History of the Pit Bull, Part 3 of 3

Nowadays, Pit Bulls are recognized as fun loving dogs that would make
wonderful additions to any family. But that way of thinking has not always
been the case. Before they were considered great pets, these dogs once
endured awful prejudice and unfairness because of their ability and
strength.

Although dog fighting is considered illegal, fans and supporters continued
to carry out the sport with minimal interference from law enforcement. In
the 1970’s however, the American Dog Owner’s Association (ADOA) decided to
lobby against dogfights. The association successfully brought public
attention to pit fighting, helping to push it into the shadows and
completely put an end to the sport.

But that did not stop the supporters and enthusiasts to carry on with the
game. Dog fighting continued and went underground. Instead of turning
people away, the sport’s illegal nature only attracted more people, many
who whom knew more about the game’s pay-offs but had very little knowledge
about the Pit Bulls.

Knowledgeable breeders of fighting Pit Bulls could no longer disclose
information about training methods for fear of getting caught by the
authorities. For this reason, novice dog trainers as well as Pit Bull
breeders began using cruel practices to train these dogs. They would often
use stolen puppies and other dogs to try to encourage the Pit Bulls to
kill. These breeders and trainers would go as far as feed them with
gunpowder to make them mean. In addition, they used other people to beat
the dogs with clubs in order for them to turn aggressive toward strangers.


Needless to say, these poor methods of training were unsuccessful and the
dogs rarely won at matches. The breeders and trainers had no other choice
but to discard these dogs. The terrible harm that was done to these dogs
made them very difficult to bring home as pets and the harm done to the
dog’s reputation was beyond measurable.

While most people shun these dogs because of their notorious reputation,
some people seek them in order to have the toughest dog on the block.
Although certain types of breeds filled the position throughout the years,
it was not until the early 1980’s when the Pit Bull made it to the top of
the list.

While most people think that the Pit Bull makes the supreme macho dog, a
lot of them do not understand the instinctive nature of the breed and the
training it requires. In an attempt to create a bigger and more aggressive
dog, these people promote random aggression and even cross their dogs with
larger and more aggressive breeds. This mixture of bad breeding and bad
training produced more aggressive dogs that have resulted in the Pit Bull’s
notorious popularity.