American Pit Bull Terrier Handbook. Joe Stahlkuppe
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Branding Owners
People, who weren’t dog-friendly even before the hype began, started to speak out against these fearsome creatures that were a plague to all decent people. Law enforcement spokespersons told about the use of the “pit bulls” by drug dealers and other criminals to intimidate citizens and guard clandestine drug labs and marijuana patches. If you happened to own an APBT, or a dog that even remotely resembled an APBT, you were often branded at the worst, demonic, and at the best, crudely eccentric. If you owned two such dogs or happened to have a litter of APBT puppies, some labeled you as the kingpin of a dog-fighting ring located in your garage, basement, or guest room. Occasionally, operating on an anonymous tip, vice cops and animal cruelty officers would raid a household suspected of being a haven for pit bulls, only to discover an aging Boston Terrier or an arthritic Pug as the only dog living in the home.
Criminals and Gangs
This hysteria strangely had an added bonus for the people who so greatly caused it—drug dealers, gang members, and other street criminals. They gained immeasurably in terms of added reputation and intimidation potential when their pit-type dogs instilled fear in the general communities. These thugs often created situations in which the savagery of their dogs could be prominently displayed.
Owning the most feared dog on the block became a goal. These street punks-turned-dogfighters were far removed from the pit dogfighters of the earlier part of this century. This new dog-fighting element quickly outraged the American people in a way the traditional fighters never had. Accounts of renewed fights and actual crimes using “pit bulls” as weapons were duly reported, and the dog breed with the wrong name at the wrong time—the APBT—gained a completely undeserved reputation as a canine monster. This myth grew and grew.
Some communities have piously tried to sweep their streets of the effects of the drug dealers and criminals. In a time of enlightened civic responsibility, these cities banned the dogs they most closely identified with the punks and criminals. Since the leaders of some cities were content to remain in a state of ignorance in response to a public outcry, they banned all APBTs and certain judiciously selected other breeds.
Rediscovering This Breed
People are often interested in new breeds, exotic breeds, breeds from long ago or far away. One excellent way to gain a new look at any breed is to approach such a breed as if it had just surfaced. Breeds such as the Dogo de Argentino, the Akita, the Tosa Inu, the Anatolian Shepherd, and others are large, sometimes quite aggressive dogs. Unfortunately, the supporters of these dogs often fail to mention (or perhaps consider) aggressiveness or problem potential. These breeds have been heralded as “new” even though some of them are actually very ancient in heritage. Each is much larger than the APBT and could inflict substantial injury to humans or to other dogs. Interestingly, these large and aggressive “new” breeds don’t yet face the prejudice confronting the American Pit Bull Terrier.
Let us observe the APBT as if we had never heard of or seen the breed before. This breed may look quite different if we view it without any preconceived attitudes and we would probably herald it as the next wonder dog. There are many reasons that this “new” breed would gain immediate positive acceptance:
• It has a medium-length, low-maintenance coat, and is remarkably hardy.
• It is athletic, capable of many versatile roles and activities.
• It has an eye-catching, sturdy frame, available in many color and size variations.
• It is highly intelligent and very trainable, an obedience/agility/Schutzhund candidate.
• It is courageous and protective.
• It is excellent with adults and children.
• It is loyal, with lots of personality, and often quite clownish.
• Its ears can be cropped or left natural; the visual effect is much the same either way.
• It is not prone to many inheritable health problems or conditions.
• It is an excellent companion and pet.
• It is a good traveler, easily adaptable to most lifestyles and living arrangements.
• It has a strikingly forceful, yet attractive appearance, a definite crime deterrent.
• It is physically tough, with some hunting dog potential.
• It has a long and distinguished record as a movie star, as a war dog, and as a therapy dog.
• It is active enough for the grandchildren, yet reserved enough for the grandparents.
There are many more attributes of this breed that could be added to the list. A simple truth exists: If the APBT was to suddenly come onto the canine scene, he would be widely accepted and would be acclaimed as the next great dog breed. Instead of Jack Russell Terriers, which are very similar to APBTs in temperament, on sitcoms and in commercials, theatrical agents, film producers, and maddening crowds of fans would besiege APBTs. Any minor indiscretions that a particular APBT might commit would be considered all part of the unique character of this wonderful “newly discovered” breed.
APBTs and Other Dogs
Failing to offset all the good qualities of this “new” breed would be one negative element, which has been present in the newfound breeds such as the highly popular Jack Russell Terrier and the Chinese Shar-pei. This element is a definite level of aggressiveness by some members of the breed toward other dogs. Almost every purebred or mixed-breed dog can show this same tendency, if poorly socialized. In the “new breed” scenario, dog experts would quickly rush to the APBT’s defense stating that it is highly probable that ordinary good judgment and everyday preventive measures would greatly calm any apprehension about aggressiveness in the “newly discovered” APBT.
Legal Lightning Rod
With the development of a widely accepted public perception of the APBT as the “Bogey-Dog” came the first of a group of legal remedies designed to protect society from the canine equivalent to the great white shark. First came restrictions on all breeds, some of which were reasonable, such as leash laws and dog licensing. The day of the household pet unrestrictedly roaming the community was over, and rightfully so. Again, this was a positive move that effectively brought to an end much of the mischief unattended dogs can get into. It also helped lower the number of dog deaths caused by cars and trucks. Dog bites went down. Altercations between dogs went down. Unwanted litters dropped.
Many people began walking with their dogs, jogging with their dogs, promenading with their dogs on city streets, in city parks, and along suburban avenues. A new type of conflict began to result from this new activity. Some people couldn’t (or wouldn’t) control their pets. Others actually seemed to enjoy strutting through the community with a large, impressive, possibly aggressive, dog. The element of human ineptitude and ego actually produced a worse situation than had existed in some communities before leash laws and other restraints took effect.
In the pre-leash law days, free-ranging dogs in a particular area often came to mutual understandings among themselves about who was the strongest and meanest dog. Most spur-of-the-moment dogfights ended with one dog submitting to another. The loser would find a different fire hydrant and a different place in the pecking order. This peace would last until some new challenger arrived to change the balance of power. These informal