A Fall From Grace: The Story of the Pit Bull
“There is not a more misunderstood canine on the planet than a Pit bull.”
J. Dunn author of Pit bulls: Warrior...Hero...Loyal Friend
I felt obligated to write this article because I live in a city that is currently addressing
the pit bull issue. As an owner of pit bulls since 1990, I felt that it was important for me
to shed some positive light on the history of the breed. The average person’s knowledge
of the pit bull is usually limited to biased urban myths aimed at destroying the dog’s
reputation. What most people do not realize is that pit bulls, up until the last twenty
years, have enjoyed over a century of respect and admiration. It has only been in the
recent history of the breed that that they has been tagged with the stigma of “problem
dog.” Their troubles started in the1980’s when they
became the icon of the criminal underworld. The
public soon began to correlate pit bulls with the
bottom dwellers of society, and because of being
“guilty by association”; the breed’s image went
from respectable to detestable. To dissuade
responsible people from owning one of these
“problem dogs” outright lies such as “locking-jaw”
attributes, inherent human aggression, and
unpredictable temperament, quickly spread. In the 1990’s, legislation against pit bull
ownership began to accelerate in the U.S. and around the world. Politicians and
governmental officials have attempted to solve irresponsible owner issues by banning,
restricting, or killing mass quantities of pit bulls. Radical animal rights groups, such as
PETA and the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), have also been behind the push to banish
the breed. PETA has publicly referred to pit bulls as “weapons” and have stated that no
one should own one, but the true underlining goal of the organization is to eliminating all
human ownership of pets. Add in the media’s assault on the dog to the mix and what is
left is a monstrosity of spun tales, which leaves the public with little room in their hearts
and minds to accept anything good about pit bulls. This article is an attempt to separate
fact from fiction by trying to set a very complicated story straight. This story is not just
for the owners of pit bulls and other targeted breeds, such as Rottweilers and Dobermans,
but serves as a testimonial for lovers of animals everywhere.
One thing I would like to point out in the beginning is that the term “pit bull” does
not refer to a particular breed, but is often used in a generic sense to lump together a
combination of similar breeds. The exact definition of a “pit bull” is somewhat confusing
www.forpeteyssake.com
to understand and is open to much debate. The three breeds that usually fall under this
definition include: American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, and the
American Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) and the
American Staffordshire Terrier (Am Staff) are essentially the same breed but are
registered differently by their respective kennel clubs. The United Kennel Club (UKC)
and the American Dog Breeders Association (ADBA) allow duel registry of both the
American Staffordshire Terrier and the American Pit Bull Terrier, while the American
Kennel Club only recognizes the Am Staff. The third breed usually included with the
group, the stocky and short Staffordshire Bull Terrier, is the English version of the pit
bull terrier. This breed is usually listed as a pit bull in the U.S. and Canada, but is exempt
from England’s “Dangerous Dogs Act” as the “Staffy” is one of the countries most
popular and loved dogs. To add to the confusion,
lawmakers in the U.S. and other countries, have come
up with the term “pit bull type dogs”, and may
include in this definition both the Bull Terrier (Spuds
MacKenzie) and the American Bulldog. Also, some
legal definitions of pit bull type dogs may include any
mixes of these breeds, any mix of these breeds with a
different breed, or any dog that has the physical
appearance of a pit bull: stocky build, blocky head,
thick neck, and wide jaws. This vague classification of pit bulls, which often lends itself
to much misinterpretation, has led to over a dozen different breeds of dogs being
erroneously reported in the media, police reports, and studies as “pit bulls.” The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, which many adversaries of pit
bulls reference, lumps all the data of pit bull type attacks under the heading of “pit bull”,
which again, is not a breed. There is no way of telling whether the attacks can be
contributed to an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire
Bull Terrier, mix of the breeds, mix of the breeds combined with another breed (APBT /
lab mix), or a dog that physical resembles a pit bull but is of a totally different breed.
Unfortunately, the public’s perception of a pit bull is usually limited to the image of a
muscular dog, with a big blockhead, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Sadly, this has led
to a multitude of reports falsely attributed to pit bull breeds, when the real culprits have
been different breeds. Owners of an APBT, Am Staff, or Staffy, usually prefer to use the
specific name of the breed in reference to their dogs, as the slang term “pit bull” has
grown into a negative term.
I would like to emphasize the point that contrary to what is portrayed in the media, we
are not being overrun with vicious pit bulls. Since the 1960’s, pit bulls have been
responsible for about three human fatalities a year in the United States. We live in a
society were 2,000 parents kill their children each year through domestic violence and
drunk drivers kill another 25,000 people. We have to ask ourselves if the pit bull issue is
truly a safety issue or is it just hype! I have chronicled in this article the strange and sad
saga of the pit bull terrier. At one time in our history the pit bull was the most popular
and respected dog in America, but it has since fallen from grace, and has received a black
eye. Today, Criminals are trying to pervert its character, backyard-breeding dens are
trying to change its genetics, and the media is trying to sell stories hyped with
sensationalism. While entire communities are trying to ban the breed, the pit bull
remains the same dog today as it was a hundred years ago, a faithful and loyal friend to
the end. This is a story of how we as a society have betrayed man’s best friend.
In 1835, the English government outlawed the brutal sport of bull baiting. A tradition
for hundreds of years, this blood sport required a bulldog to latch onto the lip of a bull
and hang on until the bull died of exhaustion through blood loss. The carcass of the bull
was then sent to a butcher’s shop to be slaughtered
and sold as prime meat. It was widely believed that
bulls, when stressed and tortured in the ring, produced
the finest cuts. Bull and bear baiting were very
popular form of past time in England between the 16th
and early 19th century. This bloodily debauchery
between beasts was witnessed with eagerness from all
levels of society, from the Staffordshire coal miners
with their blackened faces, to the upper echelon of
royalty. The parliamentary ban on the sport did not
stop the publics desire to witness blood sports, and as a result of the new law, the sport of
“ratting” came into existence. Rats were placed in a pit ring and bets were placed on how
many a dog could kill in a certain amount of time. The bulldog, which had been used in
bull baiting, was too big and bulky for the confines of the small pit ring, and it was
decided that a new breed of dog was needed. It is believed that breeders crossed the old
style bulldog with the now extinct English White Terrier to create the origins of the
breed. This new type of dog was agile, athletic, and persistent in chasing its game.
However, absent of an identity, the dog took on several nicknames including: bull-andterrier,
half-and-half, bull terrier, and pit dog among other names. It was not long before
ratting grew out of style and owners of the breed put the focus on setting dog against dog.
The gambling sport of dog fighting in a pit ring instantly became a hit through out all of
Great Britain. It was this cross of the bulldog and terrier that formed the ancestral stock
of today’s: American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull
Terrier, Bull Terrier, and the American Bulldog.
Originally bred as a bull-and-terrier pit-fighting dog, in Great Britain in the 1830’s,
the breed found a new lease on life in the U.S. as a working dog. As settlers moved
westward in the late 19th Century, English immigrants who had brought their dogs over
with them, found them to be exceptional in herding cattle and sheep, protecting livestock,
and guarding the family home. It was not long before the breed, nicknamed the “Yankee
Terrier”, became the dog of choice for a young and expanding nation. The breed’s hard
work ethic, combined with its solid reputation as a family dog, made them much revered
and in demand. Its special devotion and love for children earned it the beloved title of
“the nanny dog.” In 1898, the United Kennel Club (UKC) was founded and the
American bull-and-terrier became its first registered breed under the name of American
Pit Bull Terrier.
In 1914 Europe became the battleground for nations pitted against each other in a
massive war unparalleled in history. The United States declared its neutrality, but
realizing its neutral status might be challenged, the U.S. began to prepare itself for the
unimaginable, the possibility of being drawn into an all out world war. The American
military began prepping the nation for the possibility of war by printing patriotic posters
that were in part meant to rally the nation, and at the same time, serve as a warning to
unfriendly adversaries—to leave a sleeping giant alone. The various posters featured the
image of an American Pit Bull Terrier draped in the American flag with words such as
“Watchful-Waiting” and “The American Watch-Dog.” The
military chose the pit bull as a representative of the country, not
just because the dog was the most respected of all the breeds,
but because the feisty canine symbolized everything the country
stood for: bravery, loyalty, patience, and a willingness to
defend itself if provoked.
The military’s choice of selecting the pit bull as a mascot
proved to be ultimately prophetic, as a dog of the breed named
Stubby, was to become a hero of the war. An Army Private, J.
Robert Conroy, had originally found him as a stray pup on the
campus of Yale University, and the two soon developed a strong
bond for each other. However, a few months later, the private received his orders to
depart for the war in Europe, but he couldn’t bring himself to say goodbye to his new
friend, so he smuggled him under his coat as he boarded a U.S. troop ship for France.
When the ship finally landed, Conroy’s superior officer discovered Stubby. The officer
was outraged that Conroy was trying to bring a pet into a war zone. He told Convey to
get rid of him, as dogs had “no business being on a battleground.” Just as it seemed that
Stubby would be abandoned at the next French village, a strange and wonderful thing
happened, the dog raised one of its paws up to its eye and saluted the officer. The officer
stood silent in amazement, until he could no longer control himself, then he busted out
into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. After calming down, he told Conroy that he could
keep the dog, as it might prove to be a good morale boost for the troops. It was a
fortunate thing for Stubby that Convey had taught him the trick.
The 102nd Infantry, along with their new mascot Stubby, reached the trenches of the
French war front in February of 1918. The first thirty days of action were a constant
bombardment of shelling that continued day and night. The soldiers in the unit were
amazed by the coolness that Stubby demonstrated under such horrendous conditions.
They were further surprised when he took it upon himself to leave the relative security of
the trenches and boldly wander out into “no-man’s-land.” Undaunted by exploding
mortar rounds and machine-gun crossfire, he braved danger to locate injured American
soldiers. On Stubby’s first exposure to mustard gas, he became gravely sick and required
the services of the field hospital. After this, he became very sensitive to the gas and
would bark excitedly even when he sensed the smallest amount of its presence in the air.
Several times he saved the entire platoon by warning them in advance of incoming gas
attacks.
During his time in France with the 102nd Infantry, Stubby took on the duties of: night
sentry, carrier of intelligence between the trenches, and search
and rescue. On one particular night, Stubby single-handedly
captured a German spy who was gathering intelligence on the
Allied position. Stubby rooted him out of his hiding place, and
chomped onto the seat of his pants, and refused to let go—much
to the delight and cheering of his platoon. The Commander of
the 102nd was so impressed by the heroic deed of the brave dog
that he put in a request for a military promotion. The request
was granted and Stubby was promoted to a Sergeant. He became the first and only dog in
United States Armed Forces history to ever receive a military rank.
Towards the end of the war, the loyal pit bull was severely injured in a German attack
on the American position at St. Mihel. The enemy rushed the Allied trenches and a
grenade exploded next the dog. The soldiers of the 102nd rushed to the aid of Sergeant
Stubby, but he appeared lifeless after the blast. The men were almost certain he was
dead, as he had taken a near direct hit, which imbedded a large amount of the metal
shrapnel in his chest and right leg. Although bleeding and broken, he was still alive, and
was rushed him to the field hospital. As his situation was deemed critical, he was
transported from the field hospital to the American Red Cross, where doctors performed
surgery to save his life. Once fully recovered, he was returned to the front where he
continued to serve and protect the men of the 102nd.
After having served in seventeen battles in WW I, Stubby returned home to the U.S. in
April of 1919, to a hero’s welcome. The French government, in recognition of Stubby’s
courageous service, presented him with four medals for bravery, including the Republic
of France Grande War Medal. The United States Military also presented Stubby with
several medals, the most prestigious being the Purple Heart, for injuries received in
combat while serving his country. On his victory tour, Stubby met President Wilson at
the White House, and he gave the Commander in Chief his now famous doggy salute.
Stubby became the mascot for the University of Georgetown football team and split his
time between charity events and various parades. After his death, the Smithsonian
Institute erected a permanent display to honor the most decorated dog soldier in U.S.
Military history, a distinction that he still holds to this day. Prior to WWI, dogs were not
involved in military service, but it was Stubby who inspired the creation of the military
and civil law enforcement K-9 units.
Soon after the end of the war, a group of rambunctious kids, along with their four
legged friend Petey, captivated the nation in a series of short films called Our Gang and
later titled The Little Rascals. The dog used in the films had the beginning of a natural
ring around its left eye and the rest was filled in with ink by make up artist Max Factor.
Petey the Pup was to go down in history as the most famous pit bull of its breed. Petey’s
popularity, then and now, has made him easily one of the most recognizable dogs to date.
He is able to take his place in the celebrity dog world next to the likes of Lassie;
however, unlike Lassie, who bit her trainer several times, Petey the pit bull displayed
nothing but a loving nature while working on a movie set involving many children.
The popularity of the pit bull exploded during the period prior to WWII. The Little
Rascals put the pit bull in demand just as 101 Dalmatians later made the Dalmatian the
dog every child desired. Advertisers joined in on the popularity of the pit bull by placing
the breed in their ads. Buster Brown Shoes chose Tige, a
pit bull for their mascot, as did RCA, whose pit bull / Fox
Terrier mix, Nipper, sat next to a phonograph machine in
their ads. It was during this time the breed became known
as the “All-American Dog” and became the choice pet.
America had fallen in love with the pit bull and the dog
became the darling of the nation. The pit bull represented
everything that was good and desirable in “man’s best
friend.” The dog became the icon of the nation and the
essence of everything that was Americana. In 1936, the American Kennel Club (AKC)
added the APBT to its registry under the name of the Staffordshire Terrier. The AKC
wanted to disassociate the breed from its pit name and create a separate bloodline devoted
to displaying the dog in the show ring. The AKC in 1972 changed the Staffordshire
Terrier’s name to American Staffordshire Terrier (Am Staff) to distinguish it from its
English cousin, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The word “Staffordshire” is synonymous
with the breed as it is believed that the pit bulls of today evolved from a breed that was
first standardized by coal miners in Staffordshire, England, in the mid 1830’s (who
wanted to fight dogs after bull-baiting was outlawed).
When the United States found itself involved in another world war, it turned once
again to an old friend for support—the pit bull. The military printed up patriotic posters
featuring a U.S. Marine and a pit bull next to the American flag with the inscribed words,
“Defenders of Old Glory.” After the war, the United States Postal Service printed a
stamp of Helen Keller with her companion pit bull at her feet. The popular pit bull, the
all-American dog, was to grace the cover of Life magazine three times during this period.
For the next forty years, the pit bull’s solid image was to remain untarnished
Beginning in the 1980’s, the one hundred plus years of respectability for the pit bull
began to end. Just as the Rottweiler and Doberman had once been negative status
symbols, the pit bull became the macho dog for every criminal, gang member, and rebel
who wanted a big dog to bolster their self-perceived bad ass image. As a result, the pit
bull was once again the dog of choice, but this time with negative connotations attached.
During this time, backyard breeders churned out as many $50 pit bull pups as possible to
feed the demand, and gang members reinvented the old sport of dog fighting to subsidies
their drug business. Dogs are animals, and there is always the factor of unpredictability
in them; however, dogs that are properly trained and nurtured are much more likely to
develop a stable temperament. It is only when a dog has trained for human aggression or
pushed to extremes by being abused and neglected, that it may turn on a person.
Likewise, any large breed of dog in the hands of an irresponsible owner has the potential,
although not always the probability, of being a dangerous animal. To give an analogy, a
gun in the hands of a responsible person is a good thing, a device for recreation and
protection, but in the wrong hands, it can be a used as a weapon. We should not ban all
guns because someone used one for a criminal purpose, just as we should not ban all pit
bulls because someone was irresponsible as an owner.
We must face the stark realization that we live in a culture of perpetual violence. In
the past thirty years, we have seen an alarming increase in many aspects of crime. When
a society becomes riddled with drug use, desensitized to murder, and lawless in manner,
effects and consequences are abounding. Unfortunately during this period, the true
nature of pit bulls has been the hijacked along the way. What was once a forty-pound
dog is now breed for 100+ pounds, instead of guarding the family home, they are
guarding drug dens, and instead of promoting their exceptional qualities, we make up
damning myths and lies about their character. The result is that the pit bull has been
forced to be a participant in the cultural and criminal battles of our society.
So began the fall from grace of perhaps the most beloved and respected dog in the
history of our nation. To add to the problem, the media has jumped on the issue and has
projected the pit bull breeds in the worst possible light. Unscrupulous and biased
reporting has unfortunately driven various media outlets to unjustly portray the pit bull as
a monster ready to devour anything in its path. To fight back, advocates of pit bulls
argue that it is not in the genetic make up of the breed to attack a human. The original
Bull-and-Terriers were not allowed to show any signs of human aggression in the dogfighting
ring. The 19th Century sport of dog fighting required the owners to be in the pit
during the fight, and any dog showing human aggression was usually killed. However, I
do not endorse this line of reasoning, as it is genetically unreasonable to assume this
conclusion. The overall number of pit bulls that have been raised, trained, and engaged
in dog fighting throughout history, has been relatively low compared to the total number
of the breed. The small percentage of the total that are bred for this activity is not going
to affect the overall inherent traits of the larger gene pool. Indeed, something has gone
terribly wrong when one of the breed attacks a person, however, we must look to
environmental factors in the case as opposed to genetics. If we entertain the lie that the
dog’s genetics plays a large part in aggressive cases, then we have
As a pit bull owner I face the realization that society wants to put a bandage on the
vicious dog issue by severely restricting or banning various breeds. We must come to our
senses and realize that it is the irresponsible owner who is truly at fault. It has been
proven by numerous studies that the pit bull is no
more inheritably aggressive then any other breed.
In August 2002, the Alabama Supreme Court
upheld a decision that pit bulls were no more
inherently dangerous than any other breed in
WAF/Sheila Tack v. Huntsville, Alabama. In 2000
the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS),
American Veterinary Medical Association
(AVMA), and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), joined together to investigate whether or not breed specific legislation
(banning individual breeds, such as pit bulls) is effective. Dr. Julie Gilchrist of the CDC
Injury Center in Atlanta concluded that, “"We learned breed specific legislation is not the
way to tackle the issue of dog bites. Instead, we should look at the people with the dogs
responsible for the bites." As recently as March 7, 2006 the Sixth District Court of
Appeals in Ohio ruled that BSL violated several constitutional rights of owners. The
court also ruled that there was no evidence to prove that pit bulls were any more
dangerous then any other breed, thus restrictions on pit bulls were found by the court to
be “unreasonable and discriminatory.”
Organizations against breed specific regulations include: American Veterinary
Medical Association, American Kennel Club, American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, National Animal Control Association, and the Humane Society of the
United States. According to a December 2005 test of 122 dog breeds by the American
Temperament Testing Society, Pit bulls (APBT, Am Staff, and Staffy breeds) achieved
an above average passing rate of 83.8% based on the temperament of 1,077 dogs of the
breed tested. Golden Retrievers received an 83.7 percent score, Beagles 79.7 percent, and
Standard Schnauzers scored a 66.1 percent passing rate.
Here a few stories from various media sources that chose to highlight positive news
about pit bulls:
• Three family pit bulls are credited with saving the lives of a Weld County
couple who woke to find their mobile home on fire (The DenverChannel.com
9/8/2005)
• Pit bull’s Courage Saves City Couple:
The dog is shot and killed while
protecting his family from three mask
intruders (Richmond Times-Dispatch
4/2/2005)
• A Pit bull for a Hero: Raised the
alarm when the owner collapsed at
home (Toronto Sun 2/27/2005)
• Pit bull Leaps to the Rescue: Saves a
child attacked by two Akitas (Miami
Herald 11/30/2003)
• Breed Specific Laws Even Target Heroic Pit bulls (Post-Gazette 11/11/99)
• The Pit bull Who Fights Drugs 1997 Dog Fancy Magazine
• Pit bull Saves other Dogs with its Blood (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
10/18/99)
• Dog Helps Youngster to Safety…. A three year old black and white Pit bull,
resembling Petey the Pup from the ‘Little Rascals’ shows, grabbed the back of a
girl’s jacket and helped her out of a burning home (Fairbanks Daily News
12/6/03)
• Hero Pit bull Finds Newborn (New York Post 10/14/2004)
Million of people across the U.S. have pit bulls who they consider part of their
families. Current owners of pit bulls love them for the same reasons that the late 19th
Century immigrants loved the bull-and-terrier: loyalty to its owner, bravery under fire,
gentleness with children, and a clown-like personality that make us laugh. According to
an article by Scot E. Dowd, Ph.D, in the Encyclopedia of the American Pit Bull Terrier,
owners of pit bulls have included: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Thomas Edison, Fred Astaire,
Humphrey Bogart, Barbra Eden, Mary Tyler Moore, Mel Brooks, Madonna, Rick
Springfield, Brad Pitt, Michael J. Fox, Serena Williams, Steve Irwin “Crocodile Hunter”,
and Alicia Silverstone. The pit bull has not changed, society has changed with an over
abundance of irresponsible owners. Let’s give man’s best friend the due he deserves, and
do the right thing, by punishing irresponsible owners and not the breed. I leave you with a
2002 news story from Reuters that hopefully puts a little comical spin on the whole pit
bull thing: “Poodle Attacks Pit Bull, Sinks Teeth into Owner.”
Gerard Spicer
www.forpeteyssake.com