Across America and the world, the venerable Pitbull is under Attack in the Press, the courtroom, and by the media. Sensationalized reporting has cast a dark cloud over what had once been a shining star in the dog world. For more than a century PitBulls were among the country’s most respected breed. Because of its loving disposition and willingness to please its master, it quickly became known as “America’s Breed”. Television shows such as “Our Gang” (Little Rascals) embraced the breed, with “Pete the Pup” introduced to homes wherever a TV resided in the Late 1920’s. Owning a PitBull like Petey, became a dream of many a small boy. Attesting to the popularity of the breed is the fact that, The Pitbull is the only dog to appear on the front cover of “Life Magazine” three times. Its accomplishments and meritorious service are well documented in the annals of history and the hearts of men.
Sadly, the tide in recent years has turned against this American Icon. Stories of Dog fighting and even more so, irresponsible ownership, has cast the once revered breed into the realm of trepidation. Beginning in the late 1970’s the breed began to be noticed by certain elements of the population as a status symbol. Owning a Pitbull was a way of making an immature male feel as if he was now somebody, a force to be reckoned with. The Pitbull was not the first dog to fulfill that need and play the role. Such has been played out for centuries by whatever happened to be the breed of the local or era. Many remember it was the German Shepherd, and then the Doberman, and then the Rottweiler. All of which suffered negativity, in the hands of irresponsibility. But yet of what is noteworthy is the fact that the actions of a few foolish immature owners can tarnish an entire breed, not only the breed, but the sterling reputation, built upon millions of owners and dog lovers.
But what is even sadder to see; is to see the reputation of a loving breed, being further degraded by the very ones who claim to love the breed, but yet by their own actions; betray it. It is interesting to note that currently the Pitbull is probably the most popular dog in the history of the United States according to Adam Goldfarb, issue specialist for the Humane Society of the United States. With so many owning and loving the breed, one would think that they would come together and stand united for the love of the breed. Yet instead, many of those who claim to be gatekeepers of the breed, spend much of their energies in bitter infighting, condemning anyone whose image of the breed happens to be different then their own. Take a minute to visit any number of Pitbull Forums on the internet, where Pitbull fanciers gather to talk about their love for the breed, and it doesn’t take one long, to see where much of the trouble the breed is experiencing today lies.
Spend some time looking at Pitbull Pictures and you will quickly note a large diversity of looks and appearances. This is unlike many breeds where breed standards, play a role in assuring that all dogs of a given breed, pretty much look alike. Yet today this is not the case with the PitBull. A number of breeders in recent years have worked at creating their own version of the Pitbull. And it is in these differences that those who prefer the more traditional “American Pit Bull Terrier” look to take offense. They claim that those who are breeding such dogs are fowl and that their dog lines are nothing more than mutts. Instead of embracing the wonders of diversity, much the same as the country has done with spectrum of different peoples that make up the population of the country; they breathe hatred much akin to the loathing of various separatist groups. If your PitBull doesn’t fall into the mold that they have chosen, it is an abomination, something to be cut off from the earth. Yet, does the real, the true history of the breed support such detestation?
The fact is; every breed of dog was at one time, someone’s attempt at improving a breed. Unless the dog of your choice happens to be a Wolf, a Coyote, or a Dingo; it is safe to say; it is the creation of someone who deviated from some standard, either real or imaginary. Those who consider themselves to be Pitbull Gods, foolishly ignore the history of multiplicity within the Pitbull breed itself. It is a well established fact, that the Pit Bull found its beginnings as Bull fighters in England, where every county had their own version of the breed. The exact make up of the breed varied from County to County. As to what dogs were used to establish the breed, cannot be said for sure. It is known however that Bull Dogs of various breeding would have played a foundational role. Later when the breed found its way to the United States, Unscrupulous individuals began to engage the Pit Bull into dog fighting rings. These unprincipled amoral breeders began to shape the dog through selective breeding into Pit fighters. These dogs were much different than the dogs that were originally brought over from England. With the main difference being the fighting dogs were smaller in size, thinner and leaner. They were bred for the singular purpose of putting on a good show in the Pit. And it is this version of the breed that some fool hearty traditionalist insist is the only standard that should wear the name Pitbull. They, while pointing at the bastardized fighting dog of the backwoods criminal, completely ignore the versatility on which the breed was founded.
Of course the “American PitBull Terrier” by which this ever changing breed was originally named, as it found its way into and out of several registries, has itself continued to evolve with time. In recent years, breeders attracted to some of the outstanding characteristics of the breed realized a new and better direction for the breed. They reasoned that it was not in the best interest of the breed to continue breeding it along the lines of a Pit fighter. It was with foresight that they reasoned; to continue breeding the dog with “gameness” (the quality that drives the dog to continue to fight at all cost), was not, and is not, the best direction for the modern Pitbull. With that as the mission, came the emergence of the most successful breeding programs in the history of the breed and perhaps any breed.
This new direction has been coined by many as “The Bully Movement”, with this new Bully Pitbull taking the industry by storm. In a short period of time; little more than a single decade, these new American Bullies as they have begun to be called, are now the number one dog of choice in many areas of the United States and even overseas. It is not uncommon for the best bred American Bullies to garner prices of $10,000 and $20,000 while the average prices for Pitbull Puppies of this variety commanding prices double, triple and more, over the traditional style Pitbulls. Of course with such success comes opponents, who instead of offering congratulations to those with foresight and savvy, choose to combat and condemn. Sadly, such ones employ the same characteristics of uneducated hate groups, who deride because someone does not meet their standard or their definition of the breed.
Let’s examine their argument for a moment. First they say, there is a breed standard for the Pitbull published by the UKC and the Bully does not comply; Very true. Of interest is that, truth be told, the Bully bred dogs were winning nearly every show. Those who bred traditional American Pitbull Terriers didn’t have a chance against the wide chest, bigger headed dogs that were crowd and Judges Favorites. For that reason many UKC PitBull breeders started to buy Bullies to breed to their dogs to in order to add the size their dogs were lacking. Kennels that had been breeding champion quality Pitbulls for decades were now being beaten soundly by dogs with, admittedly less than certain pedigree. These breeders wanted to protect what they had been doing and for many, very successfully, for years. They went to the UKC and demanded rule changes that would effectively rule out the American Bully Pitbulls from competing. The breed standard was then changed to deny the new Pitbull, as well it should have. Respected Bully breeders applauded the UKC decision and do not have any desire to see the foundation of their new breed to be relegated to obscurity. They love the traditional American PitBull and hope that the many responsible breeders and owners of such are able to continue their love affair with the breed as they have come to know it. The vast majority of such which channel the dogs “gameness” into worthwhile pursuits far removed from the fighting ring. But yet what many respected American Bully breeders realize is that; many people on the street that are buying Pitbulls today, have no business owning a “game” dog. The American Bully breeder is thus performing a much needed service of providing a pet that has the appearance that the young male population desires, but in a caliber that he can handle.
And that brings us to another matter: One of the big complaints that traditionalist have with the American Bully bred Pitbulls is; “They Lack Gameness”. They look at the dog and say: “For what purpose was he bred?” Of course the American Bullies lack gameness! That is the predominant quality being bred by responsible Bully breeders. The quality of gameness which is second only to the Pits quality of eagerness to please is desirable for responsible owners who enjoy presenting their dog with various challenges and watch with admiration as he works without stop to meet it; a fine quality without a doubt, yet not one that the average owner can appreciate or can control. Sadly, no fault of the dog, that “gameness” is what turns a dog bite into a dog attack, when an unqualified owner takes charge. Bully Breeders while acknowledging the responsible owner, realizes that many owners are better off with a dog that has been toned back. Now why traditionalist find fault with that, is something real Pitbull lovers cannot agree on.
Now for the matter of; “For what purpose was the Bully bred?” Well, he certainly wasn’t bred for fighting. Now why the traditionalist, would make an argument out of that defies logic. The very essence of the fighting dog, it’s “gameness” is what has the potential of destroying the breed, the traditionalist claims to love. They are quick to blame an attack on the owner, and it is true, the vast majority of Game bred Pits will never attack anyone, yet attacks continue to occur. Breeding the dog away from the gameness admittedly is a trade off, one that the responsible breeder does for the salvation of the breed. And so what was he bred for? What are most dogs bred for today? They are bred to be Pets! Oh, you might say that your Saint Bernard will carry Brandy to you if you pass out in a snow drift, but the fact is, he is just a simple family pet, as are 99% of dogs. Many people find it odd, that traditional Pitbull lovers would ask; what a dog is bred for?
Another area that the complainer finds fault with, lies in the Bullies appearance. They are quick to make issue of the fact the Bully Pitbull is bigger, thicker and wider. For them, every dog that wears the badge “PitBull” should have long thin legs and be slender. They stand in complete denial as to the real roots of the Pitbull, when he was a bigger, thicker dog, before being bred for the fighting ring. Today’s Bully style Pitbulls are actually much closer to the original Pitbulls than today’s “game bred” Pits. Even so, the Bully Breeder champions the right of the game dog to persist and works tirelessly in support of. Really, there is no place for the one who would deny individuality. As if to say that all people should be of one color and a certain size. Or that only one type of music is acceptable. Those who promote the thinking that their style of Pitbull, is the best and everyone else’s is unacceptable, are no different than those who foster hatred based on race or creed. Just as some may choose to own a Poodle or a Cocker Spaniel, they never the less respect the rights for someone to own and love a German Shepherd or a Great Dane. Likewise Bully breeders simply hope that those who are lovers of the traditional style Pitbull, respects their rights, their freedom of choice.
Picture of a true Pitbull from 1892
Some try to rationalize their disdain for the American Bully by pointing to the backyard breeders who are breeding dogs with severe flaws, and no regards to health. Such concern is in fact very much warranted. Yet to judge all by the actions of a few, is no different than the media does to the “Pitbull”. Working with, not against, is the way to solve that problem, if in fact that is the real issue. If it is ones concern, the tone of correspondence will demonstrate a tenor of helpfulness. You would not find a true dog lover, making issue of head size or being slender or thick or having long legs or short. The true dog lover recognizes that these things have nothing to do with the quality of the dog and that real beauty lies “In the Eye of the Beholder”.
What titles does he have? Many people enjoy breeding dogs and competing for various titles. Doing so, contributes to improving the quality of the breed. American Bullies are probably the most heavily competed dog today. But yet the reality is this, really what is a title? If someone wants a title bad enough, they can obtain it with an average dog. If one enters their dog into enough shows, especially shows where their class has few dogs, they can easily title out a dog. You will note titled dogs all the time that are inferior to a dog that is someone beloved pet that has never been to a show. Does the fact that someone has the time and or gets personal satisfaction from taking his or her dog to a show every weekend, make it a better dog? Does the dog feel better about itself because of a blue ribbon around its neck or because of the trophy that sets on a shelf? One thing for certain, no matter what kind of dog you have or how good of a dog it is, you will have a lot tougher time titling it if you live in South Dakota compared to living in Southern California. The one requires expensive airline trips while the other requires a drive in the car every weekend. Often times a title has nothing to do with the quality of the dog.
In the end, much of the unabashed consternation of the Traditionalist lies in his simple misunderstanding of the word “PitBull”. For some reason, they believe the word Pitbull is the sole property of the “American PitBull Terrier”. The fact though, the word PitBull is a generic term used to describe a number of Bull bred dogs. For this reason, wherever there is a ban on “Pitbulls”, whether it be from a municipality or at an airline counter, American Bullies, Staffordshire Terriers and any related dogs are included as being “PitBulls”. Many Bully breeders, while not wishing anything bad on “game bred” dogs, would like nothing better than to have their breed recognized by the authorities as a separate breed. Until that time, not only do they share the same name, they all share in the same fate. For these reasons and many more, would it not be wise for the traditional Pitbull lover to recognize the rights of others to love their dogs just as they wish to love their own? Yes, today, our beloved breed is under attack. Is the fight that is faced not challenging enough? Pitbull lovers do well to unite, for the good of the breed, while time still permits.