KC DOG BLOG

The Changing Narrative of America's Dog -- Esquire Mag article on pit bulls

Within the pages of this blog, I've written a lot about the changing narrative of Pit Bulls over recent years.

It seems that while the mainstream media still likes to cover a pit bull attack story, they have also been far more inclined to also show 'pit bulls' in a positive light.

This, along with the growth in popularity of pit bulls among all segments of the population has really helped solidify pit bulls back in the position of truly being "America's Dog". 

In the August issue of Esquire, the trend continues in an article by Tom Junod entitled "The State of the American Dog" (my photo of the story lead above).

The article itself takes an interesting look at pit bulls as "America's Dog". It's not always positive. I don't always agree with it. But it did make me think about how in so many ways, what is happening, and has happened, with pit bulls in this country is very much a reflection of who we are as a people.

"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 argument 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...."

The article then goes on to talk about what the mass killing of dogs in our shelters, most of which are pit bulls, has to say about us as a country: 

"America is two countries now -- the country of its narrative 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, to easy on terrorists, too lenient with immigrants, too kind to animals. 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....

"We are not a pure country, or one that values purity. We are a country of adoption, a country of rescues, a country of mutts. At least that's how we like to think of ourselves. But we are also a country that likes to create idylls of its own good intentions and then penalize what doesn't fit. Pit bulls don't fit."

It's a good piece - and I would encourage you to go check out the piece in the magazine (on newsstands now and show the folks at Esquire a little love for a thoughtful piece.

   

A look at how far we've come -- redux

In the most recent issue of Time, the magazine offers another look at "The Softer Side of Pit Bulls". There is a snipet of the article at the link, the rest is protected by paywall.

The article is pretty general -- as you'd expect. I'm sure most of Time's readers wouldn't love a 30 page expose on the subject. It does however do a nice job of discussing the "makeover" pit bulls are getting by advocates, animal welfare organizations, and even celebrities. It also speaks of the increased popularity of pit bulls over the past few years and how many organizations are seeing dramatic increases in adoptions.

It does provide some data on dog bite numbers, and the accuracy of that data as studies have consistently shown that visual breed identification is less than precise.

And the article also interviews many of the usual suspects: Jane Hoffman of the NYC Animal Alliance, writer Bronwen Dickey, Donald Cleary and Karen Delise of the NCRC and others, and while the article isn't perfect, it is solid, and overarchingly positive toward the dogs (including 7 cute visuals of different pit bull type dogs). 

It's interesting, and certainly welcome to see the expose' from Time. Certainly they have some making up to do for the article they ran in 1987 that helped fast-track the dogs onto America's most wanted list in the first place. 

This isn't the first time they've offered a makegood on the article. Back in 2009 they ran a very good article featuring some of the dogs from the Missouri 500 dog-fighting (again with great visuals) case discussing their prognosis for rehabilitation. It was stories like this that helped change the dialogue about dogs involved in fighting rings from eager participants to the unwillful victims of cruelty that they are. 

The larger narrative is changing, and pit bulls are becoming mainstream again. People are starting to get it in very large numbers. They are dogs. Worthy of our respect and love, and willing to give it in return.

The Time magazine article is another reminder of this change -- that I know for many of us seems too slow in coming. So go read it online. Buy it on the newsstand. It's great to see how far we've come.

Related: 500 dogs, 3 magazines, and a look at how far we've come

Some positive imagery from Men's Health

In the September 2012 issue of Men's Health Magazine, they have a fantastic article entitled "Be the man your dog thinks you are."

The article is good, and worth reading in its own right. But for the purposes of this blog, I thought I'd highlight the pictures that accompany the story.

The images are of NFL Linebacker Kamerion Wimbley and his dog Yogi. Yogi is a pretty consistent workout partner with Wimbley and they talk a bit about that routine.

There are several of images of the two of them together -- in an article talking about consistency, rewarding, discipline and setting appropriate expectations.

And of course, the loyal companion, Yogi, is a pit bull. You can actually see all the photos from the magazine article here.

I've spoken before about the narrative of the pit bull in the United States, and my strong belief that the narrative is (thankfully) changing -- and that magazines are more consistently showing more  positive pit bull imagery than ever before -- shwoing them simply, as what they are, dogs.

It's fun to see the transition, and to see more positive pit bull imagery in the media. Enjoy.

Photo Credit: Men's Health Magazine - September 2012

 

Some positive Pit Bull Press

[As the managers of an urban shelter, we definitely see pit bulls that come in. However, because of their popularity, we also see a lot of adopters. Unfortunately, because of breed bans in several of our neighboring communities, we are often forced to deny adoptions because we find out half way through the process that the person lives in an area where they can not keep certain dogs. And it's frustrating, for all involved.]]> [Well, we went to the news with our situation, and here is the report that came out of it. I'm very happy how the story came out. I often get anxious when the media chooses to do a story on pit bulls, but this one was outstanding, and definitely showed the dogs for what they are....dogs.  Watch the video and click on this link -- and show a little love to Fox 4 for this great story.

Update - here's another story that ran this morning on KCTV5 in Kansas City.

 ]]>

Updated: Licked to death by a pit bull - some positive press magazine style

I stumbled across this article today -- in a magazine I honestly had never heard of until recently.  In the December/January issue of "Garden and Gun" Magazine (yes, that's the real title, more on it in a second) has an editorial entitled "Licked to Death by a Pit Bull".

I think it's a story that many readers of this blog will identify with -- as the author tells her story about meeting a friend's pit bull.  Her reaction was somewhat typical, though open-minded.  When the time came for her to get another dog, she adopted a pit bull of her own that she named NOLA.

She then briefly discusses some of the history around pit bulls and the reactions she received from others about her dog.  And some conclusions:

"In a hundred years, the pit bull has gone from national hero to unpredictable monster, and the dogs are still the same. We’re the ones who have changed. Despite the variances in their size and shape and traditional uses, all breeds of the domesticated dog trace their genes back to one species: Canis lupus familiaris. The strongest element in their DNA is that they want to be with us, that they want to do what we ask of them. That is both the blessing and the burden of their loyalty."

And then ends with her own, new, stereotype of people who own pit bulls:

"So I will end with this:
I now make certain assumptions about people who own pit bulls, too. I assume they are independent thinkers, they have transcended a long-standing prejudice, and, more important, they know a damn good dog when they see one."

I have to say I enjoyed reading the article, and the magazine, as both came as a surprise. It's also refreshing to see an outsider's perspective on pit bull ownership - -and it's great to see this in a magazine like Garden and Gun.  Garden and Gun is a fairly new publication (started in 2007) and has a circulation of about 250,000 (most of it in the Southeast).  It also targets a very upscale outdoorsman audience -- that has an estimated $1.5 million in net worth.  The magazine has also won quite a few editorial awards (including making Advertising Age's 2011 Hot List which is a major nod).

It's great to see more and more people exposed to the good that 'pit bulls' bring to the world -- from a perspective of someone who once had the same perceptions that many reading the article also have. 

Because, indeed, the author's story is similar to my own story - -and I suspect many who read this blog.  And I think that more people would have the same story of love and respect for these types of dogs if they approached the idea of pit bulls with an open mind and open heart.

So please go check out the story to let them know that positive articles drive web traffic too.

Update:  I'm bringing this up from the comments -- but apparently the writer of the article, Bronwen Dickey saw several comments on Andrew Sullivan's blog, and posted a very lengthy response on her own blog.

I really like many of her comments -- but this segment really struck me because it really mirrors my own experience:

But, as often happens when you’re a writer casting about for stories, I had several experiences that challenged what I previously thought I “knew” about dogs, so I started researching the topic and couldn’t easily pull myself away from it. I discovered many things, but what I found most sobering was the huge, gaping chasm between the empirical data on canine aggression and the widely-held, all-but-unchallenged view that pit bulls and bully breeds are, by nature of their DNA, “dangerous.”

That chasm, filled with bad science and freaky logic, isn’t doing anyone any good. It just keeps people afraid. And in places like Denver and Miami, it is used to deprive people of their property, thus marginalizing big segments of those communities and wasting public funds on enforcement programs thathaven’t yielded any of the intended results.

Bad science should not be used as the basis for legislation.....

Dogs are such a common fixture in our lives that we hardly ever challenge our beliefs about them or think about them scientifically. They are incredibly complex animals (much more complex than I ever realized), their behavior is shaped by an almost infinite matrix of circumstances, our behavior toward them is equally complex, and any attempt to apply sweeping generalizations to various groups of them is usually an exercise in futility.

When I first started the conversation about adopting my first dog as an adult, I began looking into "pit bulls'.  I had my belief about them, but never gave much thought to where that belief came from. But the actual research that was available at the time (and there is much more even now) was hugely different than the belief I held in my mind. When personal experience through dog interactions confirmed the data, I became a fan, and adopted one. Then two.

And I'm still in that huge chasm -- hoping to continue to find more and more data and research to help others find their way across. 

Roo and Wallace make an appearance on "It's me or the dog"

On Saturday night, Roo and Wallace made a guest appearance on Animal Planet's "It's Me or the Dog" -- the topic was about playing with your high-energy dog and building a relationship of trust with your dog.

It's a great clip - -only a few minutes long - and more good PR for bully-type dogs that are what we make of them.

 

Mike Vick's former dogs to be featured on PBS tonight!

The dogs rescued from Mike Vick's Bad Newz Kennels will be featured on the PBS program "Need to know" tonight. The program airs Friday, 1/21 at 7:30 here in Kansas City -- and 8:30 out on the east coast.  Check your local listings to be sure you catch the right time.

The journalist, William Brangham, is following up on the dogs and will be interviewing several of the owners of the dogs, as well as folks from the ASPCA, Bad Rap, and Jim Gorant -- author of the Lost Dogs.

Also, word is that there isn't going to be any of the gruesome stock footage that often accompanies these types of programs...which makes me happy.

Check it out tonight....

Veterans Day Tribute to Veteran Service Dogs

Time Magazine has an extremely touching video talking about how service dogs are helping many of our nation's veterans cope with post traumatic stress disorder following a return from combat.

The soldiers themselves are telling their stories of how they struggled to deal with family and friends again after serving overseas and how getting a service dog helped them integrate back into life.

According to one spokesperson the video, 18 veterans commit suicide every day in this country -- that's 6,570 suicides a year.

Meanwhile, 4 million animals are killed in shelters each year. They are making attempts to match the dogs to the veterans to end the deaths of both groups.

It is dog's like these in the vidoe (several are 'pit bull type' dogs) that the recent US Department of Justice Ruling on the Americans with Disabilities Act that says service dogs should be exempt from breed-specific laws -- just for people (and dogs) like these. And these are the same people that the city of Denver continues to want to discriminate against by delaying their vote to allow exceptions to their 'pit bull' ban for service dogs. 

Thanks to Time for the touching stories. Thanks to the men and women of our military for their services....and thanks to the dogs for theirs.

More Positive Press -- Leo gets highlighted on local San Francisco News

Yesterday was a good day for the dogs -- as author Jim Gorant made his tour promoting his book the Lost Dogs and Hector, Jonnie, Uba and other dogs rescued from Mike Vick's dog fighting ring made national TV appearances and Hector was also on NPR's Fresh Air yesterday afternoon

Not to be outdone, Leo, another dog from Bad Newz Kennels that was taken in by Our Pack, made an appearance on the CBS & CW affiliates in San Francisco last night. Leo is a certified therapy dog who regularly goes to hospitals visiting cancer patients and offering them love and support.

It's a great clip -- and worth watching the 2 minute clip. Many of these dogs have shown an amazing ability to overcome their struggles and become not just good pets, but shining examples of the love that has made dogs Man's Best Friend. 

Here's a link to the video if for some reason the embedded video doesn't work for you.

The good news spreads - Jonny Justice & Hector on the CBS Early Show (and why dogs matter)

This morning, two of the dogs from Bad Newz Kennels were on the CBS Early Show  to not only have their owners tell their story, but also to help promote Jim Gorant's new book, The Lost Dogs.  And here's the video from the segment (the video is incredible -- and well worth the 6 minutes viewing time -- Roo and Hector do a great job in the studio with the CBS folks).

The story is more positive press for the dogs that were once championed as the "most aggressive dogs in America" and to show how they were able to adapt to new environments -- with several even now working as service dogs.

The story is just more in a string of positive stories about the dogs - -reaching millions of TV viewers, newspaper readers and magazine readers.

And hopefully changing some hearts and minds along the way.

There is one really interesting piece from Gorant's book that I was planning on posting at some point, but has now popped up in its entirety on CBS News' website.

But when Gorant wrote the initial article for Sports Illustrated, SI received hundreds of letters about the article - -most were very positive. What surprised Gorant most was that the few letters they received that were negative were centered around the idea of why the big story, "they're just dogs".

In Gorant's Prologue, he addresses why it is that dogs matter so much to us as a society -- and I think does an eloquent job of doing so.  Please take the time to read the short clip.

Gorant isn't an advocate, per se, but is just a writer who is observing what he sees and I think has done a brilliant job of capturing the story of the dogs, the bust and why dogs matter to our lives.

BTW, for more reviews on the book, here are a couple more reviews:

The New Yorker

The Christian Science Monitor

The Huffington Post