What do you get when you cross breed the Old English Terrier with the English bulldog? It’s the Pit bull terrier. The product of interbreeding that would combine the enthusiasm of the terrier with a combined power and vigor of the bulldog. They were initially produced in England until it reaches in the United States. In the US, they are very useful as a catch dogs for semi wild animals such as cattle and hogs, and usually a companion in hunting.
With its unquestionable power and physique, and because of its remarkable strength, Pit-Bull terriers had successfully taken the role not just as a companion dog, but as a police dog and a therapy dog. However, they were also abused for the illegal dog fights that happen in most part of the world.
In the underground world of dog fighting, they are known as the Cadillac of the killer dogs because of its undeniable strength, agility, stubbornness and viciousness. In fact, the Pit Bull has been branded as dogs that were bred to kill other dogs.
Moreover, dog attacks in Canada, England and the United States that has been reported, 42 percent of the confirmed death was involved with pit bulls. Thus, their reputation tagged them as the Devil Dogs.
Pit bull terriers have a vise like jaw that could inflict a serious damage on both humans and animals making them unable to defend themselves. On incidents involving the pit bull and humans, they are some gruesome attacks that include a nine year old girl that needed to undergo a five hour plastic surgery after a pit bull had assaulted her. This is just one of the many recorded encounters with the Devil Dogs which include laceration of the face, undergoing serious body surgery and near death experience.
Experts once believed that pit bulls only requires proper training just like any other dogs but later studies revealed that the dog’s genetic code tells us that they have greater tendency to become very unpredictable. They are indeed an aggressive type even without provocation and thus likened to a time bomb to could blow off anytime.
Because of these series of incidents involving the Pit Bull terriers, lawmakers on different countries tried to resolve the problem by placing and imposing different regulations to control the raising of these breed of dogs on households. For example, in Canada they are required to have five hundred thousand dollars in insurance plus a license fee of about one hundred dollars just to keep a pit bull as a pet. Similar ordinance was imposed in Winnipeg, plus new pit bulls are prohibited in the city limits. Existing pit bulls in the area must be muzzled to control the animal to sudden berserk. Violations to these laws could be fined and could be sentenced to jail.
Nonetheless, keeping a pet Pit Bull is a personal discretion. Besides, as long as you can keep the animal in control, they are very dependable and you would feel safe with your pet.