Alright. Close your eyes for a second. I want you to imagine the most “American” dog you can think of. I’ll wait…

Let me guess. You thought of a shiny, well-groomed golden retriever laying in a beautiful backyard with a white-picket fence. He’s wearing a red bandana around his neck, because it’s the 4th of July… obviously. Or maybe you imagined an adorable little yellow lab puppy frolicking through a field of daisies? Did he just do a puppy yawn!?

I’m not sure exactly what you thought of (I’m not a mind reader), but I am here to tell you that you are probably wrong. The most “American” dog out there is the American Pit Bull. Let me explain why:

Much like our own country, we will have to go to England for the beginning of this story. The lineage of the Pit Bull starts in the 1800’s in the United Kingdom. The bored common man in England found entertainment in sticking dogs and rats in a pit and watching/betting on the result. The “pit” in their name is literally derived from the pit they would place the dogs and rats into. Eventually, the interest turned into dog on dog fighting, so these Englishmen decided to breed together the English Bulldog (for strength) and the Terrier (for athleticism). And thus, the Pit Bull was created. This is a rather sad beginning to our story, as it shows the age-old exploitation of this breed for violent, illegal, entertainment purposes. But, if there is any silver lining to this, it is that in this initial breeding process, these Englishmen actually bred into Pit Bulls one of the amazing qualities that we know and love about the breed today: amazing loyalty to humans. Any dogs that showed aggression towards humans were not bred any further.

Alright, fast forward to the pre-Civil War era. A lot of immigrants from the British Isles started moving over to America, and of course, brought their prized Pit Bulls with them. Although bred for fighting, these Pit Bulls proved to be incredibly smart, tenacious and protective. In this developing world, the Pit Bull began to take on a much larger role in the family. They became frontier dogs: herding cattle, catching wild hogs, guarding livestock and, most importantly, protecting the family. There is even a legend that parents would leave their children with the family Pit Bull as they worked out on the farm all day, leading to the infamous title as the “Nanny Dog”.

The Pit Bulls reputation continued to thrive throughout much of American history. Pit Bulls were revered for many of the qualities that America still respects today: friendliness, strong work ethic, bravery, and loyalty. The Pit Bull was, at this time, considered the “All American Dog”. Pit Bulls were used as mascots during WWI and WWII, as a sign of bravery and tenacity. Not only were they an American mascot, they were also considered “America’s sweetheart”, appearing in hundreds of ad campaigns and movies (like Petey from Little Rascals!).

So, where did it all change? How did the Pit Bull go from “America’s sweetheart” to “America’s killer”?

Well, we need look no further than the 1980’s. Just before the 80’s, the US passed the Animal Welfare Act of 1976, making dog fighting illegal in all 50 states. This was (obviously) a very good thing, but the unintended side effect was that it brought this cruel sport to the forefront of the public eye. Throughout the 80’s, several major media outlets posted front page spreads about the Pit Bull and the underground sport. Both Time Magazine and Sports Illustrated put out articles conveying the Pit Bull as a “killer” and “overly-aggressive”. The Pit Bull began to be associated with crime and poverty, not companionship and love.

In more recent times, Pit Bulls were in the media after the huge raid of Michael Vick’s fighting ring. 51 dogs were rescued from these kennels. It was a huge media blitz, but this one with a more positive ending. Several Pit Bull Rescue organizations around the country saw the news and got involved. As a testament to the resilience and inherently good nature of the Pit Bull, 48 of those dogs were able to be successfully rehabilitated and re-adopted into loving homes!

Today, the unjustly tarnished reputation of the Pit Bull is slowly turning around. Most people now understand that the myth about over-agression is just that, a myth. However, the media damage in the 80’s has been hard to overcome. Today, more Pit Bulls sit in shelters around America than any other dog. On top of that, Pit Bulls are the largest breed in America, with approximately 3–5 million dogs in homes and shelters across the country. (As a comparison, it is estimated that there are only 500,000–750,000 Golden Retrievers in the US). That’s right, folks. The largest, most common breed in America has the hardest time getting adopted and has the most negative stereotype.

This, to me, is why the Pit Bull is the most “American Dog”. In the US, we constantly ignore the very real parts of our country for a more picturesque ideal of who we are. In this denial, we are unable to solve the very real problems set before us. The reality is this: Of the 1+ million dogs euthanized each year, 40% of them are Pit Bulls. There are more Pit Bulls living in the US than any other dog breed. And there is actual legislation in many states restricting Pit Bulls from living in certain apartment complexes and neighborhoods. Something needs to change, ladies and gentlemen.

So how do you help? Change your mind about this amazing breed. I know I did. And who knows, maybe the next time you are looking to add a furry friend to your family, you give that big-headed Pit Bull in the corner of the shelter a second glance. Maybe you take him/her out to play in the yard and open your heart! You might just have it stolen ❤

If this article has you feelin’ some type of way and you want to help further, hop on over to https://teespring.com/stores/design-x-intention. This month we are selling shirts that benefit a Dallas-based Pit Bull rescue called The Love Pit. You can also check out their adoptable dogs and sign up to be a foster here!