|
Play the Find
a Pit Bull Game then come back to this page to learn more:
History
of the APBT
Authored
by Darla Smith © 2001
Pete the Pup of "Our Gang"
Fame
The
American Pit Bull Terrier was selectively bred with the
intention of creating the ultimate canine gladiator.
However, the breed proved itself adept at many other
activities. The traits that were bred into the pit dogs were
"Our Gang" Fame
surprisingly ambiguous in their usefulness. Gameness is one
such trait. Gameness is defined as the willingness to see a
task through to the end, regardless of the hardships
(fatigue, pain or injury, etc.). Gameness is a trait highly
prized by dog fighters however, this same trait proved very
useful in areas of everyday life. A dog with the tenacity to
hold a wild boar and the courage and loyalty to protect his
master home and family was very useful in rural England.
Also, a dog with a very high tolerance to pain made the pit
bull less likely to bite out of fear or pain. So, while a
group of fanciers focused on the fighting pit, many
households kept pit bulls as all around house/farm dogs.
World War I Poster
Pit
Bulls were imported to America shortly before the civil
war — Their tasks were much the same in the US as
they had been in England. However, the breed became more
standardized in the US and was named the American Pit Bull
Terrier.
The breed flourished in the states and was one of the most
popular breeds, highly prized by a variety of people. The
APBT was used as a symbol to represent the US in WW1. In
fact, Stubby, an pit bull, became a decorated war hero in
WWI.
Buster Brown Ad
Many
companies also adopted the image of the APBT for their
logos and advertising. The pit bull became the image for
RCA, with Nipper ever listening for his master’s voice.
And of course, there was the ever present Tige, for the
Buster Brown shoe company.
Perhaps the most recognized and cherished APBT is Pete the
Pup from the “our Gang” comedies. He was the
quintessential kid’s dog.
Hellen Keller and Annie Sullivan with their Friend
Pit
Bulls accompanied pioneer families — Laura Ingalls
Wilder, the author of the Little House book series, had a
working Pit Bull named Jack. Many other famous people
throughout history have also owned
the breed, including Theodore Roosevelt and Helen Keller.
The APBT indeed, had become America’s sweetheart —
artwork of the breed graced the cover of several
“Life” magazines.
In 1898, the United Kennel Club was formed to
provide registration and fighting guidelines for the APBT.
Later, the fanciers that wished to distance themselves
from the fighting aspect of the breed petitioned the
American Kennel Club for recognition. After concessions to
different breed clubs, they were granted recognition in
1936. However, since the name was so close to the Bull
Terrier, they were required to change the name. They were
recognized as Staffordshire (for the province in England
where they originated) Terriers. This made them eligible
to compete in the AKC competition events. When the breed
gained acceptance, many people dual registered their dogs
with both AKC and UKC (a practice that many still follow
today). In fact, Pete the Pup, officially known as
Lucenay’s Peter, was among some of the first dogs dual
registered.
The AKC eventually closed its studbooks to the APBT and
only allowed those dogs born to registered
“Staffordshire Terrier” to be admitted. For a brief
period in the 1970s, they did reopen their studbooks to
American Pit Bull Terriers. Then, in 1973, the prefix
American was added to the Staffordshire Terrier’s name.
This was in an effort to further distinguish it from the
newly recognized Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Life Magazine Cover
Today
the APBT has evolved into a marvelous working
companion whose jobs are only limited by the imagination.
Many work as Police and armed service dogs, while others
save lives on search and rescue teams. They excel as
therapy dogs for hospital and nursing home patients, they
herd and guard livestock, compete in dog shows, obedience
trials and agility. Of course, their most important job of
all is being loving and loyal family companions.
Myths
and Tales Surrounding the APBT
Myth
#1)
“Pit
Bulls have locking jaws.”
— I
have heard this myth perpetuated by both owners/fanciers of
the breed as well as its opponents and detractors. There is
nothing physiologically different about an APBTs jaws than
any other breed of dog. Their jaws can no more lock than a
Poodle’s.
However (this is probably the basis for the myth), they do
have considerable jaw strength. The wide jaws and prominent
musculature allows them to hold onto an object, if they want
to. This trait is from their bull baiting history — they
had to grab onto the nose of the bull and hang on until the
animal was subdued.
Myth
#2)
“Pit
Bulls can hold on with their front teeth while chewing with
their back teeth.” —
This
one is also physically impossible.
Myth
#3)
“All
Pit Bulls are vicious.” and/or “Pit Bulls are born
mean.” —
No entire breed of dog is inherently vicious or mean, just
as no one race of humans is bad. Each dog is an individual
— a combination of its genes, upbringing and training..
The APBT is a breed that has been bred for hundreds of
generations to have a high bite inhibition for humans. Even
in their fighting past, no human aggression was tolerated. A
Pit Bull that would bite a human earned a bullet in the
head.
An Old Photo of a Boy with his Pals
Myth
#4)
“Pit
Bulls have 3000 lbs of biting power per square inch (psi).”
—
There is no reliable way to test the psi of a dog’s jaw. Not
to mention the variables that would occur if testing were
possible. Jaw strength varies from dog to dog, in any breed.
Myth
#5)
“Dogs
that are aggressive toward other animals will turn on
humans.”
—
There is absolutely no correlation between animal aggression
and human aggression in dogs. Animal aggression can and does
occur in all dog breeds. In the history of the APBT, humans
were always in the pit with the dogs while they were fighting.
A dog that was a danger to humans and prone to biting was not
acceptable. In fact, their high tolerance of pain makes them
incredible dogs for children.
Myth
#6)
“Pit
Bulls bite/attack more people than any other breed.” —
Bite
statistics actually show otherwise. Other breeds, more likely
to be seen as “nice dogs” usually top the bite lists. Here
are a couple of excerpts from two different dog bite studies:
1) Which Dogs Bite? A Case-Control Study of Risk Factors
Kenneth A. Gershman, MD, MPH*,; Jeffrey J. Sacks, MD, MPH; and
John C. Wright, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT. Objective. Dog bites cause an estimated 585,000
injuries resulting in the need for medical attention yearly
and children are the most frequent victims. This study sought
to determine dog-specific factors independently associated
with a dog biting a non-household member. Results. Children
aged 12 years and younger were the victims in 51% of cases.
Compared with controls, biting dogs were more likely to be
German Shepherd or Chow Chow predominant breeds...
The Little Rascals with Petey
2)
Dog-bite study... By Paul Bourgeois, Star-Telegram Staff
Writer
FORT WORTH, TX
Quietly and methodically, Fort Worth Animal Control is
looking for answers. Armed with a $168,000 grant from the
Texas Department of Health, animal control is in the middle
of a 14-month study…….
Some patterns have been discovered...
* Mixed breeds accounted for just over 18 percent of the
attacks, but where the breed or predominant breed could be
determined, chows were found to be more likely to bite. They
accounted for 6.9 percent of the attacks. Shepherds and
shepherd mixes accounted for 6.7 percent; retrievers, which
includes several types, 6.3 percent; pit bulls and mixes,
5.5 percent; and Rottweilers, 4.9 percent...
* full text of both of these available
Myth
#7)“Only
criminals and weirdoes own Pit Bulls.”
—
The majority of APBTs are owned by average people and
families. * Note: My 60+ year old mother owns one and my son
has grown up with them. And, as we learned earlier, many
famous and respected individuals have owned APBTs.
Information
and photos are courtesy of
k9rescueltd.org
|
