Pit Bulls - Just Dogs

The breeds commonly called pit bulls are the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

"The ancestors of modern Pit Bulls come from the bulldogs and terriers of England. At one time, every county in England had its own breed of terrier. Many of these still exist; however, some have evolved into new ones. Such is the case for the English White and the Black and Tan terriers, whose descendants include the bull-and-terriers, the Fox Terrier, and the Manchester Terrier." (Wikipedia)

A pit bull's jaws don't lock. Think about it - do you see a big 'locking mechanism' sticking out next to their jaw? How would such a thing work? According to Dr. I. Brisbin, a senior researcher with the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of South Carolina, Pit Bulls do not have a "locking jaw" mechanism: "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 from 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."

MOST statements I've ever seen in the media related to Pit Bulls has been erroneous and indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of statistics. A statement like '30% of reported dog bites are caused by pit bulls' is meaningless, because information is missing. To evaluate this statement, one would need to know the percentage of dogs pit bulls represent of the total, and be assured that the reporting of which breed did the biting is accurate. Suppose 35% of total dogs are pit bull-type breeds - then 30% of the bites is less than their share! Bites by smaller breeds often aren't reported. Many dog agencies don't keep statistics by breed, and the rare ones who do so usually have to rely on the victim's assessment of the type of dog (pit bulls are hard to identify - see 'find the pit bull' below).

Is this a pit bull? Here's an interesting site that tests if you can identify the picture of a 'pit bull.' There are 20+ breeds that can be called one. Give it a try - you may be surprised and you'll certainly be educated.

Find the pit bull

The bottom line is, even if everyone agrees that 'pit bulls' should be legislated against, no one even agrees on what a pit bull is.

According to Wikipedia, "In the media the term [pit bull] is vague and may include other breeds with similar physical characteristics, such as the Perro de Presa Canario, Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino, Alano Espanol, Japanese Tosa, Dogue de Bordeaux, Cordoba Fighting Dog, Bull Terrier, Antebellum Bulldog, Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog, American Bulldog, Boxer, Valley Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge, Renascence Bulldogge, and Banter Bulldogge. These breeds are rarely listed by name in breed-specific legislation, but they are sometimes included when the term is defined broadly and based on physical appearance." (Wikipedia)

I didn't want one, but my son came home with a pit bull puppy one day (see the puppy pictures on this page). She was very cute, and soon became an essential and loved part of the family. Because of the media stigma associated with them, I researched it thoroughly.

Pit bulls (unless they're abused) are very good with people - loyal, trustworthy, gentle. According to some references, what they're not as good with are other animals. Pit bulls were originally bred to fight other dogs, kill vermin and assist with farming. Some say a pit bull should not be left alone with other dogs, cats, etc. We haven't had a problem, but that's what my research came up with.