Mt. Airy author's new book blasts 'pit bull myth'

Posted 1/23/25

People I have talked to who own or have owned pit bulls say they are sweet and friendly, just like almost all other dogs. But every so often there is a story in the news about a pit bull who mauls or even kills in an unprovoked attack. West Mt. Airy author Susan Russell, who will discuss her latest book,  “Midnight 'Don’t Judge Me' Ruiz,” Jan. 26 at booked, insists that the stigma is based on a myth.

“With all due respect,” she said last week, “news about dogs labeled 'pit bulls' is seldom about facts. It is about sensationalism and confirming bias. …

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Mt. Airy author's new book blasts 'pit bull myth'

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People I have talked to who own or have owned pit bulls say they are sweet and friendly, just like almost all other dogs. But every so often there is a story in the news about a pit bull who mauls or even kills in an unprovoked attack. West Mt. Airy author Susan Russell, who will discuss her latest book,  “Midnight 'Don’t Judge Me' Ruiz,” Jan. 26 at booked, insists that the stigma is based on a myth.

“With all due respect,” she said last week, “news about dogs labeled 'pit bulls' is seldom about facts. It is about sensationalism and confirming bias. Unfortunately, stories in the news tend to promote ignorance.”

The maligned non-breed 'pitbull' has been demonized in the press, a misrepresentation that is perceived as true because the dog-as-aggressor image is repeatedly highlighted, Russell argued. Books such as “The Pit Bull Placebo” by Karen Delise and “Pitbull” by Bronwyn Dickey explain the real story, she said.

“In their books, both Delise and Dickey amply demonstrate that when a dog with features that people attribute to the label 'pitbull' caused injury or death, the incident would be reported widely,” Russell said. “If a dog that was not considered a 'pitbull' did the same thing, it might only make the local paper. We must guard against this phenomenon and mass ignorance and the problem of perception versus facts. All dogs are individuals. Looks are not behavior.”

In her new book, which is based on real life events, Russell tells the story of stray dogs Midnight and Mister. Midnight was an abandoned pit bull-type dog who wound up at Philadelphia’s crowded open-intake animal shelter, ACCT Philly, in 2019, where Russell became enamored with him. 

Russell has spent her entire adult life in the field of animal welfare. She worked as director of municipal animal shelters in Chicago and Philadelphia, guiding organizations such as ACCT Philly, the region's largest animal care and control service provider, in their life-saving efforts. A writer, lawyer, animal advocate and volunteer, Russell wrote the award-winning coffee table book, “A Ruff Road Home: The Court Case Dogs of Chicago.” She also wrote three children’s books: “Shelter Dog Kisses,” “We Can’t Go There, We’re Bears” and “Mr. Bird and Mr. Cat: How ‘Bout That!”

In 2019, just before the pandemic, Russell, who has six cats of her own, launched Archimedes’ Printing Shoppe & Sundry Goodes with her business partner, Lucy Noland. 

Noland, a native of Saigon, Vietnam, was an Emmy Award-winning anchorperson on FOX 29 for five years until June 2019. She has edited and published an exquisite coffee table book, “Jewel of the Wissahickon Rewilding the Dixon Meadow,” for the Whitemarsh Foundation. This visual feast of a book was written and photographed by internationally acclaimed wildlife conservationist and author Bill Konstant and award-winning wildlife photographer, Glenn Mason. 

Russell's new book was published by her company Archimedes, as were “To Bird or Not To Bird,” “To Snail or Not to Snail” and “Jewel of the Wissahickon,” which have all garnered the coveted Kirkus Star. Kirkus described “To Bird or Not To Bird” as “A great book for young nature lovers showcasing two unique ecological niches.” It was also selected as a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2023.  

“We’re especially proud of our children’s 'To Be' series,” Russell said, “which teaches children about the natural environment and the importance of every living being, no matter how small, within an ecosystem or a community.” 

Dogs Midnight and Mister, the two main characters in “Midnight 'Don’t Judge Me' Ruiz,” represent their Southeastern Pennsylvania community with Philadelphia accents. Artist Anne Koszalka drew the dogs and the dozens of illustrations in “Midnight.” Koszalka is a longtime animal shelter volunteer at ACCT Philly and with New Leash on Life USA, an organization that “rescues at-risk dogs and works with justice-involved individuals in both prison and community settings to create fresh starts.”

The “Ruiz” in the book’s title refers to celebrity photographer Mike Ruiz, who hails from Canada. “He played an instrumental role in helping “Midnight” get a fresh start,” Russell has said. “Not all heroes wear capes. Mike graciously wrote the foreword for the book, as well. Mike in partnership with the Standup for Pits Foundation started the Hope Campaign, which helps highly at-risk dogs who wind up in crowded municipal animal shelters get the critical life-saving exposure they need.”

The problem of healthy animals being euthanized at shelters because of overcrowding has many possible solutions, Russell said, “But if folks want to ensure that all healthy and treatable animals are saved from open intake shelters, then they must adopt, foster, volunteer, donate, promote these animals, spay/neuter their own pets, and above all, to quote “Death of Salesman,” 'Attention must be paid!'”

At the book launch on Jan. 26, Chestnut Hill author Richard Tuttle will perform a reading of “Midnight” in the original Philadelphian dialect. booked is at 8511 Germantown Ave. For more information, visit archimedesprintingshop.com. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com