16.12. Myth – “American Pit Bull Terrier”, “Pit Bull”,
And “American Bully” Are Dog Breeds
A “breed” is “a stock of animals or plants within a species having a distinctive appearance and typically having been developed by deliberate selection.” https://www.google.com/search?q=definition+breed&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
“Crossbred” dogs are produced by the mating of individuals of different breeds, varieties, or species. Mixed-breed dogs are dogs that are the product of artificial selection, intentionally created by humans. Mongrels are dogs that are not the result of breeding and belong to no breed. Collectively, the crossbreeds and mongrels are typically referred to as mutts, curs, tykes, i.e., dogs that are not the result of breeding and belong to no breed.
At http://www.thefreedictionary.com/breed, the Free Dictionary defines breed as
“A group of organisms having common ancestors and certain distinguishable characteristics, especially a group within a species developed by artificial selection and maintained by controlled propagation.”
“a lineage or race”
“a group of organisms having common ancestors and sharing certain traits that are not shared with other members of the same species. Breeds are usually produced by mating selected parents.”
At https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/breed, the Oxford Dictionaries defines breed as
“Cause (an animal) to produce offspring, typically in a controlled and organized way”
“A stock of animals or plants within a species having a distinctive appearance and typically having been developed by deliberate selection.”
At http://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/breed_1, the MacMillan Dictionary defines breed as
“to produce new plants or animals from existing ones, especially in order to produce plants or animals with particular characteristics”
At http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/breed, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines breed as
“a group of usually domesticated animals or plants presumably related by descent from common ancestors and visibly similar in most characters”
“to propagate (plants or animals) sexually and usually under controlled conditions”
At http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/x6500e/X6500E04.htm, U. B. Lindstrom of the Agricultural Research Centre of the Institute of Animal Breeding in Vantaa, Finland states
“it is always risky to introduce genes from another population, simply because one does not know exactly what one is getting. It is therefore vital that a carefully planned procedure of selection and evaluation be followed in utilizing foreign populations.”
and
“If the development of a new breed (introduction of foreign genes) is left to individual speculators or breed societies with selfish interests, much harm may be done.”
According to the American Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals web site at http://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-pit-bulls, it states,
“Dog breeds are characterized by certain physical and behavioral traits. Each breed was developed to perform a specific job, whether that job is hunting rabbits, retrieving downed birds, herding livestock or sitting on people’s laps. When developing a breed, breeders selected only those dogs that performed their job best to produce the next generation.
Physical abilities and behavior are both important facets of any breed. A well-bred dog should have both the physical attributes necessary to perform its job and the behavioral tendencies needed to learn it. It’s not surprising that individuals of a specific breed tend to look and behave somewhat similarly. Pointers are more likely than Poodles to point, and sheepdogs are more likely than lapdogs to herd. However, while a dog’s genetics may predispose it to perform certain behaviors; tremendous behavioral variation exists among individuals of the same breed or breed type. It’s also important to note that some dog breeds are now bred for entirely different jobs than those for which they were originally developed. For example, certain strains of Golden Retrievers are now being bred as service dogs, a far cry from their original job of retrieving downed birds.”
At http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conformation_%28dog%29,
“Conformation in dogs refers solely to the externally visible details of a dog’s structure and appearance, as defined in detail by each dog breed‘s written breed standard.
Conformation in dogs is based on the dog type from which the breed developed, along with many details that have been added to the breed standard for purposes of differentiation from other breeds. The breed standard for each breed of dog details desirable and undesirable attributes of appearance and temperament for an individual breed. Breed standards are designed solely to describe the breed’s history and purpose, temperament, and appearance.”
At http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conformation, conformation is defined as
“the way in which something is formed or shaped: formation of something by appropriate arrangement of parts or elements
an assembling into a whole
the shape or proportionate dimensions especially of an animal.”
A dog that is commonly referred to today as an American Pit Bull Terrier, “Pit Bull” or American Bully does not fit the definition of a “breed” since
(1) no breed standard existed before the “breed” was “created”;
(2) the dog was not created from “foundation stock”, i.e., there is no approved stud book; and
(3) these “breeds” are not recognized by the American Kennel Club, the only internationally recognized stud book in the United States, or any internationally recognize “legitimate” registry because the breeders cannot demonstrate several generations of pups that resemble one phenotype and are genetically similar to their parents.
Consequently, they are mongrels or mixed breeds, i.e., “mutts”.
