"Oh me name it is Michael
McCarthy
And I come from a place of renown,
I had a bet with old Timothy O'Flaherty
That me bulldog would wallop the town.
Now he told me of one Terrance Murphy
Who lived away out in the bog
That kept an old black and tan terrier
That would murder me twenty pound dog.
Champion he was a dandy Till Murphy, the dirty old hog
Came along with his black and tan terrier
And murdered me twenty pound dog.
Now I led out me bold twenty pound hound
He looked just as good as a king
How he eyed that black and tan terrier
As they both dashed right around the ring.
Now they fought for an hour and a quarter
It was away out in the bog
The terrier took all the laurels
And a corpse lay me twenty pound dog.
Now I swore I'd have satisfaction
I off with me coat and me hat
I made a race for the whole Murphy faction
From big Terrance to little Pat.
Then I made a race for the terrier
And I kicked him right into the bog,
And all the way home I swore vengeance
Sweet vengeance for me twenty pound dog."
The Twenty Pound Dog, Author unknown.
The American Pit Bull Terrier of today has a colorful, storied, somewhat glorified
history. The above song was one known to many English and Irishmen in the mid 1800's--the
zenith of dog fighting, which occurred after the Humane Acts in 1835.
This act, which banned all blood sports,
was intended to halt the popular, yet gruesome practices of bull, bear and occasionally
lion baiting. In such contests, bulldogs(not necessarily the modern day Pit Bull or
Bulldog) would be matched with often tethered animals in a fight to the death. When these
large public spectacles were banned, people took to covertly fighting dogs against each
other. The Bulldogs which had been used in baiting contests did not need to be very agile,
since they were fighting virtually immobile animals. Thus, Bulldog versus Bulldog did not
prove to be a very exciting fight. So dogmen of yesteryear starting adding a little
"spit" to their pit fights--they added some terrier to the bulldog blood and
over 150 years later, we have what has come to be called the American Pit Bull Terrier.
Many English and Irish immigrants brought their dogs with them to America, and the pratice
of dog fighting continued here as well. But Pit Bulls were not only seen as fighters. Many
were used by frontiersmen as vermin control and as guard dogs against, ironically, bears
or other threats to their human counterparts. Many were sheep and cattle herders. Whatever
the task laid before the Pit Bull, it undoubtedly performed with grace and unflagging
courage--the benchmark of the Pit Bull's, and its cousins the American Staffordshire,
Staffordshire Bull and Bull Terrier's true nature. It is important to keep in mind
the history of the Pit Bull when dealing with one in the context of modern society. These
dogs are proud, brave and strong. They need firm, experienced handling. It is easy to see,
then, how irresponsible or ignorant owners can exploit Pit Bulls and use them for all the
wrong reasons. What I offered was an abridged version of the history of the
Pit Bull. I suggest you look into some books on the breed for further detail.
