Читать книгу Pit Bulls For Dummies - D. Caroline Coile - Страница 28

In the early 1980s, several breeders began crossing American Pit Bull Terriers or American Staffordshire Terriers with Staffordshire Bull Terriers along with English Bulldogs, American Bulldogs, Olde English Bulldogges, and French Bulldogs. Their aim was to create a tougher-looking but sweeter-acting bully breed: the American Bully. By 2004, they had their own association, the American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC).

The breed has four sizes: pocket, standard, classic, and XL. The UKC recognized the American Bully in 2013. As of this writing, you can single-register your dog with the UKC if it looks enough like an American Bully to probably be one. (Single registration means the dog is registered based on its appearance rather than parentage.) This rule has caused controversy, however, because some Pit Bull owners who don’t want the legal implications of Pit Bull ownership have single-registered their Pit Bulls as American Bullies. By doing so, they may be able to get around BSL that affects Pit Bulls but may not include American Bullies.

It’s up to Pit Bull owners to change the breed’s reputation by being extremely responsible. If you own a Pit Bull, your dog must be impeccably trained and well behaved, and if you allow your dog to spend time in your yard, the yard must be escape-proof. You may know for a fact that your Pit Bull is a sweetie, but you have to be prepared for the unexpected. Dogs are dogs, and they often act and react in ways we would never have imagined. True, another dog owner may be at fault for allowing her dog to run up to yours, but that’s not a deadly mistake with most dogs, and it can be with a Pit Bull. If your Pit Bull harms or kills another dog, you can be sure it will be the Pit Bull who gets the blame. As a Pit Bull owner, you must not only look out for your own dog’s actions, but the actions of others as well. This level of vigilance is a big responsibility, but it’s one every Pit Bull owner must assume.