Guardians of the Breed's Future

What's the difference between an owner and a guardian? Anyone can choose to own a Pit Bull, but someone who takes it upon themselves to be a 'breed guardian' is going the extra mile to not only properly look out for their own dog, but for the future of Pit Bulls everywhere.

The term 'guardian' in animal circles is a controversial one. Legally, the designation 'owner' gives a person more leeway as far as what they can do to their dog and how exactly they care for it. Some feel that removing the legal term 'owner' and replacing it with 'guardian' puts too much power in the hands of the state - and that too many restrictions will be placed on how people can care for or train their dogs. Dogs are currently viewed as property that one 'owns' under the law. What humans can legally do to their 'property' is pretty wide open - and there are limited legal means available to prosecute all but the most heinous animal abuses, as discovered by anyone who's been in the frustrating position of trying to get something done about a starving, neglected dog chained out in a yard somewhere. In the eyes of some, a legally changed designation for companion animals might be a leg up in the fight against animal abuse.

RPB chooses to use the word 'guardian' to drive home a very important point: anyone can OWN a dog, but being a true guardian of your dog, and its breed as a whole, takes something more. Pit Bull owners who take on the added role of breed advocate - unceasingly educating themselves, always uber responsible, going the extra mile for their own dogs and other Pit Bulls, continually assuring they positively portray the breed to the world, and taking the time to educate others - are, in our opinion, deserving of a title a little more extravagant than 'owner'. Such people are the true guardians of the breed and its future, doing all in their power to contribute to a bright and beautiful world for the dogs we all cherish.

In a perfect world, all Pit Bulls would have guardians – heck, all dogs regardless of their breed would! In this world, the guardians are the ones who are paving the way for the breed's continued, bettered existence in this world.

Whatever you choose to call yourself - owner, guardian, parent, caregiver, dogmom, dogdad - it is you, the responsible, caring, ethical advocate, who is safeguarding this breed. And for that, we recognize, admire, and applaud you. The breed would be lost without you!

Academic Home Run for the Breed

Early this year, RPB was contacted for help with some questions being posed by a Masters student from the University of Maryland named Bethany Gibson. Bethany was working on her thesis. The subject? BSL and the Pit Bull - which was interesting because, despite being a dog lover, Bethany was not knowledgeable about Pit Bulls or BSL. Yet she felt compelled to write about the important subject of public safety & dog attacks, breed discrimination, and how such things impact people and Pit Bulls. We just received a copy of the finalized thesis (which won Best Thesis in her graduating class - congrats, Bethany!), and were so impressed! It is a wonderful piece that would certainly prove beneficial in the fight against discrimination and ineffective laws that do little if anything to protect the public. Bethany hopes to take her thesis - titled Demonizing the Pit Bull: Breed Specific Legislation & the Circuit of Communication - further by having it printed in academic journals.

The work of people like Bethany is so important in that it legitimizes what all of us breed advocates have been saying: deed not breed. Sound examination of the topics at hand prove time and again that the breed is not to blame, and that BSL is not the answer.