| The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression |  | Author: Karen Delise
Publisher: Anubis Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $24.90
as of 9/9/2010 00:49 MDT details
You Save: $0.05
New (4) Used (10) from $23.43
Seller: weazelgrl48
Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 153,669
Media: Paperback
Pages: 210
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.7 x 7.5 x 0.5
ISBN: 0972191410
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.7
EAN: 9780972191418
ASIN: 0972191410
Publication Date: June 11, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
First it was the Bloodhound, sensationalized in the dramatizations of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Then it was the Doberman, symbol of the Nazi menace. Today, it is the Pit bull that is vilified for the depravity of his masters. Today, police chase down fleeing Pit bulls in the street, firing dozens of wild shots in response to media-fed rumors of supernatural Pit bull abilities. Politicians coach and nurture this fear with their own brand of rhetoric used to assist in the passing of quick and ineffective legislation created to pacify communities ignorant of the real cause for dog attacks. Hundreds of animal shelters throughout the country kill all unclaimed Pit bull-looking dogs, as they are deemed "unadoptable" solely on their physical appearance. This has occurred because the human/dog bond, the most complex and profound inter-species relationship in the history of mankind, has been reduced to a simple axiom: Breed of dog = degree of dangerousness. We have come to accept that hanging entire breeds of dogs in effigy for the sins of their owners is an acceptable solution to canine aggression because we have been placated by a Pit Bull Placebo. Like the pharmacologically inactive sugar pill dispensed to pacify a patient who supposes it to be medicine, eradication of the Pit bull is the placebo administered to ease the public's anxiety about dog attacks. The book, The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression, explores how our views and beliefs about canine aggression have changed over the last 150 years and how our perceptions about the nature and behavior of dogs has been influenced by persons and organizations who often times disseminate information about dog attacks which is tailored to further an agenda unrelated to the improvement of the human/dog bond. We are in the midst of a social hysteria about Pit bulls because we have abandoned centuries-old common-sense and have been duped by inaccurate reporting from the "Pit Bull Paparazzi" and by politicians who traffic in rumors, myths and pseudoscience in their efforts to pass legislation that demonizes dogs while exonerating criminal and abusive owners. If we truly believe that the extremely rare cases of fatal dog attacks merit extreme measures in the management of dogs, if our concern and shock is genuine, then we must be equally genuine and sincere in seeking out and addressing the real causes for these incidents. Only by stepping back from the swirl of present-day hysteria surrounding isolated cases of severe canine aggression and examining the problem from a broader and more objective perspective can we hope to understand and address the human and canine behaviors which contribute to these incidents.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 21
 A MUST read for all media! September 4, 2010
Dan Hagen
This book goes a long way towards explaining how media hype has been the ruination of this poor breed. Every newspaper and television news station should make this mandatory reading for their reporting staff. A lot of information here. If you want stats about why breed legislation or bite statistics are junk (and more) this is for you!
 A lot of potential... May 6, 2010
M. Plank (Chicago, IL USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
As a pit bull owner, I am adamantly against Breed Specific Legislation and was excited to hear about Delise's book. The first two-thirds or so of this book contain a fantastic exploration of the history of dog aggression in the United States. However, when she gets into talking more specifically about pit bulls, her arguments become very passionate and emotional and she starts to move away from the logical rhetoric with which she begins the book. I believe that she fails to take advantage of a number of solid arguments against Breed Specific Legislation.
I would have liked to see data showing how Breed Specific Legislation has affected the number of serious and fatal dog attacks in communities, both by pit bulls and by other breeds. I also had hoped to see more well-researched responses to the common myths about pit bulls that she presents. I enthusiastically support Ms. Delise's efforts in this field, but I feel that this book fell short in its attempts to vindicate the American Pit Bull Terrier.
 A dry but important text November 29, 2009
Kate Katzban Beren (Madison, WI USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book follows the history of "canine agression" and today's "aggressive" breeds from the earliest records until now. An important read for anyone in the animal rescue or animal sheltering field - from volunteers to staff.
Be prepared though - this book reads more like a study (which is what it is) than a story. The text is factual but dry. While this may put some readers off, it doesn't lesson the importance of the message.
A Must For society, Not Just Dog owners November 8, 2009
General Grant (Gerald, Mo.)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Everyone needs to read this book. It gives the facts behind dog bites, and proves who the real dangerous threats are, the media, politicians, and irresponsible dog owners. They need to make a movie of this book, because unless the truth gets heard the myths will continue, and a lot of innocent animals will continue to suffer as well.
 I own a Pit Bullx but thought this was very biased June 26, 2009
Sian Simon (Purcellville, VA USA)
2 out of 9 found this review helpful
I read the entire book, and I love my dog and hate the bad rap that the breed gets, but I felt it was biased to the point of being almost like propaganda.
It has a zillion reports of Pit Bull aggression and why they can't be true, but I felt like it was "me thinks she doth protest too much" to quote the Bard.
I would like to see a more well balanced discussion of the issues. I did like the train of thought she developed around Pit Bulls getting a bad rap due to the press and dogfighting, therefore attracting the wrong type of owner who encourages aggressiveness. The insights into intact dogs and chains were enlightening, but could have been summed up in about 20 pages.
We live on a farm and I've often said I can't imagine how miserable our dog would be if she wasn't out and about doing "stuff" with us. But then I say that about our other dog, who is a Lab, and currently the most popular dog in America, I think. The Lab is always the instigator of mischief - go figure!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 21
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME. Working Dogs | |
