American Pit Bull Terrier

Country of origin: United States
Breed Names: American Pit Bull Terrier
Height at the withers: 46 - 56 cm
Weight: 15 - 30 kg

The American Pit Bull Terrier is a cross between a bulldog and a terrier. These crossbreed dogs were used for Pied Piper competitions. Such competitions were wagers on how quickly a dog could kill a certain number of rats. Another use was dog fighting (dog versus dog), which was very popular in England and Ireland until all animal fighting was banned in England in 1835. Pit is the arena for dog fighting, which is reflected in the breed's name. Even before the Civil War in the USA, these dogs gained great popularity. Mr. C.B. Bennett founded the United Kennel Club (UKC) in 1898. This was the first club to register the new dog breed American Pit Bull Terrier, the first registration being the male Bennett's Ring. The UKC published both dog fighting rules and breed standards. The UKC association still exists today and looks after the American Pit Bull Terrier and many other breeds. Guy McCord founded the American Dog Breeder's Association (ADBA) in 1909, which also registered the APBT. The association ADBA also organizes dog shows and weight pulling competitions. In 1936 the breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC). After some disputes over the breed name, Yankee Terrier was quite common but the AKC decided to name it American Staffordshire Terrier. American Pit Bull Terrier breeders didn't value AKC recognition. Many good working breeds have been badly harmed by people breeding for the show ring, most Pit Bull breeders feared the same for their breed. The AKC, on the other hand, clearly distanced itself from the history of the breed and its associated dogfighting past. The UKC then began dual listing the American Pit Bull Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier as the same breed. Although every breed is mentioned in the pedigree, you could also enter crossbreeds without any changes.

The Pit Bull is a compact dog with a height at the withers of up to 56 cm and a weight of 30 kg. His coat is short, dense, shiny, all colors and patterns are allowed (except Merle). According to the latest UKC and ADBA standards, blue eyes are no longer permitted in Pit Bulls.

Due to the Pit Bull Terrier's original use for dog fighting, this breed still has a bad name among the public to this day. In almost all German federal states, keeping them is subject to strict regulations and is one of the dangerous dogs in many federal states of Germany. A study by the University of Kiel came to the conclusion that Pitbulls do not show any breed-specific aggressiveness. American investigations into incidents came to a different conclusion. According to these studies, pit bulls and pit bull mixes, along with rottweilers, were responsible for the majority of fatal attacks on humans in the United States from 1979-1998. Under certain circumstances, this could speak for an increased dangerousness of these breeds, whereby it should be noted that the numbers are not statistically relevant due to the very small extent of the data source. It must also be added that the incidents were far fewer than in Germany. In the UK, the American Pit Bull Terrier is classified as one of the very dangerous dog breeds whose keeping has been all but banned since the Dangerous Dog Act of 1991, unlike the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

In the Swiss canton of Valais, the keeping of new American Pit Bull Terriers was prohibited on January 1st.Banned on January 1, 2006 in response to the death of a 6-year-old boy at the hands of an American Pit Bull Terrier in Oberglatt (Canton Zurich). The Council of State envisages transitional solutions for dogs of this breed kept before January 1st, 2006. If the risk of accidents caused by the dog in question is classified as low, the ban on the dog can be lifted. On November 2, 2006, keeping the "pit bull type" was banned in the Swiss canton of Fribourg. The pit bull terrier was banned in the canton of Zurich on November 30, 2008, along with other breeds classified as "dangerous".