PLEASE READ IMPORTANT INFORMATION BELOW
         (CAUTION SOME MATERIAL MAY BE GRAPHIC) 

 


HISTORY:
Although the exact history of the breed of dog known as the American Pitbull Terrier is unknown, sometime during the nineteenth century, dog fanciers in England, Ireland, and Scotland began to experiment with crosses between Bulldogs and Terriers, looking for a dog that combined the gameness of the terrier with the strength and athleticism of the Bulldog. The Bulldog that is the ancestor of the APBT was used for many types of work including baiting, fighting, stock work, hunting, and as a farm dog. Once bred with Terrier breeds the result was a dog that embodied all of the virtues attributed to great warriors: strength, indomitable courage, and gentleness with loved ones. Immigrants brought these bull and terrier crosses to the United States. Specifically, these dogs accompanied farmers into the fields to assist with bringing dangerous bulls in for breeding, castration, or slaughter. The dogs, known generally as bulldogs, protected the farmer by subduing the bull if it attempted to gore him. Typically a dog would do this by biting the bull on the nose and holding on until the bull submitted. Because of the nature of their job, bulldogs were bred to have powerful jaws, muscular bodies, and the resolve to hold onto a violently-struggling bull, even when injured.xml:namespace prefix = st1 n

American Pit Bull Terriers have historically been used for dog fighting. It's also true they were fighting animals like Bears, Boar, Badgers, Bulls, Lions, and Tigers... long before they were fought with other Pitbulls.

Fighting dogs were bred for strength, speed and gameness, or the willingness to see a task through to its conclusion regardless of serious threat of injury or death. 

While fighting dogs in England were not necessarily a singular breed of dog but rather a type of dog bred for gameness from different stock, in the USA the breed solidified and was named the American Pitbull Terrier. Breeders knew that a dog like this could be dangerous to people and difficult to control if it were aggressive toward people, so breeders would look for the crucial trait of non-aggression towards humans. Fighting dogs that showed aggression towards its owner or handler were routinely killed and thus removed from the gene pool. This resulted a line of strong dogs that, while aggressive towards dogs and other animals, would be much gentler with people.  The American Pitbull Terrier's many talents did not go unnoticed by farmers and ranchers who used their APBTs for protection, as catch dogs for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt, to drive livestock, and as family companions. In the late 1800s to early 1900s, two clubs were formed for the specific purpose of registering APBTs: the United Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeder's Association. The United Kennel Club was founded with the registration of an American Pitbull Terrier and was the first registry to recognize the breed.

UTILIZATION:
Once an extremely popular family dog in the United States (in fact, the dog in the Our Gang aka The Little Rascals Movies and in Buster Brown Shoe Company commercials was an APBT), 
     
                  Petey in 1936 Our Gang TV Show                       Petey & Our Gang in the Little Rascals Movie              Trade Mark Logo of the Buster Brown Shoe Co.

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The Pit Bull was so popular in the early 1900's they were our mascot not only in World War I but World War II as well. They were featured on recruiting and propoganda posters during this time period. Sgt. Stubby. A Pit Bull hero. This American Pit Bull Terrier, of unknown descent, was found by Private John Robert Conroy on the campus of Yale University, in 1917, while training for deployment to the European front of WWI. Stubby was a brown and white patched little puppy with a 'stubbed' tail, hence his name Stubby.

                                                            
Stubby served with the 102nd Infantry, 26th (Yankee) Division in the trenches in France for 18 months and participated in four offensives and 17 battles. He entered combat on February 5, 1918 at Chemin des Dames, north of Soissons, and was under constant fire, day and night for over a month. In April 1918, during a raid to take Schieprey, Stubby was wounded in the foreleg by the retreating Germans throwing hand grenades. He was sent to the rear for convalescence, and as he had done on the front was able to improve morale. When he recovered from his wounds, Stubby returned to the trenches. After being gassed himself, Stubby learned to warn his unit of poison gas attacks, located wounded soldiers in no man's land, and — since he could hear the whine of incoming artillery shells before humans could — became very adept at letting his unit know when to duck for cover. He was even solely responsible for capturing a German spy in the Argonne. Following the retaking Château-Thierry by the US, the thankful women of the town of Neufchateau, the home of Joan of Arc, made Stubby a chamois coat on which were pinned his many medals.

                        
Stubby's "Uniform" with rank and medals attached                                   Stubby's "Uniform" on display in the Hartford State Armory

There is also a legend that while in Paris with corporal Conroy, Stubby saved a young girl from being hit by a car. At the end of the war, Conroy smuggled Stubby home. After returning home, Stubby became a celebrity and marched in, and normally led, many parades across the country. He met Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, and Warren G. Harding. He attended Georgetown University with Conroy, and became the Hoyas' mascot. 

            
Mascot for the University of Georgetown Hoyas

He would be given the football at halftime and would nudge the ball around the field to the amusement of the fans. Stubby was made a life member of the American Legion, the Red Cross, and the YMCA. In 1921, the Humane Education Society awarded him a special gold medal for service to his country. It was presented by General John Pershing.In 1926, Stubby died in Conroy's arms. His remains are featured in The Price of Freedom: Americans at War exhibit at the Smithsonian.



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Today, the American Pitbull Terrier continues to demonstrate its versatility, competing successfully in Obedience, Tracking, Agility, Protection, and Weight Pulls, as well as Conformation. Weight-pulls retain something of the spirit of competition of the pit fighting world, but without the blood or sorrow. The APBT is ideally suited for these contests, in which the refusal to quit counts for as much as brute strength. Currently, APBTs hold world records in several weight classes. And APBTs do very well in all performance events because of its high level of intelligence and its willingness to work. Pit bulls have been used as therapy dogs. Whether they are visiting a senior care facility or helping someone recover from an emotional accident, Pitbulls are making a mark as outstanding therapy dogs, search and rescue, and even narcotic and bomb sniffing dogs for the DEA &  US Customs. One Pitbull, Popsicle (named that because he was found as a young puppy in an old freezer) 

Popsicle joined the ranks of other dogs nobody else wanted: dogs that dig up back yards, chew furniture, and are constantly on the go. Just the sort of dog Customs is looking for. Popsicle went with his handler, J.J. Trevino, to work at the Pharr and Hidalgo bridges in Texas. While working at the Pharr bridge, Popsicle alerted to drugs in a tractor trailer. It turned out to be a ton and a half of cocaine with a street value of $139,605,000, the largest cocaine seizure in the McAllen area in 10 years. Popsicle and J.J. worked together for a couple of months before Popsicle was returned to Front Royal for additional training. At Front Royal, he was teamed with Rudy Carr, a handler looking for a new canine partner. Popsicle and Rudy graduated and went to work at the Port of Roma, Tex. While working in Roma, Popsicle made 24 seizures of Marijuana: 12,080 pounds with a street value of $640,000; one cocaine seizure of 148 pounds worth $6,719,200; and two currency seizures with a total value of $65,144.  

                  Photo by: James Tourtellotte
While working at Roma, Popsicle suffered a career ending injury to his knee - an injury that required surgery. Popsicle is now retired and is living a life of leisure at Rudy's house. "Only we know that he's a pit bull," says Carr, "he thinks he's a cocker spaniel."


CONFORMATION:
A symmetrical arrangement of the breeds structure that judges use to determine a favorable look of a particular breed.Built for performance, the pitbull is a medium large sized, very muscular, short coated breed. The head is bricklike, the jaws strong and wide, the ears may be cropped or not. The body is typically very strong, with a deep chest, powerful and proportionate hind end and solid legs. The overall impression should be of power and athleticism. This is not a dog for couch potatoes, as it requires A LOT of training and exercise. With this breed it is important to remember to exercise both the dog's body and mind.

GAIT:
The American Pitbull Terrier moves with a jaunty, confident attitude, conveying the impression that he expects any minute to see something new and exciting. When trotting, the gait is effortless, smooth, powerful, and well coordinated, showing good reach in front and drive behind. When moving, the backline remains level with only a slight flexing to indicate suppleness. Viewed from any position, legs turn neither in nor out, nor do feet cross or interfere with each other. As speed increases, feet tend to converge toward center line of balance.

GAME:
This is a term used to describe the American Pitbull Terriers willingness to engage in a situation that you, I or any other breed of dog may run from. This is not to totally associate the APBT as a fighting machine or to glamerize this trait. But it is a characteristic of the breed and must be fully understood by all owners.

DRIVE:  
Bottomline is that a Pitbull has the drive of a race horse! They won't give up, regardless if it's climbing a tree, pulling thousands of pounds, or swimming in a lake to retrieve a stick. Even though the APBT has historically been bred to excel in combat with other dogs, a well-bred APBT has a rock-steady temperament and, contrary to popular belief, is NOT inherently aggressive towards humans. However, as adults, some APBTs may show aggression towards other dogs. This fact, along with the APBT's strength and determination, should be taken into account when considering if the APBT is the right breed for you. As with any companion dog, socialization and consistent fair-minded training is a must from a very early age. Keep him on a leash at all time when in public!

TEMPERAMENT:
Temperament is the general attitude a dog displays towards people and other animals; it is the combined inherited and acquired physical and mental traits that influence the dog's behavior. As with all breeds, the Pitbull has positive and negative traits in their temperament. APBTs often display dog aggression, especially towards unfamiliar dogs of the same sex or level of assertiveness. Early socialization and good training can mean that many individuals of the breed may not display thistrait. And with proper training and socialization, pitbulls are not aggressive and can even make excellent service animals. Many working breeds have antipathy towards other animals- coonhounds go mad at the sight of a raccoon, foxhounds will not hesitate to tear a dog-like fox to shreds, greyhounds live to chase and maul rabbits and dog-like coyotes. Even the ever-friendly beagle will slaughter a rabbit, given the chance. And yet the greyhound, coon and foxhound and beagle are among the friendliest of breeds towards humans. And it is the same with the American Pitbull Terrier. A correct pit bull is more often than not submissive toward all humans, and adores children. Aggressive behavior toward humans is uncharacteristic of the breed and a pit bull that snarls, lunges or growls at non-threatening humans is NOT typical of the breed and should NOT be use for breeding! Pit bulls that do show aggressive behavior towards humans is highly undesirable and should be humanely euthanized.

1. Pitbulls are often dog-aggressive to one extent or another (this often shows up at or near sexual maturity). A dog that was previously non-dog aggressive may suddenly not like other dogs of the same sex, or, for that matter, any dogs at all. Adult Pitbulls should NEVER be left alone with other dogs and require proper supervision.

2. Pitbulls may exhibit intense "prey drive", leading them to "stalk" small animals such as cats, rats, chickens, livestock, or other pets.

3. Pitbulls are precocious and incomparable escape artists, who will often seem to squirt right out of a supposedly secure yard or enclosure. The breed's natural agility makes it one of the most capable canine climbers so good fencing is a mustfor this breed. When coupled with # 1 and # 2, you can see why a responsible Pitbull owner is a vigilant pit bull owner.

4. Pitbulls are intelligent, and most enjoy training, if it is done properly. This makes them excellent prospects for dog sports such as agility, obedience, weight pull, and Frisbee competitions.

5. Pitbulls tend to LOVE people. All people. This makes them a poor choice for a "guardian of property breed" unless properly trained. A Pit Bull that shows unprovoked human aggression (puppy play nips do NOT count) is showing BAD temperament and in most cases should be put to sleep. Such a dog should obviously NEVER be bred under any circumstances. The breeding of dogs with bad temperaments is one of the largest problems the breed faces today and fuels the fire of breed specific legislation.

6. Pit bulls tend to be very "soft" with their family, meaning that they are eager to please their humans. A Pitbull of proper temperament is a devoted and loving family member, inspiring immense loyalty to the breed. You will often hear a Pit Bull's owner tell you that after owning one, they will never own any other breed.

The American Pitbull Terrier is the most versatile dog in the world.  Proven as a working dog, they also became a gladiator dog of sport. Sound temperament and loyalty makes him a worthy companion. These dogs are people oriented and possess balance, strength, and agility.  Courage and devotion are it’s greatest qualities.

HEALTH: 
Demodectic Mange
Demodectic mange, sometimes just called "demodex," is the most common form of mange in dogs. Most dogs have a microscopic mite population hitching a ride on their body, but the dog's immune system handles it all very nicely.  When the immune system is no longer able to control the mites, they begin multiplying, then attacking. It is thought that dogs infected with demodectic mange are immunodeficient.  In other words, they are not able to fight off the mites like a healthy dog would. Heredity is believed to play a part in dogs that show signs of demodectic mange so it is stronglyrecommended that infected dogs be spayed or neutered. Signs of disease appear only when mites reproduce unchecked and occur in unnaturally high numbers.  Outbreaks are seen around the eyes, lips and/or lower limbs when the numbers of these mites increase.

Because the immune system does not mature until 12-18 months of age, a dog with demodectic mange may have relapses until that age. It is important for treatment to begin promptly to minimize the possibility of developing uncontrollable problems. Demodectic mange in dogs over 2 years of age is classified as adult-onset, and usually occurs secondary to an underlying cause.  Successful treatment of adult-onset mange relies upon identifying and correcting the underlying cause. Dogs with immune suppression due to illnesses like hypothyroid disease, and Cushing's disease, are also candidates for demodectic mange. Demodectic mange may also occur in very old dogs because function of the immune system often declines with age.

Demodectic mange is not generally contagious to people, other animals, or even other dogs (except from mother to pup); these mites thrive only on very specific hosts (dogs) and transmission usually occurs only from the mother to nursing puppies during the first few days after birth. The transmission of these mites from mother to pup is normal (which is why the mites are normal inhabitants of the dog's skin), but some individuals are sensitive to the mites, which can lead to the development of demodectic mange.

Some breeds appear to have an increased risk of mild cases as young dogs, including the American Pitbull Terrier, Afghan Hound,German Shepherd, Great Dane, English Bull Terrier, Old English Sheepdog, Boston Terrier, Boxer, Chihuahua, Collie, Bulldog, American Staffordshire Terrier, Shar Pei, Dalmatian, Doberman Pinscher, Miniature Bull Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Rat Terrier, and Pug.

Treatment:
Conventional treatment depends upon the severity of the disease. Generally, veterinarians recommend treatment with a dip containing Amitraz. The dip is repeated every 7-10 days. Although the dog may respond well to the dip and look normal, dipping must be continued until negative skin scrapings are found consistently for a few weeks. The dipping may have side effects. Sleepiness and itching are common for 24 hours after the dip. Some dogs many experience decreased body temperature, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite, excitability, staggering, or other personality changes.  If any of these side effects occur you should contact your veterinarian immediately.xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /ne system while treating the skin.
NO VACCINES.  Not even one.  The immune system in these dogs is already severely stressed; they do not need additional              viYou are attempting to reinstate immune function not add to the collective damage.X=
Diet:
Immune suppressed dogs require a high quality, all natural food. Select a raw food diet, a cooked diet, or an ultra premium dry food with lots of raw pulverized vegetables. Select organically grown vegetables or use one of the pesticide cleaners available in supermarkets for use on fruits and vegetables.  Add leafy dark green vegetables, cruciferous vegetables — broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, watercress, bok choy, and carrots (carrots should be blanched one minute to release the carotenes).  If you feed raw foods, increase the veggies. To each meal: sprinkle a teaspoon of sesame seed oil--on the food.  This is an important oil for immune function and skin repair.  Also add a variety of dried sea vegetables like wakami, nori, dulce and kelp. The sea vegetables should be offered at least 4-5 days a week or even every day if your canine likes it. Feed fish, boneless poached or canned fish.  Do not use tuna, tuna and swordfish are laden with mercury. Sardines, salmon, mackerel or fresh water fish are good choices.  When giving fish, cook some white rice and mix with the fish.  Avoid grains like wheat or rye--rice, barley and oats are okay.

** Consult your veterinarian if your dog has any health issues or concerns.
** Reputable Breeders & Kennels will inform you of any possible health risk prior to purchasing any dog. 

NOTE:
Throughout my website, while discussing the Pitbull breed you will notice two words repeated over and over again:"Responsible Ownership". With media hysteria and BSL (Breed specific legislation), we good owners, find ourselves endlessly having to defend our breed. Every bad story and headline damage our dogs even further. Irresponsible and ignorant owners have done almost as much damage to these dogs as dogfighters have. The Pitbull is an exceptional breed that requires exceptional dedication and ownership. The breed's very survival depends on new owners knowing what they are getting into, and ALL owners being responsible and protecting the breed's reputation.


Myths and Stereotypes:

Pitbulls are inheritantly dangerous and may attack at any time: According to the American Temperament Testing Society (ATTS), the pitbull is no more vicious than the golden retriever or the beagle. The ATTS test puts various breeds through a series of tests dealing with unexpected situations and strangers. Dogs that possess any signs of unprovoked fear or aggression automatically fail the test. The pitbull passed with a high 83.9%, compared to the average 77% scored by other breeds.

Pitbulls have locking jaws: One of my all time favorite myths. It seems that the media is obsessed with portraying the pitbull as some sort of superhuman monster with immortal capabilities. However, our good friend, "science," has yet again proven this rumor to be nothing more than a jaw dropping lie. These are dogs, with a bone anatomy just like that of any other dog, except they possess a lot more strength and will power. However, they are not carnivorous dinosaurs.

Pitbulls and children do not belong together: Pitbulls are known for their ability to handle a lot of rough and tumble play that children can dish out. They make wonderful companions for kids, and are great family pets when properly trained and socialized. However, children should be taught how to properly interact with dogs and when to respect quiet time. Children and dogs (no matter what breed), should never be left alone without adult supervision.

Pitbulls are great guard dogs: NO! Pitbulls make LOUSY guard dogs unless properly trained. They are inheretenly much too friendly. Any pitbull I know would much rather lick a robber to death than ever attack one. However, being a very loyal breed, the pitbull will protect its owner if it feels that there is a threat. Also, due to its strong will power and eagerness to please its owner, if a pitbull is taught to be aggressive towards people at a very early stage in its life, and if this behavior is reinforced, then the dog will most likely become aggressive towards people as an adult. This is why an emphasis must be placed on responsible ownership, and rather than punishing the breed, we should punish the deed. 

A pitbull that attacks other animals will go after people next: Animal aggression and human aggression are two completely different things. Pitbulls were once trained to fight and bring down large animals, hence the possession of animal aggression in some pitbulls in not unnatural, and definitely NOT a reason to euthanize the dog. It deserves to be given a chance to live in a loving home just like any other dog. However, with that being said, while pitbulls were once bred to fight other animals, they were at the same time, bred never to possess any signs of human aggression. This is what enabled a "dog man" to grab his dog by the collar, or even the scruff of the neck, and pull it out of a fight without ever getting bitten. Hence, any pitbull that shows signs of aggression towards people is not at all typical of the breed, and should therefore be evaluated by a professional animal behaviorist and a veterinarian (in case there are medical issues at hand), or be humanely euthanized. These dogs should NEVER be bred, as they possess an unfit temperament.