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"Petey
the Pit Bull & the Little Rascals"
 Myths
-  MYTH(mith)
n. 1.an invented story, fictitious person, etc. 2. a belief or set of beliefs,
often unproven or false, that have accrued around a person, phenomena or
institution.
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Aren't pit bulls MEAN and VICIOUS?
No
more vicious than golden retrievers, beagles or other popular dogs ! In
a recent study of 122 breeds of dog by the National Temperament Testing
Association, APBTs achieved a passing rate of 81.7%. That's as good and
better than the results for beagles (78.7%), and golden retrievers (81.1%).
See for yourself: http://www.atts.org
In these tests, a dog is put through a series of confrontational situations.
Any sign of panic or aggression leads to failure of the test. The achievement
of the APBTs in this study disproves once and for all the mistaken belief
that pit bulls are inherently aggressive to people. Like any breed
of dog, a pit bull that is properly raised will remain loving and friendly.
In the past 20 years, we've seen some sad examples of poorly bred and badly
treated dogs that are the byproducts of irresponsible 'backyard breeders'
and cruel and abusive homes. These improperly raised, unsocialized creatures
can show temperaments far removed from the traditional authentic APBT.
Don't confuse these unfortunate misbreds with the huge majority of well-loved
dogs in this country that remain solid in temperament, affectionate, trustworthy
and friendly to their dying day.
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 Don't
pit bulls have LOCKING JAWS? No. The ability of
pitbulls to "lock on" with their jaws is a particularly annoying misperception
that refuses to let go! The jaws of a pit bull are built just as any other
dog's jaw...there is no 'enzyme', no special mechanism that would make
a pitbull's jaws 'lock'. They're DOGS, not alligators! What a pit bull
does have is strength, tenacity, and determination. And as any well-trained
pitbull can demonstrate, will let go just as easily.
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Don't pit bulls have to be TRAINED
TO FIGHT? NO! Just as there are breeds like the Jack
Russell Terrier which has been selectively bred to do battle with badgers,
foxes and other animals, the APBT breed has been selectively bred to fight
other dogs. Pit bulls can run the gambit from very dog aggressive to not
dog aggressive in the slightest, but all have some degree of the inbred
potential to fight written into their genetics. Under the right (or wrong!)
circumstances, if a pit bull is poorly managed, he can get into a scuffle
with another dog and fight like a pro ... even if he's never done it before.
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Will a pit bull that shows aggression
towards other animals go after PEOPLE NEXT? No. Aggression
towards other animals and human aggression are two totally different things.
We've heard the frightened quote "He went after a dog (or cat) and our
kids might be next!". This is one big MONSTER of a myth that has generated
a host of damaging anti-pit bull hysteria. When these dogs were fought
in the Pit there are 2 handlers and a judge in very close proximities,
sometimes inches away. It is perfectly 'normal' for a pit bull to be wonderfully
affectionate and friendly with people, while at the same time not 100%
trustworthy around other dogs. Like any breed of dog that we see in familys'
homes today, a properly raised, well socialized, responsibly owned pit
bull should never be human aggressive. Pit bulls that do show aggressive
behavior towards humans are NOT typical of the breed and should be humanely
euthanized. Dog aggression does not equal Human Aggression, period.
The APBT is a friend to everyone until or unless a person proves he is
not a friend. The majority of APBT’s have a strong urge to fight other
dogs, but the individual dogs that will attack people are so rare that
breeders such as ourselves are known to obtain other breeds to guard their
kennels!
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Don't SCARS on a pit bull always
mean that he "has been fought"? No. Many APBTs that
show up with scars in local shelters are assumed to "have been fought"
and are given an automatic death sentence. In many cases, this may be an
unfair judgment call. An APBT can show up with scars for many different
reasons. They are bold, active creatures and can get into all sorts of
adventures (and misadventures). He may have been a stray on the streets
and scrapped with other stray dogs without any prompting from an irresponsible
owner ... He may have started those fights, or tried like hec to avoid
them, or anything in between. He may be an active dog that ran through
brambles on a hike with his owner, tumbled in a wrestling match with the
family cat, nosed in too close to a wild urban animal such as a raccoon,
or cut himself while trying to dig out of a poorly secured yard. He may
have developed a skin condition known as mange, which frequently causes
suspicious looking scars. We know breeders and kennels with multiple Pit
Bulls can and usually always have accidental fights between these dogs.
Happens with German Sheperd Breeders, Huskies and other High Strung Breeds...
Don't assume that a pit bull with scars was necessarily used for fighting.
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Should DOG AGGRESSIVE pit bulls
be euthanized? Since we know that dog aggression does
not equate with human aggression, we believe dog aggressive pit bulls with
wonderful people-loving personalities deserve the same opportunity to enjoy
life as more dog tolerant pit bulls. It's a shame that Animal Activist
feel that rescued dog fighters cannot be adopted, instead they choose to
kill all those dogs instead of giving them a chance. APBTs are highly trainable,
and even the more dog aggressive individuals can be RESPONSIBLY MANAGED
by their smart and loving owners so there never has to be concern of a
tussle. Proper confinement, commen sense and someone that KNOWS how to
manage these dogs is all that is needed to control the most dog aggressive
Pit Bull.
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 Are
pit bulls unpredictable around CHILDREN? APBTs have
enjoyed a long history as favorite children's companions and family pets
(see Little Rascals Picture above where Petey the Pit Bull romped around
with 20+ kids on a daily basis). When well socialized and properly raised,
they're the perfect breed to tolerate the rough and tumble play that kids
can dish out. Pit bulls tend to be drawn to the joyful optimism of children
and love to meet them with tails awaggin'! Some APBTs may not be suitable
with young children because they could knock them down in their exhuberance.
Common sense dictates that children should
be taught how to properly interact with dogs (of EVERY breed) and should
never be left alone with a dogs unsupervised.
CLICK
HERE For And CLICK
HERE FOR MORE KIDS AND PIT BULLS - "CAUTION -
VERY VICIOUS PICTURES".
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 MYTH:
Pit bulls bite more people than any other breed. FACT:
It is hard to pin down, as accurate records by breed are seldom kept. Those
records available show what a myth this is. Farmers Branch, Texas, a suburb
of Dallas, has kept accurate records since 1980. During a 7 year period
from 1980 through 1987, this is what was recorded. Total bites: 1,593.
Pit bulls, 30 bites, or 1.89% of the total. Other studies tend to show
the same results and because of so many mongrels that have similar features
to the American Pit Bull Terrier, it seems reasonable to assume that the
figures are actually much lower. We know that this breed gets thrown in
most Media stories when they aren't even Pit Bulls, for instance the Two
Big CanE Corso Dogs that killed that woman in the Apt Building... what
kind of dogs did they first report did this?????? YEAP... PIT BULLS....
Later they reported the correct breed. Because the story was so big everyone
found out the truth and that they weren't actually Pit Bulls. So how many
other News Stories on Dog Bites make the News where they blame it on our
breed and later come to find out it really was a mix breed and not a Pit
Bull, but yet they don;t report that? I have seen many News Stories where
they claim it's a "Pit Bull" and I look at the news and the dog has long
hair and clearly not a Pure Bred APBT. The Media plays one of the biggest
roles in wreaking havoc for our breed.
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MYTH: American Pit Bull Terriers
are born mean. FACT: In a letter to James Huffman
of Columbus, Ohio, Alfons Estelt of the American Temperament Test Society,
Inc., an international dog temperament test organization, wrote the following:
"The American Pit Bull Terriers participating in our temperament evaluation
have thus far shown a passing rate of 95%. The other 121 breeds of dogs
in our tests showed the average passing rate of 77%. While the heredity
factor is of measurable importance, these results show that a dog, even
if used for dogfighting, is not pre-disposed as such, but is brought by
his environment."
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 MYTH:
American Pit Bull Terriers have 1600 P.S.I. in jaw pressure. FACT:
Dr. 1. Lehr Brisbin of the University of Georgia states, "To the best of
our knowledge, there are no published scientific studies that would allow
any meaningful comparison to be made of the biting power of various breeds
of dogs. There are, moreover, compelling technical reasons why such data
describing biting power in terms of "pounds per square inch" can never
be collected in a meaningful way. All figures describing biting power in
such terms can be traced to either unfounded rumor or, in some cases, to
newspaper articles with no foundation in factual data." Need more be said?
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MYTH: When American Pit Bull
Terriers taste blood, it causes them to go on a killing rampage.
FACT:
This is by far the silliest one we've heard yet. When a dog gives birth,
just like any species, there is alot of blood. Instinctively the mother
removes the fetal membranes, severs the umbilical cord, licks the puppies
clean, and eats the after birth. If tasting the blood were to cause her
to go on a killing rampage, she would kill her pups, and the breed would
end there.
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MYTH: When American Pit Bull
Terriers mauture their brains grow too big for their head, causing them
to go crazy. FACT: Think about this one for a second,
if it really was possible for an entire species brain to grow too big for
it's own head, it would kill them, not cause them to remain crazy lol.
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