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dogs that do not exhibit enough
“gameness” or aggression are
“curs,” and do not represent the
breed accurately. The Blue group
believes the black group is damaging
the breed’s reputation by highlighting
its potentially dangerous
qualities, while the black group
believes the blue group
is responsible for most
of the breed’s negative
publicity through its
ignorance regarding
their dog’s capabilities.
The black group
believes the denial of a
pit bull’s natural makeup
will throw them into
situations where they
can get in trouble ─ like
when an owner brings a
recently rescued pit bull
to the local dog park and a toy poodle
winds up dead, for example. What is more
harmful To applaud the breed on account
of potential for danger, or deny this potential
so vehemently that necessary precautions
aren’t taken
As with most things in life, the answer is not black or blue.
There is no absolute truth about pit bulls. To deny the inherent
qualities of the breed is to do it an injustice. Whether we like it
or not, pit bulls have been bred for decades, and when humans
breed dogs, we pick and choose characteristics for both body
and brain. Pit bulls have served different functions over the
years, but they’ve been bred primarily for dog fighting. It’s
unfortunate, but true. Strength, endurance, agility, high drive,
reactivity and high pain tolerance are just some of the characteristics
that were taken into account when breeders sought to create
a dog that was a potent weapon. Ultimate devotion, eagerness
to please the owner, persistence, confidence and the ability
to be handled by humans ─ even in an extreme state of arousal
─ were also necessary qualities. We cannot pretend these traits
aren’t still in the genetic makeup of pit bulls ─ in some dogs
more perceivably than others. We admit that a bloodhound
probably has a better sense of smell than a pug, just as we don’t
pretend a Yorkie could rival a greyhound in a race. Similarly,
the pit bull’s natural capabilities deserve to be recognized and
taken into account.
Genetics aside, pit bulls are living creatures. Each is different
from the next and, again, absolute generalizations cannot be
made about any group of individuals. I have a friend whose pit
bull, Layla, came from a cardboard box in a warehouse. She
was neither formally trained nor did she have many rules or
boundaries. She was loved and spoiled and generally given the
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