Many people are quick to call a dog a Pit Bull, especially, when that dog bites someone. Whether walking down the street and you see a stray dog or see someone walking a dog that looks mean, we all have been guilty at one time or another of calling that dog a Pit Bull. We are always quick to judge a book by its cover, however in this case, it is a dog by its looks.
Let’s make this clear, a Pit Bull is not an actual breed. It is a name given to three breeds; American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Those three breeds labeled as Pit Bulls were created by breeding Bull Dogs and Terriers back in the 1800’s.
One reason why bite statistics are misleading is, because you are combining three breeds into one group. It’s like saying a Latin person attacked someone without specifically saying which race it was. There are many different races out there that are Latin like Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans to name a few.
Currently, states have even started calling a dog a Pit Bull just on looks alone. Miami-Dade County’s ban on Pit Bulls reads like this: "It is illegal in Miami-Dade County to own or keep Pit Bull Dogs, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or any other dog that substantially conforms to any of these breeds’ characteristics." Visit: Miami-Dade County-Animal Services for more info.
So what they are saying is that even if your dog isn’t a Pit Bull they can still take your dog from you even if it has characteristics like a Pit Bull. If you have a Boxer, Bull Mastiff, Boston Terriers, Bull Dogs, etc…they can take your dog from you. Recently though, it seems things are changing for the Pit Bulls. A court in Florida ruled that the ban on Pit Bulls is unenforceable. Visit: Best Friends Network to learn more about the ruling in Florida.
That is not the only good news for Pit Bulls. The Netherlands just recently revoked the ban on Pit Bulls after 15 years stating that it had no effect on dog bite statistics. More proof that bans on Pit Bulls don’t work visit: I Heart Paws.
Many times you hear reports on the news of a dog attack and of course the dog is called a Pit Bull just on its looks. Sometimes the dog is a Pit Bull. Sometimes it is half Pit Bull, but you never hear what the other half was. Why? Is it, because we are afraid to give a Labrador a bad name? Take this test and find the Pit Bull. Visit: Find The Pit Bull. Hopefully, it will open the eyes of the people who are quick to call every dog a Pit Bull.
If you think the dogs that are labeled as Pit Bulls are mean or vicious maybe you should rethink your thinking. As of December of 2008, statistics show that the temperament of Pit Bulls is very good. Out of 92 Staffordshire Bull Terriers tested, 81 passed for an 88% success rate. Out of 570 American Staffordshire Terriers tested, 478 have passed for an 83.9% success rate. Out of 665 American Pit Bull Terriers tested, 567 have passed for an 85.3% success rate. The Beagle at 81%, Boxer 83.6%, Chihuahua 71.1%, Golden Retriever 84.6%, Toy Poodle 82.4% had either lower or about the same success rate as the Pit Bulls. To see the list of breeds tested and their results please visit: American Temperament Testing Society, Inc.
Pit Bulls are great dogs when they are raised properly, just like any breed of dog that can become dangerous or vicious if they are raised improperly. It takes a lot to make a Pit Bull turn on you. Pit Bulls make great Therapy Dogs, Drug and Bomb Detection Dogs, Search and Rescue Dogs, along with many more jobs a Pit Bull can do. The first dog named Sergeant of the U.S. Military was Stubby, a Pit Bull. Also “Pete the Pup” from The Little Rascals was a Pit Bull.
So before we judge a dog by its looks, let us all take a second look and we might be surprised to see that things don’t always seem as they appear. Next time you hear about a dog attack don’t be so sure that it was a Pit Bull, even if it was reported on the news. No one breed of dog is naturally vicious or dangerous, but just irresponsible dog owners.
Let’s make this clear, a Pit Bull is not an actual breed. It is a name given to three breeds; American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Those three breeds labeled as Pit Bulls were created by breeding Bull Dogs and Terriers back in the 1800’s.
One reason why bite statistics are misleading is, because you are combining three breeds into one group. It’s like saying a Latin person attacked someone without specifically saying which race it was. There are many different races out there that are Latin like Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans to name a few.
Currently, states have even started calling a dog a Pit Bull just on looks alone. Miami-Dade County’s ban on Pit Bulls reads like this: "It is illegal in Miami-Dade County to own or keep Pit Bull Dogs, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or any other dog that substantially conforms to any of these breeds’ characteristics." Visit: Miami-Dade County-Animal Services for more info.
So what they are saying is that even if your dog isn’t a Pit Bull they can still take your dog from you even if it has characteristics like a Pit Bull. If you have a Boxer, Bull Mastiff, Boston Terriers, Bull Dogs, etc…they can take your dog from you. Recently though, it seems things are changing for the Pit Bulls. A court in Florida ruled that the ban on Pit Bulls is unenforceable. Visit: Best Friends Network to learn more about the ruling in Florida.
That is not the only good news for Pit Bulls. The Netherlands just recently revoked the ban on Pit Bulls after 15 years stating that it had no effect on dog bite statistics. More proof that bans on Pit Bulls don’t work visit: I Heart Paws.
Many times you hear reports on the news of a dog attack and of course the dog is called a Pit Bull just on its looks. Sometimes the dog is a Pit Bull. Sometimes it is half Pit Bull, but you never hear what the other half was. Why? Is it, because we are afraid to give a Labrador a bad name? Take this test and find the Pit Bull. Visit: Find The Pit Bull. Hopefully, it will open the eyes of the people who are quick to call every dog a Pit Bull.
If you think the dogs that are labeled as Pit Bulls are mean or vicious maybe you should rethink your thinking. As of December of 2008, statistics show that the temperament of Pit Bulls is very good. Out of 92 Staffordshire Bull Terriers tested, 81 passed for an 88% success rate. Out of 570 American Staffordshire Terriers tested, 478 have passed for an 83.9% success rate. Out of 665 American Pit Bull Terriers tested, 567 have passed for an 85.3% success rate. The Beagle at 81%, Boxer 83.6%, Chihuahua 71.1%, Golden Retriever 84.6%, Toy Poodle 82.4% had either lower or about the same success rate as the Pit Bulls. To see the list of breeds tested and their results please visit: American Temperament Testing Society, Inc.
Pit Bulls are great dogs when they are raised properly, just like any breed of dog that can become dangerous or vicious if they are raised improperly. It takes a lot to make a Pit Bull turn on you. Pit Bulls make great Therapy Dogs, Drug and Bomb Detection Dogs, Search and Rescue Dogs, along with many more jobs a Pit Bull can do. The first dog named Sergeant of the U.S. Military was Stubby, a Pit Bull. Also “Pete the Pup” from The Little Rascals was a Pit Bull.
So before we judge a dog by its looks, let us all take a second look and we might be surprised to see that things don’t always seem as they appear. Next time you hear about a dog attack don’t be so sure that it was a Pit Bull, even if it was reported on the news. No one breed of dog is naturally vicious or dangerous, but just irresponsible dog owners.