The history of the American Pit Bull Terrier ...

I know I said I was going to post about some of the legendary fighting dogs (those who made the American Pit Bull Terrier [APBT] the dog it is today, whether through their own matching [fighting] abilities or producing those dogs who had great matching abilities). However, I think it's necessary to lay down the ground-work for that post, so they can be truly appreciated.

I do want to take this opportunity to state:

I do not promote, support, or condone any violations of the Animal Welfare Act of 1976, and/or any other local/state/federal laws. I am not affiliated with dog fighting in any way, shape, or form; I am simply a pet owner and enthusiast of the American Pit Bull Terrier and the great history and legacy handed down through the generations. I believe it is important to know where we come from to see where we are going. The articles posted are strictly for historical and educational purposes only; I do not necessarily reflect the views expressed within these articles.

I trust you, readers, are smart enough to realize that, but I'll still be posting that at the bottom of every post referring to the history of dog fighting. Many of the articles I'll be posting were written back in the heyday of the fighting APBT; when the dogs were selectively bred for the pit, when there were rules agreed to among the "dog men", and those dog men treasured their dogs as the warriors they were.

What many people don't realize through the drone of the Humane Society and other animal welfare organizations is the dogs who were fought loved the pit, loved to match against other dogs, and the dog men took great care of their dogs, sometimes calling the match and taking the "loss" when their dogs refused to give up despite broken bones and severe wounds. These dog men often performed their own veterinary care on their dogs and would refuse fights if their dog was too out-matched (whether by weight or by ability).

It's commonly said when reading about the history of dog fighting that there is a difference between "dog men" and "dog fighters". The former treated their dogs like royalty, only matching them if they were "game" (wanted to fight); the latter treat them like expendable slaves, matching dogs even if they're a "cur" (lacking game).

So, with that being said, here is the first of hopefully many articles.

The History of the American Pit Bull Terrier by Richard Stratton.

Some good news ...

I emailed all of the representatives involved with HB 4717 currently and received an actual, non-automated reply from one of them: Rep. Hugh Crawford from the 38th district.

Dear Ms. ***** & Kane,

Thank you for contacting my office with your concerns about HB 4714. As the Chairman of the Regulatory Reform Committee I do not plan on taking up this legislation at this time. Your e-mail has been filed for reference purposes. Thank you again for contacting me, I appreciate you taking the time.

Sincerely,

Hugh D. Crawford

State Representative

38th District

So, that is one representative down.

Have a video of Kane to lighten the mood of this blog right now. I've called this game (creatively) "Get the ball". This gives him a run-through of some of his commands and teaches him impulse control, which is important for every dog, regardless of whether you want them to know more than a couple basic commands.

WHAT THE HELL!

A Michigan House bill was introduced yesterday, 6/7/2011 by Rep. Timothy Bledsoe, to BAN PIT BULLS STATEWIDE.

Here's a link about the bill and who to contact to protest the passing of the bill; it's been sent to the regulatory reform committee, it's not yet scheduled for a committee hearing. PLEASE make ALL emails/snail mail RESPECTFUL and POLITE and the total opposite of all the CAPSLOCK!RAGE I have in this post. Stop BSL -- Michigan HB 4714.

For those who are link phobic, here's the text:

Contact bill author Rep. Timothy Bledsoe:
TimBledsoe@house.mi.gov
Office Address: S585 House Office Building
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 30014, Lansing, MI 48909-7514
Phone: (517) 373-0154
Toll-Free:(888) 254-5291
Fax: (517) 373-6094
Webpage with contact form: http://001.housedems.com/

HB 1474 defines “pit bull” as American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and any other dog that looks like one of these. The first year after the legislation is enacted, it will be illegal to breed or sell “pit bulls” in Michigan. The fourth year after enactment, all “pit bulls” in the state must be neutered. The tenth year after enactment, it will be illegal to possess a “pit bull” in the state.

Read the bill here: http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2011-2012/billintroduced/House/htm/2011-HIB-4714.htm

The bill has been sent to the Regulatory Reform committee. Contact the members of the Regulatory Reform committee and ask them to oppose HB 4714.

Angie Lake, Committee Clerk, 517-373-5795, alake@house.mi.gov
Regulatory Reform Committee Members:
HughCrawford@house.mi.gov; KenYonker@house.mi.gov; paulopsommer@house.mi.gov; KevinDaley@house.mi.gov; TomMcMillin@house.mi.gov; JimStamas@house.mi.gov; MikeShirkey@house.mi.gov; RayFranz@house.mi.gov; EdMcBroom@house.mi.gov; BruceRendon@house.mi.gov; timmelton@house.mi.gov; haroldhaugh@house.mi.gov; barbbyrum@house.mi.gov; dianslavens@house.mi.gov; jimmywomack@house.mi.gov

HB 4714 is not yet scheduled for a committee hearing.

Tracking page for HB 4714:  http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(44ghvauhqqnqzc55ztl2iz2p))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=2011-HB-4714

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW.

I'm going to fight this with everything I have. FUCK THIS BULLSHIT. If this passes despite all the protests I KNOW this will get, then I'm moving. FUCK THAT. I would rather DIE than ever give Kane up. Ever.

crosposted the hell out of this shit.

WW: Stalky Puppy is Stalky.

Pit Bull Love.

(To clarify, throughout this post, I will be using "pit bulls" in reference to their "type", not the American Pit Bull Terrier specifically. Which brings up an entirely new issue/topic for another day [is there really a "pit bull type"? what does that make you think of in terms of a dog's appearance?].)

Pit bulls are "my breed".

You know when you find "your breed". They just click with you. Like peanut butter and jelly, strawberries and cream, whatever pat little analogy you want to insert here. You find the little things about them fascinating, things others might not understand unless they too are aficionados of the breed. You realize that you will never own another breed of dog (or you will always have at least one in your life) because you just can't imagine life without them. You become irrationally excited when you see someone else with your breed, dragging your poor dog across the pet store through crowds of screaming, hyper kids and other dogs that really shouldn't be taken to pet stores because they're either terrified out of their poor minds or obviously have it out for other dogs no matter their size (or both)--all so you can coo and exclaim and make googoo eyes at their dog and get the same little shot of confidence back as they take the time to do the same over your dog.

Pit bulls do this for me.

I love their friendly, over-the-top clownish personalities. Their big, dopey grins and their constantly wagging tails that can lead to a condition called "Happy Tail" (which can unfortunately, in severe cases, lead to medically necessary tail docking--and is also why I will never own a coffee table). I love their big blocky heads, their wrinkly jowls, their beefy muscular bodies. I love their eager to please, laid-back natures. I love everything about them, even their potentially dog aggressive natures, because it's a remnant of their heritage, a testament to where they came from and where they're going, and ties in to their remarkable courage, drive, and tenacity. I love that they're the stereotypical "tough guy with a heart of gold".

I just love them to pieces and no amount of bad publicity or ignorance surrounding them will ever change that. Even if I were insulted every day over my choice of breed, even if BSL was enacted in my area, I wouldn't give them up. It would be hell; it would be a little depressing; it would just all-around suck. But I'd rather live in a tent in the woods with them, then ever give them up. I've actually lived out of my car for a few days with Kane and even though it was awkward and cramped and gave me a doggy odor, it's nothing a few good spritzes of Febreeze can't fix, and I don't regret doing it until I could find a place to live with Kane.

One of my favorite things to do is search for pit bull pictures online. Old ones from their dog-fighting, just starting to get into the show-ring days. Current ones with their dopey smiles or regal poses. Anything in between as long as it makes a good picture and gives me a stirring in my heart for the breed.

The Hike

Things Have Been Happening, but I haven't found the time to post!

I was offline for 3 days because Ellie, cute little 9 week old Ellie, figured out on my first day back to work that she could scale the side of her expen like it was freaking Mount Everest and launch herself over the top. My mother did me a favor and stopped by to let the dogs out, and Ellie greeted her at the door. We don't know how long she was out (I had left for work 4 hours previously), but she only piddled in one teeny spot and the house wasn't destroyed. Except she decided to chew on my DSL cable, lol. She did a lot better than Kane would ever have done. (And  I'm still not sure how he'd do if I didn't crate him; that may be an experiment for another day.) Ellie can, however, hold it in her crate for four hours, so I've been crating her and running home on my lunch. Yay for amazing puppy bladder control!

On one of those three days, I put Ellie in her crate for a nap and took Kane on a hike for some bonding time. I actually typed this portion of the post up the other day, and then Blogger decided to Hate, and I lost all of it. I've been too irritated/bummed out to re-type it all up and add all the pictures (110!!) again ... So here goes The Hike 2.0.

There is a small nature preserve that runs behind my house; it's surrounded by suburbia, but it's got some nice trails and it's a good, quick and dirty spot to take Kane when he needs to burn some energy off-leash. Kane loves to hike off-leash. It's the easiest way to get him to flash a dopey pit bull smile. He'll often run off ahead to sniff before running back, as if to say "Jeez, you're slow, can't you go any faster?", before zooming off again. If he goes down a path that's muddy or that I don't want to go on, I call him back with a This Way! and he zooms back to me.