The Majority Project with Jon Bernthal from Animal Farm Foundation on Vimeo.

Jon Bernthal has been busy after leaving The Walking Dead in 2012. He was in Fury and The Wolf of Wall Street, he has a miniseries called Show Me a Hero coming up on HBO and he has a bunch of films in the works. He’s also the hot new face of a campaign to raise awareness and advocacy for the pit bull. Bernthal, 38, is the proud owner of pitt bulls Boss and Venice and he’s also a father to two sons, aged four and two. In a new PSA for The Majority Project, Bernthal appears along with his two year-old son, Billy, and their dogs. He explains that pit bull owners are often discriminated against. The Majority Project, started by the Animal Farm Foundation, seeks photos from pit bull owners and families with pit bulls. Their aim is to show that pit bulls are not the problem, irresponsible down owners are. Bernthal says that:

“Pit bull dog owners are sometimes victim to negative stereotypes that have nothing to do with how much they love and care for their dog. The laws and policies that target dog owners based on their dogs breed and appearance won’t make communities safer. Holding all reckless dog owners responsible will.”

As People Magazine explains, pit bull owners can join The Majority Project and get a chance to appear on an upcoming television PSA. They just need to print out the flyer, fill it out and send in a picture of themselves with the flyer and their dog(s).

I just spent way too much time on The Majority Project website looking at photos of sweet pit bulls. I love the way that breed can look like they’re smiling, and how soulful their eyes are. As I’ve mentioned here before, I know a couple of families with pit bulls and they are loving, loyal dogs. Yes they can be violent when they have horrible, abusive owners, but that is not due to the breed.

There are around 550 jurisdictions in the US that have breed-specific legislation against pit bulls. There are also laws restricting the breed in the UK, Ireland, Australian and parts of Canada.

Here are some of my favorite photos from The Majority Project. I’m also including some photos from Bernthal’s Instagram and Twitter. Look at those doggie faces! Also, Buzzfeed runs some super cute features on Pit Bulls. My favorite recent ones are “27 Pit Bulls Who Will Definitely Brighten Your Day” and “33 Terrifyingly Adorable Pit Bulls.

Boss man

A photo posted by Jon Bernthal (@jonnybernthal) on Jan 22, 2015 at 11:43am PST

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"Together, we’re not the exception. We’re the majority." – @jonnybernthal pic.twitter.com/3eUGf6wCGj

— NadinTaganrog (@nadin21071982) January 24, 2015

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