Calming the Crisis

It’s a long read – but if you truly care about finding real solutions to the pit bull crisis, PLEASE read to the end!

What the PBFSA has been saying for years was echoed by Kommetjie Canine College in the Western Cape back in 2022. And yet… nothing has changed.

When will the public and pit bull owners understand that realistic, honest EDUCATION is the key to progress?

We cannot move forward unless we start addressing the root issues with the right knowledge and responsible action.

Taryn Blyth, from Kommetjie Training College (20 years experience and advanced qualifications in dog behaviour and training) wrote on 24 November 2022: Those of you who follow this Face Book page know that I have been fairly outspoken about my concerns over the popularity of Pit Bulls in South Africa and where this popularity was leading to. Sadly, with the deaths of 4 young children in separate incidents over the last few weeks, we have reached a tipping point and things are falling apart rapidly. Not only have we tragically lost young lives in the most horrific circumstances, but communities are now turning on dogs, stoning them and burning them, because they now believe they are “monsters” that threaten society and must be removed to avoid more deaths. Scores of pit bulls are being abandoned at shelters and SPCA’s are overwhelmed. The Pit Bull Federation of SA is exhausted from fielding calls from the public and the press. Colleagues are getting endless calls for help with Pit Bulls, by people who have been motivated to address behaviour issues before it is too late.

In the midst of this, an organisation has called for a complete ban on Pit Bulls and tight regulations on various other breeds. We are sitting with a volatile crisis: the welfare of all pit bull type dogs is at stake and the entire dog owning population is concerned about the repercussions of this situation. The Pit Bull Federation of South Africa, who I have often referenced in my posts due to their unfailing honesty about the breed, has asked for help from qualified behaviourists and trainers to help calm the situation and hopefully avoid more tragedy (for dogs and people). In this regard I wanted to contribute the following:

A BREED BAN IS NOT PRACTICAL, WILL NOT STOP UNETHICAL BREEDING AND DOG FIGHTING RINGS – THOSE THAT WILL SUFFER THE MOST FROM IT WOULD WITHOUT DOUBT BE THE RESPONSIBLE OWNERS WHO DO IN FACT CARE FOR AND MANAGE THEIR DOGS PROPERLY. To elaborate:

• Our law enforcement is under-resourced, lacks motivation to carry out current laws and does not have the capacity or knowledge to police a breed ban.

• What is a Pit Bull? While we do also have registered pit bulls, the majority of pit bull dogs in South Africa are likely more a type than a specific breed. They are a type of dog developed mainly for dog fighting and have had various other bull breeds mixed into their lineage to increase size etc. We also sit with a situation where every second dog (and probably more) in shelters now seem to have some Pit Bull in them: Blocky heads, a patch over one eye, thick chests and well-muscled thighs are found more and more in our canis africanis type dogs that used to predominate in shelters. If we banned pit bulls, where would we draw a line as to how much pit bull in a dog is too much? I have heard stories from colleagues in the UK about the measurement of skull to muzzle ratio that is used to identify dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act and they feel it is capricious and quite ludicrous.

• Will the ban entail removal and destruction of all pit bull type dogs (as defined by whatever criteria are decided) or will it entail strict enforcement of regulations such as a permit being required to own such a dog and restrictions on how the dog is managed (muzzled in public, sterilised etc)? If we are looking at the removal and destruction of every pit bull type dog in South Africa, the trauma that would be inflicted on people and dogs is too horrendous to contemplate. Again, those most deeply affected will be the responsible owners who are devoted to their dogs, because wrenching their dogs away from them would be like taking and killing a family member. The fear and chaos that would ensue from such a situation is unthinkable – never mind the burden placed on our welfare society’s such as the SPCA and their staff. On the other hand, strict regulations around ownership and management, while helpful in an ideal world, are simply never going to happen in South Africa – and if we try, we will likely get it horribly wrong. I am fiercely patriotic, but I am also a realist who has tried to work with law enforcement in holding a particularly callous and irresponsible dog owner to account and the process has been fraught with problems and a total lack of will on the part of the “higher ups” to actually do anything meaningful or communicate with complainants asking for their assistance.

• Finally, if we bring in this type of legislation into being, where will it end? While at the moment there is no question that this type of dog in their vast numbers has become hugely problematic and is responsible for the vast majority of dog bite fatalities in South Africa, from what colleagues in countries that banned the breed tell me, people simply “create” a new type of dog of very similar looks and behaviour patterns, not technically banned, which ends up being just as problematic.

SO, WHAT IN MY OPINION NEEDS TO BE DONE?

What I have always called for is EDUCATION AND HONESTY. I have appealed time and again for colleagues to educate clients about the risks involved with having a dog that was bred to fight and to kill other dogs and large animals. As I have said before, unless we are honest about the risks, we are allowing people to get a type of dog they may not be equipped to handle or whose limitations they may not want to accept. The Pit Bull Federation of South Africa has been shouting this message from the roof tops for years. They are brutally honest about the risks that dogs genetically selected to have a shortened predatory sequence which goes from EYE to GRAB BITE, SHAKE BITE with nothing in between pose to other animals. They have warned over and over again that mixing this predisposition with other unstable traits (through back yard breeding) leads to creating dogs that pose not only a danger to other animals, but start becoming riskier around people as well. They have over and over again tried to destroy the myth that it is all how you raise them and explained the importance of the heritability of behaviour traits. And it has clearly all fallen on deaf ears. Perhaps now is the time when people will start to listen?

Other things to keep in mind going forward:

• Currently there is no breed ban – unless you genuinely feel that your dog is a risk to someone in your home or that you cannot manage your dog effectively to keep them from being a risk to the public, please do not give up your dog. Rather learn how to be a responsible pit bull owner and in doing so, be an example to others.

• If your dog has displayed behaviour that genuinely makes you feel that you or your family are not safe, please do the responsible and humane thing and euthanise your dog. Do not hand your dog over to a shelter that will have to make that decision for you. Shelter and welfare staff have enough on their plates.

• If you are concerned about your dog’s behaviour, but want help to assess whether there is a genuine risk or not, please contact a registered behaviour practitioner to make an appointment to discuss your concerns. Reach out for help – don’t just give up.

• Rescue organisations need to seriously consider the dogs they rehome and how safe they will be in society, not just around people, but around other dogs as well. I am not talking about dogs that may be a bit “reactive” or snappy with other dogs, but about dogs that show intent to do damage to other dogs. We cannot save them all, so is it not time we started prioritising the lives of those dogs that pose the least risk to not only people, but other dogs as well?

• Above all, don’t put your dog in situations where you will be setting them up to fail. Ensure that your property is secure. Learn about body language, meet your dog’s emotional and physical needs safely (again, ask for help from reputable trainers and behaviour practitioners in this regard) and be a model dog guardian that never puts any other person or animal at risk.

While I do not believe that the average pit bull type dog is the ideal companion for the average person or family due to their propensity for dog-dog aggression, especially in our Cape Town context, where most people want dogs that can interact safely with other dogs on walks on our mountains and beaches, I have never supported the idea of a breed ban. We do have laws in place to deal with individual dogs that threaten public safety and to hold irresponsible owners to account and these laws need to be enforced, regardless of breed. In addition to that, we need a dose of realism and honesty from all behaviour and training professionals who will admit their concerns around the breed in private, but not in public. Only honesty and acceptance of the limitations that are needed to keep these types of dogs from being set up to fail will change the kind of ownership we see and ensure that only those with their eyes truly open, who are prepared for the lifestyle that comes with owning a dog of this type take on these dogs. That is the only way to save the breed and keep people and other animals safe.