Soldiers alongside their pit bulls and terriers on the front lines
Alrightie! Let us have a look at the history of the AMERICAN Pit Bull Terrier!
The pit bull as we know it today was developed in the British Isles, the breed is derived from crossing the Old English Terrier with the Old English Bulldog. These two breeds combined made an athletic, spirited, intelligent and loving dog. It goes without saying that the dogs became used as "fighting dogs" and were put into pits to fight for public entertainment, and that of course where the "pit" in Pit Bull originated. Not much has changed with time, huh? Other fighting dog breeds include: the Akita, English Mastiff, shar pei, and the English White Terrier.
Dog fighting, and animal fighting in general is nothing new, it's actually been very common and a "popular" blood sport since the ancient times. Dogs were used in gladiator fights against bears, lions, tigers and other dogs. It was introduced in the United States around 1817, and of course is sadly still continuing to happen every day across the world.
But of course that was not their only purpose, in fact pit bulls moved on to become a beloved household dog in the public eye. Many families trusted their pit bull to be "nannies" for their small children, because the dog was very loyal, incredibly loving, gentle, and protective to the family. Have a look at these vintage photos showing pits roles as a family dog and an old time pop culture icon.
The Pit Bull also became revered as a patriotic symbol during times of war, earning the name "America's watch dog." Ironic...if someone has a pit bull as their own watch dog today...the dog (usually) may be feared, ostracized or even seized due to breed restriction laws in certain areas while the owner is heavily criticized by some. Clearly many have forgotten or failed to acknowledge how heroic and loving Americans once saw the pit bull to be.
Here are some notable military dogs "Sergeant Stubby's" story is especially amazing and touching!
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