Victory! Huffington Post Removes Pit Bulls From List of Dangerous Pets

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2010-03-05 12:19:00 UTC
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Two days ago, pit bulls were named one of nine dangerous pets "not meant to be domesticated" by the Huffington Post. Hundreds of Change.org community members sent letters to the editor asking them to stop the spread of misinformation about these dogs.

As of this afternoon, there are only eight dangerous pets in the slideshow. Pit bulls are no longer included.

This is a huge victory for pit bulls, who are unfairly maligned by the media on an almost daily basis. It brings us one step closer to restoring the positive image these dogs deserve.

The Dangerous Pets slideshow had included pit bulls alongside tigers and alligators. While some of the other photos showed people handling the "dangerous" animals, the pit bull photo was of a dog chained in a backyard, barking at the camera. The caption reflected myths about aggression, and recycled the same, old, unreliable bite statistics.

Katherine Goldstein, HuffPost Green Editor, released the following statement today:

Thanks everyone for your feedback on our photo gallery on dangerous pets. Upon further reflection, we have decided to not include pit bulls in the list. While the information in the caption was not inaccurate, we understand that pit bulls' inclusion may have been out of place within the context of that particular slideshow, which focused on wild animals. We want you to know that the Green section strives to highlight the plight of all kinds of species -  from how animals are affected by climate change to problems of abandoned pets and animal abuse.

Thanks to everyone who made this happen by sending a letter on behalf of pit bulls! And thanks to the Huffington Post for recognizing that pit bulls do not belong in a list of "dangerous pets" and taking action to remove them from the slideshow.

Photo credit: jumping lab

Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.
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