Recently, Fedor Zarkhin of The Oregonian and OregonLive set out to write a series of detailed articles that clearly outline the now 30-year-old dilemma in Portland, and elsewhere, around “Pit Bulls” (American Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, or just about any mix that includes one or more of these breeds). Links to these stories can be found below:
Pit bulls are No. 1 in Portland-area bite investigations, data show
Pit bull bites in Portland: How we did the analysis
Ban pit bulls? Many states move in the opposite direction (interactive map)
We admire Mr. Zarkhin’s attempt to cover the topic in a way that was balanced and rational. He did a much better job than most of showing both sides to the argument and anyone with an interest in Pit Bulls should read all of the stories.
The topic is a tough one since emotions run high on both sides of the conversation and the “facts” of the debate are often quite murky or incomplete. Even Mr. Zarkhin fell victim to making some important arguments based on “facts” that don’t quite make the measure. For instance, Mr. Zarkhin compares Pit Bulls (again, several breeds of dogs that are lumped into one group) to pure-bred dogs to show that Pit Bulls are the number one “breed” in Portland-area bite investigations. However, if the breeds were actually broken down for Pit Bulls (as they are with every other dog listed except for a random grouping known as “terriers”) the truth would show that Labs (of all beloved dogs) have the most bites.
It would also show that American Staffordshire Terriers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers don’t even belong on the list. We are not sure why the idea of measuring a type of dog against several pure breeds of dogs is considered a fair or accurate statistic. Our only guess is because the headline still sells a lot of advertising. We hope this isn’t the case and we would like to see this story corrected to show the fairest outcome for all dogs and people involved.
Anti-Pit Bull bias clearly hurts more than just Staffordshire Bull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terriers. For instance, our personal dog, Annie was a rescue that was found on the side of the road in Rome, GA. Malnourished (every rib was showing), dehydrated, and covered in fleas, she was picked up by a kill shelter where she was to be immediately euthanized simply for being a “Pit Bull.”
A good friend who does Pit Bull-specific rescue learned of her and immediately drove to the shelter and pulled her moments before her short life was to end. Annie became a personal foster, and she quickly turned into a personal pet. For a while, it was assumed that she was not a Pit Bull, but rather an American Bulldog with likely something else mixed in. Several dog experts agreed. Eventually, when she didn’t grow beyond 45 pounds, it became clear that the American Bulldog-mix theory wasn’t quite the answer. To quench curiosities, a DNA test through Wisdom Panel was completed. When her results came back, it was learned that not only was Annie not an American Bulldog mix, she wasn’t even an American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or American Staffordshire Terrier mix.
Sweet Annie, who at one time was sentenced do death for being a “Pit Bull” is actually a Boxer/Catahoula Leopard Dog mix according to DNA tests. Beyond being a happy and loving pet, she is now the star of the Lucid Dog Training homepage and various Lucid advertisements. Things have most certainly turned around for Annie. Every dog should be so lucky.
Note: Lucid Dog Training is a firm advocate for American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and any mix involving these great breeds. We are strongly against breed-specific legislation, which is tantamount to racial profiling or gender profiling for dogs, and consider responsible owners, rescuers and particularly responsible breeders (those seeking to improve the breed’s physical and mental health while only selling dogs to people deserving of them) to be kindred spirits.