Common Myths & Misconceptions of the Pit Bull Type Dog DEBUNKED

#1: Pit Bull is not a breed. It's become a catchall term for any short-haired dog with a blocky head and stocky appearance. Did you know that when genetic test results are compared to the breed labels put on dogs by experts (like veterinarians and shelter workers), the labels turn out to be wrong over 85% of the time? At this point, the term "pit bull", along with identification of mutts in general, (who make up 44% of the dog population) are so inaccurate that veterinarians are questioning how useful breed identification is.
.
#2: Can’t you do genetic testing? Not for ‘pit bulls’. According to the company who created the Wisdom Panel, “due to the genetic diversity of this group, we cannot build a DNA profile for the pit-bull.” They add, “when these types of dogs are tested, they routinely detect various quantities of the component purebred dogs including the American Staffordshire Terrier, Boston Terrier, Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Mastiff, Bullmastiff, Boxer, Bulldog, and various other terriers.” So, most "pit bulls" you see are basically mutts of a certain body type. This means that using terms like "bully breed" or "pit bull type" dog is more correct.
.
#3: Pit bull type dogs don’t have a higher pain tolerance. All dogs, even the strongest and most muscular, feel as much pain as any other breed or human for that matter. Although dogs might express pain differently, there is no research to support that ANY one breed or type of dog feels less or is immune to pain.
.
#4: Pit bull type dogs do not have locking jaws. There is NOTHING physiologically different about the jaws of a pit bull type dog and that of any other canine. PERIOD.

#5: No dog is aggressive by nature. Recent statistics from the American Temperament Test Society, rank AmStaffs up there with golden retrievers. American Pit Bull Terriers' ranking is even higher with 87.4% of 913 American Pit Bull Terriers passing. In fact, they all did better than collies (80.6 % of 888 collies passed). This does not mean that dogs who are poorly trained, under-socialized, neglected, or abused have never caused harm. This risk is present in ALL breeds who are mistreated.
.
Education makes us impactful advocates! Unfortunately the term "pit bull" has real life consequences in our society, so this type of education around re-labeling matters. Keep up with us this week on all our social media (on instagram @vindicatedpits) as we debunk more myths surrounding the pit bull type dog.