One summer night two years ago, a dog named Lilly lost a leg and saved her owner’s life by dragging the unconscious woman off a set of train tracks to avoid an oncoming freight train.
On Halloween a year later, a dog named Chako sustained multiple stab wounds after rushing to his owner’s aid when her abusive partner assaulted her. Earlier that month, a dog named Jack rescued his family’s cat from a coyote attack.
All these heroic dogs were driven by loyalty and unconditional love to save their families from danger, but they also share another trait: These dogs are pit bulls.
Sadly, some of you might find it shocking that a pit bull is capable of such brave and honorable actions.
Decades of media bias have fueled misinformation about pit bulls, causing many Americans to view them as dangerous, unpredictable and inherently aggressive.
For many people who have owned, fostered or even met a pit bull, these myths could not be further from the truth.
They know pit bulls as they truly are — affectionate, playful, loving and loyal.
They also know that pit bulls used to be considered not only one of the most popular family dogs in the nation, but especially compatible with children.
Just Google “nanny dog” and you’ll find images of smiling pit bulls with their tiny human companions.
But for others, who have never interacted with a pit bull or have been too afraid to go near one, pit bulls are viewed as monsters that need to be dealt with.
These fear-driven stereotypes inspire support for harmful policies and inadvertently contribute to a cycle of pit bull abuse.
In the past 30 years, more than 700 communities have enacted pit bull bans and other restrictive regulations on pit bull ownership.
These laws, known as breed-specific legislation, may force shelters to automatically euthanize pit bulls, require landlords to turn away families with pit bulls and even make pit bull owners purchase liability insurance.
Not only do these laws result in extraordinarily high pit bull euthanasia rates, an increase in pit bull homelessness and overcrowded shelters, but they also rely on several fundamentally incorrect assumptions.
This legislation mistakenly promotes the claim that pit bulls are a specific breed of dog.
While certain breeds such as the American Staffordshire Terrier and the American Pit Bull Terrier are commonly categorized as pit bulls, the term also encompasses dogs with certain physical traits.
Under breed-specific legislation, any dog with a bulky body, square-shaped head and short coat could be classified as a pit bull and subject to being banned.
Breed-specific legislation also endorses negative stigmas about pit bulls that have been consistently disproven by research.
Studies by the American Veterinary Medicine Association have shown that pit bulls are not more aggressive compared to other types of dogs.
Additionally, the American Temperament Test Society, which evaluates various breeds of dogs to test their disposition, consistently gives the American Pit Bull Terrier an above-average score. These results indicate that pit bulls are not aggressive and are especially tolerant.
Despite the evidence, pit bulls continue to be maligned in the media and feared by the public.
This fear and criticism, combined with city-wide legislation, creates a self-fulfilling prophecy in which pit bulls are viewed as more valuable in the eyes of irresponsible and cruel owners who want a status symbol for power.
Pit bulls are too often horrifically mistreated, accounting for the majority of dogs forced into illegal dog fighting rings since the 1980s.
Many people believe that criminals choose pit bulls to fight in their rings because the dogs are inherently aggressive, but pit bulls are chosen for the opposite reasons: Just like the dogs mentioned in the beginning of this column, pit bulls are fiercely loyal to their owners and especially docile to humans.
Thankfully, according to USA Today, more than 100 cities across the nation have started overturning pit bull bans and restrictive legislation.
This is an important step for pit bulls and their advocates, and it at least makes the world a little kinder for these stigmatized animals who only want to be loved.
Hopefully, as these strides continue, more pit bulls will be given the opportunity to em-“bark” on their journey for a second chance.
Moriah Camenker is a UF public relations senior. Her columns appear on Tuesdays.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 11/25/2014]
[The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the Alligator.]
