curious about the Target dog

[Happy2BeHere]

My husband is at the Blackhawks game tonight. They're having a special ceremony for the "old timers" you know like BOBBY HULL!!!!!! Always love Wrigley and the Cubs no matter what (and it's been many, many years of "no matter what" My folks used to have a place in Scottsdale and were at Hohokam every year.

Heidi, you're in H-town right (or there abouts?) My son is in college is Austin, family in CC. I think may have "talked" about this many a year ago on Cabelas.

[flowerpower]

"Developed from the Bull and Terrier types of yesteryear, the American Pit Bull Terrier comes from an indisputable history of pit-fighting. The breed's tenacity and accompanying strength are unmatched in the canine world. As rich and captivating as the breed's history is, the Pit Bull's future is more worthy of commentary. Some proponents of the breed argue that this breed is the original bulldog of the past. Old prints and woodcarvings show reason to believe this. They show dogs that look exactly like the breed today, doing things the dog is still capable of doing. For more information on this theory you can read books by Richard F Stratton. The APBT, as registered by the UKC, is an individual breed of dog and does not refer to just any ill-bred, mindless warrior-type mongrel. At one time, the Pit Bull was a much loved, trustworthy companion. People who chose to train these dogs to fight are chiefly responsible for the banning and witch-hunting that has been sweeping the U.S. The media, however, should not go unmentioned, for it is also responsible for escalating isolated incidences in a relentless and attention-getting way. In a lot of cases when the media is reporting about a Pit Bull attacking, it is indeed not even a Pit Bull at all, but a mixed breed of some sort, or another bull breed all together. In fact, one time there was a report on KYW news in Philadelphia about two Pit Bulls attacking a person. I called the news station and asked if they knew the dogs were in fact a purebred American Pit Bull Terriers, or another bull breed of some sort, or a mutt for that matter. They told me they did not know, I would have to call the police station to verify that information. I asked them how they could report something that they were not sure of. They had no answer for me and they were not sure of the dog's breed. Even after admitting that to me on the phone, they kept calling it a Pit Bull. The Pit Bull's future has been perhaps irreparably undone and everyone is to blame except the dog itself. This very loyal dog is too set on pleasing his owner, and ironically this is the root of his own undoing. Accompanying this need to please are remarkable abilities of all kinds. Jack Dempsy, Teddy Roosevelt and Jack Johnson are just a few people who have owned Pit Bulls. Pit Bulls excel in practically every canine task including herding, guarding, hunting, policing, cart pulling and ratting. A Pit Bull, named Banddog Dread, holds more canine working titles than ANY other breed. The owner's name is Diane Jessup and you can reference her book, "The Working Pit Bull." It tells you all of Dread's accomplishments. These dogs are truly capable of many tasks. The difference between Pits and American Staffordshire Terriers is a difficult one. Even breeders can't agree. The main difference is the bloodline. Amstaffs are show dogs and dog fighters won't use dogs with Amstaff blood. As time progresses there will be more of a difference. Many are duel registered as Amstaffs with the AKC and Pits with the UKC. "

From "dogbreedinfo.com"

[mamamia]

Deerskin,

Thanks for the info. I checked out one of your links and see what you mean about the nose. With the bull terrier they talk about an "egg shaped head" and the target dog certainly has that! Flower, there is an English bulldog and an American bulldog and they actually look quite different except for similarities in the shape of the head. (I looked up American bulldog while I was at wikipedia.)

I will now report our findings back to my daughters...

[deafcat]

It's awful when a whole breed gets a bad rap just because people are stupid. In the 70's it was Dobermans.

[Happy2BeHere]

http://www.bulldogbreeds.com/

Here is a site that breaks out all the "bully" breeds. AmStaffs & Pit Bulls are different from American Bulldogs. I am the proud owner of a seriously silly English Bulldog (more properly Bulldog), but find myself having to make the "English" distinction because of the confustion with the "pit bull". My bully Pumpkin is about as far away temperment reputation wise from her more "agressive" cousins as can be, but when folks here "bull" in connection with any dog, they seem to automatically assume "the worst".

[mamamia]

Thanks for the link Happy! I didn't really know there were so many "bully" breeds. Don't you just love that pic of the American bulldog with one white ear and one black ear! I never thought of boxers and boston terriers as being part of the "bully" breeds. Does it have something to do with the "locking jaws" that these breeds have that includes then in this grouping? It must suggest a common ancestor or origin.

[mamamia]

My bully Pumpkin is about as far away temperment reputation wise from her more "agressive" cousins as can be, but when folks here "bull" in connection with any dog, they seem to automatically assume "the worst".

I have heard owners of American bulldogs and bull terriers say the same thing mostley because these dogs resemble pit bulls in coat and conformation and people get them confused with pit bulls.

[Deerskin and Anja]

no such thing as 'locking jaws', just very strong muscles. the bull breeds were originally used to help with moving stubborn cattle, then idiots got the idea of fighting them. i have some really fun pics of pits playing with ropes, and a fave toy is to put a fat rope in a tree or something, up off the ground, with another attatched, and the dog grabs the knot and holds it while someone pulls the other rope to let them swing!

[Happy2BeHere]

Thanks for the link Happy! I didn't really know there were so many "bully" breeds. Don't you just love that pic of the American bulldog with one white ear and one black ear! I never thought of boxers and boston terriers as being part of the "bully" breeds. Does it have something to do with the "locking jaws" that these breeds have that includes then in this grouping? It must suggest a common ancestor or origin.

For the most part, they share a common ancestry, unfortunately from the time when bull-baiting was a sport (hey -- I'm no expert ) Bully breeds are largely brachycephalic, i.e. the circumference of the head around the snout is smaller than around the jaw/over the ear -- most dogs have long snouts, most bully breeds do not. This pushed back face and nose allowed the dog to breathe when he had grabbed the buIl by the nose. I think the "locking jaw" thing is more of an exaggeration of their overall power AND stubborness (even with or especially with Pits). It's a very curious trait. Even though the modern English Bulldog was specifically bred to be exceptionally gentle, they still have that "lock on" in their hard code -- just try playing "tug" with one.

BTW, that Bulldog thumbnail on the upper right corner of that link I posted looks EXACTLY like my Pumpkin (who is begging for cookies right now).

[Happy2BeHere]

Ah! Deerskin, and Anja beat me to it!