Humane Society Criticizes DMX
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation's largest animal protection agency and the operator of animal adoption centers in cities and towns across the country, issued a press release yesterday denouncing the video for DMX's "What's My Name" for glamorizing dogfighting.
The video shows snarling pitbulls in chains snapping at one another in what appears to be a ring. The HSUS believes this image "glamorizes dogfighting and perpetuates the stigma that all pit bulls are dangerous and, therefore, unfit to have as pets." The video does not show actual dogfighting. DMX's label, Island/Def Jam, emphasized that the dogs never engaged in fighting and were not harmed.
DMX shows his love for dogs by sporting a dog tattoo, raising pit bulls, featuring barking dogs on his multi-platinum-selling records and calling all his best friends "dog." His second album "And Then There Was X" was once tentatively titled "The Dog, The Man, The God.Pit bullshave had a long and hard history in the U.S., particularly in recent years in urban centers like New York City. In 1997, the NYPD and the Housing Authority cooperated in sweeps of public housing projects to round up pit bulls.
Pit bull proponents argue that the pit bull terrier is an intelligent breed that is not inherently vicious but must be taught to fight. Some owners train the dogs as fighters in an attempt to make quick cash through illegal dogfighting. Dogfighting is a felony offense in 44 states, and in 46 states, it is illegal to be a spectator at a dogfight.Pit bulls do have their supporters, including Loren Tapley, a volunteer animal rescuer who heads the For Pit's Sake non-profit group, an animal rescue service located in New York City. Tapley became enamored of the breed when she met a pit bull as the ASPCA and tried to adopt the dog. Tapley has a soulmate in DMX, who told MTV in May 1998 "I used to take dogs on the street. I used to bring them home if Icould, make somewhere for them to sleep right outside the building. I had dogs as long as I could remember, you know.
