At Animal Farm Foundation, we love science. We all love a good fairy tale (because who doesn’t?), but simply because a story pulls your heart, doesn’t make it true, or does nothing to move society forward. In advocacy, you must always be at the forefront of the truth.
Unfortunately, many pit bull myths are so pervasive that many advocates believe them to be true, and they use these stories as part of their outreach efforts. .
A prime example of this is the myth that “pit bull” dogs have a higher tolerance for pain than other dogs.
One website advocate writes:
“Sometimes presented as a negative trait, the fact is that pitbull [sic] Their high pain tolerance makes them exceptional family dogs. They easily (and happily) succumb to rough children’s play without reacting.”
This claim is not only factually incorrect, but it has also led to hysteria in favor of the BSL that “pit bull” dogs are distinct, dangerous, and therefore need to be managed. It is even displayed in court to justify breed bans.
If this is a fact, we will not argue. But, that is not a fact. That is a legend.
There is nothing unique about the nervous system of the “Pit Bull” dog.
All dogs, regardless of what they look like or their genetic heritage, experience pain. How each dog reacts to that pain will be different, but you can’t predict that response based on the dog’s appearance or heritage.
Journal of Veterinary Medicine Tufts addressed the myth of pit bulls in their Winter 2013 issue:
“Pain medicine as a veterinary specialty is relatively new. As recently as a decade ago, most veterinarians assumed that animals don’t feel pain, or at least experience it differently than humans. Now all the evidence points to the contrary. Research has shown that animals and humans have similar neural pathways for the development, transmission, and regulation of pain, making it possible for our pets to experience pain the same way we do.” .
Myths can put a dog’s comfort and care at risk
The article goes on to say that even in humans, pain is often dealt with. Michael Petty, president of the International Academy of Veterinary Medicine, said:
“If we are looking at the fact that half of the population that is suffering from pain is being treated, then I have to believe that more than 95% of the animals in [chronic] pain is not treated appropriately. ”
This means a lot of pets don’t get the pain relief they desperately need. Part of this may be due to the myth of the “pit bull” dog having a high tolerance for pain. Although dogs cannot speak for themselves in a way that we can clearly understand, they tell us to inform us about things in a variety of ways, which we can completely miss. These are important signals if we have eliminated pain problems our dog may be experiencing.
(For more on how much pain can appear on a dog’s body, please read full article).)
The myth that high pain tolerance can lead to negative consequences for humans and pets
Legend implies:
- Parents may allow their children to handle pit bulls inappropriately. Family dog safety experts tell us that rough play leads to dog bites – no matter what the dog’s genetic heritage may be. To reduce dog bite injuries and increase pet adoption, children should always be taught how to behave with all dogs. gentle and respectful.
- Dog owners should be wary if their pit bull doesn’t “happily” accept rough play from children.. If the dogs react, there’s something wrong with them, right? Wrong. All dogs deserve to be treated with respect and will have varying degrees of tolerance to play with. There’s nothing wrong with dogs enjoying gentle play (or playing at all) with children.
- It shows that “pit bull” dogs are biologically different from other dogs. For those who fear “pit bull” dogs, the myth of high pain tolerance suggests that dogs are uniquely capable of dealing damage because they can not stop by regular management techniques.
- It creates a convenient excuse for humans to want to exploit them and/or abuse them. It goes without saying that we should never justify cruelty by asking victims to have a high tolerance for abuse.
It is not beneficial to focus on fiction over fact
There are many ways to promote the wonderful qualities of a pet and how to properly care for a “pit bull” without resorting to myths.
Now that we know better, we have an obligation to consider how we communicate on behalf of the dogs and the information we are sharing. Dogs depend on us to stop causing more problems for them by recycling old content that has no scientific basis.
However, if you want to discuss the science of how dogs experience pain, here are some points to discuss:
- The perception of pain is unique to each individual, person or dog. Factors that influence an individual dog’s response to pain include age, sex, and health status. Individual situations also affect a dog’s response. If a dog is engaged in work or a sport, it can affect how they perceive pain in the moment (just like humans).
- Recognizing and identifying the source of pain in dogs can be challenging, especially since the early signs of pain can be so subtle. One of the best ways to assess pain in any dog is to know what is normal for them. Pay attention to your dog’s behavior and daily routine so you can easily notice anything out of the ordinary.
- There is nothing unique about the nervous system of a “pit bull” dog. All dogs, regardless of heritage, experience pain. How each dog reacts to that pain will be different, but the response cannot be predicted by appearance or breed.
Advocacy will move society forward. To do that, we must exercise with the truth and not myth. Learn more about better ways to advocate for all dogs and their families in Community Advocates section of our website.
* Previous version of this post can be found this.
