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Myth vs facts about Pit Bulls
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There are a lot of misinformed people when it comes to Pit Bulls. These people buy into the media hype and believe what they’ve heard instead of doing the research for themselves. Well today, here are some cold, hard facts regarding this wonderful breed. With debunking some of the myths and highlighting some of the Pit Bull’s high points, people might begin to understand and appreciate this gentle and loyal breed. First, “Pit bull” is a generic term. Generally, this term gets thrown around when describing several dogs with similar characteristics in the terrier family. Throughout this article the reference to “Pit Bulls” will include the American Staffordshire Terrier, The American Pit Bull Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Ok, let’s get down to the myths and facts.
Myth one-Pit Bulls have locking jaws
Fact: There is absolutely no evidence of any kind of jaw locking or clamping down and not releasing. Pit Bulls have the same kind of jaws and teeth as other dogs. According to Dr. Lerh Brisbin of the University of Georgia, There is absolutely no evidence for the existence of any kind of “locking mechanism” unique to the structure of the jaw and/or teeth of the American Pit Bull Terrier.
Myth two-Pit bulls don’t feel pain
Fact: Pit Bulls feel pain just like any other living creature. These dogs are “people pleasers” and have it ingrained in them to finish a task no matter the level of discomfort or pain.
Myth-Pit Bulls have more bite pressure per square inch (PSI) than any other breed.
Fact: This is absolutely false. Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic conducted a study between three different dog breeds and the results were shocking. A Rottweiler, German Shepard and a Pit Bull were all subjects of this test and surprisingly the Pit Bull had the LOWEST bite pressure per square inch. There’s varying factors in determining bite pressure mainly because the bite pressure is determined by the situation the dog is in at the time. According to Dr. Lerh Brisbine, of the University of Georgia, no studies exist to accurately measure the bite pressure of different dog breeds. Considering people can’t command a dog to bite down as hard as they can at any given time, some tests are inconclusive.
Myth-Pit Bulls turn on their owners
Fact: Dogs don’t perform behaviors or act out for no reason. Generally there are a few factors that contribute to a dog, of any breed, acting out. Lack of socialization, improper training and sometimes, even disease. These factors could be brewing for a long time and have just gone unnoticed by the master. Once again, this is true of any dog breed, not just Pit Bulls.
Myth-Pit Bulls attack more people than any other breed
Fact: As stated at the beginning of the article, “Pit Bull” is a generic term. Most people can’t even pick out a Pit Bull from other dog breeds with similar features. Also, there’s no cut and dry way to track bite records accurately. So it’s very common to get a Pit bull confused with an American Bulldog, or a number of other breeds.
Myth-Pit Bulls are not good for anything except fighting
Fact: This is absolutely, positively false. It’s sad to say that this breed of dog was specifically chosen for fighting purposes. With that said, these dogs have evolved over years and have become one of the most “people friendly” breeds out there. Back when dog fighting was prominent, dogs were trained to be loyal to their master; therefore, they had no aggression towards people. That’s why, in some cases, when scenes are shown of dog fighting busts, a lot of the times the dogs are wagging their tail and happy. Pit Bulls crave attention from people. In addition, these dogs have proven very valuable in today’s society. According to the Pit Bull Rescue Central website, these dogs have fulfilled important roles for 160 years or more. During the nineteenth century Pit Bulls were known as “nanny dogs” trusted to watch over the children while their parents worked the fields. Another fact is during the twentieth century, the Pit Bull was chosen for it’s bravery and loyalty to represent America on posters pertaining to WWII. Pit Bulls also assist law enforcement officers as bomb detection dogs, therapy dogs visiting hospitals and senior centers and even search and rescue operations.
With all these myths debunked, there is plenty of material available on their long history of service. Some of our greatest leaders and teachers had this breed as a pet. Helen Keller, Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt and Fred Astaire, just to name a few.
In closing, there’s one more valuable piece of information to pass on. According to the Pit Bull Rescue Central website, the American Temperament Testing Society holds evaluations across the country to different 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 2008, the Pit bull accumulated a score of 85.5 percent. To give you a comparison of this score versus other dogs the Collie, which is revered for it’s obedience only scored 79.4 percent. The Golden Retriever, America’s favorite dog only scored 84.6percent. So the Pit bull came out better than both of these beloved breeds. This is yet one more piece of evidence pointing to a Pit bull being a wonderful family pet.
For more information please visit: Pit Bull Rescue Central, Bless the Bullys, The American Temperament Society ,Pit Bull Rescue Central and CHAKO (Coalition of Human Advocates for K9's and Owners)
