In my opinion, many pit bulldog owners feel the breed is misrepresented by the media through guerilla journalism which sees anything other than a "pit bull" attack, as boring news.

I don't know what Diane Jessup's intention was, so I cannot speak for her regarding her book, but I personally feel it reflects the inaccurate statistics of dog bite related fatalities. The CDC statistics claim that "pit bull type" dogs are responsible for a third of all DBRF's in this country. This is a biased portrayal of the breed because they are mentioned as "type", which can include over 25 breeds which fit a basic description of the breed.

In fact, in 2001 when Diane Whipple was mauled to death by 2 presa canario dogs, the initial news report stated "Woman Killed By Two 100lb Pit Bulls".

There is simply a lack of background information in many of the media reports of DBRF's which do not clearly identify the offending animals, and the roles the owners played in each tragic incident.

There is a much larger issue involved than just labeling a particular breed as viscious, or using BSL to eliminate a perceived threat. It is to educate the general public on responsible ownership of their dogs.

As it concerns pit bulldogs, the need to seperate the breed from criminal behavior(dogfighting, drugs, gun violence) is paramount. Most lay people associate the breed with everything society despises, and we are slowy trying to shift that association into something more positive.

There was a time before WWII when the pit bulldog was the single most popular breed of dog in this country. Their reputation as a durable, loving, family protector started well before the USA gained its independence. Pit bulldogs were owned and worked by people from all walks of life including families, police officers, farmers, celebrities, senators, and even presidents.

Its only been within the last 20yrs or so that we've seen this positive opinion of the breed turn ugly. It is in my opinion due to an uneducated minority of people who own these dogs becauase they seek to identify themselves as men through a criminal mindset. This modern opinion of pit bulls as viscious and dangerous only serves as an extension of themselves and their desire to assert their strength over the weak.

Andy,
Could you throw up a link to the year that pitbulls were "the single most popular dog in this country"?

The AKC has a list of the top ten most registered breeds by year going back like almost 70 years, but pitbulls never made it into any mention of the top ten in any year listed.
Ever.

I'm interested where you got this fact from.

Will,

The AKC does not recognize any breed it does not register.

I don't have percentages to show you, so you are free to dismiss it as opinion, but the statement is supported by the overwhelming mass of proproganda from that era. Pit Bulldogs were seen in all forms of media advertisments for businesses, as a metaphor for american pride, and as the companion of many of that day's celebrities such as Helen Keller and Teddy Roosevelt. Simply put they were the "fad".

Ok, I dismissed it.
< shrug >

Andy, when you make big sweeping statements like some breed was the "*most* popular dog in this country" and can't produce fact one to back it up, it makes it pretty easy to dismiss what you say as propaganda - and BS statements get called a lot on this forum.
Facts are you friends, ok? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I own pit bulls and I have found that trying to convince people that pit bulls are good when they keep coming up in the news is hard. There are one or two stories that were fake. I just stopped wasting my breath on people. This is not intened at you will I know you like them. The public in general. You are not going to win against the media or all the true stories. My friend was attacked by a pit. He brought it over I evaluated and said you couldn't trust this dog. Two weeks later he attacked him. So I take one day at a time let everyone see my dog first hand, educate them and hope for the best. I personally don't use propoganda. All the petition signing and arguing all the facts but with no facts just doesn't work. Fact, they bite people, not all of them. Just read the facts. Sure helen keller had one and ted, lil rascals, what about all the other thousands of people. I can go hunt and find a few people who had something and say they were popular. Just because some prominant people chose to have them because they love them doesn't mean they were popular.
Be reponsible with your dog and change one person at a time.
just my two cents.

the pit bull's reputation, however undeserved, is a major disincentive to owning one, especially if you live in a populated area. who wants to deal with people's fears and misconceptions on a daily basis? and how might they affect the socialization of your dog?

i'd love to own one. i admire their grit, their athleticism, their smarts, and they'd be one helluva backcountry dog. i wouldn't worry about being preyed on by lions or bears with a pit around.

but it isn't fair to have them around other people's pets.

we recently had an incident in my community where a pit attacked and nearly killed a golden. the newspaper wanted to turn it into a horror story about pit bulls. lots of people corrected them, writing impassioned letters to the editor that the problem was not the breed, but irresponsible owner who let the dog run at large. lots of people also pointed out that the golden retriever's owner was equally at fault for having her dog off leash, and that goldens have also been responsible for attacks.

it has sparked a debate about the proliferation of off-leash dogs in the community, of all breeds. i'm really pleased to see that our town is well educated enough about dogs to recognize that the issue is poor dog management, not an undesreable breed. one guy even wrote in to warn dog owners that if their off-leash dog approaches him, he will use pepper spray on it. i think we are going to see a change for the better in the community, as the city council is now looking for ways to improve enforcement of the existing laws.

so, not everyone buys into the media hype about pitbulls. but the fact is, as a general rule, they are aggressive to other animals, and perhaps for that reason don't make the best canine citizens in a crowded community.

i also read the stories about non-pitbull attacks. every one of those breeds, with the exception of the basset/lab cross, is known for aggression. there weren't any big surprises there. i own an english mastiff, and frankly i find bullmastiffs absolutely terrifying. they were created because mastiffs don't bite and are almost never aggressive. they were deliberately created to produce a giant, aggressive breed. i have always thought it was insanity to own one, no matter how many stories i've heard about supposedly sweet ones. i don't trust them, nor most of the breeds in the attack stories. too many of those breeds have been bred to bite.

I can post dozens of links stating this, but you'll just dismiss them because you're operating from a foregone conclusion. So it really doesnt matter.


http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/articles/petaletter.html


http://www.sedhs.org/PIT_BULLS.html

I was going to keep quiet but can't. The horror stories of Pitbull maulings are getting pretty old. Unfortunately I think the average person never reads or hears anything positive concerning the Pitbull. Thanks for the "positive" links Andy. Think of what all the so called animal "dog" lovers could do to save this breed if only they would take a firm and uncompromising stand against BSL.

Glenn

The horror stories may get old, but they happen so often that it keeps them fresh in the public eye.

A firm and uncompromising stand against bad pitbull owners and breeders would be more effective, but that won't happen.
Hence BSL.

Hi Andy, a couple of thoughts, until the urban thugs and ignorant people stop owning pits, it's going to be hard to change the general publics perception of pits, i'm not operating from a foregone conclusion ( my father owns a nice pit) but that all said, it seems they're involved in more human attacks than other breeds,( i don't know if this is true or not, but it's what we hear in the media), i'm more wary of a pit, than most other breeds(don't know why, i just am). as far as putting a child in the dogs crate, to take a picture, to me is a big time gamble, i wouldn't do it, even with my "nice" dog, i believe the pit people have an uphill battle on their hands,
AL