Chloe - A Pitbull Ambassador

AT YOUR SERVICE — DAPPER THE SERVICE DOG
author: Dawn Capp
source: Dog World

You walk into a nice restaurant. As you follow the hostess to your table, your eyes pass over the well-dressed patrons enjoying their dinner. You walk by a booth and are surprised to see one customer who isn't seated at a table. In fact, he's lying on the floor dozing quietly, dressed in a distinctive red vest that overlays the traditional black-and-white dress ensemble. You blink, not quite believing your eyes.

As you walk past, he wakes up, raises his head and thumps his tail casually. You might give the unusual patron a wide berth, because you probably didn't expect to encounter a pit bull in a restaurant.

Pit bulls historically have been used as hunting and working dogs, but few people think of one when they hear the words "service dog." Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherd Dogs tend to be the most popular breeds used to assist disabled persons. Pit bulls, however, are loyal, adaptable canines suited to almost any kind of work and can make wonderful service dogs. Unfortunately, a great deal of fear and misconception swirl around this breed, and owning a pit bull service dog evokes unique societal and legal issues.

The term "pit bull" commonly refers to the following three breeds: the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Both the United Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeders Association register the APBT. The UKC also registers the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The American Kennel Club recognizes both the American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Regardless of actual breed, "pit bulls" as a class inspire terror in many people. The game-bred American Pit Bull Terrier is probably the most misunderstood of the three, historically having been bred for fighting and bull-baiting. It is a compact, extremely powerful dog, making it popular among both dog fighters and hog hunters.

Many people are familiar with the fighting aspect of the breed's history; however, other, more positive, aspects of the APBT's past have been overshadowed by the negative publicity following unfortunate bite incidents. Few people, however, seem to realize that Pete the Pup of "Little Rascals" fame was a pit bull.

Even fewer know that Helen Keller owned one. Stubby, America's first war dog who inspired the formation of the K9 corps, probably was a pit bull or a pit bull mix, although his exact origin remains uncertain. During World War One drawings of pit bulls were used on propaganda posters, one of which touted, "I'm neutral but not afraid of any of them."

But a pit bull as a service dog? Most people who haven't owned an APBT would scoff at such a notion. Still when it came time for me to consider training a service dog to assist me with back problems, I harkened back to my childhood. having been raised around APBT's and other champion dogs, I decided it would have to be a pit bull.

Finding the right dog, however, would take some time.

Service dogs must have particular temperaments.They should be highly confident, which most pit bulls are, but somewhat submissive so they will defer more easily to their handlers. In addition to temperament, size is also a consideration. APBTs are compact but powerful, an advantage in public.

They have the strength to pull wheelchairs and carry backpacks, but they aren't as bulky as the larger breeds often used to perform these tasks. Hence, an APBT can fit nicely beneath an airplane seat and make traveling a lot easier.

I also wanted a pup I could have fun with at dog shows when I found the time. I needed a dog from a quality breeder, and after a long search and many phone calls, I found a prospect in New Mexico. I normally prefer to personally evaluate a dog I'm considering buying, but in this case I could not fly to New Mexico. Instead, I had several detailed conversations with the breeder about the pup and his parents. We came to an agreement. She would ship the dog to me, and Paul White, tthe training director for Leashes for Living, a San Diego-based program that helps disabled persons train their own service dogs, would evaluate him. If the pup passed a battery of temperament tests, I'd keep him. If he did not pass, I would return the animal to the breeder. Fortunately the pup got two "thumbs-up" from White, and I gave the good news to the breeder.

A UKC-registered APBT, Dapper Stepinwhite GQ, or Dapper for short, has done wonderfully in his training. Clad in his bright red vest, he goes with me in public, navigtating mall crowds and learning to curl up quietly beneath restaurant tables.

Wherever he goes, Dapper draws attention. The responses he evokes are as varied as the markings on his black-brindle coat. Some people, unaccustomed to seeing an APBT without cropped ears, stop and ask, "What kind of dog is that?" When I say he's an APBT, many people take a few steps back. Others smiles and are genuinely impressed.

Still others remark, "I thought pit bulls were too vicious to do that kind of work." More than once I have seen a mother yank her child closer to her and shoot me a dirty look while navigating a wide path around us.

But I've grown used to such reactions, and they amuse me more than they bother me. I personally believe my dog is safer around people than are 90 percent of the household pets in the nation. People who fear the pit bull without truly understanding the breed, however, are dangerous. Collectively, their fear turns into hysteria and works its way into legislation. Politicians responding to misguided public hysteria have enacted breed-specific laws against pit bulls in areas across the nation.

For example, the state of Ohio has labeled all pit bulls or "pit-bull types" as "vicious," and many cities in Ohio have banned the breed. Denver has imposed a similar ban. If I decide to move out of California with my dog, I have to consider such bans.

Dapper, however, is no ordinary APBT. He is a service dog, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal law, protect disabled persons and their service canines from discrimination. This presents an interesting dilemma. If I move to a city that bans "pit bulls" will the ADA trump the local ordinance and allow me to contine using Dapper as my service dog? Although federal laws do override more restrictive state laws, the judiciary has not decided the issue of breed-specific legislation and service dogs.

lI called the Department of Justice, the administrative agency that enforces the ADA, and asked that very question. The agent told me that ADA takes precedence over state laws, and my dog would be protected. When I called a second time to ask the same question, however, I received a more uncertain answer. The US Supreme court has deemed interstate travel a fundamental right. If local laws banning various breeds would, in fact, apply to service dogs, disabled persons would be severely limited in their ability to travel. A blind woman might be unable to visit her mother in Ohio because the state outlaws the breed of her guide dog.

Even driving across the country with one's service dog would be risky.

If a disabled person travels through a community that bans the breed of her service dog (even if her dog is a mix that includes some portion of the outlawed breed), how dog conceivably could be confiscated and euthanized.

Because the ADA is a federal law protecting disabled persons from discrimination and deeming the right to interstate travel is fundamental, it seems likely the ADA would trump any breed-specific law. In other words, if a "pit bull" service dog travels with its disabled owner to Ohio, the dog should be protected, regardless of whether the state bans pit bulls.

Without such protection, the rights of disabled persons and the safety of service dogs would be compromised severely.

On the bright side, many state laws have their own statutes that give greater protection to disabled persons and their service dogs than does the ADA. California, for example, makes it a crime to interfere intentionally with the use of a service dog.

Ohio also has a criminal statute that subjects those who harm a service dog to possible felony charges.

Hence, it may be possible for an animal control officer or even a police officer who attempts to confiscate a service dog simply because it is a "pit bull" to find himself or herself subject to both civil and criminal penalties.

To look at Dapper, though, one never would guess this APBT packs such a legal wallop!

In fact, Dapper himself is oblivious to it all. He certainly has no idea that he is an APBT, and that, as a result, he's been labeled as "vicious" by some people and communities. Notions of discrimination are beyond his simple, people-loving persona. He judges others not by their race or genders, but by the tone of their voices and the gentleness of their hands.

The APBT may not be a traditional service dog breed, but despite the legal controversy and misconceptions that surround the animal, its heart and loyalty make it an able-bodied and hardworking companion for the disabled. {HOME}

©Dog World Magazine, September 2000

(Dawn Capp is the founder of the Chako Rescue Association for American Pit Bull Terriers and established the San Diego-based Leashes for Living program.)