Reply To: American pit bull

[Jennifer]

I think you might be somewhat confusing the American Bully with the APBT? The APBT, AmStaff, Staffy Bull, Bull Terrier, and Mini Bull Terrier all originate from the same early-19th-century crosses in the UK (old English Bulldog x assorted terriers, likely with a pinch of Whippet as well). Over time, different strains of that basic “Bull-and-Terrier” type developed. The BT and MBT were the first to split off from the rest, in the mid-19th century (this is all still happening in the UK). Then the Staffy Bull and APBT diverged in the late 19th century, due to the lines which became the APBT having been taken to the US by immigrants. The AmStaff was developed later (in the US, early 20th century) out of various APBT strains, and is registered through the AKC whereas APBTs are registered through the UKC. (While AmStaffs and APBTs remain very closely related, AmStaffs tend to be somewhat taller, stockier, mellower, and less athletic–sort of like a show-line version of the APBT, whereas the APBT remains well-suited for sports, farm work such as hog-catching, and, unfortunately, underground dog-fighting as well.) Finally, the American Bully was developed in the late 20th century by crossing AmStaffs, APBTs, and assorted smaller bully-ish breeds–it’s not really clear which smaller breeds were used, but Frenchies and Staffy Bulls were almost certainly among them. (In fact, this is thought to be how Bostons originated as well, excpet they’ve been around since the late 19th century.) The AmBull was the last of these breeds to be recognized by a major kennel club (UKC, 2013).

However, the vast majority of “pit bulls,” including many who are marketed as supposed purebreds of one of the above breeds, are non-pedigreed dogs who very often have several of the above breeds, as well as pinches of various other breeds, in them (e.g., mastiff types for a bigger and tougher-looking “pit bull,” Bostons for a smaller and cuter-looking one, etc.). While there’s no way for a DNA test to tell which crosses in a mutt’s background were deliberate vs. which ones were “oopsies,” Lola’s results to date could fit well with her having either American Bully, or else some generic “pit bull” meant to mimic an American Bully, in the near reaches of her family tree. As for the Mini Schnauzer x probable(?)-multi-bully-mix at the parent level, that would almost certainly have been an “oops”–I doubt anyone is breeding that mix deliberately, as there wouldn’t seem to be much of a market for it.