The term "pit bull" refers to a group of dogs developed a few hundred to a few thousand years ago for competitive dog fighting. The Romans had gladiator dogs and though dog fighting has been illegal for 100 years, it still occurs. Fighting dogs were developed by crossing agile, tenacious terriers with large, protective Mastiffs. Purebred dogs who can chase their roots to fighting include Chow Chows, Shar Peis, Jindos, Akitas, Tosa Inus, Staffordshire and Shropshire Terriers. Some terriers are still encouraged to "spar" or square off with other dogs (from a distance) at AKC dog shows. Of course, some of the fighting breeds, such as the English Bulldog, have been altered so greatly over generations they can no longer be considered working dogs.

Hound dogs are also pitted against bears, hogs and bulls for fighting, hunting and butchering. Fighting dogs are valued as pets for their loyalty and tenacity as much as herding dogs are valued for their intelligence and sporting dogs for their energy. Contests to demonstrate a dog’s prowess or a trainer’s skill still go on; weight pulling, obedience and protection trials. Unfortunately, many breeders still engage in dog fighting regardless of its cruelty and the legal restrictions against it. People who fight dogs are often involved in other types of criminal activity as well. Thus the group of fighting dogs has acquired a bad reputation because of its association with crime. 

As a group, fighting and guard dogs are energetic, loyal and willing to please. Trainers selected dogs that would fight without turning on handlers so that a dog that was injured could be rescued. This makes them particularly safe to handle. They are not very reactive to pain and enjoy rough play which makes them good with children. These dogs are large and muscular so they are physically hard to restrain if they do not have manners. And, bites from larger breeds are more severe than bites from smaller dogs because of the size of the injuries and the dog's ability to knock a person down during an attack. Large dogs DO NOT ATTACK MORE OFTEN THAN SMALL DOGS but a large dog attack is significantly more dangerous, especially to a small person. 

Dog bites are a serious health problem. Over 90% of dog bites occur when the dog is ON his owner's property. A large number of small children are bitten by dogs they know while visiting the dog's home.

Fighting dogs have another problem; the media. Over the years other breeds of dogs have suffered from bad press. Blood Hounds, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Great Danes and Doberman Pinschers still evoke fear in the general public. Several myths about these dogs persist such as them developing a “taste for blood” or having “locking jaws”. Media reports lead the public to believe that packs of roaming Pit Bulls are more likely to bite than the neighborhood dog on his leash.  However, the dogs most often responsible for severe bites to humans, especially children, in the US are Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds and mixes of these breeds. These breeds are the most commonly owned dogs according to AKC registrations and dog licensing records. Increased popularity of guarding and fighting dogs measured by AKC registration, indicates that Guard dogs are becoming the most commonly owned breeds. So it is likely that they will soon be responsible for most bites. Dog bites are rare. More children who wander off unsupervised drown in swimming pools yet we have not considered banning pools from cities and counties.

Because stories of Pit Bulls stimulate fear, the media is likely to report all cases of biting pit dogs or pit mixes but not stories of injury by poodles and spaniels.  In addition, the media reports  "attacks" when a guarding breed barks at or chases someone even when no one is injured. And they identify mixed breed dogs with big heads as “pit bulls” all the time when this is just not the case. This adds to the public perception that this type of dog is more dangerous than any other dog.   

When groups of dogs is labeled as unpredictable or unsafe by the press, families and pets are harmed. Dogs are turned in to shelters by frightened owners. Animal shelters have a difficult time finding new homes for the dogs because they require adoptions to be of family pets, and are not willing to place the dogs with people looking for "guard" or "protection" dogs. Governments start banning pet owners from keeping dogs and insurance companies are afraid to offer home owners' policies to people who keep large dogs. Veterinarians and humane workers are speaking out about the misinformation. Animal Agencies prefer legal restrictions on people who train or use animals as weapons or cruelly treat or neglect any animals. Breed bans are difficult to enforce because criminals disregard the law. Dogs can't be DNA tested for specific breed. Even more difficult to control are mixed breeds. A harmful side effect of breed bans is an endless supply of "new" breeds. The chart below outlines a number of fighting and guard dogs, most of which are not regulated because they are constantly changing. 

"Petey" of the Lil Rascals was an American Bull Terrier and Staffordshire Terrier (during the brief period where the breed was one and the same) and a movie star.  I know an American (Pit) Bull Terrier who pulled her owner from under a tractor and lost her own leg in the process. I don't think everyone should run out and adopt a large fighting dog. These dogs are a handful of joy and strength. But I don’t think everyone should rush out and get a Pekingese either. These dogs require patience and extensive grooming and pampering which not everyone is up for.

Unfortunately, until accurate dog bite actuarial tables are popular reading, dogs labeled Pit Bulls will have a difficult time finding responsible and caring owners and families will have trouble keeping their pets. Law enforcement agencies will find it difficult to keep irresponsible people from owning large dogs even if bans are in place and bans will encourage importing of larger dogs. 

The "Pit Bull" Group includes: (parentheses include breed names that are interchangeable)

Extinct Breeds	Alaunt (3 types, ancient breed for fighting, hunting and guarding.) Molossus (Coliseum Dogs, used for spectator sports) Spanish Pointer and Spanish Alano (believed to be predecessors of guard dogs) White Terrier (believed to be a predecessor of many bull and terrier dogs)
Mastiffs (Guard Dogs used for catching and holding poachers)	Neapolitan Mastiff (also called Italian Mastiff), Dogue de Bordeaux and larger Doguin de Bordeaux (French Mastiffs), Fila Brasilario (Brazilian Mastiff), Dogo Argentina (Argentinian Mastiff), Cane Corso, Presa Canario (Canary Island Dog)
Bull Dogs (rarely used for guard work anymore because of structural changes in the breed including smaller size)	English Bulldog , French Bulldog, Boxer, Alapahoola Blue Blood (Hog hunting dog), American Bulldog (recreation of old style Bulldog for agility), Olde Bulldogge (also a recreation of the old style bulldog for guarding work)
Bull and Terrier Dogs	Boston Terrier (very small), American (Pit) Bull Terrier, (English) Bull Terrier, Miniature Bull Terrier, (American) Staffordshire Terrier, (English) Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Fighting Dogs	Chinese Shar Pei , Chow Chow ( used for guarding and as food), Akita (Japanese Fighting Dog), Tosa Inu (Japanese Mastiff)
Crosses of above	(Swinford) Bandog (American Mastiff) cross between male American (Pit) Bull Terrier and female Neapolitan,