Wednesday, December 21, 2011

the pit bull in literature

Excerpt from Wuthering Heights written by Emily Bronte and published in 1847.

'Run, Heathcliff, run!' " she whispered; 'they have let the bulldog loose, and he holds me!'

The devil had seized her ankle, Nelly; I heard his abominable snorting. She did not yell out — no! She would have scorned to do it, if she had been spitted on the horns of a mad cow. I did, though; I vociferated curses enough to annihilate any fiend in Christiandom; and I got a stone and thrust it down his throat. A beast of a servant came up with a lantern, at last, shouting —

'Keep fast, Skulker, keep fast!'

He changed his note, however, when he saw Skulker's game. The dog was throttled off — his huge, purple tongue hanging half a foot out of his mouth, and his pendant lips streaming with bloody slaver.

The man took Cathy up — she was sick; not from fear, I'm certain, but from pain. He carried her in; I followed, grumbling execrations and vengeance.

'What prey, Robert?' hollooed Linton from the entrance.

'Skulker has caught a little girl, sir' he replied, 'and there's a lad here...'

the passage continues

'That's Miss Earnshaw!' he whispered to his mother, 'and look how Skulker has bitten her — how her foot bleeds!

'Miss Earnshaw? Nonsense!' cried the dame, 'Miss Earnshaw scouring the country with a gipsy! And yet, my dear, the child is in mourning — surely it is — and may be lamed for life.'


Wuthering Heights is available at project gutenberg and amazon.com. pick up a dog fighting book ar two while at amazon.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

the pit bull in music



BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN
Harry McClintock

One evening as the sun went down and the jungle fire was burning
Down the track came a hobo hiking and he said boys I'm not turning
I'm headin for a land that's far away beside the crystal fountains
So come with me we'll go and see the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains there's a land that's fair and bright
Where the handouts grow on bushes and you sleep out every night
Where the boxcars are all empty and the sun shines every day
On the birds and the bees and the cigarette trees
Where the lemonade springs where the bluebird sings
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains all the cops have wooden legs
And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth and the hens lay soft boiled eggs
The farmer's trees are full of fruit and the barns are full of hay
Oh, I'm bound to go where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall and the wind don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains you never change your socks
And the little streams of alcohol come a-tricklin' down the rocks
The brakemen have to tip their hats and the railroad bulls are blind
There's a lake of stew and of whiskey too
You can paddle all around 'em in a big canoe
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

In the Big Rock Candy Mountains the jails are made of tin
And you can walk right out again as soon as you are in
There ain't no short handled shovels, no axes saws or picks
I'm a goin to stay where you sleep all day
Where they hung the jerk that invented work
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

I'll see you all this coming fall in the Big Rock Candy Mountains



Big Rock Candy Mountain was written in 1895 and recorded in 1928.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Charles Werner: the godfather of pit nutters


CHARLES WERNER

There is an excellent blog post at dogsbite.org about this early 20th century pit bull breeder and his attempts to bring America's pit fighter into mainstream society. Contemporary pit bull advocates should take notes and learn from the master.

1917 war hero



Pit bulls went to war alrite, but mainly as mascots. They never did anything useful like find the enemy.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

you can't make this up!



Narcissistic nutters. Predictably irritating in any century.

Edgefield Advertiser, November 6, 1912




Hot shot lion tamer bitten by pit bull. LOL!!

The San Francisco Call, March 1, 1900

More maulings



The dogs are registered and among the finest of their kind in the country.

Deseret Evening News, June 21, 1910




One of those viscous collie attacks that the media ignores.

The Washington Times, May 1, 1911




The animal defied all efforts to drive him off and had his teeth sunk into the arm of the elder Ahert when he was killed with an axe. It was necessary to pry open his jaws from the arm of the victim, who had become unconscious.

New York Tribune June 29, 1909

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Man-biter Mayhem


Jules Berthold and Paddy

Paddy was involved in what is described by pit fighting aficionados as the "most exciting episode in the history of the St Louis dog pit".



Bob holds a grudge
Paddy was matched against a vicious man biter named Bob who could only be handled by his owner. Bob and the referee shared an interesting and violent past. And apparently Bob was not as forgiving as those wiggle butts who have been starved or set on fire. When Bob caught sight of the man who beat him almost 2 years earlier, he lost sight of his purpose and launched an attack on the referee. The referee climbed to safety and raging Bob redirected on the crowd of spectators. Mayhem ensued.

Paddy to the rescue!
Paddy's owner set his dog on Bob which stopped him from charging the spectators.

Rematch
All parties agreed to a rematch a month later but thirty days in Bob years proved to be even more dangerous. This time Bob launched an attack on Paddy's owner and as Crowley slipped out of harms way, Bob again launched an attack on the spectators. Ah, good times.



I wonder if this demented man-biter was culled and if not, why not?

The Republic, January 10, 1904

Hanging clothes on a line provokes america's dog to attack





Mrs Lena Caswell was attacked by a stray bulldog on the roof of her apartment building as she hung her clothes on the line to dry. Neighbors came to her aid and when police arrived, the bulldog was still in a frenzy. It was shot and killed. No one knows where it came from or how it got onto the roof. ;-)

* Add hanging clothes to the list of pit triggers.


The Rice Belt Journal, April 15, 1910

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Hmmm... I thought pit bulls were the CURRENT bugaboo breed?

Here it is, 1911 and a BREED SPECIFIC LAW is being proposed - not against Bloodhounds or Newfoundlands or St Bernards or German Shepherds or Dobermans or Rottweilers but BULLDOGS, ie pit bulls.



Gentlemen: I observe by The Washington Herald that the nine-year-old daughter of Thomas Hayes, of 2200 H street northwest, was seriously injured yesterday by a bulldog owned by Dr Norval Herbert, of 2145 H street northwest. It seems to me that this is becoming such a frequent occurrence that out government should take immediate steps to rid the city of this particular breed of dog. If you will remember, it was only a few months ago that a child was almost torn to pieces by one of these dogs on Columbia road, and in that case it was the pet dog of the household.
About two years ago I was attacked by one of these beasts, and since that time I have taken note that it is not an uncommon occurrence for one of these ferocious animals to turn on children without the slightest warning and literally tear them to pieces, and in every case would have killed the person attacked had some person not come to their rescue, as did the boy in saving the life of the little girl yesterday.
I might add that the muzzle law does not protect children from the attacks of bulldogs, for the reason that they always make the attack on their master's own family, or within the home or yard where they are not require to be muzzled.
It seems to me that the bulldog is more dangerous than the lion or tiger, for the reason that we protect ourselves against such animals, but there is no protection for the helpless child against this treacherous beast.
I trust that this object lesson will make the same impression upon you, gentlemen, as the killing of the little girl did the other day with the motorcycle carrying two passengers, which you promptly investigated and passed a rule prohibiting. I hope now that you will take the same fearless steps and banish all bulldogs from the District of Columbia.
I again wish to state that it seems to me criminal negligence on the part of our government to allow these dogs to remain in our district another day.
Fulton R. Gordon
September 29, 1911



The Washington Herald, September 29, 1911

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Profile of a early 20th century pit bull owner and his pit bulldog


Pit Nutter Mission statement established in 1903. It's time for a new one guys! :-)

Outcault is probably laughing in his grave at how accurately his depiction of pit bull owners was and would still be 100 years later.

Buster Brown is the pit bull owning cartoon created by R. F. Outcault in 1903. Nutters wear this famous pit bull as a badge of honor but they fail to realize that Tige is no Lassie or Rin Tin Tin. In fact, Tige's primary contribution to the comic seems to be Buster's partner in mayhem.

Tige bites the doctor
Tige bites policeman
Tige tries to attack the skipper
Tige bites man
Tige mayhem
Tige biting burglar
Tige bites Buster when he is forced to give Auntie a kiss
Tige creates mayhem while chasing a cat
Tige gets jealous when Buster fawns over a goat
And my personal favorite, Tige shows his true racist colors:
Tige bites the balloon man, he doesn't like "dagos"







Directory of all Buster Brown comics

The Truth About Buster Brown and Tige

19th Century Psychopaths and Their Tools








The Iola Register, October 26, 1894

1902 champ



1902 Ivel Rustic a.k.a. Billy

1917 tap on the shoulder triggers attack




A tap on the shoulder triggers this white bull terrier to attack his master's wife.


December 4, 1917 Washington Times

1920 (Pit) Bull(dog) (terrier)



What do you get when you cross two bulldogs? According to this article you get a pedigreed pit bull terrier.


This is front page news. Standard Examiner August 17, 1920

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Man biting pit bulls and the cowards who own them

A massive dog fight bust in a Chicago suburb leads to a stampede, the arrest of boxing champion BAT NELSON and a dogman bitten by his own loyal people pleasin' pit dog.



"When the owner of the defeated dog started to drag him from the canvas the half dying brute turned on the man and fastened his teeth in his leg."




The San Francisco Call, November 23, 1908

Chief Justice White holds his own against pit and nutter



A bull terrier attacking a muzzled airedale and the pit nutter tries to stop the Judge from saving his dog. wow.

New York Times, May 18, 1914

Monday, December 12, 2011

News of the Day Concerning Chicago



Another bulldog takes a "courageous" bite.


The Day Book, Chicago, Illinois, March 7, 1914

Usefulness of America's Dog



"If a brindle bull terrier hates you, either go far away or kill the dog. These dogs are useful in their own work and place, which is far from a city."


But not too far away from civilization. You want people to be able to hear you scream. The families of Cheryl Harper and Ed Gierlach know the importance of this.



New York Times, December 19, 1909

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Stubby gets decorated




July 9, 1921 Stubby the Boston bull terrier gets decorated.

Evening Public Ledger

Scrapping Paddy



Frontpage news from 1917, Warren Sheaf,
MARSHALL COUNTY, MINNESOTA. WEDNESDAY, JULY 25,1917

The most significant DBRF in american history



February 3, 1909...The Fountainhead of the "American" Pit Bull Terrier,
John P. Colby is defeated and his two year old nephew is killed by one of his breeding animals.

7 months later he would co-found the American Dog Breeder's association.

In 1935 he would finally persuade the AKC to accept Pit Bulls under the regal sounding Staffordshire brand.

This is the most significant DBRF in American History and it's show how the Pit Community is run by sociopaths. He should have been run out of the community and stripped of registry privileges instead of being worshipped.

* note the killer is referred to as a Boston Terrier.

dogsbite.org


craven desires

The Sun, NY, NY, February 03, 1909


The Dog Fancier, Colby ad 1911

Saturday, December 10, 2011

THE BULLDOG MENACE



Wait a minute, I thought that pit bulls were originally bred as working dogs and enjoyed nanny dog and war dog hero status back in the day? I thought bloodhounds and newfies were the first targets of media hysteria?

stubby dog

bloodhounds

The Ogden Standard, Ogden, Utah, Thursday, January 29, 1914

The Bulldog Nuisance



The Record-Union, March 13, 1894


The Bulldog Nuisance.
It is a common thing these days to hear of persons being bitten by bulldogs, which breed appears to be rapidly increasing about town.
Last evening a little girl named Russell was sent to a store at Fourth and P streets and while on the way she was set upon and badly bitten by a vicious bulldog.

The most bizarre report of a pit bull attack - EVER!



Poor wiggle butt. I hope he recovered in time for the big fight.

New Ulm Weekly Review, October 7, 1885

Some dogs don't let go



The Record Union, Sacramento, April 11, 1891

Horribly Mangled By Dogs



Another senior citizen savaged while taking a walk. déjà vu.

The Evening Bulletin Maysville, KY July 26, 1889

Savage Bull Terrier Bites Five Scholars



Heart warming 1900 school siege where a Bull Terrier rushes into a school and attacks five children...The owner is in court pit shucking and jiving as to why police shouldn't kill the animal

The Times: Richmond, VA September 23, 1900

All american dog plus the american past time equals an all american mauling



LARRY RUNS AMUCK AT BASEBALL PARK; BITES SPECTATOR

"Larry" the canine mascot of the Cleveland club, is forever barred at National Park by the oders of Manager Griffith.

The dog, a brindle and white spotted bull terrier, attacked a boy after the game yesterday, and not only bit him several times, but tore his clothes before the Cleveland players could come to the rescue.

"Larry" belongs to Lajoie, the Naps' famous second baseman, and performs a number of tricks. He was carried East with the Cleveland club on the trip just finished. A suit for damages in all probability will be instituted by the young man who was attacked.



Larry belonged to baseball slugger Napoleon Lajole who pawned the little frankenmauler off onto team mate Jack Graney. "Take him. The dog is yours." Lajoie sounds just a little too eager to unload America's Dog, wouldn't you say?

Washington Herald, June 20, 1913

Children author turned propagandist Barbara Gregorich has written a book for children about Larry the mascot. My co-blogger alerted me to the facebook page promoting the book. I left a polite, somewhat sarcastic comment asking if this attack was included in the book. I included the link. She replied, I replied, she replied, I replied and then she deleted the entire conversation which I preserved and can be viewed here. It is also important to note that she has blocked me from leaving anymore comments.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

8 Bullets for Wiggle Butt: The Tragic Tale of How a Chicago Nanny Dog Failed His Real World Temperment Test



"She did not notice how the wicked little eyes, red with rage, watched her. Yvonne came nearer and stooped for the ball. With a spring like a wild animal the dog was upon her. The massive jaws closed with terrific force on the baby's head and bore her to the ground, where the brute tore at the tiny form as if mad. Despite beatings showered on it and bullets fired into its body, it clung to its prey. At the eighth bullet the infuriated animal fell lifeless, but an iron bar was necessary to pry loose the cruel white teeth from their death grip."



"The bulldog had not been regarded as vicious and always had been friendly with the children."

Richmond Planet August 26, 1905