Is the American pit-bull terrier genetically different than other breeds? Were they
born to fight? In Britain, pit bulls are considered dangerous creatures. Britain’s
government ministers want to ban the breed altogether.1 The main purpose for having a
pit bull was not to protect the family from dangers as with Doberman pinchers and
rottweilers who were bred to guard their owners.¹ Defenders believe the dog is as
harmless as any other dog, but this may not be the case. They say the owners who have
the dogs have made pit bulls act this way. Pit bulls were genetically bred to become
fighting dogs. Pit bulls head and bone structure allow them to attack, fight and kill
other dogs.¹
According to ‘The Economist’, when talking about reasons why a dog may be dangerous, one
can speculate scientifically about the chemicals that are found in the body, in general,
which may encourage dogs. There are some chemicals and mechanisms which are found in the
body that trigger one to attack called the RAS or Reticular Activating System. In this
system is a chemical called L-tyrosine is found which sends signals from nerve to nerve.
This chemical can be altered genetically through breeding. Dogs which have elevated
levels of L-tyrosine attack more easily. It is suggested that pit bulls have this
genetic chemical.¹ Not only does it increase attacking, but distracts a dog from
feeling pain, so a dog may attack for many minutes even though someone is trying to hit
them or make them release their victim. In a certain attack a pit bull attacked someone
for 15 minutes. This involved a young girl, and the adults who were trying to help her
could not beat of the dogs, even though the animal had begun to bleed.¹
This deflection of pain is also one of the reasons why pit bulls may attack. Usually if
dogs are in fights, they shy away from the dog that beat them, but pit bulls do not.
This may be related to endorphins which may decrease the feeling of pain. But of course
endorphins and its man-made sister, morphine, which is a pain reliever, are addicting.

The pit bull may be seeking out ways to increase their endorphins by getting into fights
in order to receive the endorphins, which are also at an elevated than level than
normal. They seek ways to increase pain in order to get the endorphins which are made
through fighting.¹ This sensitivity seems to be found more in pit bulls because of
their reaction to receiving anesthetics. Not only do they receive endorphins, they
receive a higher amount than other dogs. It is like morphine for human beings, it
becomes addictive to the dogs, and they seem to want to fight in order to relieve these
cravings.1
In Britain, before the dog was popular, the pit bull used to be culled if it bit
someone, therefore naturally modifying the behavior of the breed genetically by cutting
off those dogs with a tendency to attack. Ever since the pit bull has become a sought
after pet, culling has decreased, creating an attack dog that genetically will attack
more often than normal.¹ Owners do have some responsibility for a pit bulls
aggressiveness. In a pack of dogs there is always an alpha male who is in charge of
being the bully or attacking. When in a household, the dog may become the alpha male
and not the owner, causing, the dog to attack. It is recommended to teach young dogs to
be submissive and obedient, yet in the case of pit bulls this may not work.¹
Certain dog breeds are sometimes made popular by movies. Lianne George, the author,
states that a case in point was Disney’s movie about Dalmatians. She states everyone
went out to buy one because of the movie and soon realized a Dalmatians temperament was
not as docile as those in the movie.² This has also occurred with Doberman Pinschers.
As the fad runs out, so do the breed of dogs. In the instance of Dobermans, Diane
Jessup, an animal control officer and canine historian based in Washington, states
that, “Now you hardly ever see them”.² Today’s dog breed of choice is now pit bulls.
We see them in rap videos and traversing the streets with no owners in sight. They are
seen walking down streets in neighborhoods in which they are considered prized
possessions.² People now fear them more because of all the attacks that are being
publicized.² In Canada, pit bulls are now banned from being bred, and those that have
owners must be muzzled if outside. This is the first time a breed has been banned over
an entire province. According to Attorney General, Michael Bryant, there are those who
believe as he does; that pit bulls are “ticking time bombs”.² There are those who deal
with animals daily who believe it is all media-based hype. Pit bulls weren’t always the
black sheep of dogs.² They use to grace American advertisements, and were examples of
America’s strength. Other use of the pit bulls image was in Buster Brown ads, and The
Little Rascals series. But now pit bulls are considered a liability, and are now the
most mistreated dog in the US. Pit bulls are chained up for most of their lives.
In Ontario, Canada, a law was passed which banned pit bulls in the province after
several attacks. One of the stipulations of the law is that it encompasses all breeds
of pit bulls, yet not all breeds of pit bulls are necessarily dangerous.² A doctor in
Ontario, Canada, Dr. Gary Landsberg, an Ontario veterinarian and president of the
American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, states that even if the breed was
eliminated, the people, or owners, would switch to different dogs.² In Winnipeg, this
is exactly what happened. Pit bulls were banned and attacks decreased, but Rottwieler
and German shepherd attacks increased. Landsberg says that “people who want to breed
and/or own vicious dogs will simply turn to other breeds”.² People abuse pit bulls in
order to make them more behaviorally mean.² “If you knew what these dogs go through,
you’d be amazed that there wasn’t a pit bull fatality every day of the week.” said Diane
Jessup, the veteran animal control officer. She does not believe pit bulls are
inherently mean, but are made that way by abusive owners.² People like Jessup are trying
to create more fair laws that punish abusive owners and not those with other pit bull
related dogs that are not aggressive.²