Gabriel Davis

Pitbulls & the Urban Community

My presentation is on pitbulls and their association with the urban community in the USA.

Growing up as a kid from an urban environment here in America, pitbulls were one of the more common dogs that were seen around the neighborhood. Pitbulls are often mislabeled as dangerous because of their look,strength, and aggressiveness. These same qualities are also qualities why these dogs are loved amongst many. Pitbulls, like most of the other species here on planet earth, react to the conditions they are exposed to. I personally was the owner of a pitbull myself by the name of Oreo. She looked “angry” in some people’s eyes, but I never noticed it. What I saw everyday was a loving playful dog that just wanted to be petted.

In order to really understand the Pitbull, we must first look at their history. Pitbulls are originally from England. They are a mixture between Old American Bulldogs and terriers. The original bulldog according to Breed History’s webpage. Pitbulls were created to be smaller and more agile than the Olde English Bulldog. Originally the bulldogs were used to bait bulls for people’s entertainment and eventually that turned into dog fighting which is one of the reasons why the pitbull was developed also. Pitbulls soon came to be seen as dogs that could be trusted among humans. Pitbulls were brought over to American by immigrants and amongst their great fighting skills, they were also now being seen for their ability to protect and companionship. The dogs were often used as mascots during both the World Wars. In an article the pitbull was even referred to as the nation’s mascot during this time period. After the wars, dogfighting began to reemerge, which began to shape the mass public’s opinion about the dogs. They were no longer being viewed as the nation’s mascot but more so as an angry aggressive dog that would attack and turn on anyone including their owner. I myself once believed this when I was a kid before I had the chance to become a pitbull owner. My grandad would always tell me to never make a pitbull a housepet “because they always turn on their owners”, is what he would tell me. Of course once I became older I found out that was a myth.

Pitbulls are owned by all types of people from different walks of life.  When I use the word “urban” I am talking more so about the lower class and minority populations here in the USA. Pitbulls have been a big part of the community here in the USA. Pitbulls can be strong, aggressive, and tough from a first glance, but they are very loveable, and kind dogs.The look of pitbulls according to society can be scary compared to the other breeds of dogs. Growing up in the urban community, being “tough” or looking that way is often one of the things that we are taught as kids to survive in our neighborhoods. I believe due to those circumstances, people in these areas gravitate more towards the pitbull as pets.

The “tough” look as some would say is also another reason why in the urban community they are kept as house pets. Another thing that I noticed growing up was there were alot of single women who owned pit bulls. Is that a way of feeling protected because they are not with a significant other? Do women like male dogs to have masculine energy around? Does the “tough” look really work to scare off assailants? There is not a right answer. The truth is that everybody is different and has their own reason. Assuming things about all of the women is equivalent to how people associate different stigmas with pitbulls and the urban community.

Pitbulls are often popularized by rappers, athletes, drug dealers, and other peoplethat are encountered in the urban environment. The dog breed now has fashion designers who design specifically for them. The dogs are also owned by doctors, lawyers, and other people who are part of the so-called “elite” society. According to the media, we can label humankind as vicious animals because they are murdered every day. People should be less judgemental towards the dog because the dog is just being his or herself which they are entitled to without judgement also here on earth.

The first urban artist that I will talk about is the late rapper Dmx. “Dmx”, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was born in Mount Vernon, Ny in 1970. As a kid he later moved to Yonkers, Ny. Dmx was a troubled and abused kid growing up and found himself living in the street and turning to crime to survive. Simmons found peace by taking care of stray dogs on the street. Dmx even states himself “(I used to) bring them home if I could, make somewhere for them to sleep right outside the building. I had dogs as long as I can remember, you know. There was always a dog running loose somewhere. You gotta kick it with him for like a half hour before he trusts you.” Dmx was a staple in the urban community. His music touched thousands worldwide. There are groups of people in the urban and other communities that might have found his music explicit, but his music gave a great mental picture of what goes on everyday in urban environments.

“Pitbull” whose real name is Armando Christain Perez is a rapper from Miami, Fl. Pitbull is an urban artist whose stage name originated from the dog. Pitbull, like many other urban artists, grew up in a tough environment during the 1980’s.  He credits his upbringing to helping become the national recording artist he is today. Pitbull credits his stage name to the pitbull dog because of its aggressiveness. He himself says that his style is similar when he is rapping.He even mentions in an interview how pitbulls bite to lock and they don’t let go until they win.

Sophie Gamand is a french photographer that is based out of NYC. She is also an animal rights advocate. She photographs not only pitbull but regular dogs also. Gammond photographs dogs to try and better understand them, she says on her website. One of her books called Pitbull Flower Power is an award winning photography series. It shows different pitbull pictures with flowers around their heads, which could be looked at alternatively as a crown.

Pittie clothing company is a dog fashion company that specializes in clothing for pitbulls. The company was founded by Erin Crowley, who also credits starting the line after her pitbull was discriminated against. She creates matching pajamas for the dog and their owner. She wants to change the perception of how people view pitbulls.

Sports Illustrated is an American magazine that was started back in 1954, that covers all sports. They are also known for their magazine covers and which athlete they put on the front. These two particular issues featured pitbulls. The magazine on the left titled “Beware of This Dog” by Richard Stratton which came out in 1987, paints the dogs as vicious animals who should be watched with extreme caution. The magazine on the right shows one of the dogs saved from Mike Vick’s dog fighting ring. There are many ways one can look at these magazines and come up with a lot of different opinions. Everybody has an opinion but why would a big corporation make these images front covers. This is a clear example of the media persuasion and how it created a bad stigma for pitbulls. The first one created a negative stigma for dogs and the second cover tried to create a negative stigma towards black males and pitbulls.

XXLdesignerpitbull is a dog designer company who breed dogs together to create “custom-made” pitbulls. They own dogs who are purebred and breed them with other purebred dogs. A lot of the dogs are in great shape and have great physiques. Their website even mentions cloning dogs also. Is there an ethical issue with changing natural selection and creating our own selection? There is no one answer to this question. That’s a question you will have to answer yourself.

Bibliography

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Staff, MTV News. “DMX Talks Puppy Love,” May 12, 1998. http://www.mtv.com/news/1428234/dmx-talks-puppy-love/.

 

Swift, E.M. “THE PIT BULL FRIEND AND KILLER – Sports Illustrated Vault.” SI.com. Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com, July 27, 1987. https://vault.si.com/vault/1987/07/27/the-pit-bull-friend-and-killer-is-the-pit-bull-a-fine-animal-as-its-admirers-claim-or-is-it-a-vicious-dog-unfit-for-society.

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