Pit Bull
...characteristics for dogs, and why is it that only certain breeds are considered good or bad? The American Pit Bull Terrier is a controversial breed of dog. Many people will
fight to the end of time that this breed, is the best ever. Others are frightened by the
breed, and argue that this breed is dangerous and should be banished.
Why now, is the breed considered dangerous, and a threat to the community? Many laws are being passed to slowly eliminate the American Pit Bull Terrier. Some states ban the breed all together, while others are banning the breeding of "pit bulls." Are the owners of vicious dogs to blame for this, or is this breed, of dog, a bad breed?
History
The breed's history and stature have made the "pit bull" to seem intimidating. The "pit bull" was bred to be a fighter in the pen, and a companion at home. Dog fighting was one of the many dog sports, of the nineteenth century, along with ratting and bull baiting.
"In baiting events, no more than one or two dogs were unleashed on the bull. They were trained to unrelentingly harass the bulls until they collapsed from fatigue, their injuries, or both. These episodes lasted for prolonged periods, sometimes as long as three or four hours. Eventually, the public grew bored with bulls and introduced a creative flair to the sport, baiting dogs with bears, boars, horses, and even monkeys!" (Morral)
When bull baiting was made illegal in England, 1835, people converted their time to ratting. Ratting was a sport that involved throwing the dog into a pit of rats, and seeing how many it could kill in the fastest time. The term "pit," from this "game," was incorporated into forming the pit bull name as time progressed. This "sport" was also made illegal.
In order for the English to ...