Pit Bulls in America today are more sinned against than sinning.
From “The State Of The American Dog,” by Tom Junod.
Sometimes it seems like an uphill challenge, trying to
change the public’s perception or the hysteria that revolves around the way media reports a dog bite. Again, the lives of these dogs depend on humans to speak up for them. That is why a major goal of the Bull Breed Coalition Registry is to remain steadfast in its fight against Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). “Regardless of where you live, BSL is a concern for all
dog owners. We should take every measure to prevent it," said Kamerion. “Or in the case of Miami-Dade, where any Pit Bull-like dog has been banned for 26 years, have BSL overturned, once and for all,” said former NFL player, Kamerion Wimbley, also a founding member of the Bull Breed Coalition Registry. You learn a lot about America when you own a Pit Bull.
You learn not just who likes your dog, but you learn what kind of person likes your dog, and what kind of person fears him. “You generalize. You profile. You learn that the argu- ment about Pit Bulls takes place along the lines of class and, to a lesser extent race. The opposition to Pit Bulls might not be racist; but it does, however, employ racial thinking,” said Junod, the Esquire writer. “America is two countries now – the country of its nar-
rative and the country of its numbers, with the latter sitting in judgment of the former. In the stories we tell ourselves, we are nearly always too good, too soft on criminals, too easy on terrorists, too lenient with immigrants, too kind to ani- mals. In the stories told by our numbers, we imprison, we drone, we deport and we euthanize with an easy conscience and avenging zeal. We have become schizophrenic in this way, and Pit Bulls hold up the same mirror as the 2.2 million souls in our prisons and jails and more than 350,000 people we deport every year.” “The Pit Bull detractors say they are more likely to kill;
their advocates say the only thing they are more likely to do is die. We make a habit of asking dogs about their own good- ness without expecting or getting an answer. But go to an animal shelter and before they are euthanized, ask the dogs you see there – the Pit Bulls you see there – about our good- ness. You will get all the answer you need,” said Junod.
U
StubbyDog -
www.StubbyDog.org An organization that is focused on changing the public per- ceptions of Pit Bulls. They are developing and disseminating emotionally resonant and entertaining content that show Pit Bulls as the loyal and loving dogs they are. They also recog- nize that people are still afraid of Pit Bulls, a fear that is based largely on rumors and sensationalized media reports.
www.TheNewBarker.com
Photography by Danette.
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Summer/Fall ~ 2015 THE NEW BARKER 29
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