The Real History of Pit Bulls & Why Everyone Should Love This Breed

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The Complex And Misunderstood Subscribe History Of Pit Bulls

Studying the history of different breeds of dogs can be a fascinating and rewarding subject. Most people are familiar with the origin of where dogs came from. Dogs were domesticated by humans at least ten thousand years ago. Over the millenniums, mankind has molded the once ferocious and terrifying wolves into the adorable and lovable dogs that we all know and love today. Every single dog breed was crafted by humanity. Some were bred intentionally, others not so much.

Of all the dogs that we have created, few are as misunderstood as the pit bull. Often seen as a symbol of aggression, the pit bull remains a mystery to many dog lovers. The history of the pit bull begins in the early eighteen hundreds in The United Kingdom. They were Crst born by breeding together terriers and bulldogs.

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Pit Bulls & Blood Sports

This new breed of dog gained fame by being used in cruel blood sports known as bear-baiting and bull-baiting. The idea of the sport was to have the dogCght against a bear or a bull until they killed each other or died of exhaustion. The games appealed to lower classes.

Thankfully in 1835, Britain banned the practice of the games with the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835. This act forbade blood sports like bear and bull baiting. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all good news, as the act failed to make all blood sports. It became common for the Cghts to instead just feature dogs against dogs. Pit bulls obtained their name from this. Their history of Cghting in pits and against bulls gave them their name. However, since they were originally bred from terriers, the name for them was pit bull terrier.

It wasn’t until the mid eighteen hundreds, shortly before the American Civil War, when British immigrants started bringing their pit bull terriers to The United States of America. It was during this time when the pit bull terrier was renamed to the American pit bull. Where in the United Kingdom, the pit bull was forced to Cght in death pits, in The United States, the dog was given a more calm life where it was used primarily as a sheep and cattle herder. The animal was trained as a guard dog to protect farm animals and was YOU MAY ALSO LIKE even taught how to hunt.

America Develops Love For Pit TRUDOG GUIDE TO TRAINING YOUR Bull Breed BOSTON TERRIER

During this period, the image of pit Boston terriers are big on personality bulls changed in America. People with plenty of energy. They are a striking grew to love pit bulls, especially pooch that makes them a popular children. A myth started known as choice despite their rambunctious the “Nanny dog” myth where pit nature. Obedience Obedience training bulls would nanny children. This is, not only… of course, false. But it illustrates how people loved the pit bull terrier. A KIND PRIEST BRINGS STRAY DOGS TO MASS SO THEY CAN FIND NEW During World War I and II, pit bulls became the animal mascot of The United FAMILIES States of America. They were used in advertising to promote war bonds and patriotism. On top of that, there were numerous pit bulls that became war Stray Dogs Go to Mass A Brazilian priest heroes! Sergeant Stubby is the most famous of these dogs. He became the is truly following the biblical call to look most decorated war dog of all time. He served in France, during World War I, after “the least of these”. Padre João with his company John Robert Conroy of the 102nd Infantry 26th Yankee Paulo de Araujo Gomes brings stray division. Among his accomplishments was obtaining a purple heart! dogs…

After the era of World War I and II, the pit bull continued to be a mascot in TRUDOG GUIDE TO TRAINING YOUR advertising for The United States. The dog had successfully taken the heart SHIH TZU of Americans everywhere. However, eventually the popularity died down and Shih Tzus are born adorable and by the nineteen Cfties, pit bulls were no longer seen as special. They had friendly, but not well-trained. As such, become normal dogs just like all other breeds. This isn’t necessarily a bad almost every Shih Tzu needs some help thing as they didn’t have to worry too much about being in Cghting pits and learning their family’s routines and were mostly family dogs. house rules. But not to despair…

In the nineteen seventies, the US government passed the Animal Welfare Act of 1976. This new law made dogCghting completely illegal in The United States. This seems like a win in general for dogs, but unfortunately, in the eighties, there was a reemergence of the blood sport of dog Cghting in secret. Pit bulls once again became the most popular choice for these illegal games of violence and it wasn’t long before they started to gain an image of notoriety.

“Friend And Killer” Discriminatory Media Myth

This notorious image continued to blossom in American society until it climaxed in nineteen eighty- seven when Time Magazine published an article called, “The Pit Bull Friend And Killer.” This article set a precedent that would, unfortunately, last for the next two decades where people and the media unfairly continue to judge pit bulls as overly aggressive and uncontrollable animals. This fear of America’s once favorite dog, led to a regulation system known as Breed-Speci\c Legislation (BSL) where governments could ban pit bulls and other breeds of dogs from cities at will.

Illegal dog Cghting operated mostly unhinged for the next twenty years or so. It wasn’t until the year two thousand and seven when there was a breakthrough. Federal agents in\ltrated Bad Newz Kennels, a hugely popular Cghting ring ran by the NFL’s former star, Michael Vick. The inCltration of Bad Newz Kennels was a game-changing moment for how the public perceived pit bulls. They were Cnally seen as victims of violence instead of monsters. Many of the dogs that were rescued had to be euthanized, with one, in particular, being newsworthy due to its aggressive tendencies. However, thanks to the help from companies like Bad Rap and Best Friends Animal Society, a stunning number (48 out of 51) of the pit bulls that were saved from the dog Cghting rings were able to be put back into society as healthy loving dogs.

Rescue & Recovery Of The Viktory Dogs

These dogs became a phenomenon and are known as the Viktory Dogs. Their stories are heartwarming and inspired a memorable front page cover on Sports Illustrated on December 29, 2008. This was a turning point for the public’s opinion on pit bulls, as Sports Illustrated published a cover on July 27th, 1987 calling for the public to be aware of pit bulls.

An emotional documentary \lm was even made about the Viktory Dogs called, The Champions, which detailed the powerful and inspiring story of recovery that the dogs all made. It is amazing how something so terrible such as Bad Newz Kennels’s Cghting rings could actually inspire so many stories of hope and love.

Today, the current viewpoint of the pit bull is complicated. There are those who still Cnd them dangerous, but there are many advocacy groups that petition to remove BSL regulations. For every single person that dislikes pit bulls, there is an equal number of those who love them. The Bad Newz Kennels scandal brought to light in many people’s eyes the abuse that pit bulls go through and many today see them as victims that have been mistreated for decades.

Hopefully, someday pit bulls will be universally loved again and never have to worry about being thrown into a dogCghting ring. If people were to learn and understand the history of the animal, then they would know that there is not much to fear from a pit bull. The behavior of a dog is not dictated by its breed, but rather its human companion. If we want to see pit bulls return to their glory days, we as people need to treat them better.

Sources: http://love-a-bull.org/resources/the-history-of-pit-bulls/ https://www.ukcdogs.com/american-pit-bull-terrier https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/06/the-origin-of- dogs/484976/ http://statutes.org.uk/site/the-statutes/nineteenth-century/1835-5-6- william-4-c-59-cruelty-to-animals-act/ https://www.marthastewart.com/1072662/larger-life-lap-dogs http://www.\ght4them.org/war-dogs-pit-bulls-in-the-military/ http://www.goodpitbulls.com/pit-bulls-media/pit-bulls-in-advertisements/ https://www.si.com/vault/1987/07/27/115813/the-pit-bull-friend-and- killer-is-the-pit-bull-a-\ne-animal-as-its-admirers-claim-or-is-it-a-vicious- dog-un\t-for-society https://www.aspca.org/animal-cruelty/dog\ghting/what-breed-speci\c- legislation http://www.espn.com/nd/news/story?id=4179327 http://badrap.org/about-us/mission-programs https://bestfriends.org/ https://web.archive.org/web/20071112191045/http://www.wvec.com/news/topstories/stories/wvec_local_100207_vick_dog_euthanized.12efbb8bc.html https://bestfriends.org/sanctuary/explore-sanctuary/dogtown/vicktory- dogs https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/photo/2015/08/26/dogs-si- covers#18 https://stopbsl.org/bsloverview/ https://www.medwelljournals.com/abstract/?doi=javaa.2009.336.342

About Brandon Prows Hello, my name is Brandon. I am a passionate lover of all animals, but dogs have always been my favorite. In the past, I have owned many including golden retrievers and chocolate labradors. Labradors are my favorite breed of dogs, but if I were to get a new one it'd probably be a pit bull. I work as a broadcast editor in the day. During the evenings, I work as a professional copywriter and researcher.

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