Bad Dog: Pit Bull Politics and Multispecies Justice

by Harlan Weaver, Banu Subramaniam hD (Series Editor), Rebecca Herzig (Series Editor)

Fifty-plus years of media fearmongering coupled with targeted breed bans have produced what could be called "America's Most Wanted" the pit bull. However, at the turn of the twenty-first century, competing narratives began to change the meaning of "pit bull." Increasingly represented as loving members of mostly white, middle-class, heteronormative families, pit bulls and pit bull–type dogs are now frequently seen as victims rather than perpetrators, beings deserving not fear or scorn but rather care and compassion.

Drawing from the increasingly contentious world of human/dog politics and featuring rich ethnographic research among dogs and their advocates, Bad Dog explores how relationships between humans and animals not only reflect but actively shape experiences of race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, nation, breed, and species. Harlan Weaver proposes a critical and queer reading of pit bull politics and animal advocacy, challenging the zero-sum logic through which care for animals is seen as detracting from care for humans. Introducing understandings rooted in examinations of what it means for humans to touch, feel, sense, and think with and through relationships with nonhuman animals, Weaver suggests powerful ways to seek justice for marginalized humans and animals together.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 2021

Reviews

[Carmen212]

This is the most difficult non-science book I have ever read--attempted to read. This is what critical theory academics and students are reading. The author describes themself as queer, settler, white, trans and one other adjective which I forget now. I had to look up settler in this context and it was new to me.

I can't give it a rating; I didn't finish, I pecked at pages, and the really odd thing is that I learned a little more about intersectionality. Critical theory has never been easy for me and its most modern iteration seriously boggles my brain. All the points where intersectionality connect: Black, white, queer, masculinism (?), feminism (white and Black and Native) and even pit bull dogs.

It's amazing to me that my library bought this book. I am the only one who checked it out. This review is more about me than the book itself. And to continue, I have been a critter rescuer for decades, The concept of 'rescuer' comes up for scrutiny. I well remember the days when all shelters were kill shelters and I might have a feral cat and her kittens to find a place for.

And times are different now. Crowded shelters routinely fly/drive their animals to shelters with more room. Certain areas of the country are preferred. In the PNW we get animals from Texas, New Mexico, etc. One local shelter 'specializes' in big dogs and all get adopted. Rescue people and groups go into post-hurricane areas to find animal survivors. I often engage with people with dogs and talk about them. People are so proud that they 'rescued' a dog from a shelter. And then there are dogs (usually big, usually pitties) who spend years at a shelter - and the book asks, "Is this a life?"

probably to be continued. . . . .

here's a link to Weaver's work: https://www.lafayettestudentnews.com/...

Second attempt at this book: I understood it a lot better. But I also come away with the feeling that there is a lot of excess theory. I don't know how to explain it. I'll try. OK, I just finished the wonderful Empire of Ants book and every single detail, every single one, is studied and cross-studied and reviewed by other ant people and there are ant conferences! But with critical theory it's kind of the same over-kill to me. Every single detail, every dot in connect-the-dots is analyzed and contracted and expanded and it goes on and on and on. The connections are unrelenting.

I just did some googling and intersectionality has at its core a way to study it as a tool for social change. Weaver writes in the first part of the book about the sports person Vick who used to have pit bull fighting. He had a change of heart, a big change of heart, and became an advocate for the breed. But in the minds of many many people--and I include myself but I have had a change of heart and a new way of seeing--Pit bulls=hypermasculine Black men=violence. Pit bulls got caught up in the intersectionality of racism and violence.

Weaver then goes on (at some length) about the no-kill-shelter movement. I think this change is a very good*** thing. And then people become rescuers and being a rescuer has its own set of problems. And a rescuer of an abused animal (without any evidence) becomes a badge of honor.

[Katie Corbett]

I honestly had a difficult time getting through this book. While it’s apparent that the author is wildly intelligent, I feel as if the book was written very scatter-brained - It’s jam packed with information but it’s not very well organized. As a white, cisgender female, I found a lot of thought-provoking information and am thankful for the opportunity to be enlightened and educated. However, as an animal control employee, I couldn’t help but feel as though the book was written with biases against animal control and wish the author would have spent more time in other shelters across the country and talking to other animal welfare professionals. Additionally, the conclusion brings about tons of great ideas and insight but fails to address the fact that animal controls are often significantly under-funded and under-staffed. Overall, I think it was a good read and would look forward to reading anything else this author may publish.

[Jennifer]

There are some challenging parts, especially those that are more academic in the way in which they describe meaning-making, and "becoming-with" our dogs. I appreciated the exploration of "interspecies intersectionality" and several times felt like someone much better with words was describing the theoretical and observable white supremacist and colonialist underpinning of dog "rescue."