Letters to the Editor
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Heritage
Pit bulls aren't called pit bulls because they dig deep holes. The association, as I understand it, is with the bull pit or the bear pit, places where dogs were used to bait large animals for sport and betting purposes. The sport was banned in the middle of the 18th century in England, but dog-fighting took its place and flourished for a long time after (didn't it -- see M. Vick). Pit bulls and Staffies and others were bred to be cool around people while ferocious with other dogs. This hard-wiring can obviously be interfered with through bad training and traumatization, but it's still there.
My Australian shepherd has never seen a sheep nor have I ever trained her to herd anything. But her entire relationship with other animals, including other dogs, is to try to herd them.
We've been very good at creating dogs to suit the tasks we want them to perform. In the case of the pit bull, I'm afraid it's a bit like the handgun -- too easily misused to be allowed to roam the streets freely.