Pit Bull Bull Update
From the start, I’ve been a bit skeptical as to whether the dogs that killed Jennifer Brooke were or weren’t really pit bulls. I’m remaining agnostic until photos are available. Meanwhile, though, here’s some evidence that least one of the three “pit bulls,” wasn’t.
The dogs, two females and a male, will be tested for rabies at Colorado State University, [Elbert County Sheriff Bill Frangis] said. Frangis said that the male dog was the most aggressive and largest of the three, “all head and muscle,” weighing about 85 pounds.
[Emphasis added.]
I’m sorry, but the idea of an 85 pound pit bull strikes me as implausible. Pit bulls are medium sized dogs; 85 pounds is huge. My pit bull weighs roughly 45 pounds. My other dog, a half-pit, weighs 75, but that’s because the other half is Rottweiler. The first dog registry to recognize the American Pit Bull Terrier as a breed was the United Kennel Club, whose site appears to be hosted on Blog*Spot down for some reason or another. According to this site, however, the UKC standard weight for APBT males is anywhere between 30 and 60 pounds. The American Kennel Club description of the “American Staffordshire Terrier” (that’s AKC for “pit bull”) does not specify a weight, but does call for the height of a male to be anywhere between 18 to 19 inches at the shoulders. I’d be very surprised to see any 85-pound dog qualify under either standard.
It is possible, though not particularly likely, that the dog in question was actally an American Bulldog. Possible, because the American Bulldog is very similar to the APBT, both in terms of appearance and temperament, but with males weighing anywhere from 75 to 125 pounds, they are much larger. Not particularly likely, however, because American Bulldogs are a rare and relatively new breed, not the kind you’d expect to end up in the hands of someone like Jacqueline McCuen.
Could this dog have been the canine equivalent of Andre the Giant? Sure. A lot of things could have happened. Is it likely that this is what happened? Not very. As with the 100+-lb. pit bulls presa canarios that attacked Diane Whipple three years ago, I would not be the least bit surprised if this case turned out to be another example of media hype over a “pit bull” that wasn’t.
December 4th, 2003 at 6:08 pm
I owned a pit bull for twelve years. I never knew she was a pit bull until I met xrlq’s pit bull. The pound had her as a Doberman cross-breed. One when I described her to my aunt back East, she said it sounded like a pit bull but no one who ever saw her ever said “oh a pit bull”.
December 4th, 2003 at 10:43 pm
Our pit was originally supposed to be a “terrier mix.” Only later did we learn the specifics – she was an American Pit Bull Terrier, “mixed” with, well, nothing.
December 19th, 2003 at 7:01 pm
It’s not that uncommon for American Pit Bull Terriers (AKC for pit bull, Staffordshires are different) to get that big. THere are some bloodlines of pit bull that are very large. And some dogs are just occasionally large. Most pits are in the 40 to 60 pound range. The larger pits were used to breed with the johnson type american bulldogs to create the performance type american bulldogs (the kind i have).
I have an American Bulldog and he is small for the breed (72 lbs).
January 6th, 2004 at 1:04 pm
The pit bull has the same problem that alot of bully breeds have. They are have such loose registration. Their weight does not matter. Their features very so much that it is to hard to make sure the breed stays pure. It is impossible to find a pure breed bully breed anymore. Everyone adds what they think will make the breed better. Just like John D Johnson did with the Johnson bulldog. And alot of the time it back fires like the Johnson bulldog.
February 5th, 2004 at 9:26 pm
When you find out what type of dogs they are, or if they’ve been bred this way, you should tell all the major news channels and the papers. I just saw a commercial for denver news (2/5/04)… and they are still crucifying the Pitt Bull, saying it was the dog that attacked Brookes – If they’re wrong about the breed, or if these dogs are mixed – their behavior can’t really be linked genetically to the Pitt… get them to retract their statements. Or email me whatever you find out, and I will.
It breaks my heart to see dogs attacked because of their breed. Sure, some might have “tendancies,” but I think most of it has to do with how they are raised. I had a tiny little black lab that came from the pound, and was abused as a puppy. And man, that dog could be sweet one minute, and snap the next – and he could do damage. I also had a 165 pound rottie, that I had raised since he was 4 weeks, that was gentle as a lamb. He had come from a 180 pound german rottie, who was vicious. But my pup still turned out sweet.
February 5th, 2004 at 9:27 pm
Oh, my e-mail is jrabbit78@aol.com