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American Pit Bull Terrier
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The American Pit Bull Terrier is a breed of dog.
ng the nineteenth century, dog fanciers in England, Ireland, and Scotland began to experiment with crosses between bulldogs and terriers, looking for a dog that combined the gameness of the terrier with the strength and athleticism of the bulldog.
In the late 1800s to early 1900s, two clubs were formed for the specific purpose of registering APBTs: the United Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeder's Association.
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Encyclopedia
The American Pit Bull Terrier is a breed of dog.
History
During the nineteenth century, dog fanciers in England, Ireland, and Scotland began to experiment with crosses between bulldogs and terriers, looking for a dog that combined the gameness of the terrier with the strength and athleticism of the bulldog.
In the late 1800s to early 1900s, two clubs were formed for the specific purpose of registering APBTs: the United Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeder's Association. The United Kennel Club was founded with the registration of an American Pit Bull Terrier and was the first registry to recognize the breed.
The dog was bred first to bait bulls and for dog fighting. When baiting bulls was deemed inhumane, dogfighting became more popular, and the APBT was used in the sport. With time, the dogs became more commonly used as house pets due to their friendliness towards people, but also as a way of protecting homes against crime. The dog was used during World War I and World War II as a way of delivering messages on the battlefield. A resurgence in dog fighting in recent years has caused an increase in pit bull terrier breeding.
The name "Staffordshire Terrier" was adopted by some owners as a way of distancing the breed from a name with a stigma, and was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1936. Later, the word "American" was added to reduce confusion with its smaller British cousin, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Once an extremely popular family dog in the United States (for example, the dog in The Little Rascals movies and in Buster Brown was an APBT), the American Pit Bull Terrier's popularity began to decline in the United States following World War II in favor of other breeds.
Characteristics
Appearance
The American Pit Bull Terrier is a medium-sized dog. It has a short coat and smooth, well-defined muscle structure. Its eyes are round to almond shaped, and its ears are small to medium in length and can be natural or cropped. Females tend to have longer bodies than males, while males have slightly bigger limbs. The tail is thick and tapers to a point. The coat is glossy, smooth, short, and slightly coarse and can be any color.
It is a common mistake to call many other breeds a pitbull.
Breeds such as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and bullmastiff are just some of the 30 easily mistaken breeds.
Temperament
The APBT is a breed that is loyal to friends and family, and friendly to strangers. Proper training can make the dog obedient and have a high desire to please. Without proper guidance, though, the breed can become stubborn, and at times, aggressive. A study done by the CDC showed that "pit bull" breeds accounted for the majority of dog related fatalities in the United States between 1979 and 1996, though the study admits some limitations in its data.
The American Temperament Testing Society shows a pass percentage of 84.3% for American Pit Bull Terrier. Still, a firm, even hand and early obedience training are best. They generally have a lot of energy and high prey drive; they need exercise and stimulation in order to channel their energy properly and not become frustrated, bored, and destructive.
Activities
Being intelligent, athletic dogs, American Pit Bull Terriers excel in many dog sports, including weight pulling, dog agility, flyball, lure coursing and advanced obedience competition. Some pit bulls have been known to do well in schutzhund as well. Out of the 25 dogs who have earned UKC "superdog" status (by gaining championship titles in conformation, obedience, agility, and weightpull), fourteen have been pit bulls.
The American Pit Bull Terrier is a working dog and is suitable for a wide range of working disciplines due to their intelligence, high energy and endurance. In the United States they have been used as search and rescue dogs that save lives, police dogs performing narcotics and explosives detection, Border Patrol dogs, hearing dogs to provide services to the deaf, as well as general service dogs.
Law
American Pit Bull Terriers have historically been and are still used for dog fighting. Although dog fighting is illegal in the United States and many other countries, it is still practiced, and is usually accompanied by gambling. In the United States, participating in dog fighting is a felony in 49 states, and United States federal law prohibits interstate transport of dogs for fighting purposes.
Due to the history of dog fighting seizures and fatal maulings, APBTs can often end up in the care of animal control services. Since they are perceived as dangerous, pit bulls are often euthanized. Attempts to euthanize solely based on breed have been banned by U.S. law.
In the United Kingdom, the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 prohibits the sale or breeding of "any dog of the type known as pit bull terrier." Some jurisdictions in the Australian states of Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, and in the United States, have similar breed-specific legislation, varying from a total ban on ownership to muzzling in public. Similarly, in Ontario, Canada, the ownership of APBTs has been banned in the Dog Owners' Liability Act.
As of August 29, 2005, the "owning, breeding, transferring, importing or abandoning" of APBTs is illegal in Ontario, Canada, given that it was found that the APBT breed "poses a danger to the public."
Beginning in 1993, after three serious incidents, it was forbidden in The Netherlands to breed pit bulls or pit bull-like dogs. Pit bulls and pit bull-like dogs without a FCI pedigree could be impounded by authorities and put to sleep. However, in June 2008, the Dutch government said it would lift the breed specific ban on pit bulls because of its ineffectiveness at reducing bite incidents.
It is illegal in Miami-Dade County, Florida to own or keep Pit Bull Dogs, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or any other dog that substantially conforms to any of these breeds’ characteristics.
See also
Further reading
- American Pit Bull Terriers - Fact or Fiction by Dawn Capp book
- Popular Dogs Series: Bully Breeds magazine
- The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind by Ken Foster book ISBN-: 1592287492
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