Sean

Although many books on the (English) Bull Terrier and even some books on the Pit Bull Terrier state that the breed originated with a cross of the old-time Bulldog with some terrier (usually the English White Terrier is mentioned), those histories simply don't jibe with the artwork of that era when it comes to our breed. The problems are these. As demonstrated from the artwork of the past, the "oldtime Bulldog" looked just like our modern American Pit Bull Terriers. If that is the case, there was never any reason for the cross, as it was allegedly made for achieving agility. The fact of the matter is crossing dogs to form new breeds is an old show dog trick and is not something that is likely to be done by any breeder of a highly competitive performance breed. Probably what happened was that some specimens of the old bulldog showed the pushed-in nose appearance. And, much earlier, peasants took to calling their (working) Bulldogs "terriers", as they were not allowed to keep any hunting dogs. Thus, the Irish referred to their Bulldogs as "Pit Terriers" for many years. Everyone else, English and American, called the breed "Bulldog" in informal communication but used the term "Bull Terrier" in more formal occasions. Chauncy Bennett, the founder of the United Kennel Club, gave the name "American Pit Bull Terrier" to the breed to help promote this breed. The truth is the breed is descended from ancient times and many civilizations, first as a hunter and later as a catch dog and, finally, as a premier fighting animal. It became nearly extinct in many countries, and we, thus, have the English eagerly importing the breed from us today. The irony is that we originally got it from them and the Irish primarily, with a few imports from other countries, such as Spain. In summary, then, the American Pit Bull Terrier is a relatively pure descendant of the old time Bulldog; however, the formal name was taken by the show (pushed-in nose) Bulldog. The original name Bull Terrier was applied to a show dog developed by a man named Hinks in England by crossing a white terrier with a "half and half." The half and halfs were a cross between the pushed-in nose bulldog and a terrier. American pit dog men tended to think that the pit dogs were descended along similar lines and called their dogs "Pit Bull Terriers" in formal writings. When Chauncy Bennett started the United Kennel Club, the first breed he recognized was the American Pit Bull Terrier. He originally added on "American" to distinguish the breed from the show Bull Terrier and dropped the "Pit" out of the name. This suited some fanciers, but many of them wanted to retain "Pit" as a distinguishing term. In compromise, Bennett put back the "Pit" part of the name but placed it in parentheses. About ten years ago, the UKC dropped the parentheses (after having had them for over fifty years). Many show dog breed histories are full of flights of fancy; however, the history of this working breed, the Pit Bull Terrier, is full of so many twists and turns that people still debate particular points. A controversial breed like the Pit Bull Terrier wouldn't't have it any other way!