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This Saturday, October 24, we'll celebrate one of our favorite breeds on National Pit Bull Awareness Day. The annual event was started by Bless the Bullys in 2007 to bring positive media attention to these special, and misunderstood, dogs.
You can find events near you on the Bless the Bullys calendar and at NationalPitBullAwarenessDay.com (also check out Petfinder's own event calendar). Want to do more? Here are some ways to help Pit Bulls, adapted from a previous blog post about Pits.
Here's how you can help:
- Adopt a Pit Bull. Pit Bulls are devoted, affectionate and joy-inducing pets with as great a range in personality as any other breed. As with dogs of any breed, not every Pit is perfect for every family. Read more about things to think about if you're thinking of adopting a Pit Bull.
- Volunteer with Pit Bulls. At many city shelters, Pits and Pit mixes make up the overwhelming majority of the canine residents, and because Pits have been bred to bond closely with humans, the isolation of shelter life is particularly hard for them. You can visit the shelter to help exercise and socialize the dogs; open your home to a foster dog; photograph and write bios for local adoptable dogs' Petfinder profiles; start a bedding drive at your office to collect old blankets and towels to donate ... the possibilities are endless. For more ideas, read our article on volunteering or visit BAD RAP's How You Can Help page.
- Educate others about Pit Bulls.
Once you've fallen in love with a Pit (and to know one is to love one),
you'll start to notice how many offhand Pit Bull stereotypes people
throw around in everyday conversation.
Learn the facts about Pits and you'll be able to shoot down the myths
(no, they do not have locking jaws). Some great resources include
Petfinder's book The Adopted Dog Bible (you'll find an excerpt, Pit Bulls: The Myths, the Legends, the Reality, after the jump), as well as BAD RAP's Monster Myths page and Pit Bull Rescue Central's breed info page. (All three sites are excellent, and we encourage you to click around on them.)
Here are some talking points from The Adopted Dog Bible by our own Kim Saunders to get you started. Learn more about this excellent book, including where to buy it, here.
Pit Bulls: The Myths, the Legends, the Reality
The general term "Pit Bull" refers to a number of breeds and mixes, including American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, and any dogs made up of or resembling these breeds. Pit Bulls are physically powerful, strong, agile, and energetic dogs with an unrivaled joie de vivre. They are also known for the determination they bring to any task. These traits can sometimes combine to make the Pit Bull "too much dog" for an inexperienced pet parent or a family with small children, but that certainly doesn't mean that they can't be loving, wonderful dogs in the right homes.
Let's take a look at some common Pit Bull myths and the corresponding realities.
Myth: Pit Bulls have locking jaws and a higher biting power than other breeds.
Reality: There are no unique mechanisms in the jaws of Pit Bulls, and these dogs cannot lock their jaws. Additionally, in a test of biting pressure that included a German Shepherd Dog, a Rottweiler, and an American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier had the least amount of bite pressure.
Myth: Pit Bulls are vicious to people or more dangerous than other dogs.
Reality: There is no room for human aggression in a behaviorally sound Pit Bull, and the reality is that most Pit Bulls are not aggressive toward people; many are extremely sociable and adore children. A Pit Bull who passes a behavioral evaluation poses no more of a threat to people than any other large dog. The American Temperament Test (see The American Temperament Society at www.atts.org) shows that Pit Bulls consistently score above the average for all breeds tested over the years. As of December 2007, American Pit Bull Terriers had a pass rate of 84.3 percent compared to a pass rate for all breeds tested of 81.6 percent.
Myth: Adopting a Pit Bull is the same as adding any other type of dog to your family.
Reality: While behaviorally sound Pit Bulls make excellent family companions, the reality is that adopting a Pit Bull does require some special considerations:
The reality is that, as with all breeds, there are great Pit Bulls and Pit Bulls who -- due to poor breeding, handling, or socialization -- are not suitable as pets. While we urge shelters and rescue groups to perform a behavioral assessment on all dogs who enter their programs, it is particularly important to be sure that this has been done with the Pit Bull you are going to adopt. While a mistake in judgment with even a small dog can have serious consequences, a similar mistake with a large, strong breed such as a Pit Bull (or Akita, Rottweiler, Mastiff, Labrador Retriever, etc.) can be deadly.
If you are prepared, know your local laws, and have decided that a Pit Bull is a good fit for your family, do consider adopting one from a shelter or rescue group who carefully evaluates their dogs. My adopted dog Mojo possesses the characteristic Pit Bull enthusiasm, determination, energy, love of life, and smile that the breed is known for. His stubbornness is sometimes a challenge for my other dogs and me. At times they have difficulty convincing him that they really don't want to play tug again. Likewise, I often cannot convince him that having him sit on my lap and lick my face is not my favorite thing in the whole world (but, truth be told, it's not far from it!).
--The Adopted Dog Bible
You might also like:
Michael Vick gets a second chance; Pit Bulls deserve one too
Is it natural to fear Pit Bulls and what can we do about it?
Happy Tail: After her Pit Bull is killed, fate sends a new best friend
ALL PIT BULL BLOG POSTS ON THE PETFINDER BLOG
More Pit Bull resources:
Bless the Bullys
Best Friends Animal Society's Pit Bulls: Saving America's Dog campaign
BAD RAP
Pit Bull Rescue Central
Animal Farm Foundation, Inc.
Pit Bulls: The Myths, the Legends, the Reality
The general term "Pit Bull" refers to a number of breeds and mixes, including American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, and any dogs made up of or resembling these breeds. Pit Bulls are physically powerful, strong, agile, and energetic dogs with an unrivaled joie de vivre. They are also known for the determination they bring to any task. These traits can sometimes combine to make the Pit Bull "too much dog" for an inexperienced pet parent or a family with small children, but that certainly doesn't mean that they can't be loving, wonderful dogs in the right homes.
Let's take a look at some common Pit Bull myths and the corresponding realities.
Myth: Pit Bulls have locking jaws and a higher biting power than other breeds.
Reality: There are no unique mechanisms in the jaws of Pit Bulls, and these dogs cannot lock their jaws. Additionally, in a test of biting pressure that included a German Shepherd Dog, a Rottweiler, and an American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier had the least amount of bite pressure.
Myth: Pit Bulls are vicious to people or more dangerous than other dogs.
Reality: There is no room for human aggression in a behaviorally sound Pit Bull, and the reality is that most Pit Bulls are not aggressive toward people; many are extremely sociable and adore children. A Pit Bull who passes a behavioral evaluation poses no more of a threat to people than any other large dog. The American Temperament Test (see The American Temperament Society at www.atts.org) shows that Pit Bulls consistently score above the average for all breeds tested over the years. As of December 2007, American Pit Bull Terriers had a pass rate of 84.3 percent compared to a pass rate for all breeds tested of 81.6 percent.
Myth: Adopting a Pit Bull is the same as adding any other type of dog to your family.
Reality: While behaviorally sound Pit Bulls make excellent family companions, the reality is that adopting a Pit Bull does require some special considerations:
- Dog-to-dog aggression can be an issue with these dogs, and despite your best socialization efforts, a Pit Bull may become dog aggressive upon reaching maturity (roughly two years old). This will affect your ability to have other pets in your home as well as your continued responsibility for ensuring that your dog never has the opportunity to injure someone else's beloved pet.
- Pit Bulls face misunderstanding and prejudice from many people who do not know much about them, so adopting one requires a willingness to consider your friends' and neighbors' concerns and to educate them about Pit Bulls in general and your dog in particular.
The reality is that, as with all breeds, there are great Pit Bulls and Pit Bulls who -- due to poor breeding, handling, or socialization -- are not suitable as pets. While we urge shelters and rescue groups to perform a behavioral assessment on all dogs who enter their programs, it is particularly important to be sure that this has been done with the Pit Bull you are going to adopt. While a mistake in judgment with even a small dog can have serious consequences, a similar mistake with a large, strong breed such as a Pit Bull (or Akita, Rottweiler, Mastiff, Labrador Retriever, etc.) can be deadly.
If you are prepared, know your local laws, and have decided that a Pit Bull is a good fit for your family, do consider adopting one from a shelter or rescue group who carefully evaluates their dogs. My adopted dog Mojo possesses the characteristic Pit Bull enthusiasm, determination, energy, love of life, and smile that the breed is known for. His stubbornness is sometimes a challenge for my other dogs and me. At times they have difficulty convincing him that they really don't want to play tug again. Likewise, I often cannot convince him that having him sit on my lap and lick my face is not my favorite thing in the whole world (but, truth be told, it's not far from it!).
--The Adopted Dog Bible
You might also like:
Michael Vick gets a second chance; Pit Bulls deserve one too
Is it natural to fear Pit Bulls and what can we do about it?
Happy Tail: After her Pit Bull is killed, fate sends a new best friend
ALL PIT BULL BLOG POSTS ON THE PETFINDER BLOG
More Pit Bull resources:
Bless the Bullys
Best Friends Animal Society's Pit Bulls: Saving America's Dog campaign
BAD RAP
Pit Bull Rescue Central
Animal Farm Foundation, Inc.
I thought that it was ironic that on national pit bull day my dog was in surgery to correct the mauling it took by a pitbull running loose in the neighborhood. I have a pit bull / boxer so I have nothing against them, but you're right, it's the owners.
I've never heard of this before and National Pit Bull Awareness Day is on October 24 which is on saturday. When i heard about this, i thought about Willy the pit bull i loved at animal shelter that got adopted. He's a brindle pit bull, he's 6 or 8 years old, and he had a nice, calm temperment when i first met him. Whenever i go a animal adoption event at petco, i think about the animals's sad faces including Willy too. Willy has cool smile on his face and it reminds me of one of my dog's happy-go-lucky smile. I miss him very much since he was adopted. Don't buy from a pet store and adopt at your rescue organizations or animal shelter. Again if you buy from the pet store, you're contributing to the Puppy Mill problem. Please research the breed before you adopt a pit bull. Pit bulls need lots of running room and a consistent, calm, and assertive owner. Please train your pit bull when they're young puppies. They need winter coats during the winter. During the summer, pit bulls need to be cooled off, so bring a cooling bandana (i see those at petco) and wireless fan if you're going somewhere hot with your pit bull. Have a nice day.
i think this breed is wonderful,the pitt bull gets a bad rap ,my daughter had one when she was younger his name was chance a rescue dog, my brother in law showed him to us and the owner that had the puppies did horrible things to the breed, i told dougie i needed to save chances life, the day i got him i could see he had not been cared for proper, and carried him to the vet,the vet had his doubts that he would make it thru the nite, but chance did and thats why we named him chance, these dogs are wonderful with children and love affection,i belief if you mistreat an animal then what does one expect,that would go for all breeds.at this time im looking to find and welcome another chance sure i could go and buy another, but the jist of this storie is i want to rescue and love again,i dont believe in cages nor chains how would we fill being tied or in a cage,i do believe in spade and neutering as i said before there is so many animals that need love and a good home.