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Monday, July 21, 2008
Comment: ASPCA Perpetuates Myth that Pit Bulls Were Once a Popular Family Dog
DogsBite.org - A reader left a comment regarding Verizon's chained up, junkyard pit bull advertisement. The ASPCA online community has sponsored a petition to "Make Verizon Accountable." In other words, Verizon ought to be ashamed of themselves for depicting pit bulls in this manner. Instead, the dogs should be depicted as the ASPCA describes them: "hero and family" dogs.
DogsBite.org challenges this myth (Myth #8), as does Animal People News, who tested the claim. By searching the classified dogs-for-sale ads between 1900-1950 on NewspaperArchive.com, they discovered that Huskies and St. Bernards topped the charts. Of the 34 breeds searched, pit bulls ranked 25th. This includes using search criteria of three names: pit bull terrier, Staffordshire, and American bulldog.
Comment: "The portrayal of pit bulls as common family pets and "heroes" at the turn of the century is complete fiction....it succeeds because it has been essentially hard to disprove. All it took was for pit bull "activists" to scour the internet to find a handful of grainy black and white daguerrotypes of dogs that look vaguely like pit bulls, posing with their masters. Merritt Clifton has used quantifiable data to refute the claim that these dogs were common family pets by searching the classified dogs-for-sale ads between 1900-1950 on NewspaperArchive.com. He discovered that, of the 34 breeds searched, pit bulls ranked 25th.
In addition,the claims that pit bulls were "war heroes" stems from the fact that the cartoon image of a pit bull was used on a few WWI military posters. There is also an assertion that the most decorated military dog in history was a pit bull. Actually, "Sgt. Stubby" was a dog "of unknown breed" found as a stray on the Yale campus; many believe he was a Boston Terrier. In what I find as the ultimate irony, the Bad Rap website shows a picture of Sgt. Stubby, next to the full war poster, which depicts a Boston Terrier, a Pit Bull Terrier, and an English Bulldog. Stubby, in a full face closeup, looks exactly like the drawing of the Boston Terrier.
Other fantastical claims regarding pit bulls popularity as family dogs involve pointing out that "Petey" from the Little Rascals was a pit bull terrier. Can I therefore postulate that Bearded Collies were the most popular dog in America during the 1970's because Tiger on the Brady bunch was a Bearded Collie? Also, pit bull sites everywhere have the audacity to claim that the cartoon shoe mascot, Bustor Brown, owned a pit bull. Outraged Bostonians (like myself) who grew up with "Tige", know he was a Boston Terrier. Also, he is a cartoon, and his existance in no way indicates that Boston Terriers were the "most popular family dog in America" in the early 1900's.
The truth about pit bull dogs has been hard for the American public to swallow; that they were never intended to be family pets, and have always been bred primarily for bloodsport. It was neccesary to recreate the history of the breed, portraying them as relatively recent "victims" of "bad people". Using the terms "brave" and "loyal" to describe what the dogmen call "gameness" helped to further anthropomorphize these animals. Appealing to patriotism by declaring the breed "war heroes" was yet another attempt to win over the American public...despite the fact that there is no evidence that these dogs were ever extensively used as such, unlike GSDs. (Who apparently get little credit for their efforts during armed conflicts)" Related articles:
07/20/08: Verizon's Junkyard, Pit Bull Cellular Phone Ad
11/13/07: How Popular Were Pit Bulls Once Upon a Time?Labels: aspca
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6 comments:
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7/21/2008 3:19 PM | Flag as abusive
Pit bulls are not in the top ten, not even now.
Labradors are the #1 dog in America and all the breeds of pits combined still would not put them in the top ten.
I understand that Sgt. Stubbie is stuffed and at the Smithsonian, if he were truly a pit bull these idiots would have him out and in their pit bull parades.
If there were more of these pit bulls, just think how many more people would be killed each year. The numbers are going to go out of site over the next few years. You people think it's bad now, it will have to get a lot worse before our government will step in.
I know people that used to go for an evening walk, that are now afraid because of several neighbors with pit bulls.
by
7/21/2008 4:26 PM | Flag as abusive
The ASPCA does not care about human life. They know the statistics for maulings by the pit bull. This is an organization other dog owners should avoid and quit donating to. Pit bulls overwhelmingly are the killers of most dogs and cats in this country by dog. Many of you have had your dog or cat mauled or killed. This is the premier nut ball group that "speaks for this dog." I guess it's fine with them that a dog bred for killing other dogs is their favorite.
by
7/21/2008 5:48 PM | Flag as abusive
I have sent e-mails to the ASPCA asking why they would have a program to promote the adoption of pit bulls above other dogs and also have that shelter guideline of how to handle them and not get hurt. The person that wrote back never even saw the guideline, and even after the second e-mail could not give me a good reason to explain why they would promote such dogs to innocent families. She did spout many of the pit bull advocate talking points such as "bad rap" and "media hype" and said pit bulls are the same as other dogs, even though other dogs don't have shelter care manuals. So it shows you how far the ASPCA has bought into the pit bull lovers fairy tales and how uneducated they are about the current situation. Don't expect them to come to their senses any time soon, but e-mail them your displeasure and tell them they won't be getting any money from you.
by
7/21/2008 6:35 PM | Flag as abusive
In World WarI the Germans used the Dobermann Pinscher with their soldiers. Even our enemies didn't use pit bulls---by the way the Germans have thrown the Am. Pit Bull Terrier out of their country. I plan to buy this phone.
by
7/22/2008 3:04 AM | Flag as abusive
Growing up in the sixties I never saw a Pit Bull..Back then we covered miles everday!
The dog fighters have been very creative when it comes to spewing disinformation about their breed, every few decades changing breed names, sprouting new registries, etc...Almost like a career criminals creating aliases.
I wish they would put this much effort into breeding safer dogs!
by
10/08/2008 7:11 AM | Flag as abusive
And back in the 1800s and early 1900s, the few pit bulls there were were either in the dogfighting business, or tied up outside.
Back then, the only dogs that really lived indoors with the family were small lap dogs.
Most dogs lived outside then, and had little interaction with humans.
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