As humans, we all have our differences. Whether those are opinions on how you prefer your food. While we all have values that stem from how we are raised and treated by other people, we all have different solutions for how to solve the issues that overlap or conflict with those values. An example of this is with dog breeds that are considered dangerous, such as the         Pitbull. When it comes to places taking care of Pitbulls, it is worth noting that some don’t consider Pitbulls to be an individual breed, such as the American Kennel Club or the AKC.

 

In the past, there have been several different reasons as to why Pitbull type dogs have been bred for aggression. Unfortunately, this started in the 1200s, for a blood-sport titled “Bull Baiting”. For this sport, humans would tie up a bull with a chain with a 15-foot radius, put pepper in the nose of the bull to enrage it, then release dogs to immobilize the bull. This was quite popular entertainment and an easy way to make or lose money from gambling. Another version of this that was quite similar was “Bear Baiting”. Similar to Bull Baiting, the bear was tied and dogs were let loose, only bear-baiting was worse. The dogs were used to worry the bear, while the bear was tied by either the neck or legs. Sometimes the bear was blinded and whipped. There were many blood sports back in the day as they were the main spots for gambling and entertainment. The transition to dogfighting occurred in the late 1830s, as in 1835 Bull and Bear baiting was outlawed for animal cruelty but also because it was getting too expensive to import such animals to Europe. When it was outlawed in Europe, dogs were shipped to the United States, where the dogfighting century began for the US. 

 

Many breeds were bred and crossbred for these blood-sports, creating the Old English Bulldogge. This dog breed was created for taking down bulls, trained to attack the nose of the bull. The people who wanted to create a dog that had the gameness of a terrier with the strength and athleticism of a bulldog, eventually the American Pit Bull Terrier was created and recognized by the United Kennel Club. The founder of UKC gave his dog, an American Pit Bull Terrier registration 1. As people were cross-breeding these dogs to create the perfect dog that they decreed to meet the standards that they created, they created a few different breeds that are variants of the Old English Bulldogge. Some of these breeds are the American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Many breeds can be classified as “pit bulls.” 

 

People who are against Breed-Specific Legislation have created a test that includes the image of an American Pit Bull Terrier, and 24 other breeds. The test includes many breeds that are distinguishable by certain characteristics of the breed, while also including several stages of growth and development. I tried out the test myself and mostly got dogs that could have been classified as pit bulls, but not the American Pit Bull Terrier. 

 

Many people believe that Pit Bull or Pit Bull type dogs are naturally aggressive, and I think that varies, many people in the hip-hop culture choose this breed as a guard dog. Another aspect is that people who deal and own drugs, also use this type of dog as a guard dog to help prevent the authorities and other random people from stealing or intruding on their property, putting even more hate on the technical breed. 

 

Many people who fight dogs say that the dog “enjoys it” or that “the dogs love it”, part of this is because of the loyalty within these types of dogs. Several videos show dogs that are fighting, and you can tell that they are tired, but as soon as their “owner” says some type of praise, the dog starts wagging its tail and begins attempting to kill the other dog again. Dog fight times vary, from 30 minutes to almost or more than 3 hours. Each dog is trained in several different ways to make sure that the dog is in top shape for fighting. Some of these things that are used are, treadmills, cat or jenny mills, and several other things are used to train the dogs. Treadmills are used to build up stamina for the long fights, and sometimes there is a carrier in front of it with a small pet inside to make the dog run faster for longer periods. Jenny/Cat mills are similar, but there is a carrier in front of the dog with a small pet inside so that the dog will chase it in circles. Jenny mills are similar to horse walkers, but they are powered by the dogs and go at the dog’s pace. Another way the dogs are “trained” is by a tire or rope. The dog has to jump up and is forced to hang there as long as possible. This allows the muscle build-up of the neck to strengthen the bite. These types of training are used in a variety of ways and vary depending on the dog and the skills that it has obtained throughout the forced career.

 

The dogs that are forced to fight are bred for this, yes, but some dogs do not want to fight. These dogs are forced into it, and most of the time can recover with only minor issues that affect them. There has been one case in particular where there have been a lot of dogs recovered from a dogfighting rink and most were able to recover entirely, with only a few dogs that had issues and were given specific requirements by the court. This was the Micheal Vick case that I am referencing. Many of the dogs were able to go out to forever homes relatively soon. While a few were court-required to stay at Best Friend Animal Sanctuary. A few of the dogs that were recovered ended up being dog aggressive, so they had to go to special homes. The Micheal Vick case was such a big deal, that they made a documentary/movie about it. 

 

This documentary/movie is titled The Champions.