What is the history of the pit bull?
The sport of “bull baiting” began nearly two thousand years ago in Greece. When the Romans conquered Greek lands, they adopted and spread the sport. After 17 hundred years of tradition, a type of bull baiting dog emerged which we recognize as the pit bull today: extremely strong jaws for it’s size, a fierce fighter and very loyal to his master. In 1835, bull baiting was banned in England and replaced by “ratting,” in which a person would toss a rat into a pit and wagers were placed on how long it would take the dog to kill it. To increase agility, quickness and prey-drive, ratters blended terriers into the bull baiting breed. This combination produced the modern day pit bull. On the heels of ratting, dogfighting developed. Both sports were intricately linked with gambling, just as dogfighting still is today. Pit bulls, dogfighting, gambling, and the traditions surrounding each, were exported to America and Canada as settlers made their way to the New World.
The sport of “bull baiting” began nearly two thousand years ago in Greece. When the Romans conquered Greek lands, they adopted and spread the sport. After 17 hundred years of tradition, a type of bull baiting dog emerged which we recognize as the pit bull today: extremely strong jaws for it’s size, a fierce fighter and very loyal to his master. In 1835, bull baiting was banned in England and replaced by “ratting,” in which a person would toss a rat into a pit and wagers were placed on how long it would take the dog to kill it. To increase agility, quickness and prey-drive, ratters blended terriers into the bull baiting breed. This combination produced the modern day pit bull. On the heels of ratting, dogfighting developed. Both sports were intricately linked with gambling, just as dogfighting still is today. Pit bulls, dogfighting, gambling, and the traditions surrounding each, were exported to America and Canada as settlers made their way to the New World.
