Pit Bulls
Pit bulls have a bad rep – a lot of people think of them as violent, unpredictable animals. But it wasn’t until the mid-1980’s that Pit Bulls started to become public enemy number one. Through the 20th century the Pit Bull was a popular family dog. There were few, if any stories of Put Bulls attacking people; attacks were blamed on poor ownership, not on the breed.
What Changed
In an article for Cesar’s Way Jon Bastian talks about the history of the Pit Bull. His article also pins points the 1980’s as when things changed for the breed. You can read his article here. In the 1980’s there were 3 major things that changed the way people think about Pit Bulls:
- A high profile Pit Bull attack that caused the death of a 2 years old boy – the dog was guarding a marijuana crop
- An increase in the use of Pit Bulls as guard and attack dogs – especially for organized crime
- Dog fighting became popular again and Pit Bulls were the dog of choice
By the 1990’s Pit Bull bans were common in the United States.
The Truth
The American Society for the Protection of Animals says that just because a breed is bred with certain traits doesn’t mean that each individual will display all these traits. Behaviour develops through a complex process that includes environment, interaction, experience, genetics and even diet. Dogs are individuals regardless of their breed. Responsible pet ownership is the only way to make sure that people and pets can live together.
Pit Bull Awareness Day
Pit Bull Awareness Day was created to educate people about the stereotypes and realities about Pit Bulls.
FREE
Do you have a Pit Bull? The first 5 people to post a pic of their pup on doo-n-go’s Facebook page will get a free 3 roll pack of doo-n-go. Post must be before 11:55pm on Oct. 31, 2014, for more information about this promo contact us at [email protected].
Links
For more information about Pit Bull Awareness Day check: http://www.nationalpitbullawarenessday.org/ ASPCA Position Statement on Pit Bulls: https://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-pit-bulls