History of Pit Bull Part 2 Part 1
In 1835, a law was set in motion in England that would make the sport of baiting illegal, and over the next few years, the activity eventually died down upon enforcement of the law. The people turned to another blood sport - dog fighting - and of course turned to the bulldog as the likely candidate for what was to the become the foundation of a new breed.
Bulldogs with a heightened tendency to exhibit dog-directed aggression, a smaller size, and greater agility for performance in a pit that was decidedly smaller than the large areas that baits were typically held in were the likely candidates. Hardy, scrappy sporting terriers were crossed into these fighting bulldogs to further enhance these traits. The crosses were called bull-and-terriers.
It is considered general knowledge that these crosses were the first Pit Bulls, however there is some speculation as to whether or not the history of these crosses is that of our Pit Bulls, or rather a history "borrowed" from the Bull Terrier, which is a very well documented bulldog/terrier fighting dog cross. Some students of Pit Bull history believe that the Pit Bull is practically a living replica of the old-time bulldog, and that during this time the bulldog was refined as a fighting dog ‘as is’, without any crossbreeding. The question presented is this: why would the devotees of the already extremely game bulldog dilute the blood of the perfect fighting dog with non-game terriers? The typical argument is that the terrier blood increased agility and decreased size. However, the jobs the bulldog was typically required to perform would have demanded agility and the ability to avoid the antics of an enraged bull. As already pointed out, bulldogs came in a variety of sizes and shapes, so breeding down the size to be more compatible with the pit would not have been a difficult task, even without looking outside the gene pool. Examining works of art from all points in history, one will discover dogs that look similar to today's Pit Bull.
As tempting as it may be to sucked in by the allure of such a notion, the odds of the APBT being the original, terrier-free bulldog is not likely. It is the opinion our opinion that, while the APBT is probably made up mostly of old bulldog blood, at least some terrier blood *was* indeed introduced. Please consider the fact that quite a bit of cross-breeding went on among the game dog fanciers of the time who were not so much interested in purebred dogs as they were in dogs with fighting ability, and would therefore breed accordingly to dogs that were game, regardless of pedigree. It is a known fact that bulldogs and terriers were mixed, and fought, and it is extremely unlikely, and in fact no evidence proves, that none of these bull-and-terrier mixes never made it into the APBT gene pool.
The breed eventually to be known as the American Pit Bull Terrier was selectively bred specifically with the idea of it becoming the ultimate canine gladiator. But by virtue of the fact that so much of the breed was made up of versatile bulldog blood, the breed also proved adept at a number of non-fighting activities, including those which the bulldog had been used for. Also, the traits (specifically gameness and a soft, gentle, amiable temperament with humans) bred for in pit dogs were surprisingly relevant in other arenas. Gameness is defined as the willingness to see a task through to its end, even under penalty of serious injury or death. Gameness was the trait most cherished in a fighting dog for obvious reasons, however this same trait proved useful in other areas - a dog who had the tenacity to hold a wild bull or boar, braveness to keep wild and stray animals away from valuable livestock, and extreme tolerance for pain (which made for a very stable dog less likely to bite out of fear or pain) was useful in rural old England, and later on in America. So while a core group of fanciers focused on the fighting uses of the breed, and bred with the pit in mind, others kept dogs for a variety of tasks. And indeed, some family/working dogs were used in the pit and some pit dogs were also family/working dogs. There was never a clear line drawn between ‘fighting dogs’, and ‘non-fighting dogs’ in those early years of the breed.
Pit Bulls were imported to America shortly before the Civil War, and used in much the same manner as they were back in England. But in the USA the breed solidified and was named - the American Pit Bull Terrier. Strains of the fighting dog that remained in England later came to be known as Staffordshire Bull Terriers. There is speculation as to how closely related the Stafford and Pit Bull are as a breed, but the most convincing case is made up of claims that they are a similar breed, developed during the same time, made up of similar but separate strains of bulldog and terrier blood. Cousins, but not brothers. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier became recognized as a breed by the English dog registry, the Kennel Club, in 1935.
In America, the Pit Bull flourished. It was one of the most popular breeds, highly prized by a wide variety of people. The Pit Bull was used to represent the US in WW1 artwork; popular companies like RCA and the Buster Brown Shoe Company used the breed as their mascots. A Pit Bull named Pete starred in the popular children's television series, Our Gang; Stubby, which many people call a “pit bull type dog” became a decorated WW1 hero. Pit Bulls accompanied pioneer families on their explorations. Laura Ingalls Wilder of the popular Little House books owned a working Pit Bulldog named Jack. Famous individuals like Theodore Roosevelt and Helen Keller owned the breed. It was during this time that the Pit Bull truly became America’s sweetheart breed, admired, respected and loved.
Continue on to part 3 --->
In 1835, a law was set in motion in England that would make the sport of baiting illegal, and over the next few years, the activity eventually died down upon enforcement of the law. The people turned to another blood sport - dog fighting - and of course turned to the bulldog as the likely candidate for what was to the become the foundation of a new breed.
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| "Dustman" - a known bulldog-terrier cross. |
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| "Crib & Rosa" - this painting is shown to depict two dogs of original bulldog type. |
As tempting as it may be to sucked in by the allure of such a notion, the odds of the APBT being the original, terrier-free bulldog is not likely. It is the opinion our opinion that, while the APBT is probably made up mostly of old bulldog blood, at least some terrier blood *was* indeed introduced. Please consider the fact that quite a bit of cross-breeding went on among the game dog fanciers of the time who were not so much interested in purebred dogs as they were in dogs with fighting ability, and would therefore breed accordingly to dogs that were game, regardless of pedigree. It is a known fact that bulldogs and terriers were mixed, and fought, and it is extremely unlikely, and in fact no evidence proves, that none of these bull-and-terrier mixes never made it into the APBT gene pool.
The breed eventually to be known as the American Pit Bull Terrier was selectively bred specifically with the idea of it becoming the ultimate canine gladiator. But by virtue of the fact that so much of the breed was made up of versatile bulldog blood, the breed also proved adept at a number of non-fighting activities, including those which the bulldog had been used for. Also, the traits (specifically gameness and a soft, gentle, amiable temperament with humans) bred for in pit dogs were surprisingly relevant in other arenas. Gameness is defined as the willingness to see a task through to its end, even under penalty of serious injury or death. Gameness was the trait most cherished in a fighting dog for obvious reasons, however this same trait proved useful in other areas - a dog who had the tenacity to hold a wild bull or boar, braveness to keep wild and stray animals away from valuable livestock, and extreme tolerance for pain (which made for a very stable dog less likely to bite out of fear or pain) was useful in rural old England, and later on in America. So while a core group of fanciers focused on the fighting uses of the breed, and bred with the pit in mind, others kept dogs for a variety of tasks. And indeed, some family/working dogs were used in the pit and some pit dogs were also family/working dogs. There was never a clear line drawn between ‘fighting dogs’, and ‘non-fighting dogs’ in those early years of the breed.
 |
| Sally served with the Pennsylvania Infantry during the Civil War, and is regarded as a war hero. |
Pit Bulls were imported to America shortly before the Civil War, and used in much the same manner as they were back in England. But in the USA the breed solidified and was named - the American Pit Bull Terrier. Strains of the fighting dog that remained in England later came to be known as Staffordshire Bull Terriers. There is speculation as to how closely related the Stafford and Pit Bull are as a breed, but the most convincing case is made up of claims that they are a similar breed, developed during the same time, made up of similar but separate strains of bulldog and terrier blood. Cousins, but not brothers. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier became recognized as a breed by the English dog registry, the Kennel Club, in 1935.
 |
| "Lucenay's Peter" - aka "Pete the Pup" from the Our Gang series. |
In America, the Pit Bull flourished. It was one of the most popular breeds, highly prized by a wide variety of people. The Pit Bull was used to represent the US in WW1 artwork; popular companies like RCA and the Buster Brown Shoe Company used the breed as their mascots. A Pit Bull named Pete starred in the popular children's television series, Our Gang; Stubby, which many people call a “pit bull type dog” became a decorated WW1 hero. Pit Bulls accompanied pioneer families on their explorations. Laura Ingalls Wilder of the popular Little House books owned a working Pit Bulldog named Jack. Famous individuals like Theodore Roosevelt and Helen Keller owned the breed. It was during this time that the Pit Bull truly became America’s sweetheart breed, admired, respected and loved.
Continue on to part 3 --->
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