The American Pit Bull Terrier has been under much scrutiny in years past. They have been dubbed as having a very aggressive nature, and their sheer strength and size has been bred for purposely.
Often, American Pit Bull Terriers are favorites in illegal dog fights for their brawn, fearlessness and aggression, as most of these dogs fighting have been raised specifically for that purpose.
I am not nearly an expert on this subject, so I found a good background article to get us started…(* Neutrality of this article is questionable.)
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American Pit Bull Terrier
By John Rodgers
The American pit bull terrier originates from the introduction of English and Irish pit terriers into America during the mass immigration of the 1800′s. The English dogs originated from cross breeding between terrier and bulldog breeds, the Irish dog’s origins were shrouded in secrecy. The pit bull terriers brought to America had been bred for dog fighting using the terrier breed’s killing instinct and the bulldog’s tenacity and powerful muscled body, they had been bred to be loyal and accepting of their human masters and were considered family dogs. The introduction of pit bulls to America saw the breed develop as the breed was crossed with bigger dogs to produce the American pit bull terrier.
The American pit bull terrier is an exceptionally powerful dog that is instantly recognizable. The dog has a broad chunky head with large cheeks that cover extremely powerful jaw muscles and has round eyes. The neck is thick and powerful dropping to strong, wide shoulders and a deep chest. Colouration is numerous but these short haired dogs can range in colour from brown, fawn to black, blue and white.
Contrary to popular opinion, these dogs are not wanton killing machines, they do have violent tendencies toward other dogs but are no more violent toward people than other dog breeds. They are loyal, obedient and good with children and families. They make excellent guard dogs and are generally good with other family pets including other dogs if they have been socialized with the other pets from puppy hood.
The American pitbull generally stands between 18 and 22 inches tall, and weighs in between 10 and 50 kg, and has a few known health problems such as being prone to cataracts and congenital heart disease. American pitbulls have a life expectancy of around 12 years, have litters of about 5-10 puppies and need regular exercise to burn off excess energy. Colours vary from fawn pitbulls, to blue pitbulls, rednose pitbulls and black pitbulls.
John Rodgers writes for American Pitbull at officialpitbull.info/american-pitbull
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Rodgers
http://EzineArticles.com/?American-Pit-Bull-Terrier&id=574450
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Well, I learned quite a bit today about the American Pit Bull Terrier, and I am glad I did, as this is not one of my expertises.
(This article does not represent the views of Terrier Lover or Kimberly Edwards, positive or negative. These parties are neutral in opinion on this topic.)
Until next time…
Love Your Terrier,
Kimberly Edwards 
P.S. Make sure you scoop up your 2008 American Pit Bull Terrier calendar…before all the cute ones are gone!:
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I love pitbulls and this is a great description of the breed, I’m glad you pointed out that they were originally breed to be aggressive towards other dogs only and specifically breed to be loving and loyal to humans I think alot of people see them as killing machines and they really aren’t.
Hi Pitbull Friends…Absolutely. Pitbulls are a greatly misunderstood breed. They can be loyal and loving, dangerous at times too, but they are underrated for sure as a pet. It’s all in how they are raised & treated.
Kimberly
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