IT’S PART OF THE GENERAL TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICA INTO A GIRLY-MAN NATION, PERHAPS: What Happened to America’s Dog? Pit Bulls were once loved and revered in America. How did they become so maligned in today’s society? “During the first half of the 20th century, Pit Bulls were the closest thing the United States had to a national dog. They were featured on U.S. recruiting posters in World Wars I and II, prominently featured as corporate mascots and cast as the ideal family dog in television and movies. Now the breed is demonized and battles everything from a media-driven reputation for being predators, to abuse from their owners, to legislation that seeks to outlaw their existence. How did this happen to a dog that was once America’s sweetheart?”