Canine Breed Discrimination –  I

History and  Overview –  Demonizing Dogs by Their Breed

There have been many dog breeds that have been given a bad reputation throughout the years.

*This is the first article in a series about Canine Breed Discrimination

Various breeds of dogs have been demonized, or feared, since newspapers became more popular after the Civil War. First it was the Blood Hounds of Uncle Tom’s Cabin that struck fear into the hearts of people throughout America. This dog was portrayed as a savage, bloodthirsty, man-killing beast in vaudeville productions of Uncle Tom’s Cabin towards the latter part of the 19th century. It didn’t help that Bloodhounds had been used to hunt down runaway slaves and escaped criminals.

The public gradually realized that Blood Hounds were actually just another breed of dog with qualities similar to other dogs of about the same size.

The next demonized dogs were the Northern breeds, the Malamutes and Huskies, who were assumed by many to be the equivalent of wolves. Because of the extreme deprivation often suffered by sled dogs in the early North, and often being let to roam free in packs, there were horrible fatal human incidents that the press gleefully fed the public.

As time passed, the Northern breeds lost favor as feared canines in the press and were replaced by the demon German Shepherd of WWI. However, there was a later mitigating factor that held back this breed’s demonization: The advent of movies and then the subsequent TV series. “Rin Tin Tin”. The German Shepherd’s image in the public’s eye was altered from a vicious, savage, man-killing beast into the amazing helper and protector, a “hero dog” for humans.  Yet the German Shepherd is actually just another breed of dog with qualities similar to other dogs of around the same size.

Petey, a White American Pit Bull Terrier (registered with the UKC in 1936 as a Staffordshire Terrier) , with The Little Rascals

In the early 1900’s an interesting development occurred: One of the most popular dogs in America gained a  reputation in the press as an all-purpose family dog because of its reputation for protecting the family’s children. One of these dogs was a main character (Petey) in the famous short films and TV serial “Our Gang” (or “The Little Rascals”), another was used as the mascot for Buster Brown shoes and another, the dog featured next to an early phonograph in ads by RCA. But these dogs, with the unfortunate name of Pit Bull, were not ready for prime-time demonization.
Next on the list of demonized dogs were Dobermans and Rottweilers, due to their use in WWII in various military purposes, and their frequent use as guard dogs. The problem with using dogs as guards to protect property is that a dog simply cannot distinguish between a bad person and a good person. They only distinguish people as familiar or as strangers, and when used for guard purposes their territorial protective nature is at its peak.  If a stranger enters the dog’s territory and acts erratic (afraid, angry, surprised), the dog is primed to attack.

As the 1950’s moved into the ’60’s and ’70’s, two relevant growing developments were occurring in rural areas and inner-city ghettos: organized dog fighting, and a dramatic increase in inner-city gangs accompanied by their increasing violence and use of illegal drugs. And the dog usually used in fighting was the Pit Bull, but probably not for the reason you think.

But there are two interesting things about using Pit Bulls in dog fighting that are usually overlooked: First, why were Pit Bulls weighing between 50 and 70 pounds used instead of Dobermans, Rottweilers, German Shepherds and Mastiffs? The answer is that in the midst of a dogfight, men wouldn’t be as able to control the larger and more powerful dogs.  Secondly, throughout the history of breeding Pit Bulls for fighting, at any time in a dogfight if a dog ever bit a handler the dog would be put down and culled from the breeding population. Consequently Pit Bulls have been bred to actually be the least likely dog to bite humans.

As gangs multiplied and Pit Bulls gained a reputation for fighting and also an undeserved reputation for extraordinary viciousness, they became the favorite dog for gangs to boast their intimidating image. Pit bulls were being seen on street corners wearing big spike collars with their ears cut off to make them look meaner, all to boost the “bad” image of their drug dealing owners. Such owners usually weren’t too interested in having their dogs well socialized and trained. Unfortunately many such owners also severely neglected or even cruelly abused these dogs. Imagine any large breed dog, chained except for an occasional walk around the block, underfed, under socialized, and almost inevitably to be discarded like trash.

In July of 1987 the public perception of Pit Bulls suddenly took a drastic turn for the worst: Sports Illustrated did an extremely inflammatory cover story on Pit Bulls with a cover picture of a mean looking, snarling Pit Bull with the headline: “BEWARE OF THIS DOG.” The same month, Time magazine also did a similar story called “Time Bomb On Legs,” with this as the first paragraph: “Fire burst from its open mouth, its eyes glowed with a smoldering glare, its muzzle and hackles were outlined in flickering flame. Never in the delirious dream of a disordered brain could anything more savage, more appalling, more hellish, be conceived than that dark form and savage face.”  They used a passage from the Sherlock Holmes story, Hound of the Baskervilles, to make a reference to an attack in Georgia!

Pit Bull Terriers were known as “Nanny” dogs in the early 1900’s

So despite being known as the “nanny dog” in the early 1900’s, as well as in the United States as a well-regarded family dog good with children, Pit Bulls immediately became the top demon dog because of such highly distorted journalism. The result of this was that even more people likely to be involved in crime wanted to have Pits (and such people were more likely to be irresponsible and uncaring dog owners).  Bad owners = bad dogs!  They are what we make them.

Pit Bulls have borne the brunt of the backlash because of their popularity with dog fighters.  This has caused the public to demand legislative action against pit bulls (BSL, or Breed Specific Legislation). Yielding to pressure from their constituents, public officials have banned Pit Bulls in many civil jurisdictions and others are following suit, including insurance companies who reserve the right to cancel a homeowner.

From Cesar Milan:

“Sadly, a lot of people have come to think of pit bulls as violent and aggressive dogs. This is reinforced on TV and in newspapers that go to town every time there’s an attack — and often the offending dog is described as a pit even when it isn’t.

I’m here to tell you, though, that a pit bull is no more likely to unpredictably attack than any other breed. That’s a fact. To say that a pit is a natural-born killer is nothing more than stereotyping.  We don’t have a problem with the breed — we have a problem with education. And until we change people’s attitudes, pit bulls are going to have problems. There are more pit bulls in shelters than any other breed, they’re less likely to be adopted, and they’re far more likely to be euthanized.

Pit Bulls combine the speed and determination of the terrier side of their ancestry with the strength of the bulldog side.  It is the Terrier determination that causes problems if they fight, because they’ll be oblivious to pain and just refuse to quit. As responsible owners, we should make sure to redirect those traits in healthy ways. Give a pit a job to do and he will use that same determination. These are strong dogs who need exercise.

Dogs of every breed do good things and bad things. If a dog poops in your yard, do you care whether it was a pit bull or a poodle? You just don’t want poop in your yard. Dogs, and especially dog owners, should be held accountable for their actions — for their deeds, not their breeds. Breed-specific legislation doesn’t address the problem. It just penalizes innocent dogs.

My kids are around pit bulls every day. In the ’70s they blamed Dobermans, in the ’80s they blamed German Shepherds, in the ’90s they blamed the Rottweiler. Now they blame the Pit Bull.   There is no such thing as a problem breed. However, there is no shortage of ‘problem owners!”

The negative treatment of Pit Bulls and the bad reputation they have acquired is unfortunate, to say the least.  They can live harmoniously with people if given the chance, and if the breed was understood and trained properly. Training is a very important consideration in Pit Bull ownership.  The history of the breed demonstrates that unless he is properly trained and socialized at a young age, the strong-minded dog will quickly attempt to dominate the household. But, with proper training the American Pit Bull Terrier can be a remarkably loyal and valued member of the family.