1911 Pit Bull Terrier Depicted as ‘Outcast American’ to Victimize the Breed

Pit Bull Breeder Pushes ‘Pit to Home’ Chas. Werner, and his pit bull terrier, Brindle Breaker, The Dog Fancier, 1911 New Orleans, LA - In this 1911 Dog Fancier advertisement, pit bull breeder Chas. Werner reflects how Americans feel about the breed: "Our Ideal Dog the Outcast American" (note handwriting on dog photo). "Outcast" is intended as a pitying label and also represents two other issues. One, by 1911, pit bulls were feared by the public due to their dangerous fighting… [Read full blog post]

1909 Dog Bite Fatality: John P. Colby's Fighting Pit Bull Kills Nephew

John P. Colby and son Louis (1922), Colby's Pincher (top) and Colby's Twister. View Archive Article Newburyport, MA - While researching fatal pit bull attacks of the early to mid 1900s, we came across the most damaging fatal attack the pit bull community has ever known. To start, in 1901 a pet pit bull killed its owner's mistress, in 1909 a pet pit bull killed its owner's brother, in 1945, a pet pit bull killed a 21-month old baby in Los Angeles (just 3-months before fighting pit bu… [Read full blog post]

Dogfighter Bill Stewart Kills Himself After Criminal Operation Discovered

From left: Bill Stewart, Pit Bull Reporter, seized marijuana and firearms. "Rushin Bill" Romance, AR - It is reported that the editor and publisher of dogfighting magazine, Pit Bull Reporter1, Bill Stewart (aka "Rushin Bill")2 shot himself to death. The incident began after a grass fire broke out on Stewart's property. When crews arrived to distinguish the fire, they discovered $124,000 of marijuana, more than 40 guns, pit bulls and a dogfighting ring. Just after the disc… [Read full blog post]

Dogfighting 'Godfather' Ed Faron Pleads Guilty to Felony Dogfighting

Images from the Wildside Kennels MySpace page that has since been taken down. Rescue Groups Absent UPDATE 02/18/09: Following a judge's order, Wilkes County Animal Control euthanized 146 pit bulls. On Monday, Judge Ed Wilson Jr. of Superior Court ruled that state law defines dogs as dangerous if they are involved in a dogfighting operation and a county ordinance requires that dangerous dogs be destroyed. A number of rescue groups had offered to place the dogs, but none of th… [Read full blog post]