The Pitt bull Myth

The summer I turned twenty-two I was working weekends at a local animal shelter in the puppy and kitten ward, cleaning poop, playing with puppies, and getting them all ready to be adopted out to families...it was an awesome job. While working, I fell head over heels in love with one dog a Lab/Pitt mix who was rescued from Hurricane Katrina and was spending most her time in the “high risk ward...” she didn't seem high risk to me, as I spent most of my time talking softly to her, and jamming my fingers in the cage so she could lick them clean. Because she was a “Pit Mix” she was considered a risk to any family adopting her...after a week of working at this shelter I learned that while they would accept Karina dogs they wouldn't be “taking on” anymore Pit bulls because of the risks involved...I was in shock! A well known animal shelter, and dog fancy employees should know of the myths surrounding Pitts and they should know better than to shun them based on those! Taking in a German Shepard that's been through such trauma as a hurricane poses the same threat as taking in any other breed, including the American Pit bull Terrier! This didn't come as a surprise to me, as over the years I've head scoffs and sighs whenever I mention that I love Pitts and think they're a fantastic breed. Before I shut down some of the most common myths, lets talk a little bit about the breed....

The American Pit bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier group; commonly called Pit bulls...and owning them, breeding them, and adopting them has become such a big deal that some cities, and towns are banning them...not to be confused with the American Staffordshire terrier, and American Bull Terrier the American Pit Bull terrier is not a part of the American Kennel club, but is recognized in the United Kennel Club. These dogs are not large, often weighing in at a max of sixty pounds, with a height of eighteen to twenty-two inches...they can come in a variety of colors and patterns (brindle, red blue etc) and have thick, coarse hair. Pits are intelligent, loyal dogs and despite their reputation get along splendidly with children and other animals (if they are socialized well as puppies).

Common Pitt Bull Myths:

ALL American Pitt Bull terriers are mean, psycho killers.. Yeah...nope, this isn't true! Sorry guys - somewhere in the world yes, there are unsocialized Pitt Bulls being breed to fight, but that's because their owners are terrible people. If you socialize your dog well, train him, bring him around other animals and people and give him basic training you will have a loyal friendly dog...the same goes for Pitts! They need to be socialized like ANY OTHER BREED and when they are they are amazing pets. If you click on the link I provided on the right, you will see the breeds scoring by the American Temperament Test society - Pits scored an 84.1% which is actually higher than the score given to the Golden Retriever!

Do Pitt bulls jaws lock? Absolutely not, this breed doesn't have the ability to lock it's jaw but it does have tenacity and determination to hold on to whatever it's got it's mouth around that may make it seem like it's jaw is "locking into place"

Pitt Bulls can not be trusted with other animals... Again, not true. If you socialize your animal at a young age he will have no problem getting along splendidly with other pets...any dog that has never met or been around one of his own kind will show aggression and fear, NOT just Pitt Bulls!

There are more Pitt Bull bites than any other breed... Look to the right, and click on 2007 dog bite reports. Got it? See how many bites were caused by Pitt Bulls....are you surprised that most were from Labradors, Great Danes, Huskies, Greyhounds, Golden Retrievers and Jack Russel's?

It's unsafe to rescue a Pit from a shelter, because you don't know where it's coming from... When you are adopting a dog from a shelter, there's always a risk no matter what the breed. Under the most awesome circumstances you will have the history of the animal, but you pose the risk of not knowing when you are adopting; remember - all shelter dogs are there for a reason. Know that most Pit Bull rescues and shelters however, won't adopt a dog out (any breed) that has showed signs of aggression towards other animals or people! No matter what dog you get, you will need to spend time with socializing, training, and loving them, there are no perfect dogs.

Most Pitt Bull owners are crazed criminals using them for dog fighting... False again! Most Pitt Bull owners are us common folk.

Do Pitt Bulls "turn" on people? Not really :) No breed of dog turns on it's owner unless it's being abused and neglected. All dog attacks are brought on for a reason, and there is almost always some sort of warning before this happens! Many inexperienced owners don't know the signs of impending aggression, and choose to ignore them. Check out my Amazon links for books on dog behavior, so you aren't one of these people!

The only thing Pit Bulls are breed for, is fighting... Pitt Bulls were breed for fighting, this isn't a myth! So were: English Bull dogs, Irish Terriers, Kerry Blue Terriers, Akita's, Boston Terriers, English Mastiffs, Shar Pei's and so on...Pit Bulls have been used in time for an endless variety of tasks - in the 1800's they were brought to American from England and Ireland to be used in dog fights...these dogs were breed during this time to fight other dogs but never turn on their owners, or other people. If they displayed aggression towards people, they were put down. When dog fighting became illegal in the United States, many people wanted to steer the breed from it's fighting roots, and over the years the Pitt Bull has been used as a working dog, as a therapy dog, and a household pet. Helen Keller even used a Pit Bull as one of her many service dogs!