The Misunderstood Reputation of Pit Bulls in America

Pit bulls are often misunderstood and unfairly labeled as dangerous due to societal biases and misidentifications.

### The Misunderstood History and Stigma of Pit Bulls
* 🐕  Pit bulls were once popular family dogs, known as the "**Horatio Alger, Plucky Everyman dog**" and the lovable sidekick of "**The Little Rascals**".
* 📰  In the 1960s and '70s, pit bulls became associated with **urban poverty and crime**, leading to a shift in their **public image**.
* 🚫  Pit bulls are often included in breed-specific legislation (BSL) in over 700 US cities, despite concerns about the **effectiveness and fairness** of such laws.
* 📊  The American Veterinary Medical Association has cautioned that **dog bite statistics are unreliable** and do not accurately represent which breeds are **most likely to bite**.
* 💔  Many landlords and rental properties have breed restrictions that prevent **pit bull owners** from finding housing.
* 🏠 " There are many, many, many rental properties where you cannot live if you have a dog that is considered a **pit bull**.
* 🧠  The key to preventing dog bites is not breed-specific legislation, but rather addressing the **underlying issues of how dogs are treated and cared for**.
* 🎥 " I think people want an easy answer to preventing dog bites, and they think that that easy answer is, you know, if we can focus on this one breed that is known for fighting, but the answer is that we need to **really look at the way that we treat dogs**.

being attacked by dogs. A pitbull breeder is savagely mauled to death, killed by his 13 pitbulls. You've probably seen a lot of stories about pitbull attacks and anecdotes about how dangerous they are, and when movies need to show a vicious dog, it's often a pitbull. Why is that? Is there something about these dogs that makes them inherently more dangerous? America has a long history of demonizing certain dogs. The first dog that caused a public outcry was this: The Spits, a type of dog we'd most likely now call a Pomeranian. They got the reputation as women's dogs, with one doctor essentially saying that women deserve whatever consequences come from having dogs instead of babies. Articles said that these dogs were aggressive and deadly and called them treacherous beasts. Meanwhile, pit bulls were once thought of as a great family dog. They really were just seen as the Honda Civic of dogs. This is Bronwin Dicki. She spent over 7 years researching and writing a book about pit bulls. The kind

of Horatio, aler, Plucky Everyman dog, a pitbull was The Lovable sidekick of The Little Rascals, and they were even used in military posters to advertise patriotism. So, what changed in the 1960s and '70s? The cultural landscape started to shift dramatically. Crime rates rose across the country, especially in America's largest cities. It made people believe that they were in danger all the time, and what you see is a lot of people getting those dogs to acquire like a small-medium smooth-coated dog with a big head, whatever you want to call it. It's always been easier to acquire that type of dog than again your $3 to $5,000 Champion Labrador. One New York Times article from 1971 said that residents of the Bronx got guard dogs to take care of themselves since the city wasn't doing it for them. The 1980s also ushered in a new era of rap music, which directly confronted the deterioration of inner cities and featured many references to pit bulls.

once these dogs became associated with urban poverty and the plight of black youth, they became proxies for human prejudice and racism. News stories associated these dogs with drug dealers and criminals. You would see comments like, We have enough of those people here; they don't need to bring their dogs here. A stereotype of pit bulls had emerged in the media. They had gone from family-friendly to national foe. But let's back up for a second. What even is a pit bull? The term Pitbull is a lot like the term Hound. It's a breed group, it's a generalized shape, it's not a specific breed. Within that category, there are four pure breeds: the American Pitbull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the American Bully, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. They were bred down from the British Bull and Terrier dogs, which were in turn descendants of English Bulldogs. Because of this, a lot of people use the term pit bull-shaped dog, but for the sake of simplicity, I'll be saying pitbull in

this video. Pitbull's reputation has led them to being included in the more than 700 US cities breed-specific legislation, also known as BSL. Breed-specific legislation is an attempt to restrict or ban ownership of a dog based purely on essentially their breed, right, what they look like. You have this unfortunate perception that they're aggressive dogs who are born to fight and dangerous to justify BSL. Pitbull opponents often cite legal rulings such as the 2012 court of appeals ruling from Maryland, which says that pit bulls are inherently dangerous. The way that we as a society sometimes treat dogs is what makes them dangerous. I don't think there's a breed that's inherently dangerous. The dissenting judge from the 2012 case pointed out a lack of proof to support the inherently dangerous designation and highlighted that dog bite statistics are unreliable. We don't have good numbers on dog bites, which dogs bite the most in general because of reporting biases. Smaller dogs or other dogs bite and it just doesn't get reported the same way.

It does. If it were a pull, I think pit attacks make for good news, just like shark attacks do. We know that not a lot of people die from shark attacks every year, but when one does, it's on the news. Even just determining a dog's breed is incredibly difficult. People see a large dog and think Pitbull automatically, unless it's a breed that they can readily identify. But it's almost impossible to judge what breed a dog is by sight. Most dogs are mixed breed, with some being a mixture of several different kinds. A study found that nearly 90% of dogs in shelters that were labeled as a particular breed were misidentified, and dogs were labeled as Pitbull-type dogs almost half the time, even without DNA evidence. Which means that a lot of dogs that may look like pitbull mixes don't actually have any pitbull in them. And then there's just their sheer population. They're one of our most popular dogs. So if you're looking at just straight numbers, there are always going to be more bites.

reported from popular breeds than there are from dogs who are not as popular. For this reason and more, the American Veterinary Medical Association cautioned in 2001 that dog bite statistics are not really statistics, and they do not give an accurate picture of dogs that bite. We know that BSL doesn't work, and that's sort of the bottom line. As even in places where these laws exist, they haven't prevented bites and attacks. Denver spent $5.8 million over 30 years enforcing their Pitbull ban with little measurable impact on Public Safety. Similarly, in Denmark, pit bulls were banned in 2010, and the country didn't see any significant changes in dog bite hospitalizations. So, what does this mean for these dogs and their owners? There are many, many, many rental properties where you cannot live if you have a dog that is considered a pit bull. It was either a size thing, like no dogs over 30 lb, or if they did accept large dogs, they said that caveat, no pitbulls. This is Lauren, a friend at Vox, who has a

pit bull named Dilly. She said many landlords simply don't allow pit bulls. It's very difficult. I think a lot of people agree that they're misunderstood. When we first got him, I was afraid he was going to like shred our apartment, and the worst he did was like nibbled on like the side of my hat once. Anytime I have to fill out any paperwork for, I say mixed breed just to be safe. I see so many people come through, and they'll absolutely fall in love with a dog, and then they'll say, Is it a pit bull? And I'll say, Well, we don't really know. And then they move on to another dog. It's a really sad moment for me when that dog, who is awesome, and those people who are really interested in taking him home, and they can't because of restrictions. I think people want an easy answer to preventing dog bites, and they think that that easy answer is, you know, if we can focus on this one breed that is known for fighting, but the answer is

that we need to really look at the way that we treat dogs, and are we meeting the needs of these dogs? And the answer is, we're not always. Dogs left alone for large periods of time in a backyard with no socialization and no training. Those dogs aren't getting their needs met, and they're not having a good life. And if we can empower people to help those dogs, then we can prevent bites and attacks from happening. [Music]

How pit bulls got a bad reputation

Vox helps you understand our world.

Vox video is Bridgett Henwood, Cath Spangler, Adam Freelander, Joey Sendaydiego, Coleman Lowndes, Christophe Haubursin, Kim Mas, Laura Bult, Ed Vega, Rajaa Elidrissi, and with research support from Melissa Hirsch. 

Become a member today: https://www.vox.com/support-now

Check out our FAQ on permissions and licensing of our videos: https://www.voxmedia.com/pages/licensing

✉️ Write us: voxvideo@vox.com


A pitbull breeder was recently mauled to death by his 13 pitbulls, highlighting the breed's controversial reputation.

Historically, pitbulls were seen as great family dogs and even used in military posters for patriotism.

However, the rise in crime rates and the cultural shift in the 1960s and '70s led to an increased demand for guard dogs, including pitbulls, contributing to their negative image.

Pit bulls became associated with urban poverty and racism, leading to their negative stereotype in the media.

The term "pit bull" refers to a breed group, not a specific breed, with four pure breeds included.

Their bad reputation has resulted in breed-specific legislation in over 700 US cities, aiming to restrict or ban their ownership, but the notion of any breed being inherently dangerous is disputed.

Pitbulls are often misidentified due to the difficulty in determining a dog's breed by sight, with nearly 90% of shelter dogs labeled as a specific breed being misidentified.

The popularity of pitbulls contributes to the higher number of reported dog bites, leading to the misconception that they are more dangerous.

Breed-specific legislation (BSL) has proven ineffective in reducing dog bites and attacks, with cities like Denver and countries like Denmark seeing little impact from their bans on pitbulls.

Many landlords refuse to allow pit bulls, making it difficult for owners to find housing.

The breed is often misunderstood, with potential adopters moving on when they learn a dog is a pit bull.

The focus on one breed for preventing dog bites is misguided, as the issue is more complex.

Many dogs are left alone for long periods without socialization or training, leading to unmet needs and poor quality of life.

This neglect can contribute to aggressive behaviors, such as bites and attacks.

Empowering people to care for and train dogs can help prevent these issues.