Walgreens, the largest drug retailing chain in the country, recently did something very stupid. It started selling Pit Bull Defense Maximum Strength Pepper Spray.
What’s that, you wonder? Frankly, we’re not sure. By the look of the package, it seems to be a pepper spray that you can use on a Pit Bull who is attacking you, but that would be stupid — would it not work on attacking Beagle? An attacking cat? An attacking French Bulldog? An attacking neighbor? How did they make pepper spray that would only work on an attacking Pit Bull?
Or, more likely, the company is simply using the Pit Bull’s unfair image as a violent dog to sell some more units of regular pepper spray. This is probably the case.
Either way, it’s an idiotic product using a disgusting marketing gimmick, bolstering the misconception that the Pit Bull is a violent dog. (The Pit Bull is not a violent dog.) Once news of this trash hit blogs such as Seattle Dogspot and Justice for Mary, people got mad, and they acted. Facebook pages such as Boycott Walgreens and Anti-Walgreens went up, and more importantly, calls were made to Walgreens. The individual stores, with people demanding to talk to the managers. That sort of thing. Good stuff.
And the managers responded. Joe Meyer, who created the SignOn.org petition where you can sign a petition to stop Walgreens from selling the product (around 8,000 signatures so far!), has been particularly hard at work. He has received assurances from Walgreens that Pit Bull Defense Maximum Strength Pepper Spray was a “local buy” from just a handful of stores, and that it has been removed from store shelves.
Corporate Walgreens has also been busy, posting apologies to blogs and the Facebook pages, including its own. Here’s one from the Justice for Mary site:
We apologize to everyone about the pit bull spray that was only sold in five stores. We can assure you that this was not a corporately purchased item. It was never our company’s intent to condone the inappropriate singling out of any one breed of dog. Instead, a very small number of our stores obtained it for sale on their own. As a result of us becoming aware of the product, we have told those few stores who are carrying the item to stop selling it immediately. We also will ensure other locations don’t carry it, too. Thank you and be well.
So, Walgreens seems to be quickly tamping this terrible episode down, and good for it. The next group to deal with is obviously the manufacturer of this product, but, according to Meyer, finding out exactly who makes it will be difficult, because there’s nothing identifying the makers on the package, and Walgreens hasn’t given up the info.
“There is no logo on the packaging, no ‘from the makers of,’ no leads, no name, nothing. So we know that this was a privately funded poor attempt to make a quick buck.”
Considering that there’s no quick buck to be made if nobody sells it, we hope this product will go away on its own. But the guy could have closet full of unsold product, so keep an eye out for it — I’m thinking corner stores and swap meets.
18 thoughts on “Walgreens Sells Pit Bull Pepper Spray — Then It Doesn’t”
ya but pitbulls are dangerous. sorry. but they are bred specifically to be aggressive. sure, little chiuauas are aggressive too, but you aint gonna get killed from a chiuaua bite.
An idiot wrote this article! Pit bulls are the number 1 most vicious breed in the United States. I have seen 2 unprovoked attacks and 2 attacks by a pit bull mix. The name of this product is only trying to show the strength of it. Pit bulls are known to have the strongest jaws of any dog.
Glad to hear that retailers are still ALLOWED TO SELL A LEGAL PRODUCT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Read you stupid idiots. READ AND RESEARCH. I hope it works on rioters and looters. Is there a stronger version that will work on a holes?
WALGREENS IS STILL SELLING THIS PRODUCT!
Fredericksburg, VA
This isn’t mace for use against pit bulls. “Pitbull” is the brand name. Google it. You’re morons.
Why are people sooo stupid ?
Unfair image? 77% of death by dog are by pit bulls. I am buying this product. I have four collies. Remember the news story about the collies who mauled the old lady and a baby to death? Nobody else does either.
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Can we just use it to spray that think this is dog spray and not a trademarked brand name? Politically correct snowflakes!
I have Pit Bull BEAR SPRAY, a Pit bull Knife, a Pit bull Defensive Walking Stick, Pit bull Air horn, and soon to have my Pit bull Conceal Carry.
People are not too sensitive, this product should not have a pitbull name on it because these dogs are just like any other.
Pit Bull is the BRAND NAME. It is not intended to be used against animals. Also, it is old news. This is from 2013.
Look at the date of the original post, please. It is 2013 not 2018. The article above is from 2013. I agree with Stu, it was a brand name. Have you gone in the past few days to your local Walgreens and found this on the shelf for ?
Walgreens is still selling it 2/1/18 its breed discrimination and it’s wrong!
When you lose your kids to pit bull I can see u saying the same thing
The brand name is Pitbull. It’s comparing the protective ability of the mace to a pitbull. Pitbulls protect…mace protects. It’s not mace for pitbulls.
This product is ignorant
That’s just stupid. It was probably a very good product. People way too sensitive.