Working Pit Bulls
Why Pit Bulls are Top Dogs

When I was first introduced to the breed I had no idea how dynamic they were as working dogs. I, like many people, really didn't know what a Pit Bull was and couldn't pick on out of a line up if asked. After 9 years in the breed that has changed. My perception of the breed has also changed.

The core of a Pit Bull is their courage.

Courage, a word often over used to describe mediocre acts of responsibility in humans. Courage in regards to Pit Bull Terriers is not often used to describe them. They are often described as "land shark", "devil dog", or "baby killer." We don't see courage used with their names very often but when we do we understand.

Pit Bulls dominant the canine world in sports and work because they have courage. Courage to continue past the breaking point. When a line is drawn in the sand that says, "stop, you are in danger" they step over it without hesitation. This, above all, is the trait I admire most in American Pit Bull Terriers.

Whether you see a dog competing in agility, rally obedience, stock work, hunting, drug/bomb detection, or protection sports you can rest assured the dog is going to give it their all 110% of the time. When their owners ask for that little extra effort they will give it.

In the end, Pit Bulls are working dogs first, pets second. While many people may disagree with that statement it is a fact. Pit Bulls were not bred to sit idle by their owner's feet. They were bred for hard work that other canine's were not able to do. They were bred to face each other in combat and fight, many times, to the death.

Why? Because they have courage. They will face the challenge and they will do what is asked of them because they desire to please their owners. In my mind this is both a curse and a blessing. The curse being they will do things for irresponsible, cruel, people that only exploit their courage and athletic ability. A blessing because they are more dog than most dogs could ever be.

I think Pit Bulls are top dogs because they have more to give. Their desire to please and their courage combines to create a force that no other canine out there can offer. Put a task in front of a Pit Bull and show them what you want them to do, I would bet my left arm they will do it and often times they will do it better than the breed that was created to do that task.

In recent years Pit Bulls have started to enter the mainstream world of dog sports. They are routinely being used as therapy dogs, service dogs, and K9 police dogs. While the public may not ever accept them in these roles, they are ruling the roost and they will continue to do so for years to come.

Calling All Pit Bull Owners:
Call to Action...

I would like to talk to you about breed specific laws. First I would like to define what I think breed specific laws are.

A breed specific law is any law that targets dogs based on breed.

Many people associate breed specific laws with bans. There are many types of these laws out there and all of them are designed to do two things.

Destroy a breed and remove your rights.

Some of these laws are sneaky and they try to back door their way onto the books. Take mandatory spay/neuter laws for Pit Bulls as an example. Some Pit Bull owners would argue this is a good thing. Spay/neuter would solve a lot of the shelter problems and irresponsible breeding right? No. Responsible owners already spay/neuter dogs they are not going to breed. Shelters across the nation usually spay/neuter the dogs before they are sent to their new homes. So how does this help? It doesn't.

Spay/neuter laws are a back door breed specific law that is easily passed. People are lead to believe these laws are helpful because they would restrict the amount of dogs being born. If you think about that for a second this is not the case. As I already mentioned, if you are responsible you have already taken care of this.

These laws are designed to do one thing. Eradicate the Pit Bull.

Pit Bull owners need to take action before these laws take root in your community. You might already have laws like this in your community. If you do, then fighting them on a legal level is highly recommended. You can contact the American Canine Foundation and get legal advice by going to their web site here.

Resources:
Where to find Great Gear for Your Pit Bull