Man Bites Dog: Breed Specific Legislation by Christina Harvey

Much attention has been given to the fact that the Pit Bull was originally created for baiting bulls and then fighting other dogs in a pit. The Pit Bull breeds are one of the most versatile of all canines, capable of excelling at just about any task his owner asks him to complete. This breed is routinely used for: obedience trialing, conformation showing, weight pull, agility, have been known to excel as therapy dogs, partake in herding trials, search and rescue work, and a variety of other tasks including police and armed services work. But fanciers will claim that the task this breed performs best of all is that of beloved companion.

Do not forget that many other breeds of dogs are bred to hunt and fight other animals. Unlike the Pit Bull breeds, some breeds have even been bred to be human aggressive or aloof with strangers causing them to be better guard dogs.

Pit Bull breeds, just like all bulldog breeds were bred to have gameness and tenacity. Originating from the English Bulldog which was originally bred to bait bulls- hence the name "Pit Bull". When bull baiting became outlawed in 1835 the English Bulldog was bred down to the short and stocky dog that we know today as well as being bred into the many of the Bulldog breeds we see today, including the American Pit Bull Terrier.Pit Bull's, bred from a variety of bulldogs and terriers were brought to the USA in the mid-eighteen hundreds. These dogs were held in the highest regard and owned by many famous, respectable people.

In 1936 the AKC conceded a petition for those who wanted to distance themselves from the cruel sport of fighting dogs. Pit Bull's would now be allowed to register their dogs with the American Kennel Club for show eligibility and other performance events under the condition that the dogs were called "Staffordshire Terriers" (Staffordshire, England being the place were the breeds are believed to have originated).

The American Pit Bull Terrier was used in WWI artwork as mascots for our country. This breed was the signature dog of the United States of America. The APBT "Stubby" was even recognized as a war hero.Pit Bull breeds were often used to face one another in battle. Pit Bulls were bred with zero tolerance for human aggression*. It is factual that the owner of the dog in battle should be able to step in at any moment to redirect or stop the dog from fighting.If a Pit Bull dog in battle (or in general) ever bit a human it was never to be bred, and usually put down immediately.

*Human aggression and animal aggression are two very different matters. In the wild wolves are not welcoming of wolves from unknown or competitive packs. It is simply unnatural for many dogs to meet on leash and get along every time. Due to the great length of separation from the wild this is possible for many dogs. However, two common behavioral issues are "leash aggression" or "dog/animal aggression". Generally speaking it may be a trait that most human pet owners do not like, though it is a perfectly natural behavior that can develop without proper prevention and training. It is the owner's responsibility to counteract this behavior or keep close watch along with following leash/confinement laws to prevent any unwanted happenings as well as spaying/neutering by approximately 6 months of age along with early socialization.

Dogs can and do differentiate humans from other dogs, and dogs from other animals. Bulldog breeds tend to have a higher chance of being intolerant or even aggressive to other animals (humans exempt) than other groups of dog. On the other hand, Bulldogs were bred to be welcoming, loving, tolerant and stable with humans. This is how the Staffordshire Terrier gained it's coin term "The nanny dog". Pit Bull breeds are known for their tolerance, affection and dedicated companionship to children. If ever you hear a bad story in the news about a Pit Bull attack on a child, you simply have to think about the breeder, parent and/or owner's role in the matter. Remember, ANY dog can bite when put in the circumstance by irresponsible owners.

What is a "Pit Bull"?

A Pit Bull is not a breed of dog. The term "Pit Bull" is used by many to refer to a group of dog breeds, such as the term "Hound" or "Terrier". The Pit Bull groups consist of three breeds. The American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. However, there has been speculation that the term Pit Bull should be used referring to solely The American Pit Bull Terrier, being the only breed to include the term "Pit Bull". A clear cut option has been made blurred in recent times as all three breeds are very similar and extremely often dogs defined as "Pit Bulls" by the average person are usually mixed breeds.

This is a perfect example of how it is extremely difficult to detect a "Pit Bull" from a "Pit Bull" type or other similar looking dog. Several breeds of dog resemble the American Pit Bull Terrier and with mixes of various breeds even more so. The majority people with average canine knowledge cannot differentiate a Pit Bull from a similar looking breed; this can be just as hard for the best of experts. With many backyard breeders (BYB's) mixing Mastiff's and other larger breeds to make "bigger Pit Bulls" it's very rare to even come across a pure bred American Pit Bull Terrier these days.

As stated on the Best Friends Network website: "In the case of City of Toledo v. Tellings, 2006 Ohio 975 (2006), app. granted Toledo v. Tellings, 110 Ohio St. 3d 1437 (OH 2006), there was evidence the dog warden would make a subjective determination if a dog was a pit bull. If a dog was 50% pit bull but didn't resemble a pit, then the dog was not considered a pit bull. If a dog looked like a pit, regardless of the % of breed, he considered it a pit bull. The warden agreed one cannot really tell whether or not the breeding of many dogs includes pit bull. There was evidence about 10 other breeds resemble pit bulls."

There was a recent situation in Ontario (where BSL was recently and unfortunately passed) where a dog named Lily, a Boxer/Lab mix was deemed a Pit Bull type dog simply by her appearance.Thankfully Lily's owners cared enough about her to fight to the end for Lily's life.As you see, there is no clear-cut line as to what a "Pit Bull" type dog is. Additionally, when leaving this into the hands of elected officials they can change their guidelines according to the situation. This leaves dog owners without rights, and is simply unconstitutional!

Can you find the "Pit Bull"? http://www.understand-a-bull.com/Findthebull/findpitbull_v3.html

In such a world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, it is the job of thinking people, not to be on the side of the executioners. - Albert Camus

BSL Effects us all

Most people don't realize that BSL affects not only Pit Bull owners, not only Rottweiler owners, not only dogs stereotyped as "dangerous breeds" but all dog lovers. Even if you don't own a dog, but would eventually like to share your life with one- you should care about BSL. My reasoning behind this statement is that once officials ban a specific breed of dog it is the law-abiding citizens that get hurt. The criminals will continue to be criminals unless we fight this battle at the root of the problem. So the model-citizens, who follow the laws, treat their dogs like family members and are all around responsible dog owners will be forced to either confine or muzzle their beloved pet as though they own a monster, or give their beloved pet up to be part of the genocide! Yet the criminals who are already breaking poorly enforced laws will simply continue to do so.

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