History of the APBT / AST

The American Pit Bull Terrier was selectively bred with the intention of creating the ultimate canine gladiator. However, the breed proved itself adept at many other activities. The traits that were bred into the pit dogs were "Our Gang" Fame
surprisingly ambiguous in their usefulness. Gameness is one such trait. Gameness is defined as the willingness to see a task through to the end, regardless of the hardships (fatigue, pain or injury, etc.). Gameness is a trait highly prized by dog fighters however, this same trait proved very useful in areas of everyday life. A dog with the tenacity to hold a wild boar and the courage and loyalty to protect his master home and family was very useful in rural England. Also, a dog with a very high tolerance to pain made the pit bull less likely to bite out of fear or pain. So, while a group of fanciers focused on the fighting pit, many households kept pit bulls as all around house/farm dogs.

World War I Poster

Pit Bulls were imported to America shortly before the civil war — Their tasks were much the same in the US as they had been in England. However, the breed became more standardized in the US and was named the American Pit Bull Terrier.

The breed flourished in the states and was one of the most popular breeds, highly prized by a variety of people. The APBT was used as a symbol to represent the US in WW1. In fact, Stubby, an pit bull, became a decorated war hero in WWI.

Buster Brown Ad

Many companies also adopted the image of the APBT for their logos and advertising. The pit bull became the image for RCA, with Nipper ever listening for his master’s voice. And of course, there was the ever present Tige, for the Buster Brown shoe company.

Perhaps the most recognized and cherished APBT is Pete the Pup from the “our Gang” comedies. He was the quintessential kid’s dog.

Hellen Keller and Annie Sullivan with their Friend

Pit Bulls accompanied pioneer families — Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of the Little House book series, had a working Pit Bull named Jack. Many other famous people throughout history have also owned
the breed, including Theodore Roosevelt and Helen Keller. The APBT indeed, had become America’s sweetheart — artwork of the breed graced the cover of several “Life” magazines.

In 1898, the United Kennel Club was formed to provide registration and fighting guidelines for the APBT. Later, the fanciers that wished to distance themselves from the fighting aspect of the breed petitioned the American Kennel Club for recognition. After concessions to different breed clubs, they were granted recognition in 1936. However, since the name was so close to the Bull Terrier, they were required to change the name. They were recognized as Staffordshire (for the province in England where they originated) Terriers. This made them eligible to compete in the AKC competition events. When the breed gained acceptance, many people dual registered their dogs with both AKC and UKC (a practice that many still follow today). In fact, Pete the Pup, officially known as Lucenay’s Peter, was among some of the first dogs dual registered.

The AKC eventually closed its studbooks to the APBT and only allowed those dogs born to registered “Staffordshire Terrier” to be admitted. For a brief period in the 1970s, they did reopen their studbooks to American Pit Bull Terriers. Then, in 1973, the prefix American was added to the Staffordshire Terrier’s name. This was in an effort to further distinguish it from the newly recognized Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Life Magazine Cover

Today the APBT has evolved into a marvelous working companion whose jobs are only limited by the imagination. Many work as Police and armed service dogs, while others save lives on search and rescue teams. They excel as therapy dogs for hospital and nursing home patients, they herd and guard livestock, compete in dog shows, obedience trials and agility. Of course, their most important job of all is being loving and loyal family companions.