Where do Pit Bulls come from?

Once bull and bear baiting was outlawed, the public turned their attention to “ratting”. This practice pitted dogs against rats in which they were timed to see whose dog would kill the most rats in the least amount of time. The “pit” in Pit Bull comes from ratting as the rats were placed into a pit so that they could not escape. read more

In the 1930s, a divergence between the pit bulls happened as breeders began to use the dogs for different purposes. The American Staffordshire terrier was removed from the pit fighting circuit and was bred for conformation, while the pit bull was bred for farm work, so two distinct types developed. read more

Pit bull attacks are frequently documented by the media, but controlled studies do not show pit bulls to be disproportionately dangerous compared with other breeds. Some jurisdictions have enacted legislation banning the breed, and some insurance companies do not cover liability from pit bull bites. read more