pit dogs

Personally, I love pitbulls. I think they're super cute, and that they get a bad rap. I've never met a mean pitbull. Chihuahuas, on the other hand, are vicious, and I'm glad they aren't pitbull-shaped. 

I found this week's article very interesting, because the study confirmed things I already thought were true (pitbulls are often adopted less than other dogs), and taught me some new things (not labeling look-alike breeds didn't increase their chance of adoption). But I think the most compelling part, was how they provide a solution, a way to raise adoption rates for all dogs. Just don't label the breed. When there was no breed labeling, adoption rates for pitbulls rose, and not only pitbulls, adoption rates increased for the whole shelter. This just shows how much of a construct breed labels can be, when the label was there it's like people weren't looking at the dog but the label. This "breedism" is seen not just in shelters, but in real life, with people shelling out thousands for pure bred dogs, and ignoring mixed breed or shelter dogs. I find the breed labeling in shelters extra funny because it's mostly likely a guess a majority of the time. This is an example of humans applying our labels and connotations on animals.

I think it's obvious that the breed labeling of dogs in shelters should be stopped, so that animals can be judged on their actual behavior, no a preconceived notion of how a breed acts. There are no bad dogs, only bad owners