Kelly Ripa Does Not Hate Pit Bulls, She’s Just Bad at Her Job

When I heard about Kelly Ripa’s negative comments about pit bulls on “Live With Kelly and Michael,” I wasn’t an angry pit bull owner. It just made me sad. Despite the best efforts of pit bull advocacy groups, many still believe that any breed or mix classified as ‘pit bull’ is automatically dangerous. When I first started dating my husband, I was slightly hesitant about meeting his pit bull, but I felt silly about that prejudice once I was greeted by a friendly dog who just wanted to give endless kisses. Years later, I now share a home with this dog-a pit bull named Ockee.

I wish Kelly Ripa could have had the same positive experience with a pit bull. At the very least, she could have at least researched some basic facts about dogs before saying “dangerous, pit bull kind of dog.”

Pit Bull Behaviors

From the moment this dog greeted me at the door, I learned that just like people and any other type of dog, each pit bull has its own personality. Ockee is particularly affectionate. Despite the stereotype, she’s actually rather fearful of other dogs. Like many pit bulls, she is a bit stubborn and willful. Like many bully breed dogs, it takes persistent training to instill positive behaviors in Ockee, but once she accepts a rule, she only requires occasional reinforcement to recall it (unlike our Boxer, who needs constant refresher training).

If Kelly Ripa wishes to apologize for her comment or learn more about pit bulls, she should consider volunteering with a pit bull related organization.

Temperament

Since Ockee’s an older girl who has had hip surgery, she is not bouncy or overactive at all. She mostly wants to eat and sleep. She can be pretty demanding and persistent when she wants to go out or eat, but she’s pushiest about demanding affection. This can be a bit difficult to explain to visitors who are intimidated by her, as she barks and demands attention. To those who don’t know that she just wants to be pet, it probably looks a bit scary!

Media Personality Responsibility

As a media personality, it’s Ripa’s job to remain informed about topics relevant to her show. When she knew she was going to interview Christopher Walken about dogs, she should have done research on them. Ripa’s faux pas only causes her to appear exceptionally out-of-touch with the average American family. If a host on “The View” had mentioned this, another host would have challenged her on the topic; “Live With Kelly and Michael” might want to consider inserting a host who is a bit more in touch with real-life topics.

Pit Bull Advocate Responsibility

Some people love pit bulls and other people hate them. On either side are those who go to extremes: advocates who refuse to admit that overpopulation and dog fighting is a problem and pit bull opponents who want to euthanize all dogs that could be labeled pit bull. As a pit bull owner, the truth rests somewhere in the middle: the majority of the responsibility for dogs rests with the owner; that said, pit bulls are simply capable of doing more damage, even though small terriers might be more prone to biting under many circumstances. A balanced approach and a reasonable discussion is the best way to educate others-not by lambasting a talk show host who simply needs to learn how to do better research.

What bothers me most about persistent negative stereotypes is how quickly they’re carried over to other things. While it might seem harmless for someone to stereotype a dog breed, imagine if the same person stereotyped people with disabilities, people of different races, or those with sexual preferences different than their own. While we should not police what people say on TV, media personalities like Kelly Ripa should expect criticism when they make these types of statements.