Pit bulls and punk-rock go together like peanut butter and jelly. Think of all the album covers featuring that iconic, block-headed dog, and the sheer volume of patchwork-tattooed punks seen walking pits through Oakland’s various neighborhoods. It’s a duo that just makes sense in this neck of the woods. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that on Oct. 24-25 these two worlds will collide at the legendary 924 Gilman and adjacent Gilman Brewing Company with Hardcore For Pits West. The concert, art auction, raffle and adoption event will raise funds and awareness for the American pit bull terrier.
Of the approximately 90 million dogs kept as pets in the United States, pit bull breeds account for roughly 5%, but make up 22% of dogs in the national network of shelters and represent a staggering 40% of yearly euthanizations. These disproportionate figures indicate a crisis for the American pit, which is not actually a specific breed but rather an umbrella for a variety of different phenotypes ranging in size and appearance.
It’s no secret that pit bulls carry a stigma. Much of the popular discourse involves commentary and speculation that these dogs are inherently wired to be aggressive and violent. In 1987, Sports Illustrated featured a cover photo of one snarling at the camera alongside the caption, “Beware this dog.” In more recent memory, the pit bull was associated with the uncovered Bad Newz Kennels dog-fighting rings run by NFL Quarterback Michael Vick. The presumption of aggression is so pronounced that state and local governments across the country have passed breed-specific legislation that restricts or outright bans the ownership of certain dogs, most often ones within the category of pit bull…