Walk into any local animal shelter, and you will see an overwhelming number of homeless pit bulls. The pit bull that America used to love is now long forgotten. What happened to America’s civil war hero “Sally,” the pit bull? Or the Rascal’s beloved pit bull named “Petey?” Although we no longer see pit bulls’ kindness and reliability immortalized in popular culture, those dogs are still here. Only now, “Sally” and “Petey” are crouching in the corner of the last two kennels down that long dark row at the shelter, patiently waiting for their turn to cross over the rainbow bridge. If they were given hope, given the chance, these tenacious dogs would not hesitate to leap into your arms and smother you with kisses, proving that no matter what happened to them in their past, they will forgive and forget instantly.
Pit bulls make up 80 percent of the homeless dogs found in Southern California shelters. They are also the breed most likely to die by euthanasia due to overpopulation and to the unfavorable stereotypes the public now seems to believe. In today’s society pit bulls face many obstacles. The following topics will detail some of what they are up against.
Breed specific legislation (BSL)
Breed specific legislation (BSL) are laws that target specific dog breeds (namely pit bulls and “pit bull types”) because they are supposedly inherently dangerous and therefore deserving of prejudicial rules and regulations. When these laws are set they can do two things: if the law is a “ban,” then it is illegal to own, house, harbor, import, train, or breed any of the dogs listed under that law. If the law is set to “regulate” the breed is not banned, but next to impossible to own. Requirements such as liability insurance, mandatory spay/neuter, higher licensing costs, muzzling in public, etc. are typical of regulatory legislation.
Many landlords, HOA’s, and insurance providers have piggybacked the idea of BSL and set their own regulations and bans against pit bulls. This makes it very hard for pit bull owners to rent or own homes. Often when a family has to move they find that they cannot take their dog to their new residence due to a pit bull policy; subsequently, the pit bull is relinquished to a shelter.
Instead of discriminating against breeds, we should take responsibility for dog ownership and management practices. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends, “a community approach to dog bite prevention that focuses on improving the quality of human-canine interactions and the care of all canine species.“ Furthermore, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the CDC, the National Animal Control Association, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and virtually all animal welfare charities oppose breed specific regulation.
Dog fighting
In the dog fighting world, pit bulls are bred to fight their fellow kind for human monetary gain, serving as status symbols and fearfully awaiting their last day on earth… the day they are no longer valuable to their owners. Undergoing daily illegal steroid injections, being weighed down by 30+ pound weights around their necks, and, all the while being chained outside biding the time until their next spectacle fight. Sadly, that describes the day of a lucky fighting pit bull. Dogs refusing to fight (and those who lose) are frequently electrocuted, drowned, hung, beaten, stabbed or buried alive as a death sentence. “The victims of dog fighting suffer, just as other canine victims of cruelty suffer. All victims of cruelty are deserving of our compassion,” AFF, www.animalfarmfoundation.org.
Perhaps cast the harsher lot, are the female dogs, whose sole purpose is to produce puppies. They are strapped into rape stands, enduring unfathomable breeding habits. A rape stand consists of two steel poles mounted to the ends of a platform. U-shaped pieces of curved metal sit on top of each pole; one goes around the belly of a female pit bull and the other around her neck, immobilizing her during ‘breeding.’ She is bred repetitively and forcefully over and over again until her organs finally turn to mush.
Over breeding, cross breeding and fad breeding of the pit bull
Fad breeding has also severely damaged the pit bull and their reputation. Uneducated, careless, or backyard breeders breed these dogs to create a “fad” color. A perfect example of this is the popularity of the “blue nose pit bull.” The color blue is a dilute and recessive of black. By breeding recessive to recessive you end up with mentally and physically challenged dogs. Breeding solely for color produces poor temperaments and congenital heath issues such as: fear aggression, antisocial behavior, digestive insufficiencies, sight and hearing problems and chronic skin disease. The internet is full of advertisements for these dogs, headlines often include statements such as, “Rare blue nose pit bulls, full bred…” These dogs are not “full bred” they are inbred or cross-bred. “Blue nose” does not determine a breed. They are not rare either, the shelters and rescue groups are overflowing with them. It is urgent that the public is educated on this matter as everyday hundreds more “blue nose” pit bulls enter this world due to their popularity. The majority of them become homeless before they turn two-years-old.
The pit bull breed also suffers from a new breeding fad that has quickly swept across the U.S. It could be compared to an underground version of the popular hybrid dog or designer dog breed creations. Instead of mixing a Labrador with a Poodle in an attempt to create a family dog that is hypo allergenic, the pit bull breeders have taken this idea to a whole new level. This new “breed” of dog is referred to as an American Bully and does not adhere to The American Pit Bull standard. As The Real Pit Bull states, “there is no regard for breed type, soundness, or preservation of the standard pit bull; it’s all about what the breeder wants, thinks, believes the pit bull to be, his/her own ‘interpretation’. And that interpretation is ‘bigger and more exaggerated is better’.” Often it is a dog with ridiculous muscle mass, large bones and outrageous sized heads. The pit bull has been bred with guarding breeds such as mastiffs and bulldogs. Terrier tenacity (pit bulls are terriers) and guarding tendencies (mastiffs and bulldogs) create the ultimate macho-dog. Unfortunately, these hybrid crosses receive severely negative press and bring down the reputation of the pit bull. And when these dogs aren’t mean, but prove to be loving dogs, they are discarded like yesterday’s trash.
Common abuse endured by the pit bull
One of the most common forms of abuse the pit bull endures is the life of a chained dog. Although pit bulls are not born with the guarding instinct, many uneducated owners buy them for this purpose. They place their dog on a chain, thinking it will protect them. Besides the obvious pain and discomfort of a heavy weighted chain (often 30 lb.) constantly pushing the dog down and embedding into the neck, a chained dog also often suffers from lack of shelter, frustration, and inability to reach food or water or flee from incoming danger. Chaining a dog does not create a protective dog, it creates an aggressive dog. As the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report, “Chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite.” “Never tether or chain your dog because this can contribute to aggressive behavior,” states the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). A dog, like any animal, when in danger, has a fight or flight instinct, when chained the dog has no option, it cannot flee, so it must fight. Chained dogs are often unsocialized, and most likely in pain or physical stress.
The National Canine Research Council further illustrates the difference between a family dog and a resident dog: “A Resident Dog is maintained outside the home (on chains, in kennels or in yards) and/or dogs obtained for negative functions (guarding, fighting, protection, breeding for financial gain) are not family pets; they are resident dogs. Acknowledging the environment in which they live and the function for which they are maintained is vital to understanding their behavior and, when the situation arises, their aggression. Resident dogs cannot be expected to exhibit the same behaviors and level of sociability as family dogs. A Family Dog lives inside the home and are afforded the opportunity to learn appropriate behaviors through positive humane interaction with people on a daily basis.”
Neglect is another form of abuse many pit bulls suffer. One of the most crucial attributes of the pit bull personality is their amazing love of people. Pit bulls are remarkably affectionate and thrive with human attention. But time and time again, pit bulls enter the shelter covered in bleeding scabs and soars on their hairless body caused by mange or other parasites from a past of neglect or unlivable conditions. A pit bull is a terrier, a human-loving working breed, they thrive from love, exercise, and tasks that stimulate their quick-to-learn mind.
And, finally, the physical abuse. For years pit bulls have suffered from the effects of being owned as a status symbol. They are often forced to carry heavy weights around their neck or back to build up their muscle to a macho appearance, and are also the brunt of angry lashings and beatings from their human owner.
The final battle: oblivious media bashing and a unforgiving society
The last topic of abuse to reference is the persona pit bulls have acquired in the media. The aggressiveness or dangerous acts of some pit bulls have created a terrible situation for a usually calm and loving species. All dogs can be aggressive, and all dogs should be treated on an individual basis. As Karen Delise, National Canine Research Council states, “No single neutered or spayed household pet pit bull has ever killed anyone.” Meaning, each time we hear of a pit bull attack, details are key to why the attack happened. Was the dog a chained dog that got loose, or did someone approach the dog while chained? Was the dog neutered or spayed?
Was the dog a family pet? And finally, most importantly, was the term “pit bull” used to describe the dog for attention-getting purposes? Is it possible that the dog may be one or part of one of the twenty plus breeds that are commonly confused with the pit bull? The pit bull reputation will continue to suffer as long as the public remains uneducated to the factors that cause animal attacks.
In addition, the pit bull reputation suffers from many popular media myths. One example would be the popular statement, “pit bulls have locking jaws.” This is completely untrue, the pit bull jaw structure is the same as any other canine breed, there is no such thing as a jaw locking mechanism.
The media hype has caused a domino effect. For instance; an uneducated man “purchases” a rare blue dog to boost his ego, he places his new resident dog in his yard and weighs the dog down with chains to “protect” his property. Consequently, the blue dog suffers from the outdoor elements of starvation and neglect. Then one day, the rusted chain snaps, and the unaltered male runs loose unaware and unsure of all of his surroundings. An innocent bystander attempts to capture the skinny blue dog, the dog is frightened and bites the human. The media publishes the story, as “Pit bull attacks neighbor.” The next day in a different city, a completely unrelated family visits their local shelter. As they wander through the shelter hallways in search of their new family pet, their daughter runs to a cage that holds a sweet tan and white female dog, the sign reads pit bull mix. The mother remembers the news story she saw on CNN the previous night, and shakes her head no, as she leads her daughter away. Once again, another pit bull completely unrelated to any news story will face euthanasia because she isn’t given an even chance.
