Pit Bull" Into Our Society

Challenges in Accepting the "Pit Bull" Into Our Society Jacob Lennen May, 2013 Hampshire College 1 Table of Contents Preface 1 Introduction 3 What Is a Dog? 6 The American Pit Bull Terrier 11 Aggressive Behavior 19 Nature versus Nurture 26 Breed Specific Legislation 35 The Court of Public Opinion 48 Best Practices 54 Conclusion 58 Appendix: Survey of Dog Surrenders and Outcomes April 2012 59 3 0 Preface I have had a deep relationship with animals my whole life. Eventually this led to my employment at an animal shelter in Springfield, Massachusetts. While working there, two incidents occurred that drove me to look into the controversies surrounding the dogs we call “Pit Bulls.” The first incident related to a ten month-old fawn and white colored Pit Bull named Sassy surrendered because the owner’s landlord did not allow the breed. The behaviorist who wrote the profile of this dog said it was a “super social and excited” dog that will respond well to training. I had been working at the shelter for months and interning previous to that for months and Sassy was the first dog that I actually wanted to adopt. Unfortunately, my living and financial situation was not suited to proper care of a canine companion. Luckily, a couple that lived in the area eventually adopted Sassy. But, about a month, later the couple came back to the shelter because Sassy had developed serious “separation anxiety.” The behaviorist on staff met with them and tried to see if the situation could be fixed. The couple decided that they felt they could not properly take care of this dog. The behaviorist then decided to have this dog euthanized, ostensibly because of the separation anxiety. Had Sassy been any other breed, the behaviorist would have found a rescue group, tried to work with the dog, or tried to find potential adoptive owners who bring their dog everywhere they go (there happen to be multiple staff members there who do that). But because this shelter has an unwritten (though often vocalized) policy that a Pit Bull has to have a stellar behavior to stay on the adoption floor, Sassy’s fate was sealed. I understand that not every behaviorist can change a dog like Cesar Millan can but the lack of a chance given is disappointing. The second incident involved a 2-1/2 year old black Pit Bull-Mastiff mix named Beasty. The owner noted on the surrender form that the dog was friendly to everyone but afraid of certain things. The reason for surrender was the owner’s inability to get adequate insurance coverage due to the breed of dog. When Beasty arrived at the shelter he was behavior-tested and presented no signs of aggression; in fact the behaviorist said he was completely disinterested in the activities during the behavioral assessment. This large dog was a well-tempered animal when you brought him out of the run or if you 1 were inside of the run with him. However, he did get territorial if you were standing outside his cage. Remember, a shelter is a unique environment where the dogs are confined, they are aware of other dogs nearby, and they are attended to by a changing staff of animal care workers. A dog like Beasty, who was territorial, could frighten even some experienced shelter employees. He was given two days to improve but ended up being euthanized. I completely understand why this dog could not be put on the adoption floor. What had bothered me the most was that during this same week there was a Bichon Frise in the run next to Beasty. Bichon Frises are small, fluffy white dogs. However, this particular Bichon Frise, though small and cute, made me exponentially more apprehensive than Beasty did. Beasty barked and growled when you stood outside his run. This Bichon Frise did the same but also would attempt to bite anyone who got anywhere near him. He almost bit me multiple times and either almost bit and actually bit a few of my coworkers. While Beasty was given two days to improve his behavior for barking and growling, the Bichon Frise was given about eight days to improve. If Beasty had acted the way the Bichon Frise did during the behavior test or on the first day in the run he would have been euthanized immediately. The Bichon Frise was given four times the chance to improve than the Pit Bull Mastiff mix. It was clear that Pit Bulls (and Pit Bull mixes) were not given a second chance -- it was their breed and not necessarily aggressive behavior that doomed them. These two incidents made me think about the issue of Pit Bulls in our society. One might be thinking after reading this that I will be presenting only one view, of the controversy. Rather my purpose to present both sides of the issue equally and fairly. As you read further you will read what I was able to find when I attempted to get to the bottom of what the real problems are, who is on what side of the issue, the history of this problem, and how it might be fixed. In particular I will address the question of whether aggression is innate in the breed, what part may be played by experience in shaping a Pit Bull’s behavior, and the media’s role and the legislative battle that has swirled around the Pit Bull. 2 Introduction On January 26, 2001, Diane Whipple, a San Francisco lacrosse player and coach, was attempting to enter her apartment when two Presa Canario dogs came running down the hallway from their owners’ apartment down the hall. The two 120-pound animals, Bane and Hera, attacked Diane Whipple right there in the hallway. By the end of the horrific incident, she lay dead on the floor, her body covered in 77 bite wounds. The only parts of her left unharmed were her head and feet. The criminal case against the owners of these two dogs captured the nation. It was the first recorded dog-related death in San Francisco’s history and the first time in national history that a dog owner was charged with a murder as the result of a dog attack. Despite the fact that the dogs involved in this attack were Presa Canario, a different breed, it was Pit Bulls that were originally blamed for and later consistently linked to the attack. Although this was not the first time a dog had killed someone, nor the first time a dog attack created a debate, this tragedy skyrocketed the issue into the nation’s psyche (Lee, 2002). No species on the planet has a closer and more intrinsic[MHF1] relationship with man than the dog. And yet, no animal may be more misunderstood than Canis lupus familiaris, to give it its scientific name. Raymond Coppinger has said, “Dogs, maybe more than any other species, are surrounded by myths, fictions, and factoids. Lassie comes home, like Ulysses, performing heroic feats of incredible agility… Mythology caricatures dogs. It conjures images that are fun and inspirational, and there is nothing wrong with stories about heroic dogs unless they interfere with dogs’ health and well being. However, a better understanding of dogs’ true behavior, their intentions and their motivations, must lead to a deeper, richer interspecies relationship between people and dogs (Coppinger, 2002).” This particular member of the canine family has been associated with human society for thousands of years. According to Ray Coppinger, the species arose by divergence from its ancestor, the wolf, many thousands of years ago – probably early in the Neolithic period when humans first engaged in agriculture and began to live in fixed settlements. For most of the long history of the dog’s involvement in human society, dogs were dogs – there was no thought given to different breeds. Indeed, breeding dogs 3 for certain characteristics, which created specific breeds, has occurred only in the last thousand years. Now there are more variations of this species than almost any other species in the world (Coppinger, 2002). Of all the hundreds of dog breeds in the world the focus of this work is the American Pit Bull Terrier. Despite its recent notoriety, it is a popular breed in America. The AKC does not track Pit Bulls but notes that the Boxer and Bull Dog are on the top 10 lists of most popular breeds. Other bully breeds, such as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Mastiff, are also becoming increasingly popular (AKC, 2013). For many people who are neither dog lovers nor Pit Bull owners, their introduction to Pit Bulls was through the news coverage of the seventy or so dogs, mostly Pit Bulls, rescued from Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels. These dogs were specifically trained to be violent – and risked electrocution, hanging or drowning when they were not vicious enough. The fact that many of the rescued dogs were deemed adoptable is an indication of the breed temperament (Gorant, 2011). Unfortunately, for many people – and, in fact jurisdictions – the breed was to blame for dogfighting. Associations like the American Kennel Club and the Westminster Kennel Club do not recognize the American Pit Bull Terrier; instead they recognize the American Staffordshire Terrier or Staffordshire Bull Terrier that is actually the same breed as the American Pit Bull Terrier. Despite the more prominent kennel associations referring to this breed as the Staffordshire Terrier, the public, the media, and researchers use the “Pit Bull” name to refer to this breed. As Pit Bull is the most commonly known name, the remainder of this paper will use that label.

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