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Pit bulls like Jack, who saved a cat from coyotes, usually appear in negative news stories |
Across news stations and newspapers nationwide, pit bull stories are actually quite common.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of these stories are incredibly negative and cast the American Pit Bull Terrier breed under an umbrella of viciousness and aggression.
In fact, on USAToday's website,
12 of the first 15 pit bull-related articles have negative headlines such as "Elderly man attacked by pitbull in Royal" and "Victim in deadly pitbull attack seeks tougher punishment for owners." The content of each article presses an agenda of breed condemnation in its language depicting each and every pit bull as a killer. Furthermore, all 15 articles have been published since Sept. 2 of this year.
Why do pit bulls have such a bad rep?
According to the website of Cesar Millan, famed host of Animal Planet's TV show
Dog Whisperer, Americans actually loved and cherished the pit bull in the time period prior to the 1980s. In fact,
Our Gang comedies and
Buster Brown. In World War I, the breed was often featured on American military posters and was even utilized during the war.
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Cesar Millan, host of Dog Whisperer, is a huge advocate for the breed. |
because of the breed's fascination with and devout loyalty toward children in particular, it became known as "The Nanny Dog," and was featured in many shows starring children, such as in the
What is incredibly shocking is that,
from the beginning of the century until the 1980s, only one negative pit bull news story made national news. The only reason it did so was because someone intentionally set 26 dogs on a young woman.
However,
in the 1980s, dog fighting made a serious comeback, even with the existence of federal laws. The pit bull became the poster dog for dog fighting and was the choice guard dog for drug dealers and gangs. In 1987, a hugely-publicized attack occurred when a pit bull killed a two-and-a-half-year-old boy while guarding a marijuana crop.
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Togo, a pit bull who served America in World War II. |
Shortly thereafter, attempts to ban the breed popped up throughout the country. A New Mexico town named Tijeras, which is outside of Albuquerque, quickly passed one of the toughest breed specific legislation laws in history.
Officers were authorized to capture and kill any dog resembling on pit bull on sight without having to compensate owners.
Although the tide seems to be turning, progress seems to take a step back every time a pit bull attack story surfaces in major news.
"Every time something bad is reported in the news, it ruins it for the rest of us who are responsible owners." -Tia Torres, Pitbulls and Parolees
Examples of Pit Bull Articles in the News
Although there are many articles to choose from, here are some recent articles that foster a bad reputation for pit bulls:
- Pit bull stabbed in store - A pit bull is stereotyped in Petsmart and stabbed in front of children.
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Clara was stereotyped in a Petsmart store and stabbed to death. |
- Attacking pit bull is credited with a biting history - In the article, another attacking dog is killed after being described as a pit bull. Most people cannot properly identify a pit bull, which garners more fear and hate towards the breed as news articles publish false identification.
- Pit bulls are shot and killed by officers - Pit bulls are frequently shot by police officers because of the stigma attached to them.
- Pit bull attacks its owner - This article is full of anti-pit bull statements and demonstrates a clear bias.
- Pit bull gets 1,000 stitches after being attacked - A pit bull was randomly stabbed by a stranger. He didn't even fight back.
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Pit bull Lefty took a bullet for her owner, resulting in an amputated leg. |
Here are some examples of positive pit bull stories, which are less popular than the negative ones:
- Elderly victim blames owners, not breed, for attack - I consider this a positive story because the news article ends with a quote from the victim stating that he blames the owners for the issues. Bad owners make bad dogs.
- Pit bull saves boy with bee allergies - The female dog dragged the 8-year-old by his trouser leg, then let him crawl on her back before carrying him to his mom. The boy is allergic to bees, and was stung 24 times. The dog was also stung.
- 16 hero pit bulls - A wonderfully written article that rejects pit bull stereotypes and mentions 16 pit bulls who committed heroic acts.
Need more convincing that the pit bull is stereotyped?
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Tatertot, who saved a 4-year-old-boy, actually has a better breed temperament statistic than a Chihuahua. |
The American Temperament Test Society recently conducted tests demonstrating dog breeds' temperament behavior. They simulate a walk through the park and expose dogs to situations that test aspects of temperament, such as stability, aggressiveness, owner protectiveness and friendliness as well as the dog's ability to discern between a threatening and stable situation.
In these tests,
the American Pit Bull Terrier passed at a rate of 86.8%.
- The Chihuahua only received a 69.8%
- The German Shepherd received an 84.8%
- The Golden Retriever received an 85.2%
- The Border Collie received an 81.5%
- The Toy Poodle received an 80%
With these results, why isn't the media pushing a negative representation of Chihuahuas, Toy Poodles and Golden Retrievers?
Angela Boone Photography. "Tatertot saved a 4-year-old boy from a blood sugar crash." Photograph. huffingtonpost.com, 29 July 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <
photo>.
"ATTS Breed Statistics." American Temperament Test Society, Inc., 14 Feb. 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2014.
Bastian, Joe. "How Did Pit Bulls Get Such a Bad Rap?" Cesar's Way, 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.
"Cesar's Special Makes the Case for Pit Bulls." Photograph. millanfoundation.org, 2014. Web. 18 Oct. 2014. <
photo>.
"Jack risked his life for a cat being attacked by coyotes." Photograph. huffingtonpost.com, 29 July 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <
photo>.
"Lefty took a bullet for her owner." Photograph. huffingtonpost.com, 29 July 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <
photo>.
Newnan-Coweta Humane Society. "Police: Man Stabbed Pit Bull In Front of Kids In Petsmart Store." Photograph. wfmynews2.com, 2 Sept. 2014. Web. 18 Oct. 2014. <
photo>.
"Togo 6th Regimen Nebraska." Photograph. fight4them.org, 24 May 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2014. <
photo>.