A Breed Apart :: The "Pit Bull" Debunked by Lauren Jones Wenzel
|The term “Pit Bull” refers not to a single breed but a group of
breeds, including the American Pit Bull Terrier, American
Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, among
others. Most originated from pairings of the ancestors we now
call the Olde English Bulldogge and Terriers. Their breeders
wanted to merge the muscular body and tenacity of the bulldog
with the agility and “gameness” of terriers.| Originally bred
for blood sports like bull- and bear-baiting in Europe and North
America, these dogs were trained to attack and immobilize the
agitated animal and so were favored for their large, strong jaws
and muscular necks and shoulders. When these sports were
outlawed in the early 1800s, people began fighting the dogs, a
sport more easily concealed from the authorities. Since then,
their bad reputation, much inflated by the media, has made them
the target of unfair discrimination, breed specific legislation
(breed banning) and, thanks