Fatal attacks since 1975 have been attributed to dogs from at least 30
different breeds (http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html)
… Any dog, treated harshly or trained to attack, may bite a person.
Any dog can be turned into a dangerous dog. The owner most often
is responsible -- not the breed, and not the dog.
Paw-sitively Promoting Pits from Head-to-Tail
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- Although there is only one breed recognized by the UKC as American Pit Bull Terrier,
there are a variety of dogs called “pit bulls”; these include the APBT, American Staffordshire Terrier (AKC), Staffordshire Bull Terrier (AKC & UK Kennel Club), and even American Bulldogs and Bull Terriers.
- Dogs are frequently mis-classified as "pit bull" mixes by shelters and rescues.
When a dog's history is unknown, the staff can only make educated guesses based on physical appearance. Shelters err on the side of caution and tag a dog as "pit bull" so potential adopters are aware of the possible breeding.
- Throughout the county pit bulls are used for Search & Rescue, Assisted Therapy as
well as competing in Canine Obedience, Agility and Flyball.
- The American Temperament Test Society, Inc. (ATTS) breed statistics as of
December 2005 show an 83.5% passing rate for the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier and a 84.7% passing rate for the Staffordshire bull terrier, as compared to an 81.2% average pass rate for all dog breeds. (from Wikipedia, encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_bull)
- Immigration from Ireland and England during the mid-1800s, brought an influx of
bull terriers to America... The resulting breed…became known as an "all-American" dog. "Pit bull" type dogs became popular as family pets for citizens who were not involved in dog-fighting or farming. In the early 1900s they began to appear in films, one of the more famous examples being Pete the Pup from the Our Gang shorts (later known as The Little Rascals).
- During World War I the breed's widespread popularity led to its being featured on
pro-American propaganda posters.
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Jesse, an American
Staffordshire Terrier, was a 6-
month old stray picked up by
the Montgomery County MD
animal shelter. We already
had two dogs at the time and I
had no interest in adopting a
potentially dangerous dog.
Since her time at the shelter
was nearly up, we decided to
rescue her intending to re-
home her. After only a week,
Jesse had become one of the
family.
Since then, Jesse has taught
me and everyone she meets
what a “pit bull’s” true nature
really is. She has helped me
educate the public as well as
myself!
Now at age 13, Jesse enjoys
retirement at home with two
canine companions and two
active boys.