Kc dog blog

For the life of me, I have no idea why media people can't seem to even get the simplest things right when it comes to discssions on 'pit bulls'. Even those who are not being malicious in their content still don't seem to make even the faintest effort to understand pit bulls, or what is going on with them.

And while at least the recent Newsweek online article isn't malicious, it still has completely missed the point.

One glaring inaccuracy in the article stems around the total number of dogs that exist in the U.S. While the article quotes the number as being 61 million (no source is given), the 2006 AVMA Census gives a number of 72 million -- and growing -- so it is likely even greater than that now.

The article then goes on to say that the biggest "problem with pit bulls" is that people adopt these dogs for all the wrong reasons. Ok, I'm with her so far. But her reasons aren't the biggest problem for pit bulls by any stretch. She says that many people get the dogs for guard dogs -- but notes that they make for lousy guard dogs because they are too people-friendly. In some ways I do agree with this -- as dogs used for guarding tend to be trained to be aggressive toward all new humans without any ability to determine a friend vs a stranger*.  I also agree that 'pit bulls' often make bad guard dogs because of their friendliness - and in fact, are such bad guard dogs that they often struggle to keep THEMSELVES from getting stolen.

*I think we often give dogs WAY too much credit in their ability to tell a friend from a stranger. Given that many people can't determine if a new person is of ill-intent or not until it's too late, it is unrealistic to think a dog could make this determination. The result often ends up with a dog that is aggressive toward all new people.

The other "problem" the writer notes is that she thinks people get one just because Rachael Ray has one -- and that the trendiest of owners want a blue pit bull because they are rare.

People who want a dog as a fashion statement ala Racheal Ray are not the pit bull's biggest problem - -not by a long shot. These people are the problem for many breeds like Cavelier King Spaniels, Pugs and English Bulldogs who want dogs with a certain "look" that are encouraging the breeding of dogs for looks at the expense of the overall health of the dogs. They are also the problem for the high-priced "designer mutts" like Puggles and Labadoodles.  But if someone wants a 'pit bull' as a fashion statement ala Rachael Ray, this is a far smaller problem than if someone wants one as a fashion statement ala Michael Vick.

But even THAT may not be the biggest problem facing 'pit bulls' right now. It's when writers like this one declare "pit bulls are public enemy #1".  They aren't -- or at least certainly shouldn't be. And it is this perception, brought on repeatedly by writers like this one that spur issues like Breed Specific Legislation -- which the writer alludes to in one sentence at the very end of the story. It seems to me that the laws and restrictions that are created specifically against 'pit bulls' is their biggest problem. It is these laws that prevent them from being able to be adopted in many good homes. It is these laws that often prevent shelters from adopting them out at all. It is these laws that force otherwise good dogs in otherwise good homes to meet almost certain death in the shelters.

Go ahead and read the article. It really isn't all bad and is actually a little empathetic toward the plight of pit bulls in this country. But it's just painful when the news media can't do enough research to get basic stats right -- or to understand the topics they're writing about.

When Rachael Ray fans are the biggest problem facing 'pit bulls' in this country, then I will not have much to do here as a blogger...

UPDATE:  Newsweek has a SECOND editorial on the topic -- This story is actually by the same author as the first one -- but this one actually makes sense.  Here's a quote:

My reporting revealed that my issue isn’t with the dog – it’s with people. We are the ones that are ultimately responsible for the dogs – including the dog’s reputation. Pit bull owners have to be realistic about the potential for their dogs to do damage. It’s a dog. If you can concede that all dogs can potentially cause problems,  that means yours can too. And the haters, don’t go into a feeding frenzy of misinformation. It’s ugly.