They think the breed on the right is a Pit Bull. In actual fact,
the dog on the left is the "American Pit Bull Terrier"
and the dog on the right
is a "Bull Terrier", an English breed developed in 1812. The word "Pit" appears nowhere on this dog's pedigree.
If you'd like a chance to speak out publiclly about this issue, we encourage you to
have your say in our Babe: Pig in the City Opinion Board.
[Index]
[Story]
[Statue]
[DogStar Book]
[Reviews]
[Authors]
[DogStar Song]
[Gone to DogStar]
[Patsy Ann's SourDough Store]
[Patsy Ann's Dog Books]
[Patsy Ann T-Shirts etc.]
[Friends & Fans]
[DogStar Contest]
[Dog Horoscopes]
[Human Horoscopes]
[Bull Terrier Links]
Questions? Comments? Patsy Ann loves
E-Mail
..............
The Movie, Babe: Pig in the City (released on November 25, 1998)
features the
Bull Terrier shown above (right) as the
character P.B.
However, throughout the movie and in the credits, P.B is
referred to as a "Pit Bull".
P.B. is not a Pit Bull.
The dog-actor is a registered Bull Terrier, bred in Australia. Why hire
a Bull Terrier to play a Pit Bull? Is it lousy research or a lousy marketing ploy?
Did someone in casting at Universal say, "Wait a minute...we can't have a Pit Bull play the Pit Bull --
we need a dog the public will recognize more readily...hey, wait, what was Spud McKenzie's breed?
He got a lot of attention. A Bull Terrier? Let's do it! The audience will never know the difference."
Well, we do know the difference. And we don't think that this is responsible filmmaking.
Imagine this: a family leaves the theater,
entranced with P.B. and rushes out and buys a Pit Bull
puppy. When it grows up and looks nothing like P.B., what do they tell the kids? It was just a movie?
Even worse -- Imagine this: Many juristictions
have enacted dangerous breed laws which prohibit shelters
and dog pounds from putting Pit Bulls up
for adoption -- and require that instead, they euthanize the dogs if not claimed by
their owners in 48 - 72 hours. Bull Terrier people
are very concerned that the confusion which already
surrounds their
breed will become even more widespread and more
Bull Terrier strays will be killed because the public
at large (including shelter workers) don't know the difference.
It is very important to us that this misinformation is nipped at the bud.
Let Universal Know What YOU think:
If you think this action was irresponsible on behalf of Universal Studios,
please let them know. You can send an Email to Universal Studios.**
Feel free to cut and paste this email and use it.
(**Be polite. Do not send any mail that is defamatory, obscene or other
material which would violate or infringe in any way upon the rights of others, or which would give
rise to criminal or Civil liability. Besides, honey catches more flies than vinegar.)
What else can you do?
As a dog lover, you can boycott the merchandise from the movie as long as Universal
continues to make false representation of the breed.
If any of the local media in your town refer to the Bull Terrier as a Pit Bull when referencing Babe: Pig in the City you can write a letter
to the editor (in many cases you can even email a letter to your local
media).
Please feel free to copy or adapt this letter.
Sign in with your Babe: Pig in the City Opinion!
View
the Babe: Pig in the City Opinions
Thank you to Teri Meadows for allowing us to use her Timberlines Rocky as
an example of the American Pit Bull Terrier Breed. Rocky spent his years as a
therapy dog before joining the gang at Gone to DogStar.
This is the
Bull Terrier that Universal hired to play P.B., the Pit Bull, in the movie Babe: Pig in the City.
She was the most famous canine west of
the Mississippi!