He’s played some of the toughest characters on screen. Off camera, actor Jon Bernthal has spent over a decade fighting a very different battle, one on behalf of a breed most people judge before ever meeting.
Bernthal, star of The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is the proud owner of three rescue pit bulls named Boss, Venice, and Bam Bam.
Boss and Venice were adopted as older rescues sometime in the 2010s, while Bam Bam joined the family as a puppy in 2017.
“Introducing Lil Bam Bam Bernthal,” Bernthal wrote on Instagram at the time. “Rescue a Pit Bull. They just may rescue you back. Big love.”
On a recent episode of The Howard Stern Show, Bernthal didn’t hold back on the subject of breed stereotypes.
“It’s just racism. It’s just dog racism,” he said. “To be afraid of a breed of dog is completely ridiculous. It’s like being afraid of somebody for their race or their sexual orientation… Look, if a pit bull bites you, it’s going to suck. But they’re no more likely to bite you than a Chihuahua or another breed.”
Bernthal’s advocacy stretches back years.
In 2015, he appeared in a PSA for the Animal Farm Foundation aimed at debunking pit bull stereotypes.
“Our dogs are part of our family,” he told CBS News at the time, adding that breed based prejudice can range from people crossing the street out of fear to families being forced to give up their pets due to housing restrictions on certain breeds.
He’s also been honest about the responsibility that comes with owning powerful, athletic dogs, emphasizing proper training, structure, and socialization, while making clear that strength should never be confused with danger.
His point isn’t that every dog fits every home. It’s that breed alone shouldn’t decide whether a dog deserves one.
For Bernthal, changing minds hasn’t come from arguing alone.
It’s come from people meeting his calm, well trained dogs in person and realizing the breed they were taught to fear was really just a loyal companion all along.
Do you think breed stereotypes unfairly keep good dogs from finding homes?
Source:
independent – “Jon Bernthal claims fear of pit bulls is dog racism”