Breed discrimination is just that, discrimination, and those that suffer the most from it are Bull breeds. Hardships aren’t always due to a dog’s breed, but we certainly won’t rule it out. So today’s Pet Column is dedicated to addressing misperceptions about breed.

We have learned that people hold rather polarized feelings about a dog’s breed. Bull breeds have a bad rap for being aggressive and dangerous, and have been banned from cities, housing developments, and last year, Delta Airlines (so families with Bull breeds are also immensely impacted from breed bans). But there are many who love these dogs, and are even trying to rebrand us as “Pibbles” to show a softer, trendier family pet.

“Pit bull” isn’t a breed. It’s a term used to loosely describe American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers: big head, muscular, stocky body. No other dog has had so much media coverage in the last 15 years. Condemning a dog based on his physical traits is declaring his guilt, or worth, based purely on his appearance. But, still, the section of society that does not feel safe with Pit Bulls has a right to be heard.

Like all dogs Bulls react to the world based on breeding, environment, and training. You can’t breed a dog to fight other dogs for almost 200 years and expect those instincts to vanish. To try to sell the Pit Bull to the public as a fluffy bunny does a disservice to the public, to potential Pit Bull owners, and to Pits. But so does making an assumption that, based on their breed, a dog is too aggressive to live peacefully in today’s society.

Most importantly, those that bring Pit Bulls into their families have to realize that due to our natural tenacity, strength, and prey drive there is a greater level of responsibility placed on our people to keep us safe and avoid situations that may trigger an aggressive reaction (which can happen with any dog if placed in a bad situation).

Things that are important to dog parenting become more so for the Pitty parent: learning and staying tuned into their pet’s body language, providing structure, training, exercise and lots of attention. They are highly trainable, but do need to be trained. Their intelligence, focus, gameness, loyalty and desire to please make them one of the most teachable dogs.

So why adopt a bull breed? Well, for starters it’s been proven that Pit Bulls give more kisses than any other type of dog. They love humans and human interactions and feed off positive attention. Pitties and bullies truly are loving, friendly beings who enjoy having fun. They are like other dogs yet also unique. Don’t fear them, just work to understand them.

Since 1994, the Animal Resource Center and the Shops of Second Chance Humane Society have been dedicated to serving animals in Southwestern Colorado. Our adoption hours are every day from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We are located at 177 County Rd 10, Ridgway, CO. You can view our shelter pets and services online at secondchancehumane.org.