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The Pit Bull is a term that describes several types of dog including three recognized breeds. All pit bulls are sturdy, strong, tenacious, courageous and currently, very controversial.

Pit Fights

Pit bulls were originally bred for pit fighting. In Elizabethan England, there was a popular form of entertainment called bullbaiting, where certain bulldogs would be trained to attack a bull's legs, while others would be trained to attack its head. Onlookers would place bets on which dogs would subdue the bull first. Bullbaiting was eventually outlawed as cruel, so the dog owners began simply fighting their bulldogs against each other in pits. The dogs bred for this purpose became known as "pit bulls". The breed and practice of pit fighting later spread to the Americas. Though pit fighting is now illegal in most places, private underground pit fights do still occur.

The three recognized breeds are:

• The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) - Recognized by the ADBA and UKC
• The American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff or AST) - Recognized by the AKC
• The Staffordshire Bull Terrier (StaffyBull or SBT) - Recognized by the AKC

Pit bulls may be a mix of one or more of these breeds, a mix of one of these breeds and any other breed, or pure bred.

Pit bulls have an emotional temperament and are noted for their attachment to their masters as well as for their courage. Although they are short, they have extremely high muscle density and are generally capable of executing a standing four foot vertical jump. Pit bulls have been bred to have an extremely low sensitivity to pain (if any sensitivity at all).

Pit bulls can make very good pets, but great care must be taken should one choose to care for one. They are not recommended as a first time dog for anyone. They require training and socialization. Pit bulls are medium sized, various colors and have short fur that requires little grooming. If properly trained and socialized, they are good with children and have been reported by many owners as being "lap dogs."

Legal issues

Many jurisdictions have outlawed possession of pit bulls; either the pit bull breed specifically, or in addition to other large breeds. The lawmakers believe that a public danger is presented by pit bulls' extremely defensive attitude towards their territory, their inherent distrust of any animals (including humans) not perceived as being part of their pack, and their propensity to attack any such animals who venture into their territory.

It is claimed that all of these factors can be mitigated through proper training and owner supervision of the pit bull, but there have been a number of incidents where careless owners have allowed their pit bull to attack and sometimes kill people. Especially when the victims were children, many areas have passed anti-pit bull laws in response.