This post is sponsored by The Animal Farm Foundation and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about the The Majority Project, but Emily Reviews only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Animal Farm Foundation is not responsible for the content of this article.

I remember as a little kid hearing negative remarks about certain dog breeds. I don’t recall anyone discussing pit bulls, but I knew people who didn’t care for doberman pinschers or rottweilers. Without being around either breed, I believed these stereotypes to be true as a small child. When I was about 9, we got a new neighbor who had a rottweiler who I was afraid to go around at first. After seeing it interact gently and kindly with other children, I soon realized the stereotype was untrue and my fear was misplaced. It was probably this first-hand experience with seeing stereotypes about dog breeds proven wrong that has helped me see through breed discrimination against other breeds as well.

These days, it seems like most negative stereotypes about dogs are focused at pit bulls. I have even seen dog-lovers make negative comments of photos showing a young child with a pit bull because they feel the child is at risk. Yet, the same photo with another large dog may result in a simple “aww!” reaction, without the viewer knowing the personality of either dog. I know both dogs pictured, and know that penny the pit bull is more patient with children than Maggie – the blue-heeler/border collie mix. Yet, I know that many would have a more negative reaction to the photo of Ava with Penny simply because she’s a pit bull. Having first-hand experience with a pit bull has shown me how unfair it is that the entire breed is labeled with negative stereotypes based on negative news headlines about a select number of pits.

My top five reasons for supporting the equal treatment of “pit bull” dogs.

1. A breed doesn’t define a dog’s personality or behavior. I have two pugs with very different personalities. They have some traits in common, but in other ways they are as different as night and day. I wouldn’t expect my friends or family members to avoid or dislike my pugs if they heard about another pug who bit a child or attacked another dog at the dog park, so why judge one pit bull for the actions or behaviors of another pit? Instead of using breed specific legislation, we should create and enforce non-discriminatory responsible pet ownership laws.

2. Discriminating against pit bulls hurts families. Some homeowners insurance companies won’t cover houses with pit bulls. Many rental properties or apartment complexes don’t allow families with pit bulls. Some cities or counties have even banned “bully breeds”. These forms of discrimination force some families into giving up their beloved, well cared for, gentle pit bulls so that they can have a place to live. I can’t imagine being forced to give up my pugs when we haven’t done anything wrong. It’s unfair to force pit bull families to give up their pets.

3. Shelters and animal control offices are full of pit bulls, in part because of breed discrimination. When more pit bulls end up available for adoption or abandoned, this makes these dogs susceptible to being adopted by those who will mistreat or even abuse these dogs, increasing the risk that they’ll bite or act out. Look up your local animal control office and look at the dogs currently available for adoption. At any given time, at least 50% of the dogs in my local animal control are labeled as “pit bull mixes”.

4. Appearance versus genes. Even if 100% of a certain breed of dog were violent, using the visual appearance of a dog to determine its breed is far from foolproof. Puppies from the same litter can vary in size, color and appearance greatly. Some dogs that look like pit-bulls may not be pit-bulls at all.

5. Penny. My mother in law’s “pit bull” Penny is by far my biggest reason for supporting the equal treatment of pit bulls. I’ve known Penny for seven years and have never heard her bark at anything other than the door when someone knocks or the occasional raccoon that wanders into the yard. She adores children and will prance around like a puppy when the kids come over to play. She lives for belly rubs and tolerates my anxious, excitable pugs when they come over to visit without complaint. She’s a big dog with a loud bark, and I find it so unfortunate that her boxy “pit bull” head and features cause others to judge her without seeing how sweet she really is.

The Animal Farm Foundation is a not-for-profit that rescues and re-homes animals and makes grants to other humane organizations. They have also created the Majority Project. It wants to show the world what the majority of pit bull owners are really like. The truth is, the majority of pit bill owners are just like you. To participate in the campaign, print off the Majority Campaign poster, fill it out and snap a picture with your pit bull and the poster. Then visit the Animal Farm Foundation website to submit your poster. I created this one with my niece and Penny for the campaign.

Watch the video below to see Jon Bernthal (Shane from The Walking Dead) discuss his two pit bulls and show his support for the campaign.

The Majority Project with Jon Bernthal from Animal Farm Foundation on Vimeo.

Do you have a pit bull? I’d love to see your Majority Campaign submissions!

Emily

Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.

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