Individuals and businesses whose actions or words have worsened the pit bull's plight, increased the prejudice against responsible pit bull owners, and/or endangered the public. Politicians have their own page.

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Verizon - finally pulled a commercial featuring chained junkyard pit bulls who are shown viciously lunging at a young man. Yet another negative portrayal of the pit bull in social media. They admitted they had taken a lot of heat for the ad. You think so? Now, will they make reparations for the damage the ad did for the weeks it was running? I know a few rescue groups that could use some help. (July 2008)

Nike - aired a commercial featuring a face-off between a Rottweiler and a pit bull in a brief but unmistakeable imitation of a street dogfight. Nike believed the commercial was "edgy" and has not, to date, made any effort to undo the damage, either by apology or public education.

PETA - a vocal supporter of BSL. They would like all pit bulls to be killed. More information.

Animal Advocates of B.C. - another animal rights group that supports BSL and considers pit bulls inherently dangerous. Like PETA's reasoning, their beliefs are based on media hysteria and stereotype, not scientific fact. They are also guilty of stereotyping. A quote from their website: "[Pit bull owners] have their reasons for owning this breed. Either they are criminals, using the dogs to protect their club house or their grow-op, or they fight them, or they are not very bright. Educated people are not attracted to pit bulls."

DMX and Jay-Z - both rappers who have glorified dog fighting in their music. Jay-Z's video "99 Problems" celebrates dog fighting and promotes the "vicious pit bull" stereotype. DMX pled guilty to animal cruelty after his arrest for possession of 13 neglected pit bulls.

Maureen Faibish - mother of Nicholas Faibish, who was killed by the "family" pit bulls. Mrs. Faibish left her son alone with the dogs even though one had already bitten him (among numerous other clear signs of an impending disaster, all of which she ignored). Mrs. Faibish actually blamed Nicholas for his own death. The tragedy ultimately led to BSL in California. (June 2005)

The Village Voice - carried an article about a NY man who was breeding his mongrels to be as human aggressive as possible. The article was basically an advertisement for the breeder - the man was identified by name and the article's tone was actually reverent. The article also incorrectly identified the dogs as pit bulls - even though the breeder specifically described them as mixed - thereby cementing the concept of pit-bull-as-human-aggressive in every reader's mind. I won't post a link to the article here because I don't want to give this breeder more publicity. I'm sure demand for his curs skyrocketed after the article came out. (August 2005)

The Commerce City Gateway and Kathy McIntyre (editor) - in an unethical, outrageous, hateful move, Kathy published the addresses of Commerce City pit bull owners in order to "protect the public from dangerous dogs". Full story. Kathy was very active in the effort to ban pit bulls in Commerce City, imparting such gems of wisdom as: "The (dog's) history shows us that they will not back down, they will not take commands from their primary owners." My favorite: "Pit-Bulls kill the same amount of kids as fireworks which are banned in the City." I know some things that kill more kids than fireworks and all dog breeds combined: cars, parents, bicycles, plastic bags, swimming pools... Why isn't she trying to ban those?

By the way, here is her address:
Kathryn A McIntyre, Editor
Commerce City Gateway
17503 East 104th Way
Commerce City, CO 80022-0518
Phone/fax: (720) 221-7352
kathy@coloradobusinessalliance.com
ccg@coloradobusinessalliance.com

Harry Smith, CBS News Early Show co-anchor - Harry has done his fair share of biased reporting against pit bulls. In his own words: "I can't help but believe part of the allure of owning a pit bull is the danger. If it's not, then why bother?" Talk about offensive. What Harry doesn't seem to realize is that he's stereotyping both dog and owner. Responsible pit bull owners love their dog because of the companionship, love, and light they bring into our lives. Does Harry honestly think we're all thugs and criminals who get a thrill out of intimidating others? My dogs are trained, socialized, controlled, and temperament tested... if the "allure" of pit bull ownership is in the "danger", why would I bother making my dogs so darn safe? (Jan 2006)

Derick Oliver - this Marion, Ohio pit bull owner failed to muzzle his pit bulls in public (as required by law in Marion) and decided to run from police when confronted. He claimed that in doing so he was pursuing "equal treatment for pit bulls", but after his arrest, it was discovered that he had pled guilty to dog fighting charges several years ago. Examination of his dogs and his home revealed he still had ties to the cruel activity. And one of the dogs was registered to a home where subsequent investigation revealed crack cocaine and resulted in more arrests. With "champions for equality" like these, who needs BSL? People like this only reinforce the stereotype and make matters worse. They should not own pit bulls. (March 2006)

Miami Herald - published the "locking jaw" myth. Exact quote: "Pit bulls have extremely strong jaws that lock when they bite. Once the pit bull bites, it sometimes has trouble letting go." Unbelievable! Will they publish a correction? Until they do, paws down. On top of that, they have an online poll asking the question "Should pit bulls be banned?" If you click on the link to the poll, your response is automatically recorded as "Yes". Gee, is it any wonder that the "yes" responses have overtaken the "no"s? (Apr 2006) Update on the faulty poll: after I issued a public complaint on their discussion boards, the Herald confirmed and fixed the problem and re-started the poll. To date the results are exactly opposite, with "No"s far outpacing the "Yes"es.

Michael Vick - Okay, this one is rather obvious. I have been unable to have a single normal conversation since he was charged with dogfighting, and it's really starting to annoy me. I want to talk about the weather, but all I hear is, "Don't you have pit bulls? Didja hear about Vick??" In all seriousness, however, despite the fact that Vick's fiasco has put dogfighting in the spotlight (and perhaps encouraged some law enforcement crackdowns on the disgusting activity), it has also, unfortunately, inspired breed-specific legislation in countless places.

Clinton Portis - This Washington Redskins runningback publicly defended Michael Vick thusly: "I don't know if he was fighting dogs or not, but it's his property, it's his dog... If that's what he wants to do, do it. I think people should mind their business." Um, we're talking about a felony offense. Replies Portis: "It can't be too bad of a crime." (ESPN.com, "Redskins RB Portis: Vick can do what he wants," May 22, 2007) He publicly apologized, but only after recieving a talking-to from his boss. Take your pick: Portis is either 1) clueless or 2) callous.

Whoopi Goldberg and everyone else defending Vick - Whoopi and several others have argued that dogfighting is part of Vick's "culture." Honestly, this is about as ridiculous and racist as saying that drug dealing, rape, and theft are also part of Vick's "culture." These poor misguided Vick defenders apparently don't know the difference between "culture" and "crime," but regardless, I fail to see how that makes it okay for Vick to commit a felony. Now, shut up about Vick, please.

Petsmart - Has banned "bully breeds" (from their site: "American Pit Bull Terriers, Miniature Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Bull Dogs, Bull Terriers or mixed breeds that have the appearance or characteristics of one of these breeds") from doggy daycare. I fully agree that dog-aggressive dogs do not belong in daycare, but dog-aggression is an individual trait. Petsmart assumes that all bully breeds are dog-aggressive, when that's simply not true. Why do they choose to discriminate against "bully breeds" and their owners when a simple blanket ban against dog-aggressive dogs of any breed would be much more reasonable and effective? 8/8/08: To add insult to injury, I received in the mail a coupon from PetSmart—for discounted doggy daycare. Gee, which dog should I bring?