On human aggression

Fans of america's dog love to proclaim that their wiggle butt never met a stranger, would only lick you to death, make horrible watch/guard dogs and would help a burglar pick them clean. These comments come on the heels of an attack as they try to convince us that REAL american pit bull terriers are people friendly dogs due to the dogmen culling all of the man biters.

But the historical evidence proves contrary.

As a watchdog he is unexcelled. This book could be written five times on this one subject, in regard to the American Pit Bull Terrier as a watchdog. Only recently the writer sold a dog to a party who had trouble with thieves stealing his chickens and fuel. This party didn't care particularly about the bloodlines or the breed of the dog, just so he was a watchdog that would put a stop to thieves that were carrying chickens and fuel away. The pound had been exhausted of so called watch dogs, but to no avail. Since purchasing this dog, there have been no chickens or fuel stolen. However, this dog is kind and gentle. Not bent on biting anyone who comes along, but has the instinct to know right from wrong in guarding his master's property.

Joseph L. Colby 1936

The Colby name is one of the oldest and most trusted when it comes to America's dogs. You can read more about Colby dogs and his man killer.




Dogdom magazine 1908










The Dog Fancier magazine 1906



The Dog Fancier magazine 1911

That's right. The treasurer of the pit bull terrier breeder association is trying to unload a maneater.


Man Biters

Manbiter Discussion

Dogmen Conversationsions About Man-biters and Man-Eaters


I will add to this

Colby Dogs

The Utah Solution

Before Denver, before Miami, before Ohio, there was Utah.


The Salt Lake Herald, Salt Lake City, UT, August 5, 1906




The lesson of all this is that a bulldog is a dangerous brute and that not one of the animals should allowed to go unmuzzled.

The Evening Standard, Ogden, UT, May 19, 1911


Why so much attention given to the Beehive State?

Could it be a member of the PBTB Assoc lived in Ogden?

Could it be that pit breeder F.W. Matthews' curs made their way from the pit to the pram? Could it be they did not integrate well outside the of the box.


(notice the spelling of pit with two TTs)

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

The Bulldog Menace

Early Equine Grippers

Nanny Dog Attacks

Handful of grapes + lacerated scalp = dirt napping gripper

The Times, August, 25, 1897

Redirected Enthusiasm



America's most enthusiastic dog gets caught up in the moment, grabs a hold of a boy's ear and won't let go until two men choke him off.

Perrysburg Journal, July 14, 1911




Lancaster Daily Intelligencer, July 22, 1885



The National Tribune, July 30, 1885




New York Tribune, August 11, 1888

America's dog doesn't like muzzles, duck trousers or hobble skirts

Pit nutter doesn't want to subject his gripper to the indignities of the mandatory muzzle, so he paints a muzzle on the dog in hopes of convincing others he is in compliance. Only one problem. A painted muzzle doesn't actually prevent America's dog from biting. But hey, it is all about appearances for the owners of America's dog.



Breed specific legislation is NOT a new idea.

The Washington Herald, July 15, 1911

ps The ATTS should include split skirts and dock trousers in their walk in the park temperament test.

Early equine grippers

Dirt napping chain buster.

Arizona Silver Belt, July 9, 1896


BULLDOGS ARE DANGEROUS

A vicious bulldog is a dangerous animal. here is an account of a dog attack on a horse, taken from a San Francisco paper:

Charlie a large bulldog sprang at the nose of a horse attached to a Renown bakery wagon standing at Eddy street, near Market, yesterday morning and, fastening his teeth in the nostrils of the terrified animal, slung for several minutes. Superintendent A J Kopf and Special Officer C F Kidder of the Pacific Humane society finally succeeded in making the dog release the hold. Dr Edward Creely of 1818 Market street attended the horse, and said that it will probably have to be shot.

George O'Leary of 20th street and Potrero avenue, a dog trainer, held the animal in a leash at the time, and was arrested for cruelty to animals. The dog was also locked up in the cellar of the City Prison, and was subsequently sent to the pound.

According to the police Joe Pine of 22nd and Hampshire streets, is the owner of the dog and the animal is said to be on of the most vicious fighters on the coast.

The driver of the bakery wagon, whose name was not ascertained by the police, was so startled when the horse reared that he fell back and smashed a score of pies. A big crowd gathered while the dog swung from the horse's neck. The horse kicked with it's forefeet and neighed, a bartender cam out with a siphon bottle and squirted nearly a quart of seltzer down the dog's throat, another man held a lighted cigar to the animal's mouth. Nothing would induce the brute to let go his murderous hold until Kopf and Kidder hammered him with their clubs.

The Ogden city administration acted wisely when it passed an ordinance requiring bulldogs to be muzzled. The animals are instinctively a fighting machine and the most vicious of dogs and will set upon man or beast and persist in their mad fury until weakened or killed by clubbing. Running at large without muzzles, they are more dangerous than hungry wolves on a prairie.

Charging pit bull owners with animal cruelty when they attack other animals? What a novel idea!

The Evening Standard (Ogden Utah) August 4, 1911




JUSTICE HORSE!

The Washington Times, September 14, 1908


STICK TO YOUR AIM, THE MONGREL'S HOLD WILL SLIP
BUT ONLY CROW BARS LOOSE THE BULLDOG'S GRIP.



Singleton and others did all they could to keep the maddened dog from the horse and Mr Dickson knocked him down and out with a club, bu the dog came back again and again, until the excited horse in struggles to defend itself kicked the brute a thumping lick in the side and the dog was finally gotten away.

Daily Public Ledger, March 31, 1910

Win One for the Gripper

Perhaps the most accurate description of the pit bull's character was penned in 1859. They had Darla Napora's wigglebutt pegged a century and a half before she received her fatal mauling from her beloved Gunner:

...An able recent writer on the dog considers the bull-dog as a sort of abnormal canine monster, a dog idiot, yielding to uncontrollable physical impulses, now of blind ferocity, now of equally blind and undiscriminating maudlin tenderness, which renders him more addicted to licking, slobbering, and mumbling the hand, the boot, or any other part of any person to whom he takes a sudden and causeless liking, and whom he is just as likely to assault the next moment, than any other of his species.

The new American Cyclopedia vol. IV, edited by George Ripley, Charles A. Dana, 1859.

That is not to say that the dog idiot can't be appealing, or even inspirational, to the like-minded owner. Take this 1911 football team and their bull terrier mascot, Bill, for example:

"One of Bill's favorite pass times was to tug and wrestle with a stick when some one would hold the other end of it.

It was cold in the dressing room and one of the trainers shook the ashes from the grate of the stove using the poker until the end which had been in the fire became red hot. When he finally laid it down it had lost its color but was still very warm. Bill, not knowing that the poker was not a stick for him to play with, caught the end in his maw. The soft flesh of his lips, seared and burned black, but he shook the metal stick and refused to let go. Two or three of the men grabbed him and tried to force him to open his mouth. They had to choke him to remove the poker from between his teeth and all the time he held grimly to it he was shaking it."

Read how this captain used the dog idiot mascot to inspire the team to win, win, win!

Wait, have they been saying Nanny dog or Ninny dog?

Another Good Use for Pit Bulls - Curing TB

Cannibal tribes used to consume the heart of their defeated enemy to take their power and courage.

Turns out consuming rendered pit bull fat cures tuberculosis.

I've heard that pit bull parts also cure high blood pressure and arthritis. Spread the word!

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.

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

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