QOTD

[SpiritFngrz]

Questions of the Day:

1. Do you think it's possible for a breed to recover from a bad reputation?
2. Why or why not?
3. Do you think there have been any breeds that have done so?

(I edited it a little for ease of answering - Michelle)

[Sue]

That's 3 questions

[SpiritFngrz]

ok, questions

[Jenn]

Questions of the Day:

Do you think it's possible for a breed to recover from a bad reputation? Why or why not?
Do you think there have been any breeds that have done so?

I think it may be possible for them to get out of the lime light, (is that what it's called? ) but not necessarily for them to completely recover from the bad reputation.

I'm not sure about the second question. Didn't Dobermans have a bad reputation in the past?

Than again, I have a fear of Dobermans, and German Sherpherds. I've been bit by each, one almost bit my ear completely off when I was a child. I don't think I'll ever recover from not liking either breed. They are both beautiful, but I admire them each from FAR AWAY!

[mnp13]

1. Yes. A number of breeds have done it in the past 60 years
   
2. It takes time for public perception to change, though with the internet and our rabid news media it will take a loooooooong time for Pit Bulls
   
3. The German Shepherd was hated and feared after WWII because they were Nazi war dogs. they are now considered an ideal family pet. St. Bernards were the hated dog of the 1970's. The Doberman was the bad guy of the early 80's, the Rottweiler was the demon of the late 80's and early 90's.

[mnp13]

If you want to make numbered lists following this pattern:

[list=1]

[*] first item

[*] second item

[*] etc.

[/list]

If you want to make a list with just dots, remove the =1 from the list tag

[Jenn]

You don't think that Rottweiller's still share the bad rep with pit bulls?

[mnp13]

You don't think that Rottweiller's still share the bad rep with pit bulls?

In my opinion, they are not even close at this point.

[SpiritFngrz]

Yes, good, this is what I was getting at. I remember when I was a kid (80's) that Dobermans were the dog to fear. My cousin had a Dobie and she was the biggest marshmallow. Then from there it was the Rottie. Right up until I was in high school I don't remember hearing really anything about Pit Bulls or them having a bad reputation. It was mostly Rottweilers. Then we got a Rottie. And the "Carl" books came out. Then we got another Rottie.
Does anyone think the bad reputation given to Pit Bulls has overshadowed that of the Rottweiler? What I mean is, does one breed take over for another?
I find this to be an interesting, albeit harsh, dynamic for dog breeds.
Just curious on what other peoples' thoughts were...

[cannon]

The problem is magnified with pit bulls because there are numerous breeds that could be mistakenly called a pit bull. Not to mention now it seems that any dog that attacks is called a pit bull until proven positively otherwise.

[Purple]

The problem is magnified with pit bulls because there are numerous breeds that could be mistakenly called a pit bull. Not to mention now it seems that any dog that attacks is called a pit bull until proven positively otherwise.

That and the news media spin. There are so many more ways to communicate. Years ago, those of us in the country didn't have cable, we were lucky to have the three network channels.
Now we have cable, satellite, internet, news channels that do nothing but broadcast the news all day, over and over. That's just tv. You have to factor radio in, too.

[SisMorphine]

The problem is magnified with pit bulls because there are numerous breeds that could be mistakenly called a pit bull. Not to mention now it seems that any dog that attacks is called a pit bull until proven positively otherwise.

That and the news media spin. There are so many more ways to communicate. Years ago, those of us in the country didn't have cable, we were lucky to have the three network channels.
Now we have cable, satellite, internet, news channels that do nothing but broadcast the news all day, over and over. That's just tv. You have to factor radio in, too.

Absolutely! When we had to fight possible BSL in Salem MA (oh we won thanks to our very own Suki) I remember coming home and watching the news.

What happened to spurn the possible BSL:
Guy walking his English Bulldog offleash in downtown Salem (there is a leash law). His dog saw a pit bull through the window in a store and began fighting through the window. The pit fought back and ended up pushing the door open and charging the EB. No contact was made. The EB's owner, in fact, has been cited numerous times for having his dog offleash and for it attacking other dogs.

How it was reported on the news:
This poor man was simply walking down the street with his dog when a pit bull charged through a plate glass door at them and went to attack. Mr. Tardhead (I can't remember his name) threw himself in between the two dogs to protect his boy from the vicious pit bull attack.



That story was so sensationalized and SO far from the truth that it made me nauseous. I'm just glad we beat it and that everyone in that room was against BSL except for the EB guy and the one selectman that supported him.

[bouvierz]

I think one of the main problems that pits have (that will be close to impossible to overcome) is mistaken identity. American Bulldogs, Staffordshire bull terriers, Bull terriers, American Staffordshire terrier, Bull dogs, French Bulldogs, and many other breeds have been ID as Pit Bulls. Many breeds look like Pit bulls to the public and I believe that is half the problem. The other half of the problem are the kind of people who tend to flock to these dogs. Young, uneducated, trouble makers. Every other house I go to has a pit bull inside. Rarely do I see a well mannered, well kept pit bull. It is quite a problem.

[julie k]

No other breed comes with the mystique, sensational drama, and history of the pit bull.

I agree with bouvierz to a certain degree, in that the average person can only identify half a dozen purebreds anyhow, so if it's got a big head, it gets called a pit.

And don't forget Saint Bernards, nobody's afraid of those any more!

But.....here is the real problem; here is why I don't think we can get rid of it:

There are more pit bulls than any other breed. Period. How many registries are we up to now? AKC, UKC, ADBA, hippos, and more. We may be statisically better in TT's, even in bite statistics, but the sheer numbers being pumped out are gonna kill us. Way too many people don't care about the breed other than what it can do to their wallets. They're not reading this list or others like it. I'm afraid there are probably way more like the guy near Houston with the 300 dogs, and that is our downfall.

What can we do? We can be the best owners we know how to be. We can train our dogs to some title, any title, even a CGC, which we can show as proof of responsible ownership when the BSL people come knocking at our doors. We can try to educate others to do the same, but I have found those who want to learn and will actually expend the time and effort are few and far between.

Julie K

[04100824]

This is off-topic, but I'm actually pretty happy about our animal control and how they're handling those 300 dogs. Out of the 300, they've put 250 up for adoption, and are carefully screening all interests and have turned several potential owners down.

Good.

We have TONS of pit bulls here already in our pounds already...that part is sad. I never had any idea how many people have pit bulls until we got ours, and most of the people who do own them probably shouldn't.

**edited to add**

I think breeds can recover, but it takes a long time, and will definately be awhile for out pitties. To me rottweilers still have a pretty bad reputation... I personally am not a rottie fan whatsoever, though, so my opinion may be a bit one-sided. I've had BAD experiences with rotties.

[cannon]

I think one of the main problems that pits have (that will be close to impossible to overcome) is mistaken identity. American Bulldogs, Staffordshire bull terriers, Bull terriers, American Staffordshire terrier, Bull dogs, French Bulldogs, and many other breeds have been ID as Pit Bulls. Many breeds look like Pit bulls to the public and I believe that is half the problem.

Agreed. Here's some more breeds that are mistaken for pb's.

http://www.understand-a-bull.com/Findthebull/findpitbull_v3.html

This is a pretty common link, but still appropriate. I bet almost every one of these dogs would be called a pit bull if they were involved in a bite incident (or attack, when pit bulls are involved). You just can't misidentify dobes, rotts and GS's like you can pit bulls.