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Myths vs. Facts—The Truth About “Pit Bulls”

I have collected  a lot of information about this topic.  There are sources listed throughout this article and at the bottom as well.  Before condemning breeds that you may have never met and only heard what the news chooses to tell you.  Stop and think about it.  I have been working with dogs for over 15 years now.  Seen a lot of breeds and mixes…You would be surprised at how many more small dogs showed aggression towards people before any of the bully breeds.  I am not saying that small dogs are bad either, having 3 small dogs myself.  No dog is born to be aggressive.  Most become or begin to show signs and their humans do nothing about it.  Think it’s cute or okay.  There’s is a difference in aggressions and protection!

Fact 1: Surprise—A “pit bull” isn’t even a breed of dog

“Pit bull” is a generic term that refers to a number of breeds, including American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and others.

Fact 2: Pit bulls AREN’T mean and vicious

Pit bulls do carry a terrible stigma, and we’ll get to the reasons why in a minute. For the moment, put your preconceptions aside and read this description provided by the United Kennel Club—one of the most-respected authorities on dog breeds:

“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. Because most APBTs exhibit some level of dog aggression and because of its powerful physique, the APBT requires an owner who will carefully socialize and obedience train the dog…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 and highly undesirable. This breed does very well in performance events because of its high level of intelligence and its willingness to work.

Eager to please? Extremely friendly? Noted for their love of children? Yes, that’s the real pit bull!

Most people, who are unfamiliar with the American Pit Bull Terrier and falsely believe that they are dangerous dogs.  Unfortunately, Pit Bulls have a bad reputation because of some mean people who have abused their dogs and trained them to be aggressive.  Pit Bulls are actually very stable, intelligent, and highly trainable.  They are strong athletic dogs, and they require a guardian who is responsible and will give them plenty of exercise and training.  They are very loving and loyal and make excellent animal companions.

Fact #3: Pit bulls make great family pets

The American Temperament Test Society, Inc. (ATTS) is a professional organization that objectively tests the temperaments of various dog breeds.

They do this by methodically exposing members of a breed to a series of confrontational situations, then measuring their reaction. The more aggressive the reaction, the lower the score the dog receives. The score is based on the percentage of dogs in a breed that passed the test:

Here are some of the most recent results available. We’ve included some widely considered “most friendly” (like beagles and poodles) and some labeled “dangerous” (like Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and of course, pit bulls.)  These scores are from the 2008 Testing series.  They are currently taking applications for the 2009 Series of testing.

Warning: you will be surprised by the results!
ATTS Scores by Breed
Afghan: 72%
Australian Shepard: 81%
Beagle: 81%
Cairn Terrier: 71.7%
Chihuahua: 71.1%
Cocker Spaniel: 81.5%
German Shepherd: 83.7%
Golden Retriever: 84.6%
Labrador Retriever: 92%
Rottweiler: 82.3%
Toy Poodle: 82.4%
Yorkshire Terrier: 82.1%

Now, compare these to the pit bull breeds:

American Pit Bull Terrier: 85.3%
American Staffordshire Terrier: 83.9%
Staffordshire Bull Terrier: 88%

For this study, the ATTS evaluated more than 25,000 dogs and more than 200 breeds. The average score for all breeds together: 81%. As you can see, when it comes to having a reliably friendly temperament, the pit bull breeds well exceed the average!

You can find these scores and more at www.ATTS.org

Fact #4: Pit bulls are widely abused by dog fighters (and therein lies the problem)

We don’t understand why anyone would take pleasure in watching animals fight for their lives, but apparently some people find this high entertainment. Shame on them!

Hundreds of years ago, our ancestors enjoyed bull baiting and bear baiting, other bloodthirsty forms of animal abuse. Similarly, ancestors of the pit bull were bred for this purpose—to fight in a ring against bulls and bears, generally to the death.

In short, bull dogs (known for their strength) were bred with terriers (known for their agility and feistiness) to produce the pit bull breeds. Today, these dogs continue to be a favorite with dog fighters, for several reasons: they are very strong, supposedly have a high pain tolerance, and have a strong desire to please their owners, even if it means dying for them.

Fact #5: Yes, some pit bulls can be “animal aggressive”

Because of dog fighting, some pit bulls have been bred to be “animal aggressive”—i.e., aggressive towards dogs and other animals.  Now many of these people are looking at other breeds of dogs that can be used to fight or as bait dogs.  This does not make them bad dogs.  But victims of these twisted people that enjoy watching animals fight and die for pleasure or money.

A dog that is animal aggressive may still make a fine pet. The key is socialization and training.  This is true with any breed of dog there is.  If you as the owner do not take the steps needed to make sure your pet is trained and socialized what do you think is going to happen?

All dogs should undergo socialization and obedience training – No Matter What Breed They Are.  You send your children to school to learn, socialize and learn the behaviors that are are appropriate.  Why would you not do the same thing for your pet(s)?

That being said, many pit bulls are quite friendly with other animals. They tend to be in  multiple pet homes — pit bulls, other dogs (both large and small), cats, even kittens—and they get along just fine.

Fact #6: Very few pit bulls are “human aggressive”

Pit bulls have never been bred to be aggressive toward people. As the United Kennel Club notes, this is uncharacteristic of the breed.

So what about those headlines you see in the newspaper? For the media, printing a “pit bull attack!” headline is like yelling “shark!” on the beach. It draws attention.  How many other breeds of dogs “attack” and you rarely hear about it.  Over the years I have seen Chihuahuas, Labs, Huskies and a variety of other breeds come into shelters, animal control for “attacking” someone or another animal.  Dogs of any breed are not meant to be aggressive to humans.  Lack of socialization, training or abuse or a variety of other reasons can bring them to it.

Putting sensationalism aside, it is nearly impossible to get objective statistics regarding dog attacks and specific breeds.

However, we do know this: dogs that are abused are more likely to become human aggressive. And in urban America, pit bulls in great numbers have been grievously mistreated in an attempt to make them fighting dogs and guard dogs.

Fact #7: Another surprise– pit bulls were once the #1 family dog!

In the early part of the 20th century, pit bulls were the most popular breed of dog. Think of the RCA dog, the Buster Brown dog, Tige, and Pete the Pup from the Li’l Rascals.  He spent countless hours a day with children.  He never hurt anyone.

Helen Keller, President Teddy Roosevelt, and General George Patton all owned pit bulls. Were these very smart people somehow unaware of the pit bull’s dangerous reputation? No, the pit bull’s bad reputation is a recent development.

There are quite a few celebrities who have Pit Bulls as members of their family including:  Rosie Perez, The Crocodile Hunter, Judd Nelson, Usher, Alicia Silverstone, Cassandra Creech, Sinbad, John Stuart, Amy Jo Johnson, Linda Blair, Vin Diesel, and Bernadette Peters.

Pit Bulls are heroes!  America’s first war dog was a Pit Bull named Stubby.  He earned several medals during World War I and was honored at the White House.  The Ken-L-Ration dog hero of 1993 was a Pit Bull named Weela.  She saved 30 people, 29 dogs, 13 horses and a cat during a flood in Southern California.  A Pit Bull named Bogart saved a four-year-old child from drowning in a swimming pool in Florida.  Dixie, the Pit Bull, was inducted into the Georgia Animal Hall of Fame after she saved some children from a Cottonmouth snake.

In fact, the highest obedience trial record of all time is held by an American Pit Bull Terrier named Maddy!

Fact #8: Pit bulls are indeed “underdogs!”

Tragically, urban pit bulls are at very, very high risk of abuse. The majority shelters won’t even accept them . As a result, instead of finding loving homes, hundreds of friendly, loving pit bulls are euthanized every month.

Fact #9: Is it true that Pit Bulls can lock their jaw?

The infamous locking jaw is a myth. The American Pit Bull Terrier and related breeds are physiologically no different from any other breed of dog. All dogs are from the same species and none have locking jaws. Dr. I Lehr Brisbin of the University of Georgia states, “To the best of our knowledge, there are no published scientific studies that would allow any meaningful comparison to be made of the biting power of various breeds of dogs. There are, moreover, compelling technical reasons why such data describing biting power in terms of ‘pounds per square inch’ can never be collected in a meaningful way. All figures describing biting power in such terms can be traced to either unfounded rumor or, in some cases, to newspaper articles with no foundation in factual data.” Furthermore, Dr. Brisbin states, “The few studies which have been conducted of the structure of the skulls, mandibles and teeth of pit bulls show that, in proportion to their size, their jaw structure and thus its inferred functional morphology, is no different than that of any breed of dog. There is absolutely no evidence for the existence of any kind of ‘locking mechanism’ unique to the structure of the jaw and/or teeth of the American Pit Bull Terrier.”

Other Information: Can Pit Bulls “turn” on people?

In fact, no breed of dog does. Dog aggression is nearly always preceded by some kind of warning, and there is always a reason behind the attack. However, many inexperienced owners do not recognize the dog’s behavior as aggression, or refuse to acknowledge it as a warning sign. The only exception I can think of is Springer Rage, a rare and controversial neurological condition that manifests itself as a spontaneous attack, followed by confusion, and then a return to normal behavior. Pit Bulls are NOT prone to this condition. There are individual dogs of any breed that may be more aggressive to others.

Pit Bull quotes:

Pit bulls are famous, in circles of knowledgeable dog people, for the love and loyalty they bestow on anyone who shows them a smidgen of kindness.
–Linda Wilson-Fuoco, journalist

In my opinion, Pit bulls are the least likely to be human aggressive. On the whole, you have to do a lot of work to make them aggressive to people.
–Sue Frisch, Dessin Animal Shelter manager

Pit bulls are especially good at pleasing people since they are strong and smart, they learn quickly and they are very adaptable.”
– Rob Mullin, dog trainer, owner, “K-9 Wizard & Co.” Trumbell, Connecticut

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History

The history of the pit bull-type dog reflects the history of its constituent breeds: the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

American Pit Bull Terrier

American Pit Bull Terrier

The American Pit Bull Terrier is the product of interbreeding between terriers and a now-extinct breed of bulldogs to produce a dog that combined the gameness of the terrier with the strength and athleticism of the bulldog. These dogs were initially bred in England, Ireland, and Scotland, and arrived in the United States with immigrants from these countries. In the United States these dogs were used as catch dogs for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt, to drive livestock, and as family companions; however, some were selectively bred for their fighting prowess, and starting in the early 20th century they began to replace the bull terrier as the “dog of choice” for dog fighting in the United States.

The United Kennel Club (UKC) was the first registry to recognize the American Pit Bull Terrier. UKC founder C. Z. Bennett assigned UKC registration number 1 to his own dog, “Bennett’s Ring”, as an American Pit Bull Terrier in 1898.

American pit bull terriers today successfully fill the role of companion dog, police dog, and therapy dog; however, American pit bull terriers in general have a higher tendency towards dog aggressionand constitute the majority of dogs used for illegal dog fighting in the United StatesThe fighting reputation of pit bull-type dogs led the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1996 to relabel pit bull terriers as “St. Francis Terriers” (not to be confused with the “Terrier” mascot of St. Francis College in New York) so that they might be more readily adopted; 60 temperament-screened dogs were adopted until the program was halted after several of the newly adopted dogs killed cats.^[11] The New York City Center for Animal Care and Control tried a similar approach in 2004 by relabeling their pit bull terriers as “New Yorkies,” but dropped the idea in the face of overwhelming public opposition.

American Staffordshire Terrier

American Staffordshire Terrier

The history of the American Staffordshire Terrier is rooted in its bulldog and terrier ancestry, for it was the interbreeding of the bulldog’s courage and tenacity with the spirit and agility of a terrier that produced the “Bull-and-Terrier Dog”, “Half and Half”, and at times “Pit Dog” or “Pit Bullterrier” that later assumed the name in England of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

The original bulldog, also known today as the Old English Bulldog, was bred in England for the sport of bull-baiting. The original bulldog breed is now extinct, but 19th century artwork depicts the bulldog as being agile and standing straight on front and back legs; some have full muzzles and long, tapering tails; and generally appear more like the present day American Staffordshire Terrier than the present-day English Bulldog. Game terrier breed(s) were bred to aggressively hunt down and kill vermin in a fight to the death; the terrier breed or breeds bred with bulldogs to produce the “Bull-and-Terrier” dog are not definitively known, but candidates include the English White Terrier, Black-and-Tan Terrier, and especially the Fox Terrier.

These dogs began to find their way into America as early as 1870, where they became known as “Pit Dog”, “Pit Bull Terrier”, later “American Bull Terrier”, and still later as “Yankee Terrier”. In 1936, they were accepted by the American Kennel Club as “Staffordshire Terriers”. The name of the breed was revised effective January 1, 1972 to American Staffordshire Terrier since breeders in the United States had developed a type which is heavier in weight than the Staffordshire Bull Terrier of England and the name was changed to distinguish them as separate breeds.

A mixed-breed “bull terrier” named “Sergeant Stubby” was an unofficial member and mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment (Connecticut National Guard), 26th Infantry (“Yankee”) Division, during its deployment to Europe as part of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I; he was “promoted” to the honorary rank of Sergeant for biting and holding a German soldier who was scouting the American trenches until American troops arrived and completed the capture. Stubby wore the following honorary military decorations: the Purple Heart, World War I Victory Medal (Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, and Meuse-Argonne campaign clasps), and the French Médaille commémorative de la bataille de Verdun and Médaille commémorative de la Grande Guerre. After the war, Stubby participated in fundraising activities for the American Red Cross and was the first live mascot of the Georgetown University “Hoyas”. Upon his death on April 3, 1926, Stubby’s remains were mounted by a taxidermist and donated to the Smithsonian Institution.

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier had its beginnings in England many centuries ago when the bulldog and Mastiff were used for the sports of bull-baiting and bear-baiting; in the Elizabethan era, breeders produced large dogs for these sports but later on the 100-120 pound animal gave way to a small, more agile breed of up to 90 pounds.

The sport of dog fighting gained popularity in England in the early 19th century and a smaller, faster dog was developed. It was called by names such as “Bulldog Terrier” and “Bull and Terrier.” The Bulldog at that time was larger than the modern-day English Bulldog we know today, weighing about 60 pounds. This dog was crossed with a small native terrier, related to the present-day Manchester Terrier, to produce the Staffordshire Bull Terrier weighing on average between 30 and 45 pounds.

James Hinks, in about 1860, crossed the Old Pit Bull Terrier, now known as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and produced the all-white English Bull Terrier. The Kennel Club in Great Britain recognized the Bull Terrier in the last quarter of the 19th century, but the Staffordshire Bull Terrier was not recognized due to its reputation as a fighting dog until 1935, a century after the sport of dogfighting became illegal in Great Britain under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier was admitted to registration in the American Kennel Club Stud Book effective October 1, 1974, with regular show classification in the Terrier Group at AKC shows available on and after March 5, 1975.

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