Running Head: THE MISCONCEPTIONS OF PITBULLS

The Misconceptions of Pit Bulls:

A Pictures Worth and The Worth of Words
Kourtney Nechelle Boutte
University of Texas at El Paso

The Misconceptions of Pit Bulls:

THE MISCONCEPTIONS OF PIT BULLS

A Pictures Worth and The Worth of Words

Pit Bull dogs have been publicly known to hold an unfortunate reputation of being a
vicious breed. There are several misconceptions about this particular breed of dog that people
tend to have simply because they are not familiar with the Pit Bulls history or real demeanor.
Artist Dean Russo painted a Pit Bull in a colorful, mosaic piece of artwork entitled, Lover not a
Fighter in an expression of his passion for dogs, but more specifically, Pit Bulls (Russo, n.d.).
Russo uses his lively painting in an attempt to have the Pit Bull pictured as a more playful and
loveable dog instead of the malicious, dangerous breed it is often perceived. An online article
was written in an attempt to further explain how Pit Bulls are commonly misunderstood. Jon
Bastians article, How did pit bulls get such a bad rap?, adds a new factor to trying to understand
this misjudged breed of dog by finding the possible history of the Pit Bull. By knowing the
history, individuals are more likely to change their misconceptions of this admirable breed.
In Dean Russos painting, Lover Not a Fighter, the implied audience and discourse
community are anyone who has a passion for Pit Bulls. On the contrary, the painting appears to
also be directed towards an audience who believes Pit Bulls are not capable of showing
compassion. Russo is attempting to change the audiences opinions about them being
misinformed of the breeds lovable personality. The words, kisser not a biter is included on
Russos painting flowing on the other side of the Pit Bull. Those words are present to provide
further emphasis on the fact that not all Pit Bulls are brutal fighting dogs that attacks everyone in
their path (Russo, n.d.).
The main purpose in Russos painting is to inform his audience that Pit Bulls are lovers
and not biters as many may presume. He also wanted to entertain, bearing in mind, that he uses
an array of robust, pulsating colors to gain the attention of his intended audience. It seems as

Instructor: Ms. Veronica Cruz

THE MISCONCEPTIONS OF PIT BULLS

though Russo wanted to also persuade people to think differently about how they view Pit Bulls.
Russos painting appears to want certain discourse communities to agree with what is exhibited
on his artwork. He is attempting to portray general awareness by painting a Pit Bull in a pleasant
atmosphere and using the previous stated phrases wrapped around him (Russo, n.d.). A portion of
Russos audience may be unaware of the positive aura Pit Bulls carries, so as a result, his
painting became a significant, informative tool. Because this genre of the Pit Bull painting is
only artwork, there are few objectives to focus on. Therefore, the audience will not be focusing a
tremendous amount of time on the information presented in this genre.
The intended audience for the online article by Jon Bastian is also dog enthusiasts
considering it is published on a popular website. In the beginning of the article Bastian explains
that, Pit Bulls used to be Americas darlings implying that somewhere, somehow the
breeds reputation was tarnished as time passed by (Bastian, 2015). The statement Bastian stated
in his article suggests the audience could be dog lovers who have never owned a Pit Bull or those
who simply were unaware that this particular breed could be capable of being, darlings
(Bastian, 2015). The primary purpose of Bastians article is to inform the audience because he
includes not one but two possible history of the Pit Bull. Informing the community of the history
of a breed will most likely educate them, and it will give them a different perspective of Pit
Bulls. The article does not demonstrate any attempt to entertain or persuade the audience
considering it mostly states historical facts, and it does not have any changes in the font or semi
formal structure to physically appeal to them.
The audience is already aware that Pit Bulls have a bad rap because this article would
not have been written in order to inform them of the common misconceptions (Bastian, 2015).
Although Bastians online article is fairly short, there is a substantial amount of information

Instructor: Ms. Veronica Cruz

THE MISCONCEPTIONS OF PIT BULLS

throughout the piece. This means that the audience will spend more time processing the
information presented in this particular genre. The material written in the article is not difficult to
comprehend, but there are breeds of dogs mentioned that may not be familiar to the audience.
For example, Bastian explains how butchers in England, would use large, Mastiff-type dogs
as bullenbeissers, which translates as bull biter (Bastian, 2015). Not all dog enthusiasts will
know specifically what a Mastiff breed of dog is, but because it is used to describe the history of
the Pit Bull, it is understood that it is a large canine.
The language used in Dean Russos painting, Lover Not a Fighter is illustrated to be
informal due to it only containing two phrases used in the entire painting (Russo, n.d.). On the
other end of the spectrum, Jon Bastians online article encompasses more formal language
considering it is an online article on Cesar Millans official webpage. This means there are more
people viewing this popular website, and more viewers are also reading this article. Because of
the popularity generated, Bastian uses formal language to communicate to the audience. Russo
uses limited specialized vocabulary such as saying the Pit Bull is not a biter. This phrase implies
that society automatically assumes this breed is expressed as aggressive and non-lovable (Russo,
n.d.). It is obvious that the two genres are attempting to change the audiences point of view
about Pit Bulls by both showing positive images instead of illustrating them with teeth showing
or foaming at the mouth. Russo chooses to entertain his audience along side informing them
about Pit Bulls using colorful imagery. However, Bastian chooses to formally inform the
audience by including a variety of facts throughout the article (Bastian, 2015).
Both Dean Russo and Jon Bastian uses ethos in order to obtain and maintain credibility.
Russo is a well known artist that creates paintings of different animals and not just Pit Bulls. His
artwork is being sold on a variety of webpages as framed artwork or on t-shirts. As mentioned

Instructor: Ms. Veronica Cruz

THE MISCONCEPTIONS OF PIT BULLS

earlier, Bastians online article is openly published on Cesar Millans official website. Millan is a
well-established dog trainer who is featured on his own television show. Bastian uses Millans
popularity to his advantage in order to reach a more broad audience and discourse community.
Pathos is demonstrated by both genres in order to emotionally connect to the intended audiences.
For example, Russos painting shows the Pit Bull with his mouth wide open staring directly at
the audience to appear as if he is smiling. The Pit Bull is portrayed to show happiness and
contentment. The audience is able to emotionally connect to the painting by visualizing the dog
being happy and not upset or on edge. Russo also uses bold colors and designs to create a
calming and appealing appearance for the Pit Bull.
Bastian mentions Pit Bulls being used to compare to well recognized athletes during the
1930s (Bastian, 2015). Being compared to a world renowned athlete during that time was
considered an extremely high honor, but to be compared to a Pit Bull was an even higher tribute.
Bastian included this detail in history when describing the Pit Bull to connect to the audience
emotionally. The audience can only imagine what it is like to be compared to someone as high on
a pedestal as an athlete, so to mention Pit Bulls being just as significant shows how desirable this
breed used to be in the past (Bastian, 2015).
Both genres use images to convey their messages and to illustrate a certain perception of
the Pit Bull. Neither Russo nor Bastian utilizes negative or degrading images of Pit Bulls to get
their point across. The images on both genres are showing Pit Bulls being content or in a blissful
environment. Although Russo uses a more colorful approach to showing a gratified Pit Bull,
Bastian also uses images to demonstrate a positive atmosphere. A small but noticeable detail on
Russos painting is a tiny heart floating just above the Pit Bulls head (Russo, n.d.). Although this
a very minute detail displayed in the painting, it shows the love the artists possess for the breed.

Instructor: Ms. Veronica Cruz

THE MISCONCEPTIONS OF PIT BULLS

In conclusion, both genres were effective in conveying a positive message to their

audiences about Pit Bulls despite several misconceptions. However, Dean Russos painting
entitled, Lover Not a Fighter appears to be stronger in delivering its message. Russo uses
energetic colors and shapes to create an enjoyable image that exhibits the Pit Bull in a positive,
joyful manner. The phrase, Lover Not a FighterKisser Not a Biter physically outlines the Pit
Bull to clearly express that there is more to this breed than what meets the eye. Jon Bastians
online article contains vital information about the history of the Pit Bull and how their reputation
was tarnished, but Russos painting says more without even saying anything. Genres are
drastically important in delivering particular messages to discourse communities. Nevertheless,
in more ways than one, it is the manner in which the genre is portrayed to the audience.

References
Bastian,J.(2015).Howdidpitbullsgetsuchabadrap?.Cesar'sWay.Retrieved10February2016,from
https://www.cesarsway.com/aboutdogs/pitbulls/howdidpitbullsgetabadrap

Instructor: Ms. Veronica Cruz

THE MISCONCEPTIONS OF PIT BULLS

Russo,D.LoverNotaFighter.

Instructor: Ms. Veronica Cruz