“I don’t know if you’ve ever walked a pit bull. You owe it to your life to walk a pit bull down the street, I’m telling you. It’s like a gun you can pet, it’s the only way to describe it, it’s awesome.” Comedian Bill Burr.

It’s a [--1--]: a gang member strolls the streets walking his big, scary dog. And it’s assumed that the dog is there for protection and as a [--2--]. But now a British study reveals that, for young gang members anyway, the primary reasons for having a dog are not those related to gang activities. The research is in the journal Crime, Law and Social Change. [Jennifer Maher and Harriet Pierpoint, Friends, status symbols and weapons: the use of dogs by youth groups and youth gangs]

Researchers went along with professionals who work with gang members to interview 25 young people in South Wales. They also spoke with animal welfare workers and [--3--]. Most gang members owned a dog and most of the dogs were bull [--4--]. Sadly, some dogs were indeed used as weapons, for fighting other dogs or were simply neglected. But the reasons that the owners themselves discussed for wanting a dog in the first place were mostly something to socialize with friends over and simple companionship.
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