When writing an article, please do your research!

18 September 2009 387 views Comments

A few days ago, I received a link to an article via Facebook about pit bulls, fatal dog attacks and breed specific legislation.

The Parade Magazine story angered me, because it’s flawed with incorrect info and the author clearly spent little to no time doing research on the matter. It’s because of articles like this that people start thinking BSL is the answer…and it’s not! It’s also become of loaded statements like:

“Dogs have killed at least 20 Americans so far this year, including a 3-day-old infant, a 20-year-old man, and an elderly couple last month alone. In two of the three attacks, the killers were pit bulls.”

…that pits continue to be feared. (So a sample of only three examples is large enough to create a statistic now?!) It’s INCORRECT to believe that pits are the only dogs that bite and kill or even that they are any more dangerous than other breeds. All breeds of dogs can bite or kill, but the media is so obsessed with “the mean pit bull” right now that everyone thinks all pits are evil dogs.

Did you know: In a recent study of 122 dog breeds by the American Temperament Testing Society, pit bulls had a passing rate of 85.3%. That was better than miniature poodles (76.6%), beagles (80.3%), collies (79.4%), even the golden retriever (84.6%)!!! (via American Temperament Testing Society.)

Did you get that? The American Pit Bull Terrier has a BETTER temperament than your beloved golden retriever! And yet breeds that fall into the “pit bull” category are being banned in cities all over the US.

It’s frustrating that this amazing breed (or rather group of breeds) is unfairly judged because of proliferation by the media of false or misleading information. No, I’m not saying a pit hasn’t ever killed someone…but other dogs do too! It just so happens that those stories are buried while “Pit Bull Kills Baby” makes the front page every time. In addition, it’s become common practice for the media to call every dog that kills someone a “pit bull”…when sometimes it’s actually a boxer, a lab or some other breed.

I could go on for days about this (which you all know by now), but I’m going to end it here and get back to work. To bring this back around so that this post falls within my usual topic range: When writing an article, please do your research so you can accurately report both sides of the story! (I’m talking to you, Parade!)

Alexis Dias

Nicole, you're not alone in your anger. I also own a pit bull, and I'm outraged that a publication like Parade would feed into the media frenzy against this helpless breed. It's not the dogs, people -- it's the owners. Prime examples of this are the pits from Michael Vick's property. I followed this case from start to finish, but I rarely heard anything about what happened to the dogs. Fortunately, something good has come out of this tragic situation. (To learn more, read here: http://www.bestfriends.org/vickdogs/ )

My love for this breed has moved me to do my part in showing my family, friends, neighbors and community that my dog is not a risk. He’s a loving, sweet, and people-friendly dog. Anyone who throws aside their misinformed perception quickly realizes this, and that he is not a threat. It's hard not to feel helpless in this situation, but I’m grateful that there are people like you taking the time to inform others that this is simply not right.