PIT BULLS, A MENACE TO SOCIETY OR JUST

MISUNDERSTOOD?Are they dogs or killing machines?

Please save all comments or questions for after my speech.

Where did they come from?

The exact origin of the breed is unknown, but it is believed breeding began sometime in Britain in the 1700’s.

What we can determine is that there are three main breeds from which the terriers originate.

American Pit Bull Terrier

The American pit bull terrier is interbreeding between terriers and bulldogs to make a dog that combined the gameness of the terrier, with the strength and athleticism of a bulldog.

This breed of dogs were initially bred in England, Ireland, and Scotland, and arrived in the United States from their immigrants.

American Pit Bull Terrier

American Staffordshire Terrier

These dogs began to find their way into America as early as 1870 where they became known as pit dog, pit bull terrier, later American bull terrier, and still later as Yankee terrier.

In 1936, they were accepted by the AKC as "Staffordshire terriers". The name of the breed was revised effective January 1, 1972, to "American Staffordshire terrier" since breeders in the United States had developed a type which is heavier in weight than the Staffordshire bull terrier of England and the name was changed to distinguish them as separate breeds.

American Staffordshire Terrier

American Staffordshire Terrier

American Staffordshire Terrier

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

The Staffordshire bull terrier had its beginnings in England many centuries ago when the bulldog and Mastiff were used for sports.

The Kennel Club did not recognize the breed until 1935, a century after the sport of dog fighting became illegal in Great Britain.

The Staffordshire bull terrier was admitted to registration in the AKC Stud Book effective October 1, 1974, with regular show classification in the Terrier Group at AKC shows available on and after March 5, 1975.

Staffordshire bull terrier

Fighting

Pit bull fighting is a widely over done sport that has been banned and frowned upon in many states and territories.

It is a nasty, cruel and terrible sport played by many, resulting in server injure, death and poor temperament towards humans.

This is the main cause of the uncertainty of the breed.

Breeding

Pit bull breeding is a widely abused right of a dog owner.

Many breeders do not care who buys the dog and what their dog is used for, adding to the fighting scene, and general misuse of the breed.

The reason this is, is because depending on the bloodline of the dog, the price can range from $50 upwards of $5,000.

Breeding

Breeding

Pit bull Sports

There are many sports they have and still participate.

Some older sports include bear baiting and fighting (now out lawed)

Some new sports include ……

WEIGHT PULLING

At an IWPA pull, each dog is harnessed and hooked to a cart (or sled in the snow) upon which increasing increments of weight are added. Each dog has 60 seconds to pull the load 16 feet without the handler touching the dog or crossing a line which is in front of the dog. Dogs cannot be "baited". The dog that pulls the most weight across the line (in the fastest time in case of a tie) wins. Dogs can earn three titles, the Working Dog (WD) for pulling 12 times their body weight at four different pulls. The Working Dog Excellent (WDX) for pulling 18 times their body weight at four different pulls, and the Working Dog Superior (WDS) for pulling 23 times their body weight at three different pulls. Dogs can also compete for regional and national ranking.

WEIGHT PULLING

AGILITY

Dogs compete based on their shoulder height, and most organizations offer three levels of competition. Handlers direct their dogs to climb over, weave around, jump over or climb through obstacles on a course which is timed. Dogs are off-lead and excited, and other dogs are all around the ring, so you can see that only well directed and trained dogs would be feasible for this sport.

AGILITY

TRACKING/TRAILING

In this sport, they follow the foot steps of the target, in order to find where the target is hiding or the direction they are traveling.

TRACKING/TRAILING

OBEDIENCE

HERDING

CATCHING/HUNTING

The dogs generally work with hounds, which trail the game, while the bulldogs close in and grip the animal by the ears (most commonly).

Boars are generally killed by the hunter approaching, grabbing the boar by the hind legs, throwing it and slitting its throat or stabbing it behind the elbow. One can easily see how very important it is that a dog be a staunch, tough, reliable animal which will NOT release its grip no matter how injured or hurt it is. If the dog releases, the hunter faces serious injury.

FLYBALL

The point is for one team of dogs to compete against another team of dogs in a relay contest. The dogs run down through a series of jumps, come to the flyball box which the dog must hit with its foot, the ball shoots out, the dog catches it and races back to the handler. This sport has been featured as half-time entertainment at sporting events.

FLYBALL

DOCK DOG CONTESTS

There is a new sport in town. For dogs which love the water, somebody has come up with a contest to see whose dog can jump the furthest off the dock and the highest off the dock. The dogs love it.

DOCK DOG CONTESTS

FRISBEE CONTESTS

The Pit Bulls and American Culture

The Pit Bull was so popular in the early 1900's they were our mascot not only in World War One, but World War Two as well.

They were featured on recruiting and propaganda posters during this time period.

Pete the Pup on the original Little Rascals was a Pit Bull.

The Pit Bulls Temperament.

Pit Bulls are great with kids, they were once called the nanny’s dogs.

Pit Bulls are not human aggressive!!! Pit Bulls score an 83.4% passing rate with

the American Temperament Test Society. That's better than the popular Border Collie (a breed who scores 79.6%).

Surprising Facts

Pit Bulls are commonly used as therapy dogs. Whether they are visiting a senior care facility or helping someone recover from an emotional accident, Pit Bulls are making a mark as outstanding therapy dogs.

Pit Bulls are used in Search and Rescue work. One example of well known SAR Pit Bulls is Kris Crawford and her dogs. Kris and her dogs have helped save the lives of many people during their efforts.

Pit Bulls serve as narcotic and bomb sniffing dogs. One Pit Bull, Popsicle (named that because he was found in an old freezer) has the largest recorded single drug find in Texas history.

More Surprising Facts

Sgt. Stubby. A Pit Bull war hero. Stubby was wounded in action twice, he saved his entire platoon by warning them of a poison gas attack and he single handedly captured a German spy.

Dog Bite Statistics by Breed

http://www.dog-obedience-training-online.com/dog-bite-statistics-by-breed.html

Dog Bite Statistics by Breed

Lock jaw myth

There is no evidence for the existence of a physiological "locking mechanism" in the teeth or jaw structure of normal pit bull-type dogs, although a dog's jaws can be locked in a closed position by surgically correctable jaw abnormalities.

Despite the lack of a physiological "jaw locking" mechanism, pit bull-type dogs often exhibit "bite, hold, and shake" behavior and refuse to release when biting,

methods to force pit bull-type dogs to release their grip include breaking an ammonia ampule and holding it up to the dog's noseor using a "break stick" to lever the dog's jaws open if it bites a person or animal

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2000)

(CDC) published in 2000 a study on dog bite-related fatalities (DBRF) that covered the years 1979–1998. The study found reports of 238 people killed by dogs over the 24-year period, of which "pit bull terrier" or mixes thereof were reportedly responsible for killing 76, or about 32 percent, of the people killed by dogs in the attacks identified in the study.

The latest CDC "Dog Bite: Fact Sheet" includes a disclaimer regarding this study, saying that

"it does not identify specific breeds that are most likely to bite or kill, and thus is not appropriate for policy-making decisions related to the topic. Each year, 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs. These bites result in approximately 16 fatalities; about 0.0002 percent of the total number of people bitten. These relatively few fatalities offer the only available information about breeds involved in dog bites. There is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill.

Legislation

A large number of jurisdictions have enacted breed-specific legislation (BSL) in response to a number of well-publicized incidents involving pit bull-type dogs, and some government organizations such as the United States Army and Marine Corps have taken administrative action as well. These actions range from outright bans on the possession of pit bull-type dogs to restrictions and conditions on pit bull ownership, and often establish a legal presumption that a pit bull-type dog is prima facie a legally "dangerous" or "vicious" dog. In response, some state-level governments in the United States have prohibited or restricted the ability of municipal governments within those states to enact breed-specific legislation, though these prohibitions on breed-specific legislation do not affect military installations located within these states.

Legislation

It is now generally settled in case law that jurisdictions in the United States and Canada have the right to enact breed-specific legislation; however, the appropriateness and effectiveness of breed-specific legislation in preventing dog bite fatalities is disputed. One point of view is that pit bulls are a public safety issue that merits actions such as banning ownership, mandatory spay/neuter for all pit bulls, mandatory microchip implants and liability insurance, or prohibiting people convicted of a felony from owning pit bulls. Another point of view is that comprehensive "dog bite" legislation, coupled with better consumer education and legally mandating responsible pet keeping practices, is a better solution to the problem of dangerous dogs than breed-specific legislation.[

Legislation

A third point of view is that breed-specific legislation should not ban breeds entirely but should strictly regulate the conditions under which specific breeds could be owned, e.g., forbidding certain classes of individuals from owning them, specifying public areas from which they would be prohibited, and establishing conditions, such as requiring a dog to wear a muzzle, for taking dogs from specific breeds into public places. Finally, some governments, such as in Australia, have forbidden the import of specific breeds and are requiring the spay/neuter of all existing dogs of these breeds in an attempt to slowly eliminate the population through natural attrition.

a Menace to Society or just Misunderstood?

What's your opinion?

Now would be a good time for comments and questions.p.s. no applause necessary I know I am the shit!

The End

I do not claim ownership to any pictures featured in this slide.

Information and pictures acquired from google pictures,

Wikipedia, www.dog-obedience-training-online.com/ http://www.pitbulllovers.com/pit-bulls-ten-

things-you-should-know.html http://www.workingpitbull.com/

activities2ndpage.html