By claiming that their dogs aren't the same breed as your dog and that their breed is ill tempered while yours isn't is hogwash. Almost every breed has developed different types. Within any breed there can easily be irresponsible breeders who don't pay attention to temperament and irresponsible owners who allow aggressive dogs to be put in situations where they bite. While you try to separate your type of pit bull from their type of pit bull, you feed into the "blame the breed" sentiment - blame THEIR breed, not MY breed. Which also doesn't help all the other breeds on ban lists.
The largest part of the problem has nothing to do with "ghetto dogs". It has to do with inaccurate data, it has to do with media hype, it has to do with irresponsible owners.
So if on the news, it is shown that an 85 lb blue "pit bull" with floppy flews and a dewlap to write home about and some ginormous splayed paws attacked someone, I'm supposed to say, "Yup! That dog is just like my Coco. Identical almost.". Nevermind that Coco is 38 lbs when rolypoly fat, has no loose skin, and has nice little feet with toes in proper position. Why on earth do I need to make such a claim?
It is widely known that many known bloodlines are mixes of APBT, AST, (Gaff and York are AST bloodlines that are still touted as UKC APBTs despite their having a very distinct look and being bred for looks and no function for the last 70+ years) and a variety of other breeds including but not limited to the Doge de Bordeaux (Whopper), English Mastiff, Neo Mastiff (Razor's Edge, Gotti), English Bulldog (RE, Gottie)......I could go on.
I know it's hard for some to understand, and sadly I think it's because they don't care because it doesn't affect them in any way. Sure, it's easy to say you don't like BSL or it makes you sad, but at the end of the day it doesn't affect you and your Dachshunds or Poms or Chihuahuas or Greyhounds or whatever dog you own so you really just can't seem to find it to care too much.
I've done rescue for over 10 years. I loved my rescues as much, and some more, than I did my pedigreed APBTs. But I could never say that the dogs that I brought home were indeed "APBTs" or "ASTs" or "SBTs". It would be like saying that a 70 lb black dog with a decent muzzle, floppy triangular ears, and black fur is a Labrador Retriever although it's genetic history is unknown. Of course the dogs fit the general "pit bull" description and to those I knew/know, I referred to them as that. But to the general public, I explained that there was probably one or more of the "pit bull" breeds in there but without knowing the dogs complete genetic history, I couldn't say without a doubt that my dog is such. Thus the dog was labeled as a mixed breed. But that never stopped me from doing all I could (and still can) to make sure such dogs put their best paw forward and be an amazing representation of such breeds.
As for the "why bother to separate the pit bull breeds", well, we do so because they are separate breeds! Is the Welsh Corgi the exact same breed as the Cardigan Corgi? Why bother to call them something different? Why do we bother calling Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers by separate names? They should just be "Retrievers". What's the difference?
The AST alone has been bred to an entirely
different standard for over 70 years. How long does it take, in your opinion, before such becomes it's own breed? The American Bully, a new breed in formation, is a mix of AST and/or APBT and other breeds such as the Neo, Dogue de Bordeaux, English Bulldog (and God only knows what else). Why should we still be forced to say that those mixed breed dogs are one-in-the-same as our APBTs or ASTs or SBTs?
And don't get me wrong, I blame the owners. A dog owner can own the most downright human aggressive monster ever to walk the planet and not have the dog ever put it's teeth on a person or even be a menace for the dog's entire life span. But that is a responsible owner. Responsible owners are in very short supply these days it seems. And while we have the thugs that don't give a ****, we also have the ignorant, willfully ignorant, and the bleeding heart people who think that they can love a dog into something its not and put it in a position to fail and then boo-hoo when something happens.
And for the record, bad dogs do exist. You can put all the blame on the owner if you want, but I've seen more genetically unsound dogs that I would ever care too. And I'm sure they aren't going to be my last. These dogs are unstable. They are aggressive. They are fear aggressive. And no amount of love or teaching a dog to sit and stay is going to change it. Maybe when people go back to the ways of culling dogs, then society can go back to the days of not having unstable dogs running loose in society.
In the meantime, I'll continue to go after irresponsible owners whether or not they have good intentions (the ignorant owner of a poor wittle pibble-boo who thinks that some love and pets will make the doggy place nice at the dog park) or not (the street thug who has a small penis and needs a giant floppy dog to brag about instead).
But no, I will not say that my APBTs are the same as ASTs or SBTs or BTs or AmBullies just as I won't say they are the same as the EB or the Yorkie or the Jack Russel or the Lakeland.
It's not uncommon for the old timers to keep their own records and refuse to register papers to keep their dogs out of the general limelight.
