Dog of the Month April Edition – The Pit Bull!
Welcome to our new Dog of the Month blog! From now on we will feature a new doggie each month to bring awareness to different breeds and teach our much beloved clients and social media followers some new info. :) Stayed tuned-in on our social media channels for contests and giveaways! This month we share some interesting info about our furry friends: the Pit Bull! To start off our ode to Pit Bulls, we have prepared a short blog with some info you may or may not have known about this loveable breed. Enjoy!
The term “Pit Bull” does not characterize one breed but instead refers to dogs that have similar characteristics (vrcpitbull.com). The American Pit Bull Terrier is a breed name Many other breeds fall under the term “Pit Bull”, including the American Staffordshire Terrier, the American Bull Dog, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, as well as many others! When these “Bull Dogs” came with immigrants to America they began their new careers as all-around farm dogs. Their main jobs were to keep their family and home safe, as well as providing companionship to all those people that were making homes in a new country (dogtime.com).
There have been many well known celebrity Pit Bulls over the years! A Pit Bull named Petey starred in the popular children's movie "The Little Rascals". The ring around Petey’s eye was such an oddity that it became certified by Ripley’s Believe It or Not (animal-actors.blogspot.com).
In World War I, propaganda posters adopted images to symbolize different countries - the United States was represented by the Pit Bull! They were respected for their loyalty, determination and bravery so they were considered an ideal candidate to represent the powerful country (bullybreededucation.com).
A Pit Bull mix named Stubby even became a decorated WWII hero! Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie) had a working Pit Bull named Jack, Theodore Roosevelt and Helen Keller were also known to own them!
Today, popular rapper Snoop Dogg has rescued multiple dogs of this breed because of his love for them. Famous dog trainer Cesar Millan featured his beloved pitty, Daddy, in many episodes of his hit TV show. Daddy was an American Pit Bull Terrier and became known for his calm temperment, tolerance for smaller dogs and capacity for empathy(wikipedia.com).
Pit Bulls are well known for some common traits, including being sturdy, energetic, tolerant and ideal playmates. They are also very determined! Whatever they set out to do, they will put their heart and soul into it. Another important part of the breed’s genetic makeup is an unwillingness to bite humans. These dogs love people and often forget that they aren’t lap dogs! They form very strong attachments to their families and will protect them at any cost (dogtime.com).
A little about their personalities, Pit Bulls tend to do better than average on temperament tests! According to the American Temperament Test Society (2010-2011), 804 American Pit Bull Terriers were tested and 695 passed! This means that 86.4% of Pit Bulls tested by the ATTS had a good temperament. Their pass rating was above 121 other breeds of dogs (einhorninsurance.com; By: Dori Einhorn on September 25, 2011).
Pit Bulls are incredibly affectionate and they naturally crave human attention -they want all our love! They are known to be easy to train and eager to please. Pit Bulls are also adaptable, doing well in any living situation, as long as they have a solid foundation, a strong family bond and positive outlets for their energy. They are known for being playful and have a great sense of humour. They’ll absolutely make you giggle! Overall, they have great physical and mental characteristics that make them excellent partners for responsible, active and caring owners (vrcpitbull.com).
What’s going on with Pit Bulls now? There are many different shelters out there that focus on saving dogs like these and finding their fur-ever homes! One of them being Loveabull Rescue Society, based in Surrey, BC. This non-profit organization focuses on saving these little beans and giving them proper placement in responsible, loving and safe homes.
We truly feel that each dog should be evaluated by their own merits and not by breed. In his essay “Troublemakers”, Malcolm Gladwell discusses what Pit Bull stereotypes can teach us about the issues of racial profiling of both humans and dogs (petfinder.com). Definitely some food for thought!

