What Is a Pit Bull?
Pit Bull is not a breed of dog. Rather, the label encompasses a number of “bull & pit terrier” breeds:
- American Pit Bull Terrier
- American Staffordshire Terrier
- American Bully
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier (parent breed)
There are differing stories about how the SBT first came about. Some say that English bulldogs and white or tan terriers were crossed for bull and bear baiting. Others say they were bred to herd cattle and sheep and happened to excel at bull and bear baiting. Bull and bear baiting were outlawed in the British Isles in 1835, after which time the dogs were certainly farm and ranch dogs.
Did You Know?
Visual identification of pitbull-type dogs is unreliable. A documented 60% error rate between visual breed identification and actual DNA adds to the confusion around the true nature of pitbull-type dogs.