, Pit Bulls are still the most prevalent that remain in shelters and pounds. When you look at the available pets in shelters just in Fort Worth, over 75% of the dogs are at least part Pit Bulls. Although there is progress being made for the good of Pit Bulls, there is still a ways to go. The fight for Pit Bulls has just begun and it will be a long time and a lot of work to undo the damage that has been done.