Pit Bull

Good or Bad

What makes a dog a good dog? What makes a dog a vicious dog? Who defines these characteristics for dogs, and why is it that only certain breeds are considered good or bad? The American Pit Bull Terrier is a controversial breed of dog. Many people will

fight to the end of time that this breed, is the best ever. Others are frightened by the

breed, and argue that this breed is dangerous and should be banished.

Why now, is the breed considered dangerous, and a threat to the community? Many laws are being passed to slowly eliminate the American Pit Bull Terrier. Some states ban the breed all together, while others are banning the breeding of "pit bulls." Are the owners of vicious dogs to blame for this, or is this breed, of dog, a bad breed?

History

The breed's history and stature have made the "pit bull" to seem intimidating. The "pit bull" was bred to be a fighter in the pen, and a companion at home. Dog fighting was one of the many dog sports, of the nineteenth century, along with ratting and bull baiting.

"In baiting events, no more than one or two dogs were unleashed on the bull. They were trained to unrelentingly harass the bulls until they collapsed from fatigue, their injuries, or both. These episodes lasted for prolonged periods, sometimes as long as three or four hours. Eventually, the public grew bored with bulls and introduced a creative flair to the sport, baiting dogs with bears, boars, horses, and even monkeys!" (Morral)

When bull baiting was made illegal in England, 1835, people converted their time to ratting. Ratting was a sport that involved throwing the dog into a pit of rats, and seeing how many it could kill in the fastest time. The term "pit," from this "game," was incorporated into forming the pit bull name as time progressed. This "sport" was also made illegal.

In order for the English to continue to keep their dogs, in fighting sports they

came up with the idea of dog fighting. Dog fighting could be held in confined areas, where it would be harder for law enforcement to locate.

"Since dog fighting required smaller and more agile animals than the ones that were used in baiting, fighting bulldogs were bred with terriers that were known for their feistiness and indefatigable focus. The result was the bull-and-terrier, more commonly known as the first pit bull terrier - a muscular, canine gladiator bred specifically for combat with other dogs." (Morral)

Dog fighting was also banned from England in the 1800's. It was considered a cruel act of animal abuse, and one who continued to fight dogs would be punished. Unfortunately, dog fighting, to police, was not a big concern. Every city in England was guaranteed to have an "underground fight," where gamblers could go to root on their favorite dog.

Fighting was not all the Pit Bull Terrier was good for. When Europeans immigrated to the United States, for a better life, they brought their four legged companions. This was an impressive find for the ranchers and farmers, of America, who adopted the Pit Bull Terriers. The "pit bull" now had a new meaning in life, farmers and ranchers both used the pit bull as a form of protection, herding cattle, and rounding up hogs.

America took in the Pit Bull Terrier as if it were its own. The "pit bull" was used to represent the United States in WWI. Many famous people and companies began using the breed for advertisement and companionship. Helen Keller and Theodore Roosevelt both owned a Pit Bull Terrier. The Pit Bull Terrier has also been used as an RCA mascot. These were the old days, "It was during this time that the "pit bull" truly became America's sweetheart breed, admired, respected and loved." (Bulldogbreeds.com, 2005).

Anatomy and Behavioral Characteristics

The charming personality, and want for affection was one reason it was so easy for America to accept this breed of dog.

"The essential characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier are strength, confidence, and zest for life. This breed is eager to please and brimming over with enthusiasm. APBTs make excellent family companions and have always been noted for their love of children. The APBT is not the best choice for a guard dog since they are extremely friendly, even with strangers. Aggressive behavior toward humans is uncharacteristic of the breed." (UKC, 2004)

The Pit Bull Terrier obtained its traits from its ancestors for intelligence and athleticism.

The breed's strong build comes from its relative, the bull dog. The Pit Bull Terrier is a medium-sized dog, ranging from eighteen to thirty inches tall and twenty-five to eighty-five pounds, depending on the gender. Its coat is short, in a variety of colors from black, red, brindle, to blue, gray, or white. The pit bull has advanced muscle definition. The head of the dog is flat and large, attached to a proportional sized neck gaining size back to the shoulders. The shoulders are broad, which taper back to the smaller abdomen, and broadening again for the hind quarters with large, and muscular, hind legs.

Reputation

The muscular build can be an intimidating factor to those who do not know the dog. Another intimidating factor of the breed is that it has been, and still is used in dog fighting. Dog fighting in history, has involved the owners taking remarkably good care of their pet, to ensure that it will not be injured badly, or killed. Today, people are taking advantage of dogs, and using them against another without proper training. These poorly treated dogs are attacking the innocent.

Many "pit bull" attacks have been reported over the years. May 6, 2005, in Wake Forest, North Carolina a five year old girl, at a school bus stop, was attacked by a pit bull. A ten year old tried to help pull the dog off, and was also attacked. The school bus driver arrived, and was able to make the dog release the girl with a broom. In Detroit, Michigan a young girl was attacked by her grandmother's Pit Bull Terrier, and killed. The grandmother tried to pull the dog off of the girl, and was bitten herself.

Dog attacks can happen anywhere by any breed of dog. The Pit Bull and the Rottweiler have been the most common dog attacks. The following chart shows the statistics of dog attacks from the year 1987 to 1998.