American Pit Bull Profile
A bit of friendly competition is part of every society. Traditionally in the UK, conkers, marbles, and a harmless game called British Bulldog once filled the playgrounds.
Unfortunately, some of that competitive drive extended into adult events involving immense suffering and a whole industry of genetically-engineered fighting animals.
The American Pit Bull is the tragic product of one of these industries; a dog bred to kill, and now a social and loving family companion that’s a legitimate threat to public safety.
American Pit Bull Facts Overview
| Habitat: | Domestic |
| Location: | Worldwide |
| Lifespan: | 13 years |
| Size: | 53cm (21 inches) tall |
| Weight: | 29kg (65lb) |
| Colour: | Usually white with dark patches |
| Diet: | Kibble, pedestrians |
| Predators: | None |
| Top Speed: | 40km/h (25mph) |
| No. of Species: | 1 |
| Conservation Status: | Not listed |
American Pit Bulls don’t have it fair. Like all domestic dogs, they’re loyal, smart, funny and kind.
But like all dogs bred for a purpose, they’re also very good at what they were designed to do. And in the case of this breed, that purpose is violence.
While most pet Pit Bulls live out their lives in loving and secure home environments, the potential of this breed to cause harm is often considered greater than the benefits gleaned from their ownership.
This is a dog whose dark side cannot be ignored, and while, in a perfect world, all pets would legally require qualified owners, the reality of our lack of concern for animals spills over into a public safety concern.
Interesting American Pit Bull Facts
1. Bred to kill
Many of our most popular dog breeds started their existence as working animals. Alsatians were bred to gather Germans into pens. Bassett hounds were created through lengthy breeding programs in order to find wine gums.
Jack Russel terriers were bred to outsmart hunters, and elongated sausage dogs fit perfectly into buns. All of these breeds are the product of selecting various traits and breeding them together to isolate and accentuate them.
American Pit Bulls were selected over thousands of generations for qualities that make them formidable fighters. The Pit in their name refers to the fighting arena they were bred to dominate in brutal competitions between dogs.
These dogs have incredibly powerful jaws, a high pain threshold and a steep aggression curve. Pit Bulls, as terriers, also have high prey drives, making them quick to trigger.
They are also strong, intelligent, confident and protective, which is what can make them such great and loyal pets, but there is no denying that they are statistically one of the most dangerous breeds. 1
2. It’s not the dog, it’s the owner
This is one of the most common arguments against the hate for American Pit Bulls, and it holds true to a significant degree. But it doesn’t tell the whole story.
Fans of the breed commend the loyal, calm and playful nature of their household friends, and talk about how a well-treated Pit Bull is no more aggressive than any other species.
This in itself is debatable, but even if it’s true, the reality is that there is an abhorrent lack of regulation when it comes to owning any pet, and with no licence requirements, Pit Bulls are commonly adopted by people who have no interest in treating the animal well.
Even police handlers have been shown to have limited control over their animals.
The result of a mistreated dog of any variety is an increased chance of aggression but the difference here is that most breeds are neither powerful nor persistent enough to cause much harm. An out-of-control chihuahua is nothing more than a nuisance; a Pit Bull in the same context can be lethal.
3. They are responsible for most deaths from dog attacks
It may well be possible to control dog ownership to the extent that only licenced and qualified owners are granted permission to own certain breeds. Perhaps this would level the playing field when it comes to the statistics, but as of now, this is nothing more than a pipe dream.
In reality, the risk put on our communities and our pets themselves from the unchecked ownership of Pit Bull has led to some worrying statistics.
Despite making up 6% of the pet dog demographic in the US, purebred American Pit Bulls were responsible for 43% of dog attack fatalities. This figure goes up to 60% if you include the dogs with Pit Bull genetics included as a mix, and some sources claim it’s even higher.
Pit Bulls are also involved in 70% of the bites that require medical attention.
For perspective, Rottweilers, the second-most lethal breed, are responsible for around 7-10% of deaths.
The evidence is clear that even if Pit Bulls aren’t significantly more aggressive than any other breed, they’re overwhelmingly more powerful and dangerous during instances of aggression.
4. They’ve attacked horses
The worst cases of Pit Bull attacks more often than not involve dead children. But these exceptionally strong animals are more than capable of killing an adult too.
There is at least one bodycam video online that shows one attacking a police officer and getting shot in the process, demonstrating that it takes more than a single bullet to deter a focused and aggressive Pit Bull.
They’ve even been known to attack horses and survive the consequent kicking, though in many, if not most, cases, any attack results in the seizure of the animal by the police. And this makes the problem worse. 2
5. This harms the breed further
These statistics have a cascade of effects on the breed. Firstly, their popularity drops; resulting in an accumulation of Pit Bulls in shelters, with nobody to take them in.
Secondly, their reputation as a dangerous dogs attracts a disproportionate number of people who want the animal as a status symbol. These unqualified, reckless owners mistreat their animals – Pit Bulls are thought to be the most abused breed – and consequently, increase the statistics for violent outbursts.
Almost half of all dogs euthanised in shelters are American Pit Bulls due to a lack of homing options.
That’s 2800 killed in shelters every day. Commonly, the animal is described as ‘destroyed’ like a piece of malfunctioning hardware. This is a broken system and an undignified end to any animal, especially one as worthy as a Pit Bull.
6. They’re incredible animals
The positive attributes of the breed are equally well-known. American Pit Bulls can be as loving, trainable, derpy and as adorable as any other breed, and this is what makes their story so tragic.
Their intelligence allows them to stand out in obedience training and various dog sports, and their high energy levels make them good at agility. Around 25% of the UK Kennel Club’s ‘Superdogs’, accredited for their superiority across a range of disciplines, were American Pit Bulls.
They’re also used to find bombs, rescue people, and provide pet therapy.
Most well-socialised dogs love the company of people and even other pets. In fact, they often make terrible guard dogs due to being so friendly.
But these are animals that were bred to fight, and they as such they’re the best at it. Sadly, it appears as though this is a breed that’s not suited for public spaces, despite the wealth of positive qualities in countless best-case scenarios.
7. They’re often banned
And many places are catching on to this. Several cities in the US have banned ownership of Pit Bulls, though no state appears to have a blanket prohibition on the breed.
Other countries in Europe, Asia and South America also have varying degrees of bans in place too. It does appear that this is a sensible course of action for the protection of the dogs themselves, let alone the public.
Especially in the absence of better licencing laws for pets, but such a blanket response has caused uproar among the understandably upset, sensible, Pit Bull owners, as well as those who can see more nuance in the issue of dog attacks.
8. But this doesn’t solve the problem
Removing Pit Bulls from the equation may put a dent in some of the most horrifying instances of dog attacks, but at least in Toronto, dog bites were shown to increase after Pit Bulls were banned.
It may be that while mistreated Pit Bulls are less of an issue, the mistreating owners simply pass on their neglect to another breed, perpetuating the issue of aggression in pet dogs. Whether this is a net gain in terms of reduced fatalities or simply a redistribution of the blame, remains to be seen. 3
American Pit Bull Fact-File Summary
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | Canis |
| Species: | Lupus |
| Subspecies: | Familiaris |
Fact Sources & References
- Bill Hutchinson (2023), “K-9 officer put on leave after police dog attacks surrendering suspect”, ABC Eyewitness News.
- The Sun (2023), “Shocking moment American Bulldog bites police horse multiple times in Victoria Park”, YouTube.
- Patrick Cain (2016), “Toronto’s pit bulls are almost gone. So why are there more dog bites than ever?”, Global News.