My Intent...

I happen to love Pit Bulls, American Staffordshire Terriers, and the rest of the Bully Breeds. However, with that being said, I realize not every dog of this breed is friendly, social, adoptable, wonderful, or trustworthy. The same can be said for every breed. My hope is that people will educate themselves on breeds before making a judgement. Judging a breed to be a certain personality is like juding a human based on their skin, gender, or religion. Please, take each individual dog as a separate case. Not all Pit Bulls are bad just as not all Shih Tzus, Chihuahuas, Beagles, and so forth are nice. If you still don't care for the breed, I understand that too.

Pit Bull - "Breed"??
	*Pit bull is NOT a breed. It's a generic term often used to describe all dogs with similar traits and characteristics often known by the public as "pit bulls".

A Quick History...

Unfortunately due to irresponsible Pit Bull owners, media hype, and mistaken identity, this breed has received a lot of negative attention. These dogs were originally inteded to be family and working/hunting dogs. These dogs went after bears and large game - not other dogs or people. When dog fighting was legal and these dogs were used, did you know the dogs were not allowed to bite people? They were trained not to bite people so they could be separated without injury to the person. They were friendly and not mean or vicious to their owners, which many people believe. Dog aggressive, yes. People aggressive, no. Myth or Fact? Pit Bulls can "lock" their jaws. This is untrue (myth). These dogs were so focused on what they were doing that it gave the appearance as though they "lock" their jaws.

Owner Responsibility

If you own a Pit Bull, please, BE RESPONSIBLE! As with any dog you have an important job of being a responsible pet parent to both your dog AND your community. Keep in mind, no matter how wonderful your Pit Bull is, the general public may not like your dog. Things to do - responsibility: Spay/Neuter your dog, keep vaccines current, obedience classes, consistency on YOU as the alpha/top dog, license your dog, make sure your fence is secure, WALK/exercise your dog regularly to give him/her an outlet for their energy, socialize your dog as much (and as safely) as possible, and of course give love and affection. Consider trying to get your dog Canine Good Citizen certified. As a Pit Bull owner you can help or hurt the reputation of this breed. Make your pet a great example!

Temperament

According to pbrc.net, "The American Temperament Test Society provides temperament testing around the country for dog breeds, and gives a passing score for the entire breed based on the percentage of passed over failed within total number of the particular breed tested. As of December 2003, the American Pit Bull Terrier has a current passing rate of 83.9%, and the American Staffordshire Terrier passes at 83.2%. In comparison, The Golden Retriever passing rate is 83.2%."

Looking to Own?

If you are a first time dog owner or have never owned a Pit Bull before, do you and the dog a favor... do you research on the breed. This is a wonderful breed. However, anytime you are looking to add a dog to the family (no matter the breed) you want to educate yourself on the breed PRIOR to adding to your family. ADOPT DON'T BUY! There are LOTS (lots) of Pit Bulls out there needing homes. First, try some local shelters. If you can't find one at a shelter, try a rescue organization, like Karma or FOCHP (see Adopt-a-Pet section). Try looking at Petfinder.com, Pets911.com, & 1-800-Save-a-pet.com as well. DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE - OPT TO ADOPT!

Looking to Breed?

WHY would you want to contribute to the already OUT-OF-CONTROL pet population??? Please, if you own 1 or more Pit Bulls (or any breed for that matter) DO NOT breed them! Have your dog spayed/neutered! There are many resources out there to help if you cannot afford the surgery. There are LOTS of Pits in every shelter. Some shelters don't even adopt them out and so their only option, if not claimed, is euthanasia. I'm sure your dog is beautiful and wonderful and so on. But so are many of those dogs who won't make it out of the shelter because there are not enough homes! Look over the section on breeding and take this information into account and think about it. If you think your "one litter" won't matter... tell that to the "one litter" animals currently in the shelter!

Pit Bull Rescue Central (PBRC)
	www.pbrc.net - A GREAT AND EDUCATIONAL SITE! Information on Pit Bulls, training, temperament, rescues, legislation, and more as well as Pit Bulls available for adoption.

Responsible Information

Here are some sites (not linked) where you can find out more on Pit Bulls. www.pbrc.net (Breed info, chat list, adoptions, and LOTS more) www.understand-a-bull.com (breed legislation & info) www.forpitssake.org (breed info and search & rescue info) BREED INFO: www.badrap.org and www.workingpitbull.com and www.pitbullpress.com and realpitbull.com and www.pitbullsontheweb.com Whether you own a Pit Bull or just want to educate yourself on them, take a moment and check out these sites!