Don't bully my breed

"But the poor Dog, in life the firmest friend,The first to welcome, foremost to defend,Whose honest heart is still his Master’s own,Who labors, fights, lives, breaths for him alone.”-Lord Byron, 1808.

Breed-specific legislation is a law that bans or restricts certain types of dogs based on their appearance, usually because they are perceived as “dangerous” breeds or types of dogs. The most common breed of dog subject to breed-specific legislation is the “pit bull”, which, in fact, is not a breed, but a term used to group three breeds, including the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier.

But why are pit bulls such an easy target?

Well... because of people.

According to The Proper Pit Bull, “It is the nature of the pit bull to persevere and endure. This drive is not related to innate aggression, but rather related to learned behaviors born of their loyalty and the drive to successfully complete assigned tasks despite adversity.”

Pit bulls are not a problem for humans. Humans are a problem for pit bulls. Legislation must focus on the irresponsible behavior of people. Like any dog, pit bulls can be trained to do good or bad depending on the intent of their owners. Dogs trained for negative purposes are an indication of an owner problem, not a breed problem. The irresponsible owner problem will not go away by banning or restricting the breed of dog. In fact it could worsen. Banning specific breeds just makes them that much more desirable to the individuals that authorities do not want owning them.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspective Service, a department of the USDA, states that, “The most effective means of reducing prevalence of dog bites are education and placing responsibility on the owner, not the animal. Legal mechanisms that enable the competent authorities to impose penalties or otherwise deal with irresponsible owners are necessary.”

False reporting is a major contributor to the media issues currently facing pit bulls. When a dangerous dog’s breed is unknown, the media is not above assuming it is a pit bull. The National Canine Resource Council terms this phenomenon, “Everything is a pit bull, whether it is or not."

Animal control officers across the country have told the ASPCA that when they alert the media to a dog attack, news outlets respond that they have no interest in reporting on the incident unless it involved a pit bull. A quantitative study by the National Canine Research Council of dog-bite reportage in a four-day period proves that anti-pit bull bias in the media is more than just a theory—it’s a fact.

-August 18, 2007—A Labrador mix attacked a 70-year-old man, sending him to the hospital in critical condition. Police officers arrived at the scene and the dog was shot after charging the officers. This incident was reported in one article in the local paper.

-August 19, 2007—A 16-month-old child received fatal head and neck injuries after being attacked by a mixed-breed dog. This attack was reported on twice by the local paper.

-August 20, 2007—A six-year-old boy was hospitalized after having his ear torn off and receiving a severe bite to the head by a medium-sized, mixed-breed dog. This incident was reported in one article in the local paper.

-August 21, 2007—A 59-year-old woman was attacked in her home by two pit bulls and was hospitalized with severe, but not fatal, injuries. This attack was reported in over 230 articles in national and international newspapers, as well as major television news networks including CNN, MSNBC and FOX.

To make matters worse, people have also spread false claims about pit bulls.

How many times have you heard “locking jaw” or “above average bite force” in regards to the danger of pit bulls?

Lehr Brisbin, Ph.D., who is a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and an expert in the training, behavior, and the anatomy of bulldog breeds, has said that, “The few studies which have been conducted of the structure of the skulls, mandibles and teeth of American Pit Bull Terriers show that, in proportion to their size, their jaw structure and thus its inferred functional morphology, is no different than that of any other breed of dog. There is absolutely no evidence for the existence of any kind of ’locking mechanism’ unique to the structure of the jaw and/or teeth of the American Pit Bull Terrier. Based on actual dog dissections and measurement of their skulls, the evidence demonstrated that pit bull jaw muscles and bone structure are the same as other similarly sized dogs. No evidence was presented to demonstrate that a pit bull’s bite is any stronger than other dogs of its size and build.”

In 2005 Dr. Brady Barr in a show for National Geographic called “Dangerous Encounters” disproved the 2,000 pounds per square inch myth. Dr. Barr conducted bite-force tests for several kinds of animals including three breeds of dog: the German Shepherd, the Rottweiler and the American Pit Bull Terrier. Of the three, the American Pit Bull Terrier had the least amount of bite force, which was found to be well below the average dog’s 320-pound bite pressure.

Another misconception about the danger of pit bulls is a trait called gameness. Gameness is defined as the ability or willingness to continue doing an action once begun.

Dr. Brisbin went on to explain, “Gameness, in itself, is not a negative trait. For example, the ability to carry out duties or trained tasks, despite injury, distraction, or frustration, is desirable in pit bulls which have been trained to be search and rescue dogs, protection dogs in the U.S. military, drug sniffing dogs, and therapy dogs.”

The American Temperament Testing Society, an independent research group that has been publishing results since 1977, actually reports that only 1 in 1,000 pit bulls are “disqualified” due to aggressive tendencies. Pit bulls are not the problem; people are the problem.

“You made me what I am today, courage at its best.

You wanted me to know no fear, a cut above the rest.

Not only did I master that, I’ve thrown in loyalty, too.

Look past my eyes into my soul, you know I’d die for you.

I’ll watch your kids, I’ll watch your house.

Your praise will be my crown, ask what you will-

I’ll do my best. I’ll even be your clown.

But some of you don’t like me, I’m sure I don’t know why.

The only thing I’m guilty of is courage, love, and try.

But still they want to see me go, they want my breed to end.

Will I see you sitting idly by? You, whom I call a friend?

You made me what I am today, you never saw my waiver.