American Pitbull

The American Pit Bull Terrier is one of the most maligned breeds of dog, especially in recent years, with sensational media reports of violence and viciousness. But pit bull people — old-timers, breeders and owners — have long shown the dogs fanatical devotion, establishing an entire culture around them. It is these people and their pets that have captured Marc Joseph’s gaze over the past two years. American Pit Bull offers an alternative view of a controversial world. Travelling across America to visit his subjects in their backyards and homes, at dog shows, wild hog hunting events and weight-pulling competitions, Joseph has been granted unprecedented access to a culture known by few outside its own community and law enforcement agencies.nThere are the few remaining old-time dog men and they there are the rap stars and ghetto kids for whom owning a pit bull has become de rigueur. There are the regular folks, all across the country, whose pet pit bulls form an integral part of their family. And there are the pit bull owners in Europe and Asia, for whom the breed has attained a mythic, cult-like status.