Pitbulls, a Misunderstood Breed

Pit Bulls: a Misunderstood Breed.

When you say the word Pit Bull, most present day people will conjure up images of a vicious, drooling attack dogs that they would never want to have live in their neighborhood, much less own. Sadly, it's only in recent years that this misunderstood breed has got this horrible reputation, much thanks to dog fighters, the media and terrible owners. Pit Bulls can be great family pets and wonderful companions if they are raised properly by responsible owners.

The name Pit Bull is generally used to describe four specific dog breeds. The American Staffordshire Terrier, The Staffordshire Bull terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier, and the Bull Terrier (Macneil-allcock). The breed originated around the 1100's where they were first used in bullbaiting. Bullbaiting is where you have a bull tethered to a rope or chain and then one or more dogs are set on it. The purpose was to have the dog bite onto the bulls nose and hold on (O'neil 6-7,10,68-75). In 1835 bullbaiting was banned in England and Ireland and that helped launch the new sport of dog fighting (Fenstermacher 8-10). This was very popular in both England and Ireland because it was a sport that the common man could participate in. All you needed were two dogs and a makeshift ring and you were ready to go.

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Pit Bulls and dog fighting made it to the United States before the civil war and quickly became very popular (Fenstermacher 8-10).

Dog fighting became very popular in the United States in the 1800's. Dogs were bred specifically for their aggressive tendencies toward other dogs. Dogs that were not aggressive enough or showed submissive personalities were used as bait dogs for the fighting dogs. A common misconception is that because these dogs were used as fighting dogs, they would not be good family dogs. This was not true; dogs that showed aggression towards humans were often killed. There was too much human interaction involved in dog fighting, a dog aggressive towards humans would not be tolerated. Many times, fighting dogs were also family pets and lived in the house with the owners (O'neil 6-7,10,68-75).

The media has always played a huge role in the image of the Pit Bull. It is only in recent times that the pit bulls have received such negative attention (Macneil-allcock). During WWI, Pit Bulls were the symbol of American toughness and military pride. An American Pit Bull was the featured dog in many war posters. In one poster, a Pit Bull is featured with the caption, "I'm neutral, but not afraid of any of them" (Fenstermacher 8-10). They are hardly the first dogs to receive negative press, German Shepherds in the 1950s and 1960's, and Dobermans in the 1970's were the "bad breeds" of those times (Jessup). Pit bulls became popular with dog fighters,

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