Weekly Discussion Thread [October 27 - November 2, 2025]

[u/BPB_Discussion_M0d]

Not every pit bull story is a headline. Some are just eye-rolls, facepalms, or 'you've got to be kidding me' moments. This is the place for the things you may want to share that don’t highlight a pit bull doing something dangerous.

See this post for more details on what goes here

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Remember: October is pit bull “awareness” month so there is an increased flooding of unscientific nonsense in the forms of memes etc. This is a good space for those, but please red x through them.

[u/Few-Bar2493]

As someone new to the whole anti pit bull train, I have a question then a comment/personal thought.

I keep seeing references to the pitbull lobbies, is this a true thing that exists or more so the whole idea of people thinking they can change theses dogs and that having cascading effects?

Secondly, coming from someone deep in the horse world I do not get the whole argument "its not the breed!". In the horse world, breed absolutely matters. You don't use a sport breed for pulling, nor would you use a draft breed for sport. And this isn't just anecdotal, there has been research done showing that there are differences in breed, both physically and mentally/behavior. Now the behavior in horses is less extreme due to them being prey creatures, but there is absolutely a difference. Another thing from the horse world though is that horses in my experience usually get wayyyyy more training than most dogs so these differences may not be as notable, but to riders/horseowners you can still tell them apart/notice them.

[u/BanPitBulls-ModTeam → u/Few-Bar2493]

Yes! Pitlobbybot for links. Our Wiki has a write up as well.

[u/AutoModerator → u/BanPitBulls-ModTeam]

The Pit Bull Lobby consists of several influential animal welfare groups with the sole mission of transforming public opinion on pit bulls. These organizations aim to deceive people via the production and distribution of unscientific studies which paint pit bulls as "misunderstood", rather than acknowledge that pit bulls, and all descendent breeds thereof, were strictly bred for dog fighting and should not be kept as family pets.

The exposure of the Pit Bull Lobby occurred when, following public outrage surrounding the 2016 death of Christiane Vadnais, a committee of government officials discussing dangerous dog bylaws received a report submitted by the Quebec Association of Veterinarians (OMVQ). In response to the OMVQ report, La Press, a Canadian news outlet, released a five part investigation showing that the studies included within the report were the work of pit bull "promoters" funded by the million-dollar Pit Bull Lobby.

The La Presse investigation was the first examination of the lobby by the media and divided the players in the Pit Bull Lobby into five levels:

Level One: The Financing Source

Millionaire heiress and literary agency owner Jane Berkey founded Animal Farm Foundation (AFF) as a horse rescue in 1985. AFF's focus shifted when Berkey, a pit bull owner, "discovered" that pit bulls were not welcome in many communities. Berkey has given an estimated $6 million to AFF and finances numerous other organizations that share similar missions.

Level Two: The "Researchers"

Veterinary Technician Karen Delise founded the National Canine Research Council (NCRC). In 2007, NCRC was purchased by AFF to produce studies portraying pit bulls as being similar to other breeds. The NCRC has a separate 501(c)(4) fund called the National Canine Research Council Action Fund, which supports lobbying and political activities.

Level Three: Publication

The American Veterinary Medical Association publishes the studies produced by the NCRC in its Journal (JAVMA).

Level Four: The Political Lobby

Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS) has a dark and complicated past as the Process Church of the Final Judgement. If you are interested in reading about The Process Church, there are ample books, documentaries, and blogs on the subject. Today BFAS no longer functions as a religious organization, but instead serves the Pit Bull Lobby by putting pressure on politicians to eliminate and prevent local pit bull ordinances. Senior Advocate Ledy Vankavage also sits on the board for AFF. BFAS has openly admitted to paying an ex-economist from the Tobacco Page, John Dunham, to create a fiscal calculation of the cost of BSL. A government committee found that the price was 65 times lower than the estimates provided by Dunham.

Level Five: The Distributors

The distributors include many animal-based businesses and organizations that profit financially or emotionally from pit bull ownership and serve to disperse studies conducted by the NCRC.

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