It was October. It’s pumpkin spice coffee (well, pumpkin spice things up) and Halloween time. If you’re a dog lover, especially if you’re a dog parent whose dog may be the target of breed-specific legislation, this month also means it’s “Awareness Month.” about Pit Bull”.
If you’ve been a follower of Animal Farm’s work from the very beginning, you know that our approach to advocacy has changed over time. These changes are a direct response to three things:
- Does science support the language or methods we’re using?
- What message are we really sending to the public?
- Are we growing with demand?
These questions have led us to think twice about pit bull awareness campaigns. We finally decided call the bull about them.
Decades ago, these campaigns aimed to make the world aware of the discrimination that pit bulls and their owners face. It’s more about the perception of breed-specific discrimination than the perception of “pit bull” dogs. While there is still much work to be done, BSL is on a decline.
Society is in a different place and our advocacy efforts must reflect that. If we want people to move beyond false stereotypes, then we must move toward advocacy that makes sense for the present moment—the advocacy policy that will take us into the future.
Science has come a long way in understanding the genetics of dogs. We know more about dogs and who they are. First of all, we know that ALL DOGS are PERSONALIZE.
We know that when people label a dog as a “pit bull”, they are doing so based on highly inaccurate visual identification. Most dogs with that label are of mixed and/or unspecified heritage. We don’t know what personality traits the dog will have based on their appearance.
Our advocacy efforts should reflect this knowledge. However, over time, the “pit bull” awareness days became less and less about making people aware of injustice and more about making people aware of “pit bull” dogs. shared.
These campaigns are all well-intentioned, but let’s get back to the question of what the message is to the public.
The phrase “Pit Bull Awareness Month” implies that we need to be aware of something – about “pit bull” dogs. What is it that people need to know? The common answers are:
“They are the best dogs!”
“They are the best dogs to have kids around!”
“They are the most loving dogs you will ever meet.”
There’s an obvious problem here that doesn’t fit with science: Dogs labeled “pit bull” are not “them”. They’re not a genetically bound group (not that it matters if they are), other than the fact that they’re both dogs. We all agree on this, right? However, when we use the term “they” with a general description, we are telling people that there is something different about them. We are telling people that they need to know these dogs as a group.
We are telling people that these dogs are not individuals.
That’s not the message we wanted to send because it’s a message that doesn’t exactly represent what science says about dogs.
We love when people celebrate dogs, whether it’s their own dogs or rescue dogs. However, the language we use to talk about these celebrations should reflect where we are, not where we have been. These events should celebrate that dogs are dogs. This change is not difficult to make. Here are a few examples:
- “Pit Bulls” and Pints can become Paws and Pints.
- Instead of holding Pitties in the Park, you can celebrate Barks in the Park.
- The Pit Bowl has more of a message with all dogs being individuals if it’s a Pup Bowl.
Breed-specific discrimination affects so many of us at the gut level. It’s about our family. So when we advocate against it, we advocate from the heart. But that kind of defense isn’t as effective as science-based facts. We must train our hearts with our minds and think carefully before we act.
It is that level of profound reflection that makes us create #ItsBullAwareness. We believe in celebrating all dogs, all the time. Dogs labeled “pit bull” are viewed by society as different only because society makes it so. The goal of advocating against race-specific discrimination is to dispel this myth. We couldn’t do that if we set aside specific days and months to make people aware of pit bulls. They are just dogs. That’s all we need to know about them as a group, and as individuals, it’s up to them to tell us who they are.
For more information on motor language, visit itsbullawareness.org.
Contributing to our mission is to help ensure equal treatment for all dogs and their owners.
