Pitbull Saviours South West Sydney
The History of Pitbulls.
"Pit Bull" is not actually the name of the breed: Pit Bulls include American Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Terriers and Pit mixes.
According to the American Temperament Test Society Inc., pit bulls were found to have a more friendly
temperament than Beagles or Chihuahuas!.
Pit bull is a term commonly used to describe several breeds of dog in the Molosser family. Many breed-
specific laws use the term "pit bull" to refer to the modern American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and dogs with significant mixes of these breeds; however, a few jurisdictions also classify the modern Bulldog and Bull Terrier as a "pit bull-type dog". The term can also refer to dogs that were known as "bull terriers" prior to the development of the modern Bull Terrier in the early 20th century.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier had its beginnings in England many centuries ago when the bulldog and
Mastiff were used for the sports of bull-baiting and bear-baiting; in the Elizabethan era, breeders produced
large dogs for these sports but later on the 100-120 pound animal gave way to a small, more agile breed
of up to 90 pounds.
The sport of dog fighting gained popularity in England in the early 19th century and a smaller, faster dog
was developed. It was called by names such as "Bulldog Terrier" and "Bull and Terrier". The Bulldog at
that time was larger than the modern-day English Bulldog we know today, weighing about 60 pounds.
This dog was crossed with a small native terrier, related to the present-day Manchester Terrier, to produce
the Staffordshire Bull Terrier weighing on average between 30 and 45 pounds.
James Hinks, in about 1860, crossed the Old Pit Bull Terrier, now known as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier,
and produced the all-white English Bull Terrier. The Kennel Club in Great Britain recognized the Bull
Terrier in the last quarter of the 19th century, but the Staffordshire Bull Terrier's reputation as a fighting dog
was such that The Kennel Club did not recognize the breed until 1935, a century after the sport of dog
fighting became illegal in Great Britain under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835.
Staffordshire TerrierThe history of the American Staffordshire Terrier is rooted in its bulldog and terrier ancestry, for it was the interbreeding of the bulldog's courage and tenacity with the spirit and agility of a terrier that produced the "Bull-and-Terrier Dog", "Half and Half", and at times "Pit Dog" or "Pit Bull terrier" that later assumed the name in England of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
According to the American Temperament Test Society Inc., pit bulls were found to have a more friendly
temperament than Beagles or Chihuahuas!.
Pit bull is a term commonly used to describe several breeds of dog in the Molosser family. Many breed-
specific laws use the term "pit bull" to refer to the modern American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and dogs with significant mixes of these breeds; however, a few jurisdictions also classify the modern Bulldog and Bull Terrier as a "pit bull-type dog". The term can also refer to dogs that were known as "bull terriers" prior to the development of the modern Bull Terrier in the early 20th century.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier had its beginnings in England many centuries ago when the bulldog and
Mastiff were used for the sports of bull-baiting and bear-baiting; in the Elizabethan era, breeders produced
large dogs for these sports but later on the 100-120 pound animal gave way to a small, more agile breed
of up to 90 pounds.
The sport of dog fighting gained popularity in England in the early 19th century and a smaller, faster dog
was developed. It was called by names such as "Bulldog Terrier" and "Bull and Terrier". The Bulldog at
that time was larger than the modern-day English Bulldog we know today, weighing about 60 pounds.
This dog was crossed with a small native terrier, related to the present-day Manchester Terrier, to produce
the Staffordshire Bull Terrier weighing on average between 30 and 45 pounds.
James Hinks, in about 1860, crossed the Old Pit Bull Terrier, now known as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier,
and produced the all-white English Bull Terrier. The Kennel Club in Great Britain recognized the Bull
Terrier in the last quarter of the 19th century, but the Staffordshire Bull Terrier's reputation as a fighting dog
was such that The Kennel Club did not recognize the breed until 1935, a century after the sport of dog
fighting became illegal in Great Britain under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835.
Staffordshire TerrierThe history of the American Staffordshire Terrier is rooted in its bulldog and terrier ancestry, for it was the interbreeding of the bulldog's courage and tenacity with the spirit and agility of a terrier that produced the "Bull-and-Terrier Dog", "Half and Half", and at times "Pit Dog" or "Pit Bull terrier" that later assumed the name in England of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
