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| Photo by Phil Balko |
Well,
that’s not strictly true, but it caught your attention, right? There is no such breed as the Pit Bull. While
the UKC’s American Pit Bull Terrier comes closest in name, most enthusiasts
agree that the term “pit bull” encompasses it and two other breeds: the UKC’s
American Bully and the AKC’s American Staffordshire Terrier. (Visit their websites to learn more: www.akc.org
and www.ukcdogs.com)
In form, a pit bull is a short-haired,
well-muscled dog with a boxy head. By
these standards, the American Bulldog, English Mastiff, Rottweiler, Boston Terrier,
and countless other breeds could be considered pit bulls.
In history, a pit bull was a dog used for blood sports such as bull,
bear, or boar baiting. In these
contests, a large animal was either tethered or contained in a pit and agitated
before introducing a dog. The object of
the sport was for the dog to immobilize the animal by latching onto its
snout. When this gruesome practice was
outlawed in 1835 by the Cruelty to Animals Act, many enthusiasts turned to rat
baiting. In this grisly sport, dogs were
placed in a covered pit with 100 rats; the winner was the dog who killed the
most rodents in a specified time. The
last public exhibition of rat baiting was in Leicester in 1835, only to be
replaced by the horrific practice of pitting dogs against one another.
With such a checkered past and no
clear breed standard, it’s no wonder the pit bull type of dog is so
misunderstood. When the words are
uttered, the reactions are often polar opposites. Many people fear these dogs, envisioning
aggressive beasts bred to kill. Just as
many romanticize them as today’s martyr, as German Shepherds, Doberman
Pinchers, and Rottweilers have been in the past.
The breeds that encompass the pit
bull type are not for everyone, just as Chihuahuas, Great Danes, or Border
Collies are not for everyone. They are
typically highly driven, athletic dogs, whose minds need to be exercised, as
well as their bodies. Tim Holsopple,
founder of Operation Pit Bull, is an advocate and expert on these dogs. His dog, Laz, has been an integral part of
his life for nearly seven years.
Together, Tim and Laz have taken
part in agility, obedience, and barn hunt activities, but their greatest
passion is weight pulling. Tim works out
in the gym and Laz works out in the fields, dragging window weights to keep his
athletic build and to satisfy his need to perform. Laz is as much the center of Tim’s universe
as is his son, Owen. The “boys” wrestle,
play, and sleep together. There is no
fear of Owen coming to any harm in Laz’s company – inflicted by dog or mankind.
While much of his time has been
dedicated to finding homes for pit bull types in shelters, Tim doesn’t try to
push his breed choices on others. His
opinion is that no breed should be held as superior, nor should any be discriminated
against as a whole. Just as with the
humans you choose to share your life, a dog should be both judged and respected
as an individual, not as a stereotype. I
wholeheartedly agree.
Rebecca is the President & Executive Director of The Ethel Fund
Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to changing animals' lives by
providing assistance in times of catastrophic veterinary need. To learn
more, please visit http://www.ethelfund.org or
https://www.facebook.com/TheEthelFund. You may contact Rebecca at rslindeman@ethelfund.org.
Phil Balko is
the proprietor of Photography by Balko and donates his talents to the Ethel
Fund Inc. as well as other community organizations. To see more of his work, visit http://philipbalko.com/.
You may contact Phil at inquiry@philipbalko.com.
