Long Beach’s Blockhead Brigade is working to improve the lives and public image of pit bulls and the people who love them.
“Some people are very vehemently against them and jump to conclusions about their personalities and have a lot of misconceptions about them,” Blockhead Brigade founder Laura Vena said.
After adopting an affectionate pit bull named Willa Chicklet from the Long Beach Shelter, Vena said she noticed some people were afraid of her sweet girl, and some would even cross the street if they saw her coming. Those who took the time to get to know Willa would learn she easily connected with people, was great with kids and volunteered at nursing homes.
Her experience having an “amazing” dog that people were frightened of led her to create Blockhead Brigade for others experiencing the same thing.
Blockhead Brigade holds “pack walks” every week where people can bring their canine companions to participate in a socially distanced walk while 10 feet apart. This helps socialize both aggressive and overly-friendly dogs, who can learn to be calm around others.
“Teaching dogs, all dogs, to be calm around other dogs is a great way to socialize them safely,” Vena said. “The cool thing about the pack walks is that we’ve created this community, so not only are we helping dogs and people be safer, have better communication with each other, have a better bond, have more fun, but also we’re connecting to each other.”
Besides opportunities to safely socialize, Blockhead Brigade also advocates for pit bulls to be treated fairly in housing and in shelters. Vena said during her time working with Long Beach Animal Care Services, she learned many of the pit bulls currently in the shelter are there because someone in an apartment building complained to the landlord that there was a pit bull living there.
“The dog never did anything wrong. Sometimes the dogs aren’t even pit bulls by the way, they’re mixes that maybe don’t even have any pit bull in them,” Vena said.
Pit bulls are not a breed, but an umbrella category that numerous breeds and mixes are placed under, including: the American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, American bully and others that sport the signature blocky head.
Within shelters, even some staff can be scared of pit bulls. Blockhead Brigade advocates for shelter staff to treat pit bulls the same as any other dog.
“If you have ever been to a shelter, it’s a pretty scary place for dogs,” Vena said. “If a dog is afraid, and then they’re being approached by somebody who doesn’t trust them it just adds to the fear that they feel.”
Google “vintage pit bull photos,” says Vena, and you’ll find a plethora of back-and-white photos of pit bulls alongside families and children. And indeed, a quick Google image search confirms these results.
“They were America’s dog. They were the number one dog […] in the ‘20s to ‘40s in this country,” Vena said. “They were America’s dogs and then they’ve had this pretty persistent bad marketing that associated them with what I would call the deviant side where people have used them and abused them for their own profit or their own means. And that’s such a small minority of the dogs and, by the way, those dogs are actually victims.”
The book “Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon” by Bronwen Dickey explains in-depth how misinformation led the pit bull from being seen as a beloved mascot and sidekick to a dangerous and frightening beast. Pit bulls once starred in ad campaigns for children’s products, and famous pit bulls appeared in on-screen comedies, such as the performances by canine actors Luke and Pal The Wonder Dog.
Dickey also explains there is a common misconception that pit bulls have a more powerful bite and are more likely to lock their jaws after biting, when in reality pit bulls have a bite comparable to other dogs their size.
While it is true that pit bull breeds were originally bred to fight bulls for the entertainment of humans, they’ve been bred as pets since the 19th century. As bull and dog fights became less common, some people began forcing pit bulls to fight each other.
“The cool thing about the pack walks is that we’ve created this community, so not only are we helping dogs and people be safer, have better communication with each other, have a better bond, have more fun, but also we’re connecting to each other.”
Laura Vena, founder of Blockhead Brigade
According to Dickey’s book, as animal advocacy groups began utilizing the media to make the public aware of the horrors of dog fighting, pit bulls simultaneously began appearing in articles about the fights, associating them with violence and criminality—tarnishing their public image.
Blockhead Brigade is planning a Pit Bull Appreciation Day on Oct. 15 at Marina Vista Park, which will feature a pack walk, training demonstrations, vendors, raffles and a Day of the Dead altar honoring departed pets.
“Pit bull Appreciation Day is a day to come out and celebrate blocky-headed dogs and our love for them and advocate for them and show that they’re just like any other dog,” Vena said.
While the Blockhead Brigade is centered around pit bulls, all breeds are welcome to participate in its events. Pit Bull Appreciation Day will take place on Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Marina Vista Park at 5355 E Eliot St.
Pack walks take place on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. at the Long Beach Exchange, 4069 N Lakewood Blvd., Saturdays at 9 a.m. at Alamitos Heights Park, 5101 E Vermont St. in Long Beach and Sundays at 9 a.m. at Cheviot Hills Park and Recreation Center, 2693 Motor Ave. in Los Angeles. For more information, visit blockheadbrigade.org.
