The American pioneers discovered the Bull-and-Terrier's versatility, bravery and devotion, and soon the dogs traveled west, becoming indispensable members of many ranch and farm families.  The dogs were well-suited to life on the frontier, and guarded homesteads and children with confidence and authority. Many of them also helped round up stock. In addition, they protected the farm animals from predators and varmints ranging from rats and snakes to coyotes and bears.  Eventually, the settlers probably decided that a slightly larger dog, with the same body style and bravery, would have an even better chance of defending the stock against marauding mountain lions and ravaging wolves.  Consequently, when selecting breeding partners for their dogs, they chose larger specimens.

The Dog of the Day

Every dog does not have his day, but the Pit Bull certainly did.  His day was just before and during World War I, when he was so highly regarded that he represented the U.S. on a World War I poster depicting each of the Allied forces as a gallant dog native to his country.  During that time, many issues of Life magazine featured political cartoons with Pit Bulls as the main characters.  Pit Bulls even graced the covers of Life on February 4, 1915, and again on March 24, 1917.  The first picture, captioned " The Morning After," showed a bandaged and scarred Pit Bull; the later one, captioned "After Six," displayed a gentlemanly Pit Bull in a bow tie and top hat. both were drawn by Will Rannells.  During World War I, the breed proved deserving of its country's esteem.  A Pit Bull named Stubby was the war's most outstanding Canine Soldier.  He earned the rank of sergeant, was mentioned in official dispatches and earned two medals, one for warning of a gas attack and the other for holding a German spy at Chemin des Dames until American troops arrived.  Following the war, the Pit Bull's popularity continued to grow.  Depending on what it was used for and where it lived, the breed was still known by many different names, such as Bulldog, American Bull Terrier, Brindle Bull Dog, Yankee Terrier, Pit Dog, and, of course, American Pit Bull Terrier.

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The First Pit Bull Movie Star

The first Pit Bull movie star was whelped on September 6, 1929.  Pete, a brindle and white bred by A.A. Keller, achieved fame on stage and screen as the dog actor in the Little Rascals and the Our Gang comedy series.  Owned and trained by Harry Lucenay, Pete's UKC registered name was Lucenay's Peter.

References : The Essential Pit Bull, By Howell House

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