I was contacted behind the scenes and asked to remove the photo of a ‘pit bull cross’ from my post about the new Victorian legislation; the justification being, that if the ‘authorities’ saw the dog, they’d then they’d be more likely to target dogs who looked like the one in the picture. Much better, they feel, that we hide all references to pit bulls for fear of making the situation worse.
Firstly, let me say I *do* understand where this is coming from. I don’t have a bull breed, so I can only imagine the fear those who own a bully type dog are feeling right now, thinking that at any moment the authorities are going to visit, deem their dog ‘dangerous’ and demand that they begin living the limited lifestyle of the declared dog; or worse, pressure them into surrendering their pet to be killed.
But one of the biggest reasons we’ve seen the government head down this path in such a jolly fashion, is the cycle of fear and a lack of positive pit bull role models we have in Australia. Nice people who have great dogs who are a bit bullyesk, keep their heads down so as not to attract attention => few positive images of bullies are seen in the mainstream space, so people get to wrong thinking about the breed => bad laws get passed and friendly pibbles and their loving families are driven further underground.
I chose the image of a smiley, bright eyed, well-behaved dog, BECAUSE it was a smiley, bright eyed, well-behaved dog. We need to have more of these images to call upon, not less if we’re ever to overcome the ignorant, misguided aspersions generated by media hype and demonisation.
Groups in the US have recognised this. They are going out of their way to not only market pit bulls, but to bring them back into the home as family pets, as they were before they became the breed-dejour for those inclined to clutch at their pearls.
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Tim Racer, who heads a rescue group called Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit Bulls (or BAD RAP), has rescued hundreds of pit bulls and uses his spectacular art to show the love.
(images TimRacer.com)
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The Stubby Dog Project’s mission is “to help people rediscover pit bulls as lifelong friends”, including resources on why breed bans fail and featuring positive stories about living with bull breeds.
The vet thought Juno might be closer to 12 years old, and so we know we may not have her for all that much time, but we’re enjoying every minute we have with her now. Plus she just looks so cute in her doggie sweaters! I think in a lot of ways, having the activity of a house with young children is helping her arthritis, as our daughters love throwing toys for her to fetch, and we can see the puppy come out as she scampers after them (but stay out of the way of the rope like tail!). In my opinion, senior dogs really can be the best of both possible worlds.
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Pin Ups for Pit Bulls produce an annual calendar and “works to reestablish the defamed reputation of Pit Bull type dogs as America’s premier companion animal, war hero, and therapy dog”.
They have a Facebook page with a whole lot of beautiful shots here.
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Best Friends run the “Pit Bulls: Saving America’s Dog” campaign, working to “eliminate inaccurate stereotypes and help pit bulls get back their reputation as great family pets”.
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Loveabulls is a coffee table book on life and love with rescued bullies – “Often misunderstood and misrepresented, pit bulls and bully breeds were actually once America’s favorite dogs”.
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Petfinder promotes pit bull adoption:
And Adopt a pet promotes pit bull adoption:
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While the ASPCA helps professional animal rescuers by highlighting pit bull adoption ideas.
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We can’t find misinformation, with no information. We need new campaigns and representatives in Australia, highlighting the joy of pit bulls and their ilk. We need to bring well mannered bully breeds into the public domain and break down the stereotypes surrounding the breed. We can’t let the media be the only source of information about these dogs that the wider public see, and positive pit bull role models are going to be a vital part of rejuvenating the image of bully breeds. These kinds of promotions are needed now, or as we’ve seen in Victoria, all bull breeds and their crosses are at risk of losing their lives to ignorance.
