Winner and Loser of the Week

Winner: Gap, Inc.


Pit Bulls in Main Stream Advertising


In an effort to "democratize fashion" and boost authenticity of its 1969 brand (launched in 2009) the Gap has gone behind the scenes- showing their offices in recent advertisements and even including their office-dog, Louie, a caramel-colored pit mix! Their new market? "Downtown, semi-hipster, artsy folk" (might I also add, Pit bull owners?)

Louie, now named the "Denim Mascot" has received mostly positive press. While 238 people "like" his commercial on facebook (below), one user wrote "I don't think a Pit Bull in a Gap commercial is a great idea for an international company as it's illegal to have them unmuzzled in public or breed from them in the UK."  (Funny thing- because this article from the dailymail.co.uk doesn't seem to have a problem featuring an adorable shot of Louie in its article.) Luckily, her comments was met with rebuke and the rest of the comments were all positive.

Read more here.



Loser: Pitbull, the Rapper

Mis-using the Mis-understood

This man sadly has chosen the name Pitbull for himself.

Singer/Rapper Pitbull (aka Armando Christian Perez) is said to have chosen the name pitbull because, "they bite to lock. The dog is too stupid to lose. And they're outlawed in Dade County. They're basically everything that I am. It's been a constant fight."(Washington Post, 2004.)

All completely false. First of all, they do not bite to lock- no animal's jaws can actually lock, but they do have a very powerful bite and can hold on longer than most dogs and actually has a lower "pressure per square inch" than German Shepherds and Rottweilers. (Watch the bite force competition here.)

Also, they are not "too stupid to lose"- they are dedicated to their owners and will do what they are told when manipulated with drugs, starvation, and lack of companionship. They are in fact capable of many things other than fighting. TheRealPitBull.com writes, "The truth of the matter is that the Pit Bull is one of the most versatile of canines, capable of excelling at just about any task his owner asks him to complete. This breed is routinely used for: obedience trialing,  conformation showing, weight pull, Schutzhund (a German sport which requires dogs to perform in obedience, tracking and protection phases of a competition), agility, and have even been known to participate in herding trials, search and rescue work, and a variety of other tasks including police and armed services work. But fanciers will argue that the task this breed performs best of all is that of beloved companion."

The long and the short of it? Buy Gap and not Pitbull's music!