I’m a responsible dog owner.
My dogs are properly vaccinated and spayed. When we go out in public, they are leashed. I don’t let them roam the neighborhood, and I clean up after them. I have tried to properly train them so that they’re well-behaved and well-socialized.
As far as I can tell, I’ve done pretty much everything right in raising my dogs.
And yet when I take my 65 pound Pit Bull mix for a walk in my own neighborhood, people cross the street to avoid us.
When we walk in the door at the vet’s office, other pet parents immediately scoop up their smaller dogs, as if to protect them from my girl.
When we go to Petsmart or the dog park or a local dog-friendly event, it’s hard not to notice that people tend to avoid us.
I know why. It’s that big block head. It’s the fact that she’s a Pit Bull.
What these people don’t know is that she is gentle and loving, and if I scold her, it breaks her heart and she works diligently to make up with me.
They don’t know that she lives with a 15 pound, 15 year old Dachshund, and they are the best of friends.
They don’t know that I’ve never owned a sweeter, smarter, or more perfect dog.
I am angered by the misconceptions and prejudice I encounter every day as a Pit Bull owner, not only directed at my dog but at me, as well. I’m frustrated beyond belief that my dog is held to a different – a higher – standard than other dogs.
I’m sick of having to prove over and over again that she is a good dog, when the fact is, she’s never been anything but.
So I become angry at the media for its sensationalized reporting on Pit Bulls. I’m angry at the neighbors who cross the street and the people at the vet’s office and the dog park for their ignorance.
But then I remember that who I really should be angry at are the dog fighters, and the irresponsible Pit Bull owners, and the thugs who use and abuse these dogs every single day. They are the ones who have painted these questionable pictures of my dog.
They are the ones who have taught the unenlightened to fear what they do not know or understand.
They are the ones who have caused the rest of the world to believe that a smart, educated, professional person would never own a Pit Bull.
They are the ones who, essentially, are responsible for the hundreds of thousands of millions of homeless Pit Bulls that die in shelters each and every year because no one came for them.
So don’t waste your time getting angry at biased (and often inaccurate) media reporting. Don’t waste your time getting angry at your ignorant neighbor or co-worker who says, “Oh, I just never imagined YOU would own a Pit Bull.” Quite honestly, they’re just following the leader, believing everything they see and hear without any proof to back it up.
Instead, use your energy to do something to change the way people view us and our dogs.
Get angry and do something about dog fighting in your community. Don’t look the other way – keep your eyes open and report suspicious activity. Realize that dog fighting is everyone’s problem and we all must work together to stop it.
Be a responsible Pit Bull parent, realizing that you do have to be better than the average dog owner.
Show the world what kind of people really own Pit Bulls. We are business owners and bankers, chefs, law enforcement, and clergy. We’re students, financial analysts, and teachers. We’re upstanding citizens and responsible dog owners who make positive contributions to society, and we are the MAJORITY.
Tom Thumb, Wezzy, Lacy, Akimbo, and Batman are all part of amazing photographer Shannon Johnstone’s Landfill Dogs project. They are all currently available for adoption in North Carolina. Click directly on their photos for more details. Please share this post to help these precious faces find their forever homes.
Well written and I completely agree! If not for our climate, the Husband and I would probably be pitbull owners ourselves.
The pit bull bias has certainly worked its way across our border to affect Canada, with Ontario and some select cities banning them. It is ridiculous and baseless – repeats reports show the bans don’t have any intended (or otherwise) effect and it’s completely misguided given dog attacks (the serious and fatal ones, anyway) in Canada are primarily caused by feral dogs in rural communities – there are key differences in the pet populations between Canada and the US, so some of these trends we inherit are dumb (they’re dumb in the US, too).
But I absolutely think people should be held accountable for their biases and assumptions and I will gladly challenge anyone who tries to tell me pit bulls are inherently more dangerous. It’s just like every other issue out there – I have a very low tolerance for ignorance.
Especially given that after enough arguing, their point is almost always parsed down to “well, they’re a bigger dog with a bigger mouth and bigger teeth and who are harder for owners to contain and control based on size and strength alone, so even if they aren’t actually statistically more aggressive, the few that are do a disproportionate amount of harm”. And once we get to that point, then we’re opening the floor for conversations about every big dog – my own included – and it has officially snowballed out of control.
You are so right, Jen. Out of control. I truly believe my dog is no more dangerous than any dog her size, which would include various Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, and the like. But society sure doesn’t view her in that same light.
THIS is what people need to remember, “…Who I really should be angry at are the dog fighters, and the irresponsible Pit Bull owners, and the thugs who use and abuse these dogs every single day…”.
While I can say that for the most part we have been welcomed with our pit bull and have changed perceptions of many people that we have come encounter with, there have been a few instances. There have been remarks, there have been assumptions. But we deal with it and just keep proving them wrong because after all, we are the majority. Let’s just keep doin’ what we do!
Absolutely, Sarah. We have to just keep proving people wrong. It’s the only way.
Great post today. I am a long time PitBull advocate, and I always try and do what i can. I have owned…or should I say been owned by PitBulls before in my younger years, and they are extremely sweet loving dogs. I hate what this world is doing to them, and it’s hard for me not to get mad at media etc…..you make great points though in who to direct the anger at. But still I just wish people wouldn’t be so quick to judge.
Have a great day, and thanks for this post!
((husky hugz))
frum our pack at love is being owned by a husky
Thanks for the feedback, Jenna! You’re right – people need to be a lot less quick to judge. But that’s not just true of dogs. The world would be a better place if we were slower to judge each other as well!
I don’t know of anything I can do about dog fighting except know the signs in case I see them. Last week I checked out a house that someone suspected might have dogs for fighting or may not be providing the proper shelter, etc.
And abot the media: We can make a difference here…each of us!!! We SHOULD get mad at the media and HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE for the “facts” they report. The local people here recently boycotted a favorite news station for not allowing a pit bull breed type dog on the Pet of the Week segment. Several of us sent scathing letters to the TV station insisting that they actually DO RESEARCH and REPORT THE FACTS.
I continue to talk to people here at work and every one I come into contact with outside of work, about spay and neutering, animal abuse, and items related to the pit bull breed type dogs, which I have and LOVE!!! They need every effort we can give them!!
Hear hear! We all need to fight the misperceptions and outright lies about pit bulls in the media and our neighborhoods whether we have one in the family or not. You’re not in this alone.
Thank you, Leslie! I appreciate your support! 🙂
Well said! Some of the sweetest dogs I have had the pleasure of being introduced to (I work for an animal shelter) and interact with have been Pit Bulls or Pit mixes.
Their caring and affection is like no other breed. The loyalty they give to their human companions is beyond any given by a human.
The madness in the media around these animals is hype. It seems they only want the sensationalized stories to sell print. I get that. But when will there ever be an unbiased report?
Until the general masses understand and actually get to meet one of these special creatures they will continue to spew the unfounded rhetoric that has become the norm on this planet.
If they are so hell-bent on trashing the reputations of Pitties then they need to focus a little harder on just why they are doing it. And maybe turn some of that vitriol toward their local governing bodies.
So right, Michael! So many of the people who judge Pit Bulls have never even met one. How can you possibly know about an animal if you’ve never spent time with it? They’re individuals, just like people are individuals.
I get so mad too! I have a Boxer/Bull dog mix and a Staffordhire.
Recently, we took the dogs for their nightly walk and we stopped at a store to pick something up. My husband went inside and I stood outside with the dogs. Told them both to sit and stay … they both did for a few minutes. Then a woman pulled up in a car with two dogs that started barking at my dogs. Nadie (my Staffy) remained seated but Prince (Boxer/Bull dog) proceeded to act up. I am trying to get him to sit, stop barking, and behave, which embarrassingly was not going very well when I look up and notice there is a man starring at the three of us.
I kinda shrugged, smiled, and said, “Just like a kid … loves embarrassing me in public.” He points at Nadie and asks, “That a pit bull?”
I replied, “Yes, she is a Staffordshire.”
He then blows my mind by saying,” Bet she would love to get off that leash and eat my face,” and took off briskly like he was in danger.
Were we sharing the same reality? My poor Nadie was sitting there behaving perfectly while her brother was acting the fool. People just do not want to give up their stupid preconceptions about pit bulls even when they are completely unfounded.
People say the rudest things, don’t they, Stacey? I’m sorry you and your dogs experienced that. Talk about ignorant. He was clearly blinded by his Pit Bull prejudice. I always say that of my 2 dogs, it’s the 15 pound Dachshund that’s ferocious – not the 65 pound Pit Bull mix.
OMG Stacey! People can be so disturbing and THEY are the reason WHY Pit Bulls have received such improper press that has funneled through the communities. I just get so mad when people assume things about dog breeds.
I agree with you, with the one small proviso that we have to be careful to differentiate between “dog fighters” and “poor people”. Incidentally, if you haven’t watched this webinar, I recommend it HIGHLY!
Shira, I’m not sure what you mean. Clearly there is a difference between dog fighters and “poor people”. What does one have to do with the other? Being poor doesn’t make someone a dog fighter, just as not every dog fighter is poor. What’s your point?
We used to live in a challenged Philadelphia neighborhood. Young men in the neighborhood liked to be seen with a pit bull on the end of a chain because it made them look tough. And because they thought the dogs would protect them.
The crazy thing was how the gentle nature of these dogs always came through. The kids used to get really frustrated when their pitties would pull them across the street to say hello to us. As my husband used to say, “I guess they’re lovers, not fighters.”
Over time we started to see a change as more and more neighbors adopted pitties as pets (instead of protection). Just being exposed to affectionate dogs can do a lot to change minds.
Keep the faith. Things are changing for the better.
Thanks Pamela, I appreciate the support and encouragement! 🙂
Your story reminds me of something. Our son got our dog when he was a freshman in college. She was one of 11 pups, and the entire litter was snatched up by college kids. When the dogs were about 3 months old, one was found abandoned in a laundromat near the campus, and my son immediately recognized the dog and knew who she had belonged to. When he asked the kid why he had dumped the puppy, he said that he’d initially wanted her because she was a Pit Bull but as it turned out, she wasn’t “mean enough” for him.
+1. I had read about all of the misconceptions, prejudice, and sensationalism (the ones that really get me are the media reports where the breed is not even known, and they simply add “pit bull” in the headline anyway) — and knew first hand it was crap after volunteering with all the wonderful pits in shelters. After meeting so many, myths confirmed. But I never truly understood how widespread the problem was until my first time walking a pit bull in public and seeing the reactions from people for absolutely no reason. I’m walking a giant marshmallow, and they cower in fear. What makes me also quite angry is what this could potentially do to some of the more sensitive dogs (so many humans making faces at them? What must the poor pups think about society?)
Terrific post, as always.
Thank you, Jen! It really is sad how people react, isn’t it? I was recently in a situation where a stranger was petting my dog, who was eagerly licking his hands and trying to lick his face, happy and friendly. The stranger was clearly enjoying her and then he asked about her breed. I replied that she was a Pit Bull/Boxer mix, and he immediately withdrew his hand, looked at his watch, and said he needed to get going. One minute he was playing with her and smiling, the next minute he was practically running away from her. What changed? Certainly not her.
I absolutely agree with this. I am mom to a 1 year old male American Pit Bull Terrier and a 1 yr old Boston Terrier. People are amazed that they not only get along but are best friends and that our resident cats are still alive. I also get confused or astonished looks when I tell people I have a Pit Bull because I apparently don’t look the part, whatever that means. I am really glad you wrote about this because we had an incident with a woman and her young daughter recently while out on a daily walk. Out of nowhere this little girl comes running at us full force and screaming about puppies. My dogs are trained and socilazed with small children so they were unfazed by the outburst and calmly let the girl pet them and stick her fingers in their mouths. The woman walked up and apolozied to me and complimented me on how well behaved my dogs were. Then she started complaining about this girl her neighbor told her walks her Pit Bull through the nearby college campus. She was terrified she and her daughter would run into them one day, being the Pit Bulls are so dangerous. As she’s telling me this her daughter is mere feet away with her fingers nearly elbow deep in my Pit Bull’s mouth giggling away. I made a snarky comment that let her know I was that girl she was complaining about that dangerous Pit Bull was the one entertaining her daughter. I was upset afterward at her ignornance but then I was upset with myself for not taking that opportunity to educate. You are right, this woman was just going off assumptions from things she’d been told. She clearly did not even recoginize my dog as a Pit Bull he stood right in front of her yet she was afraid of this abstract idea of a Pit Bull. I am so glad I am not the only one feeling this way. Thanks for posting!
Thanks for the feedback and support, Hilary. What a great story. It paints the perfect picture of ignorance. Even though you feel you missed an opportunity to educate, you can be sure the woman learned a lesson that day, and it was your dog who taught it. 🙂
I worked in the veterinary field for 3 years and never ever was I afraid of a Pit Bull patient. I have had my face bit by toy breed and my leg bit by herding breeds and been terrified of other dogs who can’t come within miles of our clinic without a muzzle, yet Pit Bulls are always the ones who get the bad wrap. I never understood it. When I meet people I like to assume they are good people, and I do the same for dogs. I always assume they are nice until proved otherwise. I blame many people.
You take the right approach, Rachel. Get to know people – and dogs – before you decide what you think of them. We’re all individuals and we’re all different. One bad apple, ya know?
Indeed a great article for ones that have not got the sense to look beyond Pitbull Media hype
We had an instance 5 days ago when our baby girl got out of the fenced yard she’s played in for 3.5 yrs. she ran around as it was raining and going on 7pm in the evening ~we both paniced obviosly thinking the worse for our Pitty finally after 20 minutes she was found at the neighbors trying to play with their 125 pds Labrador but our Pit got alittle rough and after she was brought back to the house ~ Four days later our neighbor’s husband came knocking on our door telling us things for sure they were asking us to put our Pit down he stated not this time but there will be a Law Suit if it happens again she was trying to kill our Labrador ~ knowing our Pit has never shown signs of killing another dog (other than her not liking smaller animals at this time) I talked with our Pit and she immedietely droped her head and her wagging tail waged no more she was heart broken to think Jackson the lab was hurt from her visit. What gets to me is Four days after the fact this neighbor complained I called her Vet and descreetly was able to find out that their Labrador was in no danger and nothing to have concerns of after checking him ~ But this issue the neighbors made due to our Pit being a killer dog is totally a misconception of Pitbull Animals around the world
We now watch 1000% that our Pit does not get out of the yard for these neighbors as they always used to come up and pet her as she wagged her tail in happiness this was an ongoing visit at least three times in a week walking their labrador..so what ever this neighbor after 21 years in knowing them is going thru some over exaggerated opinions of Pitbull owners and there Pitbulls
Thank you
Thanks for the feedback, Glenda. I’m glad things worked out in your situation. It does sound like you’ll always have to protect your dog from these neighbors – they’re just waiting for her to do something wrong. You can’t be too careful.
I do not own a pitbull. I have a Lab mix.
What frustrates me to no end is how hard it is to find a nice apartment that will allow me to have a pitbull. I either have to live in something that is not as nice as my standards or something that I really can’t afford. I really want to adopt a pitbull, or at least have the option to adopt any type of dog I want, but finding a landlord and renters insurance to cover a “pitbull” is unfortunately very difficult.
If we could just get some of these insurance companies to make some policy changes, it would be such a huge factor because more loving homes would be able to adopt pitbulls. Such a high percentage of dog owners live in apartments, and that greatly reduces the number of people who can adopt a pitbull, unfortunately.
I actually am of the belief that the majority of people do love pitbulls and all dogs. I also believe the majority of pitbull owners are responsible, like you said. It’s just a small group of people who fear them and who don’t understand them. And it’s a tiny percentage of pitbull owners who are irresponsible. I’ve walked many pitbulls through my dog walking business, and most people smile when they see me walking them. A few move away, but they also do so when I’m walking any medium or large dog.
I do think there has been major progress in the last five years or so, yet there is a lot of work to be done obviously. I have relatives who are scared of “pitbulls,” for example, and honestly I don’t even know if they would recognize a pitbull if they saw one. It’s just the label they are afraid of. So frustrating.
Good post, you got us all thinking.
Thanks Lindsay. I too have relatives who are afraid of Pit Bulls. I feel certain my grandma spun in her grave when we first brought our girl home, but anyone who’s ever met her knows that she’s just a big loving goofball. My grandma would’ve eventually come around. 🙂
I think the majority of people like dogs, but I disagree that the majority like Pit Bulls. That hasn’t been my experience through owning one or when volunteering in a shelter and rescue group. All we can do is use every opportunity to show the world how great these dogs really are.
Well, regardless of how many people love pitbulls, we can all agree there is still a lot of work to be done. Blogs like yours are really making a difference for all dogs. I love what you’re doing.
Christina,
We call our nation one of equality and yet there are so many animals that suffer at the hands of irresponsible people (I will not call them irresponsible OWNERS because they in my opinion should not be allowed to hold the title of owners). I do some volunteer work at a dog day care and there are several pit bulls that I have had close contact with because I do pet photography and never once have I felt intimidated or had any fear because of the lovable nature of the breed. There have been some tiny little pups that have been more intimidating!
Keep keeping on and spreading your anger and your words and your blog!
CK
I live in a town that a pitbull was just shot in the head. There was a tractor going by, and all three of a fella’s dogs chaged out of their yard at a police officer who was on duty monitoring the tractor because it had to go through a residential area. . The dog survived (amazingly) and in the next interview with the owner, his dogs were still ALL still off leash. I felt bad for his dogs……… because the owner is a nincompoop. He went inside his home (to get a BEER and go to the bathroom) leaving dogs unattended knowing there would be a tractor going by. Any breed of dog would have been scared of the noise, and all of the action. Some dogs who naturally protect their property would see it as a threat as these dogs did and go running to investigate.
The kicker is, one of his dogs had just had puppies. He is what you would call a backyard breeder. Nice dogs but they are all destined to go to more nincompoops who havent a clue how to take care of a dog much less themselves. He insists his dogs come from some magnificeent bloodline but I guess he doesnt think it through and realize most of these pups are destined to die in shelters or destroyed by their owners as often happens here.
I see the pitbulls as going through the same phase as the doberman, rotweiler , or chows. All three of those breeds went through grief with backyard breeders and many insurance policies still mention them in riders. I was owned by a chow for 16 years and at the time people had much the same reaction as you described in your post. They didnt know Jiffy lived with a small dog and I did (and still do) cat rescue and that my gentle girl loved kittens. They didnt know she was the sweetest girl in the world like we did.
All you can do is provide a good example, and keep spreading the word about the breed.
I’m a little late to the party on this one, but I love this post. I recently adopted a 2 year old pit/lab/retriever mix and she could not be sweeter. I’ve encountered both people who cross the street when they see us coming, and people who comment on how polite and well-mannered she is. At first I was angry at the people who crossed the street, but then I was just sad for them. If they keep their preconceived notions of pitbulls and never get to know any, they’re really missing out. We work hard at being good ambassadors for pitbulls and I always appreciate the people who notice how gentle and well-mannered she is.