Common Pit Bull Myths

So, there was another litter of puppies that we were looking at back in January, and they were tan and adorable (but not as cute as Miles, admittedly). They were also lab-pit bull mixes. Their mom, Cinnamon, was a purebred pit bull - very, very strong, but also incredibly shy and gentle. She was the kind of mom that would let you do anything to her (clip her nails, take her temperature in a way that is not always comfortable, play with her ears, etc.) but very early on when I met her, I knew that if anyone even THOUGHT of hurting her babies, they would immediately regret it. That kind of gentle.



Anywho, I was talking to my family about these dogs, because they were so cute and I really wanted one, and the subject came up about their breed, and I said, "they're Lab-Pit Bull mixes." I nearly always heard a gasp after the "Pit Bull" part, because EVERYONE has this assumption that Pit Bulls are these vicious dogs that will attack you on sight and we should be very, very afraid of them.

We see it in the shelter all the time - people are always so afraid of dogs that are the sweetest, gentlest, well-meaning dogs that just happen to be Pit Bulls. These fears range from "he's going to attack me" to "I could never adopt him - he'll kill my pets" to "I saw on the news the other day that a pit bull attacked a child, and they are dangerous." Views like these have been the catalyst for breed-specific legislation, as well as the breed itself statistically being more abused than any other breed.

Here are some common misconceptions about Pit Bulls that make me a little crazy, because they totally add to the stigma attached to Pit Bulls (all information courtesy of http://www.realpitbull.com):

1. Pit Bulls have locking jaws. A dog is a dog is a dog. Their jaws are built the same way, which is to say, not locking. Dog's don't have locking jaws. Period. This also dispels the myth that Pit Bulls can hold onto something with their front teeth, while chewing with their back teeth. Absurd. Not a single dog breed has that capability.

2. Pit Bulls Don't feel pain. Is a Pit Bull a living, breathing, pooping being? Yes? Then he can feel pain. At one point, Pit Bulls were bred to ignore pain they may have been experiencing in order to finish the task at hand, but they absolutely have the capability to experience and feel pain, just like any other dog breed.

3. Pit Bulls attack people more than any other breed of dog. This myth probably drives me the craziest - there are a few things going on with this fallacy, and here they are:

a. Bite statistics are difficult to obtain accurately, particularly because the term "Pit Bull" itself has become a catch-all breed name.
b. In fact, many people even have a difficult time identifying a pit bull. To just "know that they're vicious" is not enough. I would even venture that a majority of the people that are the most vocal about pit bulls being vicious probably couldn't identify one.
c. The American Pit Bull Terrier is actually a very, very popular breed of dog - some would even say the most popular. To that end, of course it's going to have more instances of biting than any other breed, because there are more of them.

4. Pit Bulls "turn" on their owners. Dogs, as a species, do not attack unless provoked. They need to be given a reason. Yes, dog owners, I'm looking at you. If you provoke your dog, or if someone else provokes your dog or an animal provokes your dog and gets attacked, it doesn't matter if it's a golden retriever or a pit bull or a chihuaua. It is their instinct as a dog to attack - breed does not matter.

When I was looking at Miles' litter to pick one to adopt from, one of the ladies that accepted them when they were surrendered I'm sure almost felt like she had to make a point to tell me to "not be afraid" of the fact that there is Pit Bull in Miles. I assured her that we're not, and that as dog-savvy people, we know that it's entirely about how the dog is raised. Not once did it cross my mind that a dog that is as sweet as Miles is could be a danger solely based on his breed. Will other people see it this way? No. I'm sure I'll get a lot of "oooh, be careful"s when I tell them, but I'm already proud of my little dog son. :) He's adorable, and he's going to be a great dog, and his breed doesn't matter one bit.

Now - here's a cute picture of him sleeping on my knitting. I may see what I can do to knit him a dog bed by Christmas.