Pit Bulls: Guilty ‘Til Proven Innocent?

Pit Bulls can be great family pets and loyal companions but sadly that’s not the story that is often told by the media. Out of fear and ignorance the media has tarnished the breed’s reputation and image while falsely portraying them as uncontrollable killing machines.

This negative media attention has led to many cities and municipalities to consider Breed Specific Legislation or BSL. This is the topic of a new documentary entitled “Guilty ‘Til Proven Innocent.”

Breed Specific Legislation is enacted to ban or regulate the ownership of certain breeds of canines in order to reduce animal attacks. Going one step further, the state of Ohio, enacted a breed specific law pertaining to pit bulls. The state requires $100,000. of liability insurance, special leashes, confinement, and several other requirements.

The pit bull has gone from being a beloved symbol of World War I to being demonized as a violent and dangerous. Laws targeting this breed have crept up in many states. Filmmakers and advocates, Jeff Theman, Dave Theman, and Bryan Porter decided to use their combined skills to foster awareness of this unfair stereotype through their documentary called “Guilty ‘Til Proven Innocent.”

The documentary will be released in Winter 2011 and chronicles both the history of the breed and the evolution of their now greatly tarnished image. The trio hopes to bring to light the unfairness of targeting specific breeds with laws asking, “Do we have a dangerous dog breed problem, or just dangerous laws targeting dog?”

Here are just a few interesting pit bull facts.

• Sgt. Stubby was an honored Pit Bull war hero. Stubby was wounded in action several times, but that didn’t stop him from saving his entire platoon by warning them of a poison gas attack. Plus, he is credited with single handedly captured a German spy.
• Pit Bulls score an 83.4% passing rate with the American Temperament Test Society. Which is better than the popular Border Collie (a breed who scores 79.6%).
• Pit Bulls serve as narcotic and bomb sniffing dogs. One Pit Bull, Popsicle (named that because he was found in an old freezer) has the largest recorded single drug find in Texas history, finding over 3,000 lbs. of cocaine in Hildago, Texas.
• Pete, the puppy on the original Little Rascals, was a pit bull.

It is clear to see pit bulls have been a popular and well-loved part of Americana. Breed Specific Laws punish devoted guardians and loving dogs.

Check out the Trailer for “Guilty ‘Til Proven Innocent” and let us know what you think. Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Tagged Breed Specific Legislation, BSL, Ohio, Pit Bulls