In 1936, when the AKC decided to add the Pit Bull to their registry, they wanted to remove any reference to the 'pit' origins of the breed, so they changed the name to Staffordshire Terrier. The breed standard was written based on a UKC registered Pit Bull. One of the first dogs that was registered by the AKC was Petey, the dog on the television show The Little Rascals. Yes, Petey, the friendly, happy go lucky dog that we all remember frolicking with that gang of kids was a UKC registered Pit Bull.

In the 1970's the AKC decided to add the Staffordshire Bull Terrier as a 'recognized' breed. Unfortunately, they already had named the APBT the 'Staffordshire Terrier' so they changed the name to 'American Staffordshire Terrier'.

Other famous Pit Bulls include: Jack who travelled West with Laura Ingalls Wilder (he was not a Pit Bull in the television series, however). Tige, featured on the Buster Brown ads, was a Pit Bull. Sergent Stubby, was the most decorated canine officer in US military history. Hellen Keller owned a Pit Bull names Phiz. There was also a Pit Bull featured on WWII 'nutrality' posters.

There are over a dozen breeds of dogs that are commonly referred to as 'pit bulls' in media reports, breed legislation and dog related laws. These include: American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bulldog, Dogo Canario, Presa Canario, Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, Patterdale Terrier, Old English Bulldog, Boxer, Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog, Catahoula Bulldog, Cane Corso.

The following dogs have been fully titled in both the AKC and UKC and fully health tested as well. They are superb physical examples of the breed.

AKC Ch/UKC Gr Ch, FAST "E" UAG1, UCD Hartagold Standing Ovation CD, OA, OAJ,NAP, OJP, TT, CGC, SCT, OFA (hips, elbows, cardiac, patellas, thyroid), CERF, DNA-VIP,ROH	UKC Gr Ch, ADBA pointed, and NKC major pointed, UWP, CGC, TT, TDI, Iron Dog 3, OFA fair, elbows and patellas normal, Pennhip 38/29.	AKC CH/ Int'l CH/ UKC UWP Natl GR CH Shadytown Gemini Neo D Shark TT, CGC AKC & UKC DNA CERF, Penn- hip .39/.39, OFA hip, OFA patella, OFA cardiac, Thyroid normal

The dogs below, though they may be great pets and a wonderful companions, are very poor examples of a Pit Bulls according to the published breed standards of all three major Pit Bull registries.

Woods Pits' Thor	Motor City's Big Block	Mugglston's Short Shot

The history of the Pit Bull tells of a small, powerful, agile fighting dog, not a stocky dog overbred dog that has difficulty moving it's own weight around. This is not to say that a dog that does not fit the breed standard is not a 'good' dog, but it should not be bred.

"This breed combines strength and athleticism with grace and agility and should never appear bulky or muscle-bound or fine-boned and rangy." - UKC Standard (emphasis added)

AKC

The American Staffordshire Terrier should give the impression of great strength for his size, a well put-together dog, muscular, but agile and graceful, keenly alive to his surroundings. He should be stocky, not long-legged or racy in outline. His courage is proverbial.

UKC

The American Pit Bull Terrier is a medium-sized, solidly built, short-coated dog with smooth, well-defined musculature. This breed is both powerful and athletic. The body is just slightly longer than tall, but bitches may be somewhat longer in body than dogs. The length of the front leg (measured from point of elbow to the ground) is approximately equal to one-half of the dog's height at the withers. The head is of medium length, with a broad, flat skull, and a wide, deep muzzle. Ears are small to medium in size, high set, and may be natural or cropped. The relatively short tail is set low, thick at the base and tapers to a point. The American Pit Bull Terrier comes in all colors and color patterns. This breed combines strength and athleticism with grace and agility and should never appear bulky or muscle-bound or fine-boned and rangy.

ADBA

Conforming to-Type
Type is the essence of the breed. Breed type is that collection of specific characteristics which, when taken together separate one breed from another.
1. Athletic - (Solid front end, light and springy back end.)
2. Sturdy - not racy or frail
3. Confident, secure, carries its territory with him.
4. Should look like an American Pit Bull Terrier from across the ring.

What we now call the American Pit Bull Terrier originated as a butcher's dog, a farm dog and a stock dog in England. The working bulldog guarded the shop and watched over livestock. The dogs were safe, capable, intelligent companions and strong guardians when the need arose.

In the 1800's bull bating became a popular blood sport in England. Bulldogs were set on mature bulls in stock yards for entertainment, and true to their nature, the bulldogs did not disappoint - frequently besting animals over ten times their size. When Bull Baiting became illegal, an even more vicious animal contest was devised for the faithful bulldog - dog fighting.

The strong and sturdy Bulldog was mixed with Terrier, creating a smaller bulldog with the speed and stamina of the terrier. The ultimate fighting machine was born. The dogs were bred to be small, fast, courageous, strong and to never give up no matter what the odds. Dog aggression, of course, was a necessary breed characteristic as well.

Bourbon training for weight pulling competition

Brisbee competing in Agility

Contrary to popular media reports, the Pit Bull was NEVER bred for aggression towards humans. The dog was being bred to fight other dogs and those fights caused extreme injuries and pain. There were always three people in a pit with the fighting dogs, each dog's handler and the referee. All three men needed to be safe from the dogs. If a dog was a man biter it was killed, man biters were not safe to have around.

Though there are cruel individuals who still carry out this evil, inhumane sport, dog fighting has been illegal in the United States for many years. Many Pit Bulls happily compete in weight pulling, agility, fly ball, and other dogs sports.