Famous American Pit Bull Terriers

LoyaltyOfDogs 23 hours ago

Enjoyed your article, especially the story of Sgt. Stubby and the photo of Helen Keller with her dog. I didn't know she had a pit bull. Sallie, the mascot of the 11th PA Volunteer Infantry, who is on the regiment's monument at Gettysburg (and was mentioned by one of the commenters below) is my favorite bulldog from history. The dogs who accompanied soldiers in the Civil War did much to help them withstand the hardships and horrors of war, much as military working dogs and even stray dogs help to raise the spirits of American soldiers today.

Lover of all dogs 3 weeks ago

I do not get all the hype about pits being dangerous just recently I found a pit or should I say he found me he was just wandering around in the street this dog just ran up to me and started to lick me and I completely feel in love with him we tried to find his owners and nobody claimed him so he is now our dog! If the breed of pit bull was such a monster this stray would have attacked me on top of that I have 4 kids one that is under a year old and every time she cries he runs to her and licks her to calm her down. Yeah what a monster! P.S. for people who may come to this site who do not like pits he is a pure red nose pit so yeah what do you have to say about that?

derekburchfield 6 weeks ago

I have 2 male pits and they both are my babies. I believe pits have a bad rap because irresponsible people tend to get them for the image. Generally the people who go for the image do not use the proper training associated with the breed. The breed is powerful, and at times very stubborn as you all know. One of my pits is not small animal friendly. Knowing this, I dont take him to a dog park unmuzzled and unleashed. It is the duty of the owner to protect their pit because you know they would do the same for you. I love to have people come up to my dogs and love on them then ask what breed they are, and i say pitbull. It is so refreshing to read all these pro-pit comments. Happy New Years.

daved 7 weeks ago

I am retired military and my family has owned three pitbulls in the last 28 years they are the most loving loyal and very protective of there owners. Like its been stated its all how you raise them. We always loved our pb like our family never yelled at them or abused them ever and what we got in return was a 95 pound loving part of our family that no money could buy our last pb teqiulla died after 13 human years it was extremely difficult after our friend died I felt our house was not the same so I bought another white female pb for my father now a year later we have a 75pound loving part of our family her name is friday I hope that people who are thinking about adding a pb to there family that it is a big responsibility it requires love affection spending time with your pb and regular visits to the vet. At least twice a year I will always own a pb and he or she will always be my friend best of luck remember TO ALWAYS TAKE THE TIME TO SPEND WITH YOUR PB SO THEY KNOW YOU LOVE THEM AND YOU KNOW THEY LOVE YOU ALL MY BEST DRILL

brittany, stewart,MS 4 months ago

I'm 22 and all I've ever owned were Pits. I've had every kind of pet imanginable from a chinchilla to a bee but when it comes to dogs Pits are the best kind. They have a bad reputation because people give 'em one. I've NEVER had a Pit that hurt any person or animal. It's all in how you raise them. They are just like a child; just because the parents are a certain way doesn't mean the child will be. For instance I was raised on country music, but I'm a metal head. So same thing with Pits; just because Micheal Vick fought his Pit doesn't mean everyone that has a Pit fights them. DUH!!! I have a 11 year old sister, 10 year old nephew & 8 year old niece and when they come to visit I'll let him (Boss is his name) off of his chain (because we don't have a fenced in yard) and he will chase those kids & play fetch & roll over & play dead from sunup to sundown. The way I look at it is: a pitbull is a breed of dog, just like being white is a race of human. So isn't that just like being discriminatory or 'racist'.....? Just sayin.

Jessica Cash 5 months ago

Thank you! We need more people spreading the truth about this amazing breed! My male actually just died of complicaions due to epilepsy but, I have a pit/rottie mix and a pit/cane corso mix puppy (both females) All three of them are the best dogs I've ever had and I will never own another breed!

John and Vitania Gonzales 5 months ago

Thank you for the info!! We have a gorgeous, male, white pit. He is the most wonderful dog we have ever owned. He has all those wonderful qualities, we have heard about and more. It is so good to hear that our feelings about pits have been acknowledged with proof and given to so many millions through the internet. Please keep up the great work in educating the world with facts. Please keep bringing knowledge to others about the misconceptions of stereotyping this breed as a cruel and unfeeling.

ashley 6 months ago

we have two apbt and we also have two young kids. my whole family always fights with me about having my dogs and having my kids around them. I think they are wonderful dogs and they are very well behaved when it comes to my kids. I really hope one day that ppl will come to see just how great they are. Most ppl that judge them havent ever accually had one and that makes me so upset. You dont write a review on a product youve never used so why judge a dog youve never owned?

teo 6 months ago

pitbulls were once the symbol of the the usa for strengh and the will to never give up if people would educate the newer generation about pitbulls of the past maybe the pitbulls of now would have a chance

Uman 10 months ago

Pitbulls are good dogs and this website helps people understand them more. Making people aware of what Pitbulls are like and what they did in the past helps a lot.

peppydivabell 11 months ago

What a sweet story and another amazing testament to a dog so awesome that honestly there are no words to do them justice. And they certainly aren't just dogs by any means. Rest in Peace Buddy and I know you will all be reunited one day.

yabbie 11 months ago

O.K. I didn't know enough to like or dislike the breed. I was just at the pound looking for a dog to replace the one my kids lost. Buddy was a 3 year old mix and seemed so well behaved with my 4 kids hanging on him. Little did I know how important he would become. He became my teenage sons for 3 years staying close by him as he navigated the ups and downs of Jr High and freshman year. As he moved on Buddy became my 8 year old sons companion as he struggled with Manic Depression. At times Buddy was the only one of us that he would go to and sit with for hours. As finally my son was diag and he became more social Buddy moved on once more. My husband became disabled at the age of 50. Going from the bread winner of our family to completely dependent on everyone around him Buddy kept him going. He felt that Buddy needed him. He struggled each day to take him for a walk even on his worst days. Buddy was struggling with old age at this point and they both would both sit on our patio watching the world go by. In our small complex of 90 homes everyone knew Bud. When it was finally time to let him go I believe he had changed the mind of many of our neighbors, friends and family of what a valuable asset he was to our family. What a loving dog. As 4 of my kids were raised and teen agers came and went through our doors Buddy never knew an enemy. He was always available to listen to whatever struggles you were going through. He was our family!!

angela 13 months ago

i had a brindle pit she was the most incredable dog i have ever owned well behaved and good natured....i think that people just dont take the time to realise that pits are the most amazing family dogs ever owned...they are like humans if you mistreat them they will turn on you....they are smart,strong and well behaved...if all these idiots out here would stop breeding them to fight maybe they would become the greatest again...they need to have a home with lots of fun...if people would realise our history of great pitbulls maybe they would see that they can be the best of all breeds....all dogs will attack but the pitbull breed gets the most grusome word from this world...

James05 17 months ago

This is a very informative webpage that I was able to learn something from. I can always appriciate good solid information. I was wondering, can anyone hit me with some solid facts about where a pit measures up (statistically) as far as "people friendly" goes. I need a viable source, so if you happen to know of a credible organization that have that sort of information, I would be very grateful.

You see, I happen to have an APBT myself, as well as a Boxer. Both are crazy obeidient, and even more loving. But my family (I have a rather large family) always wants to argue with me about my dog (APBT) being outside when thier kids are playing. We've debated several times about how pits are the spawn of satan's child-mudering demons, or the sweetest greatest child protectors known to man-kind. I want to lay down some facts so they can relax and scuff at the news...Can anyone help me?

rollins 17 months ago

I have owned pits for seven years and they do demand a certain kind of owner they are strong mentaly phy and strong willed not to mention they are loving loyal and protective this means they need the same qualities in their owners sadly 90 per of the time they don't get that imagine the all american dog the one that we once put are trust in to watch are children while we fond this country the one who we trusted to save hundreds of are soldiers in ww1 are mascot we turned are back on them we owe it at the very least to set that right and those of you that disagree do your home work and spend some time with these horrible monsters and then tell me that you what them killed

alyssa 18 months ago

to georgiareb that dogs name was bud. he made history as the first dog to travel across the U.S. in an automobile. His goggles are at the Smithsonian museum. Bud was an APBT.

Desiree Guerra 20 months ago

There trying to ban APBT here in washington and i dont think its right becuz its are right to own ANY breed we want my nab theres sooooo meany pits its not even funny and they NEVER bit any kids tht live there and theres alot of lil kids. and i know so many pplz tht owns them. you no wht i think i think we should have a march in all the states and bring all the dogs tht arnt agressive tords other dogs male or female and show them tht PIT BULLS ARE NOT AGRESSIVE TORDS PEOPLE AND THERE SOOOO LOVING AND CARING!!! When i first got my cat my too females started produceing milk to fed it and they were ALWAYS soo protected aginst him tht now he thinks hes a cat.now is that mean?

-desiree guerra age 15

CKingArt 21 months ago

Helen Keller owned a lot of dogs including hunting dogs, mastiffs (both put down for biting), Akitas, Boston terriers, Bull terriers, a Great Dane, Scottish terriers, GSDs, and some little mixed breeds. She never once mentions a pit bull breed in her memoires. "Sir Thomas" is the Boston terrier given to her by her fellow Radcliffe students. She called it Phiz she said it had a long pedigree. Photo you have posted is certainly not that of her Boston terrier. It looks most like her Great Dane as a puppy.

jen 22 months ago

There's also Sallie, the regimental mascot for the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. She followed the men into battle numerous times, showing her bravery, loyalty and love for her men. During a battle in 1865 she was struck in the head by a bullet and killed instantly. The men buried her there, on the battlefield under heavy fire. In 1890 a monument was dedicated to her on the Gettysburg battleground. This monument is pictured on the cover of the book "The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression" by Karen Delise. (A book I HIGHLY recommend.)

MANDY MONROE 2 years ago

Pitbulldogs can never be banned heres why......

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IT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST CITIZENS WHO OWN PARTICULER BREEDS OF DOGS ..IF THERE IS A BAN AGAINST ONE BREED THE LAW MUST APPLY TO ALL BREEDS BECAUSE IT AFFECTS THE CITIZENS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT NOT TO BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST FOR OWNING A PARTICULER BREED (IE OREGON STATE )..THEY HAD TO MAKE THEIR BITE LAWS ALL INCLUSIVE FOR ALL BREEDS BECAUSE OF THE UNCONSTITUTIONALITY OF BREED SPECIFIC LEGISLATION THAT AFFECTED CITIZENS RIGHT TO NOT BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST FOR OWNING A PARTICULER BREED...THE BREEDS , DOGS THEMSELVES HAVE NO CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS IT IS THE CITIZEN THAT DOES... AND ALL BREED SPECIFIC LEGISLATION CAN BE FOUGHT AND WON BECAUSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT NOT TO BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST...AS A PITBULL OWNER OR OWNER OF ANY BREED "DON'T FORGET THIS" AND THE ACLU WILL HELP BASED ON THIS.....IT WAS DONE IN OREGON AND CAN BE DONE EVERYWHERE SO LONG AS YOU FIGHT FOR (YOUR RIGHT ) NOT TO BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST, NOT THE (BREEDS RIGHT) THE BREEDS HAVE NO CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS...UNDERSTAND? I HOPE SO.~INDEPENDENT DOG BREEDERS ASSOCIATION~AMERICAN DOG BREEDERS ASSOCIATION~ PEACE MANDY

ElGringoSalsero 2 years ago

I am so glad to have found another person who is willing to spend the time and energy to help counter the misinformation that most people have embraced about this breed. It's amazing how the media has so successfully misinformed the public about pit bulls. I am always saddened when I speak to people about my dog and they are so dogmatic about their beliefs that they reject the factual information I provide. Thank you for such a wonderful fact-based article.

HARRYMAN 2 years ago

i have owned many dogs over the years and i havent ever met a dog so reliable, loyal, loving, and family oriented like a pit. my pit now walks up to my 1 1/2 year old nephew and stays next to his side the whole time. no other dog can ever replace a pit.

Carol 2 years ago

love pitts ,they are a very loving dog would never own another breed

Sally P. 2 years ago

I must say that I also did not like pits. I was always afraid of them and complained becaused my son had a kennel and raised them he passed away suddenly and I was left to care for the dogs. One was pregnant and had 12 pups she died from a bacterial infection and passed it to the pups which all were dead within 5 days except 1 so I had to bottle feed him. Although he is blind and has a kink tail he is blue and we love him he is part of the family and I have a lot of company but they all come to see (forrest).

georgiareb 2 years ago

there's one nobody remembers,I cant remember his name,but road along with the man, that was the first one to drive a automobile, cross country, from california to new york. there were photes of a pit bull wearing goggles sitting on the seat of a old model T , mabe someone knows about this dog,after all that was history being made,

annonymous 2 years ago

it is nice to see such nice things said about an apbt. i myself have owned over 3000 apbt's in my lifetime through breeding, raising and rescuing. i love to hear positiveness in talks about the pit bull and not the everyday nonsense about it n=being the most dangerous dog in history and they should be euthanized. it is the people who talk that crap that should be euthanized.

Boston 2 years ago

Helen Keller did own a Boston Terrier, and a Pit bull and many other dog breeds. Her Boston was named Phiz.

He is not the dog shown in the picture on this page, that is her pit bull.

For the folks commenting on the Boston's size - when the breed was originally developed the dogs came in several sizes - ranging from 15 lbs to 40 lbs.

Brendan H.  3 years ago

There are barely any stories of "Pit Bulls" biting people without reason at the moment Jeremy Becker. Behind most Pit Bull bites reported in the papers are other breeds of dogs. And behind all dog bites is a "reason". People like you just need to look a little closer into the circumstances leading up to the dog attack and maybe spend more time finding out the finer details not written in your oh so reliable newspapers. Nobody is forgetting how strong the dogs are, especially the people that keep them. You forget physical ability isn't unique to Pit Bulls alone. There are other larger breeds that are not only stronger but will have a stronger bite. The difference is these dogs usually have not found their way into the wrong hands the way in which the Pit Bull has, and for that you can blame your precious media, for if they had not put so much effort into creating an image of a monster out of the Pit Bull, these owners may have picked another dog breed to wreak in the first place. As for there being no more horror stories if people didn't breed for aggressive traits, tell that to the French woman who lost her face after being attacked by her Labrador and had a face transplant. Or did her horror story not count? The only way there would be no more "horror" stories would be to get rid of dogs completely. Do you want a world with no dogs?

TRACY BACON 3 years ago

I TO LIKE MANY OTHER PEOPLE BELIVED IN THE RUMORS ABOUT THE APBT AND DID NOT WANT ONE IN MY YARD OR AROUND MY KIDS. THEN MY NEPHEW TOLD ME HE HAD A PUPPY FOR ME TO MY SURPRISE IT WAS A APBT HE DROPPED THE PUP OFF AT MY HOUSE AND WHEN I GOT HOME I THOUGHT O MY GOD HE HAS TO COME BACK AND GET THIS DOG HE COULD NOT BE IN LA FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS AND I WAS STUCK WITH THIS DOG MY THE TIME HE RETURNED TO PICK UP THE DOG I WAS IN LOVE HAD CHANGED HER NAME AND DIDNT GO ANYWHERE WITH OUT HER AND SHE WAS NEVER FAR AWAY FROM ME I HAVE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE APBT AND WOULD NOT GIVE UP MY 6 APBT FOR NOTHING THIS IS MY FAVORITE BREED APBT 4 ME 4 LIFE

Jeremy Becker 3 years ago

Don't forget that they were used to stand up to bulls and then used for fighting and bull baiting. Those are activities require an agressive nature in order to be successfull and that's what the Pitbulls have in there genetics and those are the traits that people want to bring out in that dog!!!!!! If they didn't then there would be no more horror stories of Pits killing a kid or killing another dog, or biting without any reason!!!

wewildhog@yahoo.com 3 years ago

I had never wanted a pit bull on my property, until my granddaughter came to stay with me for a while with her PIT named Twitch. He was about 8 manths old and weighed around 50 pounds. At the age of 1 year, he weighed all most 100 pounds. They only stayed with me a month or two, but when he heard or saw me later on he just wiggled all over and was so happy to see me. So, to make a long story short. She got my grand son to give me a pup from the next litter that was like Twitch, and his name is Fred. And he is WONDERFUL!

Donnie Ott 3 years ago

I have an original Glass Negitive of Hellen Keller and her pit Bull. This is a photo that is not shown here on this web site. I have never seen this particular photo posted anywhewre before. I purchased this photo at an ADBA dog show in Indianapolis, IN this summer. I am curious if there are any other copies of this photo any place. Does it hold any particular value? I dunno. I paid 35 bucks for it!

anyone have any idea how I can get this photo from the glass to photo paper?

trish 3 years ago

i have a puppy that is half boston terrier and half american pitbull. i know this because i knew the father and the mother very well; the father was an 60 lb pit bull and the mother was 15 lb boston terrier. my pup is about 11 months old and is 45 lbs.

the pictures of helen keller with her supposed boston seem odd to me. the boston seems to big. i don't know though. the real reason i am posing this message is to find out if anyone knows of a cross of breeds similar to my dog or if anyone knows how the pitbull is exactly related to the boston terrier.

thanks.

jason parde 3 years ago

Thanks for the great info I wish alot of people would see this

charles 3 years ago

i just read your pages and thought they were very interesting i am from scotland in the uk wer the breed is banned i own an apbt he was seized just over one year ago along with my bitch and her ten seven week old pups they wer gorgeous sadly the pups contracted hepatitis while in the care of the authoraties. i went through a lenthly one yaer court battle to try and retreive my two remaining dogs back.thankfully i won my case and my dogs are back with me n once again very happy allthough my bitch hasnt been the same since the loss of her pups.i dont suppose being locked up in kenels for over a year wouldnt help either they have been tattood with serial numbers n r insured with a public liability policy.I completly agree with your views on bsl and only wish ther was somthing i could do to help in the campaign against it once again thanks for caring and trying to open peoples eyes to the true nature of the breed that we love so much

sahara 3 years ago

Hi, does anyone remember an old ad from American Express (their 100 anniversary, I think), featuring a pit bull? I saw a poster awhile back, but can't seem to locate it now.

Lori Haaker 3 years ago

Blue Water's White Lightning of DBR call name "Blitz" AKA "Gunner"

Is a registered American Bulldog

Ayme 3 years ago

Helen Keller's dog Sir Thomas was a pit bull.

pitlover 4 years ago

i think Helen Keller really had a Boston Terrier/Boxer mix not a pit bull

carson  4 years ago

Helen Keller's dog was a Pit Bull Terrier, NOT a boston terrier!!!!!

Bryan Dale 4 years ago

Hi, I'm a pit bull lover with a really sweet femaie that I adopted a few years back. Your picture of Helen Keller's dog Sir Thomas caught my eye. I have been trying to verify from original sources that her dog was a pit bull, yet all I can find refers to it as a "Boston Terrier". Boston Terriers were bred by cross-breeding pit bulls with smaller terriers so that they could be hidden under coats to bring them into fights.

You can look up Boston Terrier and compare the modern picture and see right away that Sir Thomas was no Boston Terrier. Yet, I was wondering if you have any expert opinions or contemporary accounts that describe Sir Thomas as a pit bull?

Here is the New York Times article: <http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=2

lizzy 4 years ago

Thanks for the info. I love my Pitty and would love to purchase a poster of some of the art you have listed above. If youhave any links or advice, I'd be so grateful. Thanks!