Pit bull fact and fiction: When it comes to this type of dog ... it’s complicated
What are pit bulls? According to the Animal Humane Society, “the term ‘pit bull’ usually doesn’t refer to a single dog breed. Pit bull is generally used as a broad description for a type of dog. Many dog breeds may be classified as pit bulls, including: American Staffordshire Terriers, American Bull Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers (and) American Bulldogs.”
Where did pit bulls originally come from? “Today’s pit bull is a descendant of the original English bull-baiting dog,” the ASPCA says on its website. “(The) dog ... was bred to bite and hold bulls, bears and other large animals around the face and head. When baiting large animals was outlawed in the 1800s, people turned instead to fighting their dogs against each other. These larger, slower bull-baiting dogs were crossed with smaller, quicker terriers to produce a more agile and athletic dog for fighting other dogs.”
So they are inherently aggressive, and therefore inherently dangerous? That’s absolutely the stereotype. Less clear is whether it’s true ... but a research paper that looked at the link between genetics and dog behavior, published in Science last year, suggests it’s not. As The Washington Post noted in its story on the study: “Labrador and golden retrievers, on average, scored high on ‘human sociability’ — a measure of how receptive a dog is to unfamiliar people. That finding goes hand in hand with those breeds’ reputations as friendly dogs. But American pit bull terriers, a breed that has been outlawed in some cities and is often not allowed to live in apartment complexes because of the belief that it is aggressive and destructive, also scored high on human sociability, the study found.”
Yes, but: According to DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims’ group, from 2005 to 2019, dogs killed 521 Americans — and pit bulls contributed to 66% (346) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths.
If you’re considering adopting a specific pit bull, the American Pit Bull Foundation offers these tips:
- Bring the whole family to meet the dog.
- Ask about the history of the dog, the history and health of its parents, and what that line of dogs were bred for. Granted, in most shelter/rescue cases, this information is not available. So, if not, ask about the general behavior of the dog.
- Other questions to ask: Has it shown any aggression towards humans? (Note: Most pit bull rescues will not accept or adopt out pit bulls with any level of aggression or excessive shyness towards humans.) How does this dog do with other dogs? Has it shown any undesirable behavior or habits?
- If you think there’s a potential match, ask to take the dog for a home visit to see how it responds to the new surroundings.
This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
