{"id":16366,"date":"2022-10-03T10:18:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-03T16:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/outwardhound.com\/furtropolis\/?p=16366"},"modified":"2022-10-03T10:19:11","modified_gmt":"2022-10-03T16:19:11","slug":"pitbull-awareness-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/outwardhound.com\/furtropolis\/dogs\/pitbull-awareness-month","title":{"rendered":"October Is National Pitbull Awareness Month"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

National Pitbull Awareness Day (NPBAD) is October 23, but why not celebrate the whole month? In a double dose of dog celebrations, this National Pitbull Awareness Month also happens to be Adopt a Shelter Dog Month<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Pitbull Awareness Day was started by Jodi Preis of Bless the Bullies<\/a>, a nonprofit that strives to knock down breed stereotypes through education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about how you can be an effective advocate for bully breeds (also known as house hippos, blockheads, goobers, and land seals), read on!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a pit bull?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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As you may or may not know, “pit bull” is not an actual breed. “Pit bull” is an umbrella term to describe any breed or mix-breed dog with a blocky head and body type. Some examples include the American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, bull terrier, American bulldog, and American bully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attempting to accurately “identify” a bully breed solely based on physical characteristics causes us to literally judge a book by its cover. It’s one of the reasons why pitbull-type dogs are misidentified 60% of the time<\/a> by shelter staff, media, and potential adopters, according to one study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the entire month of October, we can help raise awareness of the common misconceptions of “the pit bull” and show these dogs for what they really are: individuals.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Outdated legislation proved ineffective<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Unfortunately, the widespread myths about bully breeds have caused many states to enact breed-specific legislation (BSL). Some even have discriminatory laws<\/a> against victims of dog fighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This, despite the fact that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other prominent organizations and government bodies strongly oppose it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on several studies<\/a> on human fatalities and dog bites, there is zero evidence or concrete data that BSL makes communities safer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what alternatives are there?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The ASPCA has proposed several breed-neutral laws<\/a> that will be far more effective in protecting our communities, families, and pets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The CDC has noted that many other factors beyond breed may affect a dog\u2019s tendency toward aggression\u2014things such as heredity, sex, early experience, reproductive status, socialization, and training. Conversely, studies can be referenced that point to clear, positive effects of carefully crafted breed-neutral laws<\/strong>. A breed-neutral approach may include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n