Why Do We Send Some

Breeds to the Dog House?

Many people believe that certain dog breeds make better companions, you
might have chosen your dog just because of that. Some might have not
chosen a breed due to fear or stereotypes surrounding that breed. But what
breed would people choose over another and what made them decide that?

Introduction What we did

• Many breeds tend to have a • Study conducted by distributing

sort of “dark cloud” around them,
making them less popular with
some or even obtained because
of this image by others.
• What we want to know is what
breeds are most affected and
which ones aren’t.
• Managing the Stigma of Outlaw
Breeds: A Case Study of Pitbull
Owners (Twining, et al. 2001)
looks into Pitbull owners trying to
break the stereoptype of all
Pitbull owners being “people
whom ‘average citizens’ might
find dangerous.”
• Breed Characteristics, Breed
Perceptions, and Behavior
(D’Arpino, ?) shows the affects
of breed labeling on shelter dogs
in regards to adoption rates.
surveys to both dog and non-dog
owners.
• 401 surveys were handed out over
a wide demographic with a 90%
response rate.
• Four breeds were looked at (Golden
Retriever, Pitbull, Chihuahua, and
Cocker Spaniel). These breeds were
chosen due to their popularity in our
area and their ability to be easily
recognized.
• Participants were asked their
opinion on such things as “My
comfort level around dogs is
dependent upon the size of the dog.”
• Demographic questions were also
asked such as the gender, age, and
household income of the participant.
• This study was approved by NMSU
Institutional Review Board to be
conducted by the Animal Science
251 undergraduate class.
 What we found
• The results of out survey show that 56% of our participants were female, with the percentage
of males being respective. 47% were between the ages of 18 and 25. 44% owned 2 or more dogs,
32% owned 1 dog, and 24% do not own a dog.
• The Pitbull and Chihuahua were the dogs chosen to be the less likely to be the best companion
dog, with 33% and 34% choosing these breeds as their fourth pick. The Cocker Spaniel was
chosen 39% of the time to be the second best choice for the best companion.
• The results for whether a person is more likely to take to a stranger with a dog present came
very close, with 51% saying true and 49% saying false.
• Trusting a stranger was a bit different than talking to a stranger for most people, with 35%
saying that they trust a person with a dog more than they would a person without a dog.
• These results show that people do tend to judge a dog based on its breed and not the dog
itself. They also show that dogs give people are reason to interact but not a reason to trust
someone.

Buddy Lanny Nalah Marley

What does this mean?
• Many dogs are looked down upon just because of their breed, regardless of the individual dog
itself. Showing that people tend to believe what they hear in the media and brush off what
people may say against that.
•Hopefully this leads to you start thinking about whether you are going to talk to the person in
the park that has the “friendly” looking Golden Retriever as opposed to the person with the
“vicious” Pitbull.
• Next time you get a new dog, think about these stereotypes, maybe you can be a start to
breaking them and starting a whole new chapter for these breeds.
• It’s for people to not judge a dog by what you see on TV or in movies, but by their personality
and the dog themselves.

References
Twining, H., et al. 2001. Society & Animals. 8:1.
D’Arpino, S.S. N/A. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare. 12:3

For further information please contact:

Dr. Gaylene Fasenko, Assistant Professor,
Dept. of Animal & Range Sciences, New Mexico State University
gfasenko@nmsu.edu