All over the
world, pit bulls and other breeds are being
rounded up and even executed. Governments
claim these dogs are a danger to society and must
be eradicated. Sadly, many of these
movements are lead by people with little to no
understanding of dog behavior.
Rarely if ever are
dog professionals such as myself consulted when it
comes to making rulings about what dog is
dangerous and what is not. Concerns about a
breed are often based on a broad generalization
made through the observation of very few specimens
of the breed.
What do I mean? Well,
using a non-pit bull example: A woman I met
insisted Border Collies are laid back and low key
dogs suited for suburban life. Now, anyone
who works with dogs knows that a Border Collie is
one of the worst breeds for a suburban life.
This is probably the highest energy breed known to
man.
Their work drives and needs make them
horrible pets for the average dog owner. Yet
this woman owned a couple Border Collies who were
quite abnormal for the breed. Her perception
of the breed based on a very small sampling (her
two dogs) and poor research was leading her to
give erroneous and potentially dangerous advice.
How many people got Border Collies based on this
woman’s advice and later ended up with a problem
dog because they could not handle it?
Are the dogs lumped
into the general heading of pit bull really a
danger? Let’s first look at the group of
dogs called Terriers as a whole. Most
terrier breeds developed in Great Britain and
Ireland. These were dogs of varying sizes
from the tiny Yorkshire (originally a mouser) and
Norfolk, to the medium Lakeland, the ancestor to
the American Staffordshire Terrier (close relative
to the American Pit Bull Terrier), to the giant
Airedale.
Falling between these size
extremes are breeds such as the Fox Terriers,
Norfolk Terriers, Scotties, Westies, Bull
Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Manchester
terriers and many others. Terriers as a
whole were bred to hunt vermin. They were
bred to be tenacious. Though a terrier may
not start a fight, they often will not back down
from a challenge.
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