in the show ring. As a result, the American Staffordshire Terrier (or AmStaff) began to take on its current more blocky type, while the dogs of working lines retained their more “terrier” type.
Also during this period, the breed in both its working form and its show form, and regardless of how it was registered, enjoyed a condition of relative obscurity. It lived in peace in America. No one thought it to be a dangerous dog. Many forgot what a Pit Bull even was. Those who remembered the breed remembered it fondly from the comedy series on television. The reputation for being dangerous was then reserved for such breeds as the Doberman Pinscher. The Pit Bull was left to its fanciers almost exclusively.
A BAD NAME
During the late 1970s, something unusual happened. The Pit Bull exploded in popularity, and, unfortunately, notoriety. One day, it seemed, few in America knew what a Pit Bull was, and the next day, the entire nation thought it to be the most dangerous dog in the world. Suddenly, the breed went from being a dog Americans remembered fondly to a dog everyone thought we would all be better off without. No one is quite sure why this happened. Nevertheless, the more negative talk there was about how dangerous Pit Bulls could be, in newspapers and on television reports, the more the mania spread. More and more irresponsible people wanted to own Pit Bulls; the more irresponsible owners there were, the more trouble the breed seemed to be creating.
At about the time that the reputation of the Pit Bull breed began to change for the worse in the United States (about 1980), Dutch dog fighters had developed an interest in these dogs. The first Pit Bulls to find their way to Holland were serious “match dogs” acquired from hard-core American “dog men.” It was not long before “underground” dog fighters in the United States began to take notice of the serious matches and breeding being conducted in Holland. From Holland, interest in the Pit Bull spread to Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, parts of Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europe and throughout the world.
By the late 1980s or about 1990, the “dangerous Pit Bull” saga began to spread over the American borders to other, and even far off, countries. Following a lead established by law enforcement officials in the UK, countries began to pass laws against the ownership and importation of this breed that had been largely unknown, even in its homeland, only a few years before. An example of such legislation, this from the Nation of Singapore, appears as follows:
Category A Dogs
Category A dogs are:
• Pit Bull (includes American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Bulldog).
• Akita.
• Neapolitan Mastiff.
• Tosa.
• Crosses of Pit Bull, Akita, Neapolitan Mastiff or Tosa.
• Category A dogs cannot be imported into Singapore as of August 1991.
Owners of Category A dogs already residing in Singapore must comply with the following conditions:
• The dog must be sterilized.
• The dog must be permanently identified with a microchip implant.
• The owner must take out a third-party insurance policy of $100,000 on the dog.
• The owner must put up a $5,000 cash bond that will be returned when the dog passes away or is no longer residing in Singapore. The bond will be forfeited if the owner allows the dog in a public place without a leash and muzzle.
Responsible people who get to know the Plt Bull value the breed for its many wonderful personality traits and abilities.
American Pit Bull Terriers can be lovable and loving family pets in the hands of the right owners.
Characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier
Given all that has been said, and all that one may have heard about the breed, there is no doubt that a question should have arisen in the mind of the average reader of this book. Why the Pit Bull? Why would any normal clear-thinking person want to own a Pit Bull? After all, we’ve admitted that this breed is essentially a fighting dog, haven’t we? We’ve admitted that the breed is often dog-aggressive and that many Pit Bulls can be “people-aggressive.” We’ve seen that many countries of the world do not allow ownership of Pit Bulls by their citizens. In some areas of the world where the Pit Bull may be legally owned, an insurance policy must be carried by the dog’s owner to protect him in the event that his neighbor is mauled!
The original purpose of the American Pit Bull Terrier, as a fighting dog, has given many the wrong impression that it is unsuitable as a pet.
HYPED UP
There are actually many sound reasons to own a little Pit Bull dog. In fact, when we remember that this breed lived among Americans for more than 100 years without anyone fearing it, we should begin to realize that the breed’s currently bad reputation is more a matter of “media hype” than it is a matter of bad dogs.
Any breed can become the subject of the kind of breed discrimination that the Pit Bull faces today. At one time it was the Doberman Pinscher that had this reputation in the US. For a while it was the poor Saint Bernard! After all, even the Bulldog of England is a dog of pure fighting origin, but nowhere in the world is it being proposed that we outlaw Bulldogs. In time, the hysteria surrounding the Pit Bull will pass and another breed will become the focus of the media’s attention. Irresponsible owners in search of an impressionable breed will turn their attention to whatever breed that will be and we will all wonder why we once thought that the little Pit Bull was an inherently dangerous dog. Until that time, however, we should discuss a few of the very positive qualities of this breed.
EASY-CARE DOG
One of the first characteristics of the Pit Bull breed that many of us will find desirable is its low-maintenance body style. The Pit Bull is a short-coated dog that does not shed excessively. An occasional brushing will keep the falling hair under control and keep the carpet clean. The Pit Bull is an energetic dog when out of the home, and the breed’s desire to take walks with its owner will keep its nails short and its owner, who will hopefully be on the other end of the leash, fit. Unlike the Bulldog, the Pit Bull is not a wrinkled dog and so there will be no need for regular cleaning of facial crevices.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
