A Personal Story at the Dog Park
I was at the dog park three years ago, when a woman lunged forward and forcibly seized his golden retriever. She turned around and walked off, leaving the second I saw her through the gate. She didn’t talk to me, she just snatched her dog up, glared at me, and practically ran to her car.
My dog, a young pitbull, was two years old. Poor girl had spent her entire life being rejected by the public at the shelter where I volunteer. She didn’t even look at the other woman or the other woman’s dog.
She was staring at the water fountain trying to figure out why it smelled like peanut butter. I bring this story up because it sums up something that’s been bothering me for years in rescue work: the gulf between what people think they know about pitbulls, and what actually is true. That gap costs dogs their lives on an alarmingly regular basis.
The Truth About Pitbulls
I want to be clear about something. I’m not going to tell you that pitbulls never hurt a human. Nor am I going to tell you they’re all dog-aggressive man-eaters.
Because both of those statements would be a lie. What I am going to tell you, is that most of what you think you know about this breed is either biased, out-dated, or downright false.
The Locking Jaw Myth
The ‘locking jaw’? Anatomical rubbish. Our jaws work just fine. There’s nothing about a pitbulls’ skull that leaves their mouth susceptible to locking.
This has been debunked by veterinarians and scientists, repeatedly. They bite and hold just as any other dog, but there’s nothing set apart in their mouth that makes them more likely to. I worked with a Jack Russell who latched himself to a rope toy and refused to loosen his grip for thirty seconds. I’m not trying to suggest Jack Russells are danger dogs in any way.
The Statistics Problem
Likewise, our statistics on dog aggression don’t tell you the whole story, though I’ll be honest with you-that’s a hole I’m just not 100% sure about. When you read things about the pitbulls killing the most people, you need to remember that the people who are labeling them are not always consistent. We know from statistical data that shelter workers and veterinarians have a tough time telling a pitbull type dog apart.
A fifty-five pound lab looking dog with a typical block head gets called a pitbull or similar about 60% of the time. A Boxer, an American Bulldog, a Bullen mastiff, all kinds of knot-headed mutts get called a pitbull when in reality, they’re not. So when someone insists that pitbull-type dogs are statistically more lethal, I want to know-how do you know this dog is a pitbull?
Because there are a bunch of different breeds lumped under the ‘pitbull’ banner, and they all have different attitudes, structures, and behavioral issues. So what really decides whether a dog is dangerous?
What Actually Matters
What I have learned in over ten years as a foster mom is this: Genetics weigh, socialization weighs, training weighs, as does positive treatment. This is true whether you’re talking about pitbulls or border collies. Yes, some dogs are genetically inclined to be aggressive-this is what they bred for in pitbulls: to bait bulls, then to fight dogs.
This is not a trait that disappears because of the breed. And one that can be managed responsibly. They are more likely to be dog-selective, which is a fact that responsible ownership of the breed has to come to terms with.
But dog selectivity does not mean a dog will hurt humans. In fact, it was probably selected specifically against for safety’s sake, so everyone could separate them during fights without being torn up.
The Class Issue
Up front: the media coverage that popularizes the myth that pitbulls are inherently dangerous is largely class-based.
Legislation that targets specific breeds of dog leaves affluent owners free to get legal counsel or pay to move to other areas, while truly impoverished owners are losing their dogs to be killed for no other reason than they ‘look like a pit’ (this does happen). It leaves renters with even fewer options than usual. The link between belonging to a low-income demographic and owning a pitbull isn’t correlation-it’s causation.
Shelters are overflowing with these dogs, they’re inexpensive or free to adopt, and nobody else wants to bother with them.
What You Actually Need to Know
If you’re thinking of adopting a pitbull or pitbull mix, then here’s what you actually need to know:
- You need a strong dog that will need consistent training from day one.
- You need a dog with lots of energy that needs more than a twenty-minute walk to get it out of her system.
- You need to have an open mind in terms of introducing new dogs, and you need to find out how to do that without forcing your dog into a confrontation.
- You need a dog that is incredibly social and will follow you from room to room until you want to lash out.
- You need a dog with a skinny coat that gets cold easily and tends to have a lot of skin allergies.
- You need a dog that will eat any toy you give it, that will chew through any toy you give it and that will eat your shoes if you forgot to raise the latch on the back door.
Why NOT to Get a Pitbull
Don’t get a pitbull because you want to ‘prove a point.’ Don’t get one because you think they are really cool looking guard dogs.
Get one because you want a goofy, loyal, lovable, arrogant lump who follows you around the house and demands your attention-and you are willing to accept the enormous responsibility that comes with living with a pitbull.
A Real Example: Beans
Beans was eventually adopted by a single man who works from home, and takes her hiking the hills on every weekend he can find one. She still hasn’t bitten anyone. She did eat a whole pizza off the counter once, but that’s another story.
Essential Equipment
Final tip: if you’re thinking about taking on a pitbull-make sure you buy a front-clip harness before you do anything else. These are dogs strong enough that they can drag you flat on your back with ease, which makes having a dog owner a hazard to everyone around them.
A front-clip harness gives you steering room in a situation that could get dangerous, and stops your walk turning into a wrestling match. The reason behind it-The dog you can’t control in public can be a liability, and it’s also a major contributor to negative stereotypes.