Why the Growing Stigma Around Pit Bulls Needs to Be Over

How does a puppy meet the criteria for being a living weapon? Label it as a pit bull. Pit bulls are misunderstood by many to be aggressive, and dangerous animals. This is because they are associated with dog bites, a history in dogfighting and bull baiting (type of blood sports involving animals), and gangs (Reidhead 2016). As the owner of a pit bull, I face more scrutiny than other pet owners, because my dog is associated with negative stereotypes. For example, I am unable to take my pit bull to the local dog park, despite her being well socialized, because I was told that her “breed” is not allowed there. We have also become accustomed to people crossing the street to avoid us. Along with that, we often get remarks like, “that’s a mean looking dog” and, ” Watch out, it’s a pit bull!”.

It is important to understand that, “Pit Bull” is not a term for a breed of dog, but is actually a general term for several bully breed dogs. This breed type is composed of dogs that are generally stocky, block- headed, short muzzled, and, have smooth coats. Some of these breeds are the American Pit Bull Terrier, Boxer, English Bulldog, Staffordshire terrier, and Boston Terrier (Reidhead 2016). How does having a negative reputation impact the lives of pit bull-type dogs? While some pit bull-type dogs are capable of being aggressive, having a bad reputation subjects them to unfair consequences in shelters and private homes. In addition, having a negative reputation encourages irresponsible people to own them.

Pit bulls will face more disadvantages than any other type of dog in an animal shelter. Dogs given the label “pit bull” are viewed collectively as less attractive to adopters, and may spend 3 times as long in shelters than other dogs (Bruillard 2016). Because of this, pit bulls in shelters do not have the same chance of being adopted that other dogs do. Also, given that more pit bulls enter shelters than find homes, overcrowding is a huge issue. In a study conducted at the Chicago Animal Care and Control, Robert McCoppin reports that pit bulls makeup nearly half of their dogs in their shelter and “about two-thirds of the dogs that get euthanized if they can't be adopted (McCoppin 2013).” This means that pit bulls who end up in certain shelters may never make it out of them, especially when they’re overcrowded.

That being said, it is not uncommon that a dog could have no genetic pit bull DNA and still be identified and labeled as one (Bruillard 2016). Breed misidentification happens because the costs are too high for shelters to perform actual DNA testing. Instead, they use visual observation for breed labeling, which is identifying breed labels based on the dog’s general appearance(Bruillard 2016). This suggests that pit bull’s bad reputation potentially threatens the lives of other dogs too. Given these points, it would be helpful to get rid of breed labeling in shelters so that breed misidentification isn’t an issue, potential adopters won’t assume their dog’s behavior based on a label, and more pit bull-type dogs could be adopted.

Another problem that Pit bull-type dogs face is that they cannot legally live in many areas of the world. This is because of breed-specific laws (BSL) and legislation. There are several accounts of pit bull related attacks, and whether they happen in the area or not, breed-specific laws are commonly used for Pit bulls when the local government has deemed them as potentially hazardous to the community. In the magazine article Can’t Judge a Bull by the Cover, James Hettinger mentions that “BSL discriminates against dogs based off of appearance and not actual bad behavior” (Hettinger 2017). This suggests that BSL causes potentially good dogs to be unfairly punished. Where enforced, these laws subject pit bull-type dogs to be spayed/neutered, muzzled, banned from the area, surrendered, relocated, or euthanized (Greenwood 2014). These laws are not only inneffective, but are part of what cause overcrowding and high euthanasia rates of pit bulls in shelters. To add to that, owners of pit bulls where BSL is enforced may have to get special licensing and be of a certain age to keep their dogs (Brewer 2011). If they do not comply with BSL, they may encounter fines, imprisonment, and other penalties (Walden 2015). Dog owners should not have to choose between their homes and their dogs. Luckily, many cities with the laws have begun to repeal their bans and are now more focused on using other forms of dangerous dog laws (Greenwood 2014). These laws will place responsibility on the owner instead of the dog in the event of a dog-related attack or bite.

Finally, negligent owners are responsible for the damage pit bulls continue to face. Whether they are obtained from licensed breeding, backyard breeding, or a shelter, nothing guarantees that a pit bull is going into the right hands. Dogsbite.org, a website that advocates against pitbulls states that, “There is no denying that dangerous people are attracted to dangerous dogs. These same people also have a higher likelihood of being irresponsible owners. Pit bulls are the dog of choice for criminals and are often used in drug and gang-related activities. Police officers are frequently forced to shoot dangerous pit bulls when serving search warrants as well(Dogsbite.org 2019)”. This statement clarifies that pit bulls being associated as dangerous increases their chance of having a negligent owner. Other negligent owners include those who participate in dogfighting. Certain bully breeds were bred to dogfight in the 1900’s, and since then their bloodlines have changed a lot. However, the popularity of pit bulls for dogfighting never went away. It was heavily prevalent in the 1980’s and 90’s, and it is also at that time that breed specific laws were first enforced. It’s not solely their DNA that makes a pit bull “good” for dogfighting, it’s the way the dog is abused (Reidhead 2016).

For example, pit bulls (and other dogs used in dogfighting) are beaten and starved into submission to fight. If they do not fight, or are too weak to do so, they may be abandoned, killed, or hopefully end up in a shelter. There is a reason that there are so many pit bull attack stories in the media, but it’s not because all pit bulls are vicious monsters, it’s that the particular dogs are not trained and handled properly(Reidhead 2016). The potential dangerous qualities that many fear and dislike about pit bulls, are desirable to those with low-confidence. Thus, other bad owners are those who are insecure, and are adopting the dog as an ego booster. Anyone considering adopting a pit bull should know that they are highly energetic, strong, and easily excited. They are not the right dog for just anyone.

On a final note, ending breed stigma for pit bulls will help save several dogs’ lives. Any dog labeled as a “pit bull” is subject to a life of disadvantages. They have a harder time making it through shelters and staying in homes. They also often end up in the wrong hands, and are subject to abuse. If we want pit bulls to have a better quality of life then we need to speak up for their breed. Otherwise, more cities will have breed bans, and euthanasia rates will continue to be high. Being the owner of a pit bull, I’ve been able to change the mind of at least 3 people who disliked the breed, and I hope to change more.

Ways the community can help pit bulls and other dogs is by being aware and reporting negligent owners. Shelters can help pitbulls by getting rid of breed labels all together. An example of how owners of pit bulls can help reduce breed stigma by posting cute pictures and videos of their dogs to social media, which in turn, could help dissolve fear surrounding the breed type’s assumed personality.