Jon Bernthal has one of the strangest careers in Hollywood. Years ago, he seemed all set to grow into B-tier leading roles, not quite a movie star but also able to carry a film. But there was some kind of shift and now he’s pretty much a character actor, working consistently in film and television. A decade ago, he could have been the next big thing. But maybe it was his call – maybe he prefers to work consistently on a wide variety of projects. Anyway, Bernthal recently appeared on Howard Stern’s show, all to promote his role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Jon and Howard ended up talking about Jon’s dogs, which are pit bulls. Dozens of countries ban citizens from owning or breeding pits, but here in America, there’s more acceptance of pit bulls, even though it’s a near constant conversation about whether pits are safe or whether they should be banned. Well, when discussing his pits, Jon Bernthal actually used the words “dog racism.”
Jon Bernthal is pushing back against the stigma surrounding pit bulls, arguing that the breed’s reputation is rooted in stereotypes.
During a recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show, the actor passionately defended pit bulls, calling the widespread fear of the breed “dog racism” and comparing it to judging people based on their race or sexual orientation.
“My dogs are the greatest, and they’re honest,” Bernthal said. “So the myth of the pit bull is a lot of bulls–t. People got to stop that. Pit bulls don’t attack.”
“No, it’s just racism. It’s just dog racism,” he added.
Bernthal further argued that fearing an entire breed is unfair and misguided. “I think to be afraid of a breed of dog is completely ridiculous,” the actor said. “It’s like being afraid of somebody for their race or their sexual orientation. It’s completely ridiculous.”
While acknowledging that any dog is capable of biting someone, Bernthal said he doesn’t believe pit bulls are inherently more aggressive than other breeds. Instead, the Punisher star believes a dog’s behavior is largely influenced by its owner and how it’s raised.
“If a pit bull bites you, it kind of sucks,” he joked. “But they’re no more likely to bite you than a Chihuahua or any other breed of dog… I think that it probably has more to do with who owns them and how they were trained,” he said.
Bernthal also criticized people who choose pit bulls to project a tough image without properly caring for or training them.
“I think that a lot of knuckleheads, unfortunately, are attracted to that breed of dog,” he said. “When I see some wannabe gangster getting pulled down Venice Beach by his pit bull… to me, that’s not manly or strong at all.”
He added that responsible ownership is what ultimately makes the difference.
“I think you got to train your dog,” Bernthal said.
The thing is, I understand what Jon was trying to say with the “dog racism” statement. I wouldn’t call it “racism,” but “prejudice” is probably a better word for it. There’s a prejudice against pits, founded or unfounded. Jon is right that it’s about how you train your dogs and how you raise your dogs. But I’ve also heard some horror stories about pits attacking people out of nowhere, including attacking children. The truth is, even if I see a pit on a leash, I’m on my guard and careful about how I step around the dog. Does that make me prejudiced? Perhaps. Does that make me racist against pit bulls? Hm.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – JULY 27: Jon Bernthal arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Columbia Pictures’ ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on July 27, 2026 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1119255833, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no , Pictured: Jon Bernthal , Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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- Jon Bernthal at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Columbia Pictures’ ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on July 27, 2026 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1119193763, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no , Pictured: Jon Bernthal , Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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- HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JULY 27: Jon Bernthal attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Columbia Pictures’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day held at Dolby Theatre on July 27, 2026 in Hollywood, California.,Image: 1119440988, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no , Pictured: Jon Bernthal , Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon
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- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – JULY 27: Jon Bernthal arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Columbia Pictures’ ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on July 27, 2026 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1119473551, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no , Pictured: Jon Bernthal , Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
My neighbor has a very large pit and it scares the crap out of me when she’s walking it in the hallway.
Back in 2010 I had to obtain extra renters insurance before my boyfriend could move his pit bull in the house I rented. The dog was huge, and friendly enough and homeowner almost said No.
Pitts are great dogs if they have the right owners. The issue often is that agressive people choose dogs that look scary and then they do not train them poperly. My dog, 6 months old maltese was attacked by pitt while on the leash and almost died. I reported the owner, he was fined for the xy time, nothing else. In few years he was euthanised because he attacked the owners little nephew.
Pits, not pitts, autocorrect
ITA. I have a pittie mix. She is the biggest lovebug and velcro dog. Right now she’s in a big bout of separation anxiety. She gets a bad rap just by her walking by. She’s a big ole slut and will sit or show you her belly if you have snacks. If me (a black woman) and my dog are walking in the park, people are already giving (us) wide berth. I’ve seen small and medium dogs be bigger jerks than pitties. If pitties are dangerous, it’s definitely a training issue.
100% agree. Pitbull terriers aka Staffordshire terriers get a bad reputation because A) often bad people breed and train them to fight, or to just be aggressive in general, so they can be used as guard dogs; B) because the breed was designed for fighting and killing rats, they are very strong and have muscled, strong jaws, and are trained to not let go. No studies have shown that they bite people more often than other dog breeds, but when they do, they inflict more damage because that’s how people designed them. The pitties I’ve known have been aggressively loving toward people, including a stray I rescued. A hundred years ago pitties were considered ‘nanny dogs’, and people would leave their kids at home alone with them. That’s why there was always a pit bull in those old ‘Our Gang’ movies (i.e. the Little Rascals) from the 1920’s and 30’s. The dogs in those movies were famous, people used to go visit them in their ‘retirement’ in Atlantic City, NJ.
https://love-a-bull.org/resources/the-history-of-pit-bulls/
I have a pittie mix as well. The third dog of my adult life. He is by far the biggest snuggle bunny. Needs hugs and kisses constantly
Also have a pittie mix and he’s very affectionate and aims to please. And that is what people do not realize – pitties love to please their owners, so sick people take advantage of that by training them to be aggressive/fight/attack. It’s always on the owner, not the breed.
And of course “stories” become urban legends. A lovely Australian Shepard that lived down the street bit a neighbor, who was twelve at the time (on the face). The kid has a scar. No one ever figured out what triggered the dog. I don’t tell people how dangerous the breed is. My brother’s Akita was very snappy toward other dogs and kids on bikes. Again, not an example of how all Akitas are awful and dangerous.
There’s also an instinct issue. They are lovable with the people and pets within their circle. Even well trained ones will aggressively defend it’s territory and people from the slightest perceived threat.
People are more important than dogs.
It isn’t pit bulls’ fault that they were bred to attack, but they were. A completely friendly-seeming pit bull that was hanging out with it’s owners on the beach attacked my dog out of nowhere. The owner’s family included a small child. They seemed freaked out and surprised by it and quickly packed up their stuff and left before my husband got there (he was ready to read them the riot act). There’s an example of people thinking their pittie is the sweetest and finding out the hard way that they can’t always control their behavior.
I just don’t think you can be racist against dogs? Not if your wariness is due to well documented and dangerous behavior that has been instilled in the breed. That’s just common sense and protecting yourself, your children and your pets.
My dog was fine, thankfully.
Correct. It’s upsetting to be walking my child down a quiet street with a pit that continually runs up barking hysterically and the owner giggles that he’s friendly. It’s not my dog, I don’t want it near us, I don’t care if he’s friendly to you, many of the owners of dogs involved in fatal attacks say that. They snap and a pit bull snap is particularly dangerous because of their jaws. Irresponsible to own in high population areas and to ever let off leash, end of story.
💯 agree
Not all people…
I agree. Some bred to fight, others to sheppard or to hunt. They can all be good dogs with the right owners. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case…
Some dogs should have their owners be obligated to have a successful dog training before being able to get them
I’ve been fortunate to have only ever encountered friendly pits, so I get where he’s coming from, but dog breeds have a huge influence on a dog’s behaviour. Sure, maybe a chihuahua is more likely to bite you, but a pit bull is more likely to injure you.
I do love jon though. He’s such a teddy bear.
Some people “rescue” dangerous dogs instead of going to therapy. Had a friend who worked in animal rescue and shelters. She got out because almost every place she worked was just a toxic stew of untreated mental illness, projected onto the animals and their potential to find “forever homes.”
She went back to school, got her social work degree and now works with the families of cancer patients.
I’m not anti rescue, but the “I can save them” attitude towards dangerous animals is not a healthy one. We have such an oversupply of dogs and cats that every high needs animal rescue means several healthy, loving animals that are put down instead. Our world is the worse for it.
Apologies if this is too much. I’ve just seen unhealthy attitudes about rescuing animals up close. My former co-worker helped me put it into context.
This! I loved my cane corso, but honestly it would’ve been kinder when he was rescued to have humanely euthanized him.
The foster didn’t pay enough attention to see the signs of a reactive dog. I spent thousands on dog behaviorists, a trainer, & anti-anxiety meds.
Our trainer explained dogs shut down in rescue at the beginning seeming docile & only start to act out when they feel safe (the 3 days, 3 wks, 3 months rule of rescue).
When he got sick it was harder to make the decision to euthanize because I wanted to make sure I was doing what was right for him & not because I was exhausted keeping him safe from the world & the world safe from him.
Be wary of any rescue that cycles through dogs quickly. A good foster, especially with an abused dog, would keep it long enough to note behavioral issues.
Very interesting to hear and not surprising. I love animals. I had two rescue dogs that grew up with my children. They lived to old age. But I was very careful in choosing them. And the SPCA near me would not allow families with children to adopt certain breeds. Nor should they have.
Like I said above, dogs are not people. They deserve humane treatment, but not at the risk of the safety of the public.
Only time I’ve ever feared a mauling was with a pit bull.
He’s right, it’s more the owners who get pitties or in the UK now, XL bullies, to look tough. They mistreat the dog to make it mean & make themselves look tough. The one who loses is the dog.
During the pandemic we adopted a Cane Corso, who had been starved & abused, to make him a big mean guard dog . Giant baby, terrified of EVERYTHING! All people saw was a vicious dog lunging, barking with big teeth. I exercised him muzzled & double leashed for everyone (especially bicyclists) safety. He was enforcing his boundaries the only way he knew. What people didn’t see was the snuggle bug who wanted cake & could learn & retain any command in minutes. There’s a special place in hell for his first owners who took a sensitive & intelligent dog & broke him. We made his last 2 yrs the best we could before cancer took him.
Pitbulls score better in the temperament test than most breeds. https://atts.org/breed-statistics/statistics-page1/
People with larger dogs tend to train their dogs better but people with small dogs let them bark and lunge and big dogs and then get upset when the bigger dogs react. Everyone should train their dog. Pitbulls are generally big love bugs.
IF trained properly! My dog was attacked as a puppy, from the back, we did not see the other dog coming, but he was very focused on the attack. When I yelled at the owner to hit him, because he was shaking my bleeding dog, he said he cannot do this to his dog. My 10 year old daughter jumped on the pit with her elbows, and only then did he let my puppy go. We were lucky he did not bite my kid.
So respectfully, this is the same argument as “not all men”.
But that’s true for most dogs, if not all. It IS a training issue across the board.
our friends have a mini golden doodle who bites all the time. My friend laughs and says “oh he’s just so cute.” But he bites little kids on the arms and stuff constantly – but because he’s not bigger its seen as “cute.” My boys hate him.
And sure there are obviously some breed characteristics that are going to be inherent in certain breeds – thats why my lab wanted to retrieve basically as soon as he was born, and my doodle doesn’t know what to do when you toss a ball at her.
but so much of it is training.
Your daughter is very fierce! Thank goodness she was not injured. That pit bull was no match for her ten year old sharp elbows!
If big dig owners allowed their dogs to behave like little dog owners do… We would not have dogs, as a society.
Pit bulls are bred — by the ‘gaming’ community of thugs — to be aggressive toward other dogs. It’s logical and factual that they are NOT encouraged to be aggressive to people because (in the priorities of that community) you want your dog to be bonded with you/obey you when you use it for gaming or ‘protection’. Some dogs who come from long lines of dogs bred to be: aggressive or calm or good at flushing game in the field, etc. will retain those characteristics. Others will be truer to their environment and upbringing. It’s not entirely all up to how they’re raised, but pitbulls are not inherently dangerous or aggressive. The U.S. has cycled through a number of dog breeds over the decades that were banned for awhile, using the same reasoning as is used now. Those included Great Danes, dobermans, and German Shepherds. According to some info I’ve read, the best predictor of dog aggression is that the dog is an unneutered male.
Thank you! Pit bulls are no different than any other dog and this comment section is honestly appalling. My dogs LOVE people, though other dogs is a little trickier. They have never been aggressive towards a human, nor have any pit bulls I’ve ever met.
All of this fearmongering here adds to the stigma, but if you ask any actual veterinary professionals pit bulls are one their favorites generally. My husband works in the field and there are many other breeds he side eyes far more than pit bulls. And again, those are the professionals saying that, not random people off the street.
That being said, individual dogs of any breed can have mistreatment in their past which makes them scared or anxious around people. It doesn’t make them bad dogs; they’ve been through trauma and it is a human’s fault. Any owner of a dog like that should be sure to train/socialize their dog to the best of their ability and keep it secure and away from strangers and children especially to prevent issues.
Most issues with dogs I’ve seen have been because parents refuse to teach their children how to interact with dogs properly, and it scares the crap out of dogs when a small erratic human they don’t know comes flying up to grab them.
I agree. And I didn’t mention how often these well-publicized attacks on children by pitbulls are due to the lack of socialization by their owners. In one case, someone let their child wander into a room with several dogs, one of which was a mother w/puppies. The result was as you’d expect when you combine an untrained, unsocialized dog contained in a small space and puppies — which you’d assume all animals would expect to protect. Even supposedly ‘safe’ breeds like labs and Golden Retrievers will bite and attack when they feel threatened. I will also add and not meaning to downplay the problem of dog –> human attacks; but I’d almost put my money on a cat for causing the most damage with their bites; supposedly their bites often cause sepsis, etc. Overall, this issue is just one of many where it’s not realistic to draw a conclusion that will ALWAYS BE TRUE; there are simply too many variables in play. We teach our dogs and our children to respect each other and then pay attention when they’re together…
Thank you! Pit bulls are no different than any other dog and this comment section is honestly appalling. My dogs LOVE people, though other dogs is a little trickier. They have never been aggressive towards a human, nor have any pit bulls I’ve ever met.
All of this fearmongering here adds to the stigma, but if you ask any actual veterinary professionals pit bulls are one their favorites generally. My husband works in the field and there are many other breeds he side eyes far more than pit bulls. And again, those are the professionals saying that, not random people off the street.
That being said, individual dogs of any breed can have mistreatment in their past which makes them scared or anxious around people. It doesn’t make them bad dogs; they’ve been through trauma and it is a human’s fault. Any owner of a dog like that should be sure to train/socialize their dog to the best of their ability and keep it secure and away from strangers and children especially to prevent issues.
Most issues with dogs I’ve seen have been because parents refuse to teach their children how to interact with dogs properly, and it scares the crap out of dogs when a small erratic human they don’t know comes flying up to grab them.
I honestly expected better from the commenters here. Very disappointing.
Dogs don’t have a race. They’re breeds. I understand his concern but I’m side-eyeing the use of racism.
Same, Amy Bee. It was such a weird use of the term racism.
As for the substance, my dog looks like a labrador, but she’s part pittie (she was labeled a “lab mix” by the rescue from which we adopted her, and she is a lab mix … I’m guessing they didn’t lead with the pit bull component because of the prejudice against pitties). She’s the sweetest dog but she became reactive after she was savagely attacked by a standard poodle at the dog park. I now keep her well away from kids and other people when we’re on walks, even though she’s never bitten anyone or anything (she recently found a baby rabbit in our yard and was just holding it until I made her drop it and it hopped away).
She’s a sweetheart because she’s gotten nothing but love and caring training from us.
Would I have adopted her if she had a more typical pit bull jaw? (Hers is narrow and labrador-like.) I honestly don’t know.
I get why he said that. there’s a big assumption here that Black people are the ones who own pitties, especially in the cities. and in predominantly Black cities like Baltimore, its pitties who are overflowing the shelters. so people make that connection – unconsciously or not – and that’s where the “dog racism” comes from, even if its not factual or logical.
My parents (re)train dogs that are taken from their owners because of abusive situations. They don’t take pittbulls, because it’s almost impossible to successfully train them once they’ve been abused. I understand what Jon is saying here, but we shouldn’t underestimate the destructive power of overbreeding dogs. There are so many breeds of dogs that have just been ruined because of decades of breeding.
I have always believed in bad owners instead of bad dogs. But now my next door neighbors have adopted a pit and it frightens me. If I am in my back yard gardening and that dog is put out, he races to the fence barking and growling. He physically hits the fence and acts like he wants to attack me. It acts the same way if my small dog is with me. My neighbor says the dog is good and that I just need to get to know him. I’m a dog lover, but no thanks.
Yep.
Last neighbor I had had two pits. He kept them in the yard. They were destroying the fence separating our yards as they were trying to get to my little 4 pound Chihuahua. Finally the landlord kicked him out for property damage.
It was so weird talking to the guy about his dogs. He admitted they were dangerous. Admitted they’d tear my dogs to shreds if they got through the fence. What kind of person would ever own such a breed as a domesticated pet? I’m glad the landlord listened to me. New neighbors don’t have any dogs. Now I just have to worry about the psycho off leash beast down the block that has already attacked several little dogs in my neighborhood. I’m not sure what to do, but now I have to carry protection when I take a walk in my own neighborhood.
Pit bulls are the absolute worst. Second worst is their owners. These dogs should not exist.
Pits jaws and their instinct and training to hold onto their prey are deadly. I’ll never understand why owners of Pits will not see that. There is a chance my sighthounds will kill small dogs, bunnies, cats, and plastic bags. I admit that and take precautions. It would be nice if more pit owners did the same.
I sort of wonder if he’s making two points interrelated (and good, IMO) points. Pit bulls are a racialized breed because of their association with Black people and culture and as such face stigma and discrimination. (There’s been a fair bit of scholarship examining this. Here’s a good peer reviewed article that explores this more: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11213322/ )
I also think he’s getting at breedism, as a variant of speciesism…
Pitbulls seem nice! (I’m more of a cat person, though.)
Yes, this is exactly what I think he meant and I’m not sure why so many here don’t seem to get that.
You don’t get why a point of view linking “dog racism” against pit bulls with discrimination and racism impacting African Americans in the minds of “most Americans “ — yes, all of the opinions noted in Table 1 were those of white people — might be seen as being both not equivalent and insultingly problematic? I agree with Kaiser: “Prejudice “ gets the point across much better than the more complex, historically laden, human-focused use of the word “racism”.
It’s like not using the word “whelped” when discussing the births of human children.
Yes, I skimmed the study, and I hope that anyone reading it also reads the excellent critiques at the end.
Becks1, you are correct about the pitbull jaw not locking. My dog trainer, who often trained dogs for Hollywood movies, never trained a pitbull. She mentioned about the locking jaw to me in the context of her boyfriend being a cop. It was in a park and a victim was being bitten by a pitbull that would not let go of the victim. A long time ago, but the cop ended up shooting the dog, which might have survived. That might be the reason she believed that. She was a great trainer.
As someone who had Dobermans, anyone who has digs over 50lbs should have to attend obedience classes.
Big dogs can get out of hand quick.
EVERY , not just big ones, should receive training.
I’ve been bitten twice: once by a Yorkie and once by a German Shepherd. Guess which one ran out of its yard to bite me? (Not the GSD.)
I have a pit and he’s awesome. He also had months of a boarding training program, because he needed it. We understand the couple of things that will rile him up and manage his environment to keep him safe. It’s just being responsible.
Love his as the Punisher, even tho I was a huge Thomas Jane fan.
Vehemently disagree with him on this topic though.
First, dogs are a breed, not a race, nor an ethnicity. Also dogs are not people. So stop with the dog r@cism nonsense. Actual humans have a hard enough time dealing with bs racism in their daily lives, without an actor equating alleged animal suffering to documented human suffering. Being afraid and cautious around unfamiliar animals and their owners isn’t racist, its smart and also a form or self preservation. It sounds like he heard some idiot say dog r@cism and thought “wow that’s deep”. Sigh…
Second, there’s no putting this genie back in the bottle. While its not the pitbull’s fault for this stereotype nor their fault that they had owners who didn’t train them properly, the fact is, most people view pitbulls as guard dogs and therefore, as dangerous. There’s a reason that rental property owners are requiring that their tenants have higher renters liability insurance coverage and some are banning certain breeds of dogs and other pets from their property entirely. There’s been too many instances of pit bulls killing children, so some bereaved parents have either started going after the owners’ homeowners insurance policies (if coverage is applicable ie the attack happened on their premises) and/or suing the owner for wrongful death/negligence. I knew couple of kids that died after being attacked by a pitbull, a recent one was a 3 yr old little girl – the dog jumped his owner’s fence, ran down the street and mauled her to death in her front yard where she had been playing.
Oh, that’s horrible and so scary! I’m sorry.
I agree with you on all of this.
I agree with him, it’s not the dog, it’s the humans it lives with. 100 years ago, pit bulls were everyone’s beloved family dog. I had a chow-chow/boxer mix for 17 years. She was the sweetest girl you’ve ever met and never showed aggression or attacked people or other animals (unless you were a gopher or squirrel, which she loved to hunt). Yet chows were on the list of banned breeds at an apartment I was going to move into. Spay and neuter your pets, train them and treat them well.
Veterinarian here — pitties are some of my favorite patients to work with!! I agree with JB 100%. Pit Bull type dogs are definitely discriminated against. They often have shitty owners who don’t train them properly and are overbred by backyard breeders. My own pittie (RIP Remy), who had the double misfortune of being a black dog, was a super affectionate guy and never met anyone he didn’t love. When we would walk in the neighborhood, so many people would cross to the other side of the street in fear.
My daughter loves pitties. She rescues them. They are sweet but I’ve seen them get AGGRESSIVE at my farm trying to attack my dog who is a giant Great Pyr. I will not have one. And I don’t like any off leash dog.
We just adopted a 15 month old pitbull mix. She is incredibly sweet and loving BUT she also has a very powerful jaw. She is a snuggle bug for the most part. I would not, however, ever leave her alone with small children because she could do a lot of damage if she did bite. She has only been with us for a month.
There are lots of dog breeds that have been bred for aggression. I think pit bulls get a bad rap but you do have to be aware of the damage they can do with that jaw.
No dog (or cat, or iguana, or bird) should be left alone with a child! It’s disaster waiting to happen.
Pit bulls are kinda like the Taylor Swift of the dog world. Any discussion about them immediately falls into either extreme- they’re either devil spawn who shouldn’t exist or they’re special perfect angels who wouldn’t hurt a fly. I have a pittie, he’s the biggest baby ever, all he wants is to give you kisses. People cross the street when they see us coming (and yes, we’ve been to training, he’s not pulling me along, we’re just walking). However, any dog can snap and attack. My dog has been run up on by smaller dogs, bigger dogs, golden, chihuahuas, you name it. Why is it MY dog behaving on a leash that’s a problem and not the other dogs unleashed, trying to start a fight? The last time unleashed dogs attacked us, he spent the whole car ride home checking on ME, even though he was the one bleeding. As for everyone saying pitties are more frequent attackers- pay attention sometime. Whenever a dog attack is reported, the breed is only identified if it’s a pit bull. Otherwise it’s just “dog attack.”
I know a woman who walks her pitbull with her toddler and baby.”it’s not the breed, but how you raise them.” My dog trainer said the pitbull’s jaw does not release once they bite the victim. They are built differently than other dogs. Also, a nice dog can go feral. It happens. I would not want to risk it and I stay far from them. In my hometown, an old woman was viciously attacked by two loose pitbulls. The damage. A strong no from me. Also, bc of their jaws and breeding, the damage is catastrophic and possibly life-ending for the victim.
That is false. their jaws do not lock. I would be wary of any trainer who said that. They have strong jaws and strong bites but their jaws do not lock once they bite.
While “it’s not the breed, it’s the owners” is true to a point, given pitbulls’ size, power and type of bite, ability tendency to hold on and not let go, a pitbull that bites someone can cause serious damage and be difficult to pull off.
My friend’s very sweet pitbull was minding his own business in the backyard when a cousin walked past bringing a plate of food out. His cousin’s elderly, half blind hound lunged at the food and the pittie, starting a fight, but it was the pittie’s defensive bites back that caused the most damage, and she was harder to pull out of the fray than the hound was … just because of breed characteristics.
She was trained, and gentle … but in an instant, she was dangerous, even though she didn’t provoke anything, was just reacting, defending herself.
In the 13-year period of 2005 to 2017, canines killed 433 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 66% (284) of these deaths. Within this period, deaths attributed to pit bulls rose from 58% (2005 to 2010) to 71% (2011 to 2017), a 22% rise.1
FACTS.
ALSO, I’ve been attacked by dogs twice. Two different instances, same preceding comment from owner: “Don’t worry he’s friendly!”
Luckily they weren’t pitties or I’d be dead or disfigured.
.
So why don’t you hate the breeds that DID attack you??
I disagree with the statement that “pit bulls are bred to be aggressive towards other dogs” and are “NOT encouraged to be aggressive to other people.” I live in a major city with lax zoning laws. The street I live on is an unincorporated street. We don’t get city utilities or protection. We had a small business set up shop at the end of the street. It was a combo massage/gaming/tattoo parlor. The owner had two pit bulls which he usually kept on a leash. Friendly guy. One time, my toddler daughter – only 3 or 4 years old at the time – were walking on our little street. Both dogs escaped and ran towards us at high speed, snarling. I scooped her up and ran to the nearest neighbor’s. Frantically knocked on the door, no one answered. The dogs pulled to a stop in front of us, walking in a semi-circle around us, barking and growling. I slowly boosted my crying daughter over my head, trying to show no fear. Thankfully, the owner ran out of the back of his shop and yelled at them to come back. At that moment, I was grateful because even if we had been attacked, the owner would have tried to help.
We have a lot of pit mixes on our street due to these lax laws. Just a month ago, an older pit mix who had formerly been friendly attacked my older chihuaha mix. It’s a quiet street and both I and the pit mix’s owner were just out walking our dogs at dusk. We stopped to have a neighborly chat. I must have done something to trigger his dog because the next thing I know, the pit mix lunged at my dog’s neck and would not let go. His owner was on the ground, trying with his full force to pull his dog off of mine. The dog wouldn’t release his bite. As a last resort, the owner started beating the top of his dog’s head. I literally threw my body on top of the pit mix’s head because my elderly chihuaha mix was crying and peeing and pooing all over himself. I tried to put my body inside the pit’s mouth. Eventually, the pit mix let go. My pup is on the mend.
Morale of the story is that, clearly, I’m an idiot and don’t know how to respond to dangerous dogs. I put my daughter and my dog in more danger by my actions. Secondly, I avoid pits. I think they are born with certain characteristics and then their human owners often lack the understanding on how to properly socialize these pups.
I like Jon but I don’t like Pit bulls. The stats show that the breed is disproportionately responsible for serious injuries and fatalities. Of course chihuahuas bite: but the impact is very different. The breed’s background was as a fighting dog. Sheepdog puppies instinctively try and herd. Pointer puppies instinctively point. No one takes a gun dog like a lab and tries to train it to round up cattle. Innate traits. I don’t think Pit bulls are a safe breed. There are plenty lovely breeds out there.
JMBeans, I feel you. My collie was attacked by a half-pitt and I was injured trying to defend her. That dog was loose and mine was leashed. I can still remember my collie crying. The owner assured me it was an A1 dog and he’d shoot anyone trying to take it away. From then on, I drove my dog to the next town to walk her. So no, I will never trust a pitbull or a half pitt or the crazy owners who say it’s an A1 dog. Miss me with all of that.
U.K., a closely related bull breed:
In 2021-23, around half of fatal dog attacks were caused by a single breed, the American Bully XL.
Half. By a breed that is far less popular than other dogs over 50 lbs. I don’t really care if it’s bad owners rather than bad dogs. The victim is still dead.
I am a dog Mama I love my dogs more than life. I didn’t get dogs until I moved overseas,I’ve had 3 – my first baby is coming up for 14 years, my second a rescue at 6 years old and he eventually left for the rainbow bridge at 13 and my third baby a rescue at 4 and still going strong now at 7. However pits are trained to fight. Keep them away from me. If I see one when I’m back in the Uk, I walk in the other direction and quite frankly I do not care if pit owners are offended. Your feelings do not supersede my comfort and safety. .
As for this actor using the phrase racism to talk about dogs? Totally offensive and disgraceful. He could have used the phrase discrimination using the word racism is a choice.
If you check your local humane society or rescues so many of the dogs are Pitt Bulls. A never ending supply. It’s so sad. No one wants to adopt them. I didn’t. My dogs are mixes of several breeds. I just couldn’t take the risk. I did rescue 35 years ago and it almost broke me. Nothing has changed in decades with puppy mills and backyard breeders. Nothing.
When I was little it was the doberman pinschers which had the dangerous dog reputation. i am sure some of it was how they were trained as well. But size and strength matters a big dog can kill you.
I am NOT a fan of pit bulls and I disagree with Jon here. Sorry, but my lived experience is just as important as those who own these “velvet hippos.”
My dog was severely mauled by an unleashed pit bull who came OUT OF NOWHERE and was tossing my baby around like a ragdoll within the span of about thirty seconds. Thankfully she was able to be stitched up and the dog was later put down but she was never the same again, so skittish and she was terrified of other dogs.
My partner and I also had to live with my partner’s parents while we were in the process of moving and finding a house. They had a pit bull. We brought our two kitties and had to keep them in a completely separate area of the home because if the dog saw the cats, he would go absolutely feral. They also would leave him and go on trips and come home to find their home absolutely destroyed… Admittedly a lot of this was because my partner’s parents were not great dog owners but I’ve heard so many other horror stories similar to my own that it’s enough to discourage me from owning a pit bull. I’m sure some are lovely but I don’t think they’re the type of dog that’s appropriate for most households.
Come over to the cat side! They are soft and warm, and good snugglers. They love their humans, and generally avoid strangers.
Dogs are friendly because they want you to feed them, and dogs are hungry 24 hours per day.
Cats have that swagger that comes from knowing that they do not have to kiss anyone’s ass.