The Pitfalls of Stereotyping Pit Bulls

Jonny Justice, a
Vick's dog. Credit:
vickdogsblog.blogspot.com

That decision set a precedent that could change the way abused animals are treated after they are rescued and marks a turning point in the debate over whether pit bulls are inherently dangerous.

A July 2008 Washington Post article details some of the success stories:

"More than a year after being confiscated from Vick's property, Leo, a tan, muscular pit bull, dons a colorful clown collar and visits cancer patients as a certified therapy dog in California. Hector, who bears deep scars on his chest and legs, recently was adopted and is about to start training for national flying disc competitions in Minnesota. Teddles takes orders from a 2-year-old. Gracie is a couch potato in Richmond who lives with cats and sleeps with four other dogs."  (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/06/AR2008070602351.html)

There is no "Pit Bull" breed; it is a term used to describe several breeds, including the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the Bull Terrier. Cross-breeding with other types of dogs makes defining a Pit's breed even more difficult.

The United Kennel Club describes the American Pit Bull Terrier as eager to please, friendly, excellent family dogs, good with children. According to the American Kennel Club, the American Staffordshire Terrier is affectionate, reliable and an especially good child's pet.

Pit Bulls are being used for search and rescue, bomb and drug detection, and therapy. And Pit Bulls have been found to do better on official temperament testing than many other breeds, including Golden Retrievers, according to the 2007 results from The American Temperament Test Society.

So, are Pit Bulls any more dangerous than other breeds of dog?

Experts agree that while Pit Bulls, known as "bully" dogs, were bred for fighting other animals and can tend to be more aggressive toward other dogs than other breeds, their nature is to be friendly and loyal toward humans.

Pit Bulls were originally developed for blood sports such as bull and bear baiting. However, dog handlers often were in the pit during the fighting, separating them and treating injured dogs afterward. Any dog that attacked a handler was euthanized.

Last century, the Pit Bull was considered the "All-American dog." American Staffordshire Terriers were known as nurse dogs during the Civil War. Pit Bulls were used to sell war bonds during World War I, earned medals and even starred in "The Little Rascals."

In past decades, before Pit Bulls became popular with dog fighters, scrutiny was directed toward breeds such as German Shepherds, Dobermans and Rottweilers.

Between 1966 and 1975, fewer than 2 percent of all dogs involved in fatal attacks in the U.S. were Pit Bulls or Rottweilers, according to the National Canine Research Council. (http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/canineaggression.asp)

Reckless ownership practices are the predominant cause of dog aggression against humans, research has shown. The behaviors include owners failing to humanely care for their dogs, chaining them up, letting them roam loose, abusing and neglecting them; training dogs to fight or keeping them as "yard dogs" instead of pets; and failing to spay or neuter them. More than 90 percent of all fatal dog attacks between 2005 and 2007 were due to one or more of those factors, according to the National Canine Research Council's report for 2007.

Chaining dogs, any type of dog, can make them aggressive and dangerous due to lack of socialization and the vulnerability the dogs feel not being able to move freely and escape threats.

Responsible owners should monitor their dog's interactions with children and other dogs and keep them on leashes in public, particularly if they own a breed known for dog-dog aggression.

In The New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell writes about discriminating based on breed of dog and concludes that it is as reliable a science as stereotyping humans:

"I've seen virtually every breed involved in fatalities, including Pomeranians and everything else, except a beagle or a basset hound," Randall Lockwood, a senior vice-president of the A.S.P.C.A. and one of the country’s leading dogbite experts, told me. … The point is that it changes over time. It's a reflection of what the dog of choice is among people who want to own an aggressive dog. ..."

 
"The strongest connection of all, though, is between the trait of dog viciousness and certain kinds of dog owners. In about a quarter of fatal dog-bite cases, the dog owners were previously involved in illegal fighting. The dogs that bite people are, in many cases, socially isolated because their owners are socially isolated, and they are vicious because they have owners who want a vicious dog. The junk-yard German shepherd—which looks as if it would rip your throat out—and the German-shepherd guide dog are the same breed. But they are not the same dog, because they have owners with different intentions."  (http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/02/06/060206fa_fact)

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/sports/20080202_VICK_FEATURE/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/06/AR2008070602351.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/galleries/vickdogs/

http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/canineaggression.asp

http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/section.php?id=5

http://www.pbrc.net/breedinfo.html

http://www.unchainyourdog.org/NewsAttacks.htm

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/02/06/060206fa_fact

http://badrap-blog.blogspot.com/

http://vickdogsblog.blogspot.com/

http://gadab.blogspot.com/