by Amber Rothrock

Created on: June 21, 2010

The Sordid History of the American Pit Bull Terrier

Mostly trained to be aggressive fighting dogs, pit bulls have earned a bad reputation, but many researchers and animal advocates are aiming to change that. The Chako Rescue Association, located in Sacramento, California, is an organization that spends its time rescuing pit bulls. Several of the dogs they rescue are trained to become service dogs for persons with disabilities. Even Helen Keller, who was known to be a dog lover and had owned everything from mastiffs to akitas, had a pit bull helper dog named Sir Thomas (Dashevskaya). There have also been other famous pit bulls that have provided services throughout history, like Sergeant Stubby, the most highly decorated dog to have served in the military. During World War Two he helped locate wounded soldiers, warned of gas attacks, and was responsible for the capture of a German spy (Whitney).

There is some uncertainty as to the exact origin of the pit bull, but it is believed to be associated with the mastiff, which originated in Ancient Greece. Britons used a variation of the mastiff both for guardianship and during warfare. When Emperor Claudius defeated Chief Caractacus in 50 A. D. he began exporting the dogs to Rome where they were bred with their Roman counterparts and used as fighting dogs. Between 50 A. D. and 410 A. D. they mixed with other breeds native to Europe and that mixing gave way to the bulldogs that are thought to be the ancestors of the American Pit Bull Terrier (Morral).

In 1066, the Normans invaded England and introduced the blood sport known as baiting. Baiting began with the butchers who employed dogs to keep the bulls in line as they were marched to the slaughter houses. The dogs would latch on to the snout of an unruly bull and not let go until the handler could get the animal under control. Public events were organized to show off the dogs’ talents. In 1835, British Parliament made baiting illegal so the public was forced to find new ways to feed their desire to see dogs in combat. Ratting, a practice in which dogs were tossed into a pit with a number of rats soon evolved. The goal was to see which dog could kill the most rats in the least amount of time. This is where the “pit” in pit bull developed; from the fact that ratting took place in a pit to keep the rats contained.

Dog fighting required smaller and swifter canines than those used in baiting and ratting. The dogs were bred with terriers, which are known

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