The Problem With Pit Bulls - October 26 is Pit Bull Awareness Day

"Pit Bulls" are currently the number one over-bred dog in the United States. Ironically, they are also the hardest breed to find homes for. The number of cats and dogs entering American shelters each year is roughly 6-8 million. Sadly, it is estimated that 1-2 million of these pets are Pit Bulls. The Pit Bull numbers are horrifically large and growing every year. It is shocking and inexcusable that they continue to pay the price for lack of pet education in the general public. The problem is not the breed; it’s with the human.

It was not long ago that the “Pit Bull” was highly desired by most American families. Before they were bred for fighting, they were bred to be “nanny dogs” because of their gentle nature. In the United Kingdom, the public still believes that Pit Bulls are the perfect candidates for watching their children. People who say that pit bulls are naturally aggressive and unpredictable are uninformed and letting themselves be fooled by the press. The breed’s negative media image developed only recently. In fact, pit bulls have fulfilled important roles throughout the last 160-plus years of American history. In the nineteenth century, pit bulls were family pets of settlers crossing the United States. They were trusted to watch the children while the adults worked in the fields. As the years passed, pit bulls achieveda position of reverence among Americans, and they appeared in advertising campaigns such as Buster Brown and Pup Brand. A classic children’s television show, The Little Rascals, featured Petey the Pit Bull. Pit Bulls have even graced the cover of Life magazine three times.

Today, many Pit Bull lovers and advocates continue to use the breed in a variety of helping functions in society including police dogs, search dogs, therapy dogs, and farm dogs. Sadly, these pets are not landing the nightly news as the “breaking story.” What television news can cause one to perceive seems to have no limit. This perception is supported by the prevalence of illegal dog fighting in cities and small towns across America. In the last few decades, gangs have taken a fancy to dog fighting and elevated the ownership of trained fighting dogs as a status symbol. Pit Bulls have borne the brunt of the backlash because of their popularity with dog fighters. This has caused the public to demand legislative action against Pit Bulls. Public officials have now banned pit bulls in many civil jurisdictions and some insurance companies can cancel a homeowner's policy if it is learned that a Pit Bull resides on the premises.

Anywhere from 60-80% of the unwanted Pitties in shelters today know nothing of dog fighting, have never bit or tried to bite another human, and will die based off these assumptions. Their true stories of being left at a shelter are so sad that it is no wonder society chooses to believe a dramatic version of a Pit’s past. When speaking daily with owners that are trying to surrender their pets, I can say that 9 out of 10 are surrendering due to financial problems or losing their home. The truth is, aggressive dogs do not get spared by owners and especially not at a county shelter. If you see Pit Bulls at your local shelter, it is safe to assume that those dogs would not be available for adoption if true aggression were a problem.

All pets need parents who are dedicated to meeting their behavioral and medical needs. It’s no secret that Pit Bulls require a degree of special treatment. They’re simply a lot of dog. Always ready to go, they work hard and they play hard. They’re powerful players, energetic athletes, and their active minds need plenty of mental stimulation and exercise. Aggression is not something that just appears in the Pit Bull; it is something the owner is deliberately, and many times, unknowingly causing. The best way to prevent the development of aggressive behavior toward other dogs, not only in the Pit Bull breed, but also in EVERY breed, is to focus on early socialization. To learn how to interact, play, and communicate with members of their own species, dogs of all breeds need to be well-socialized during puppyhood. If a puppy has many good experiences with other dogs, any future unpleasant experiences will have less of an impact on her. Puppies of any breed unable to play with others at a young age are more likely to become “fear aggressive”, protecting themselves against the unknowns. The common myth that Pit Bulls should not be around other dogs causes even the typical Pit owner to keep them separated from their own kind and making future socializing very difficult. This does not mean that an adult pit bull can’t be socialized if she missed her puppy opportunities, but one must be informed on how to do it correctly, preferably with a trainer that knows the breed.

At The Pet Rescue Center, we take in animals from high-kill shelters all the time. Being a rescue that is truly taking in the tougher cases, most would be surprised to hear what breeds we have struggled with the most. When I think of some of the dogs that we have trained out of behaviors like fear biting, dog aggression or resource guarding, I am proud to say we’ve had great success at fixing their issues and rehoming them, but none of these few dozen cases were Pit Bulls. As a matter of fact, we have never ended up with a Pit Bull that tried to bite us, hurt others, or seemed to have any “traumas” hindering them from adoption. Being the rescue that likes to take the hard cases and pups facing euthanasia, how is it that none of the 600+ pets we’ve saved were aggressive Pits?  It’s because the myth of the Killer Pit Bull is truly just that, a myth. Dogs in the shelter have a story that most likely has nothing to do with him or her or their behavior. You simply cannot judge a book by its cover.

I’ve been blessed to change the minds of many adopters through the years. We have had many Pit Bull adopters, and most of them were taking a chance with the breed based off of my recommendation and not based off their fear. These families are some of our biggest advocates for Pit Bull rescue and rescue in general now. Exposing the lie is important to me and I will continue to do it whether it is welcomed or not.  The public still makes it very easy for me to broach the subject, as I routinely hear this as an opening line of conversation; “The dog I am looking for must be friendly, good with kids, and good around other dogs, but PLEASE NO PIT BULLS.” The truth everyone is going to keep hearing from me is that our Pits are top choice for these behavior requests. It is often the dog the owners THINK they want that will be potentially aggressive or no good around children. I am always happy giving potential adopters the chance to see these truths unfold face to face with our rescued pets.

The "Pit Bull" breeding trend will continue to impact this growing issue of pet overpopulation in America unless we who are advocates confront the lack of awareness head on. Anyone can make a difference in saving a life by adopting before buying or even suggesting rescue to a friend before they buy. Adopting a Pit Bull can heavily impact the negative views of people in your everyday life. The best way to accomplish this is to have a well-controlled, well-socialized, well-behaved dog at your side. It’s hard for people to make the argument that your dog is vicious when they’re faced with a peaceful, obedient pet. Take the time to thoroughly educate yourself about pit bull history and common breed characteristics. If you’re knowledgeable about the breed, you can help people understand what great dogs pit bulls can be.   Don’t be afraid to make your points known and speak up against the false accusations. Lets face it, ignorance is out and knowledge is in. Evolving out of this breed specific fear will not happen overnight; progress will only happen with each and every one of us doing our part. Please join us in saving a life today! One share, one tweet, one mention…could be all it takes.

The Pet Rescue Center currently has 6 pit bull mixes available for adoption. Click on their picture to find out more about each one.