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A generalization -

Much like the term “hound,” the pit bull as we know it today is actually a breed group that fits into a generalized shape instead of a specific breed.

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Categories -

Within the category there are four pure breeds: the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the American Bully, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. All of them were bred down from the British Bull and Terrier dogs, which were descendants of English Bulldogs (pictured).

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Attacks -

Over the years, the news has been filled with traumatic events in which people have been attacked and mauled by pit bulls. Between news stories and anecdotes, one common theme about pit bulls always arises: how dangerous they are.

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Films -

This perspective has also filtered into films, which often use pit bulls when they wish to portray a vicious dog on screen. One example is ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’ (2003), pictured here.

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The first pariah -

The truth is that the United States in particular has actually had a long history of demonizing dogs. The first dog to cause an outcry was the Spitz, a “toy” dog that would now be referred to as a Pomeranian.

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A bad reputation -

The Spitz got a reputation as a woman’s dog, and in an article for the Atlanta Medical and Surgical Journal from 1878 one doctor mentioned that women deserve whatever consequences may befall them due to having dogs instead of babies.

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Deadly names -

Other articles from around the same time (such as one published in The New York Times) detailed how the dogs were deadly, aggressive, and “venomous beasts.”

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A long time ago -

In opposite fashion, pit bulls were once considered to be great family-friendly dogs and were beloved in many households.

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Sidekick -

The image of the pit bull used to be so endearing to the American population that a pit bull was actually the lovable sidekick of ‘The Little Rascals’ in 1994.

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In the military -

Even military posters featured bull dogs in the early 1900s as a way of advertising patriotism. So how is it that pit bulls went from family friend to international foe?

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Crime rates -

In the 1960s and '70s, America’s cultural landscape started to shift dramatically. The largest cities in the country experienced a drastic increase in crime rates, which made people believe that they were in constant danger.

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Security -

Many people obtained dogs in the hopes of acquiring a nominal amount of security, and because pit bulls were some of the cheapest breeds to buy, they started proliferating throughout American households.

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Guard dogs -

Residents of the Bronx in New York City reportedly obtained guard dogs to take care of themselves due to the lack of city services. These dogs included pit bulls.

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Rap era -

During the 1980s, a new era of rap music was ushered in, stylized by artists directly confronting the deterioration of cities and social services. Incidentally, the music featured many references to pit bulls.

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Prejudice -

Slowly, pit bulls were associated with urban poverty and the negative life experiences of black youth, which meant that they eventually became proxies for prejudice and racism.

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A terrible association -

Articles and stories across multiple news agencies started associating pit bulls with drug dealers and criminals, and so a stereotype of these dogs had emerged that painted them as vicious.

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Breed-specific legislation -

The pit bull’s reputation has caused them to be subject to what is known as breed-specific legislation (BSL) in more than 700 US cities.

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Restrictions -

Breed-specific legislation is essentially restrictions or bans that are put in place against the ownership of dogs based entirely on their breed.

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Nature vs. nurture -

Many legal rulings in the US argue that pit bulls are inherently dangerous and are born that way, yet experts believe that the behavior of a dog is not influenced by nature, but rather by the way society nurtures them.

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Lack of evidence -

On the other hand, a few judges have spoken against this type of legislation and have pointed out that there is not enough evidence to support the stereotype that pit bulls are vicious.

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Statistics -

Dog bite statistics are notoriously unreliable, since it is subject to reporting biases. Smaller dog bites tend to go unreported, which skews the statistics when pit bull bites are brought to the attention of the public.

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A worthy comparison - Pit bull bites are comparable to shark attacks: although they are rare and not necessarily the animal’s fault, news outlets tend to sensationalize them to the point that the animal’s image is tainted.

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Identification -

Biases also come into play when people attempt to identify pit bulls by sight, which is almost impossible to do accurately. In fact, a study found that nearly 90% of dogs in shelters that were labeled as a specific breed were misidentified, and almost half of them were labeled as pit bulls.

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Popularity -

A lot of dogs that look like pit bull mixes don’t actually have any pit bull ancestry. Pit bulls are also among the most popular dog breeds in America, and dog bite reports from popular breeds will always be statistically greater than other dogs.

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A failed enterprise - The city of Denver spent US$5.8 million over 30 years trying to enforce their pit bull ban, yet this has had little measurable impact on public safety.

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Danish dogs -

In Denmark, pit bulls were banned in 2010, yet the country saw no significant changes to the number of hospitalizations due to dog bites.

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Influential -

Thanks to Western mainstream media, America’s perception towards pit bulls has spread throughout the world. In Canada, Australia, Latin America, and Southern Africa, various restrictions have either already been implemented or are being heavily considered.

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In Europe -

On the other hand, many European nations see responsible ownership and training as important factors of a dog’s behavior, rather than its breed.

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Landlords -

Many landlords in the US refuse to rent housing to tenants if they own a pit bull, regardless of any breed-specific legislation. This means that pit bulls are among the nation’s most neglected animals.

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The future -

Experts agree that the issue cannot be addressed until society as a whole understands the crucial differences between nature versus nurture. Until then, pit bulls will continue to be marginalized and abandoned.

Sources: (Vox) (The New York Times) (American Veterinary Medical Association) (Atlanta Medical and Surgical Journal) (Dogster)

See also: The best cities in America for dog owners

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