Post by RealPitBull on Apr 15, 2008 15:25:47 GMT -5
Recently on another forum, I read a thread on the topic of American Bullies. The responses in this thread came as a result of a question being asked: when exactly is an APBT an American Bully? The responses ranged from, "When it is more than X pounds" to, "If it wasn't bred to be atheletic, then it is not an APBT".
Elsewhere, when I've read discussions on AmBullies vs APBT, the mish mosh of responses have been confusing at best, and completely off the wall at worst. The lack of one trait or the presence of anther by itself does not make or break a dog's breed - one response I read suggested that anything over 40 or 50 lbs is considered an AmBully - well, by that definition, my AKC-registered (and UKC-eligible) AmStaff of White Rock lines would be considered an American Bully? I think not.
AmBullies are being bred by people who still may call their dogs APBTs, but also refer to them as "bullies", AmBullies, etc. AmBullies are not a 'breed'. AmBullies are faulty APBTs or in some cases mixed APBTs. People without a knowledge of what makes an APBT an APBT, or who desired dogs with exaggerated features, or who felt that they could improve upon the breed, created monster-sized bully-type dogs by breeding for exaggerate bully-ish traits already existing in the breed, or, it would seem, in some cases by crossing in larger mastiff and bulldog breeds.
I know of no concerted effort being made to truly legitimize these American Bullies as a unique and distinct breed. I know of one registry that seems to be a money-making enterprise, not a serious organization looking to establish a real standard (the one they have seems lifted from already-existing breed standards), set health and breeding guidelines, and seek breed status through an organziation like the UKC, AKC, or FCI.
As far as I can tell, people are breeding these so-called American Bullies and cross-referring to them also as APBTs. They seem to be considered APBTs of the "American Bully type".
In fact, if you wander around the internet, you'll discover that breeders of these dogs don't really seem to have any idea what they are breeding - APBTs, AmBullies, whathaveyous. They are registering their dogs as APBTs. Some of them also register with the American Bully Kennel Club.
These breeders don't seem to be striving for anything other than "big and musclebound". If you study various dog breeds, you will see that throughout time, various breeds have been plagued by rebel breeders who zero in on a single trait, exaggerate that trait, and then market it to make a buck. These faulty dogs don't suddenly become a new 'breed' - they are just bad representatives of the breed from whence they came. Just because there is now an American Bully Kennel Club doesn't mean that these exaggerated, overdone, and/or mutt APBTs are a new breed.
The dogs coming out of these "AmBully" kennels aren't anything more than badly bred APBTs, or in some cases apparent APBT mixes. They are being bred/crossbred with other APBTs, and registered as APBTs. They are a distortion of the APBT breed.
AmBully breeders, or breeders who shrug their shoulders at the standards and history of the APBT should be called what they are - unethical.
Right now, the APBT breed is in shambles, with breeders making up their own 'type' of APBT as they go along, no regard to the standard or what the APBT is and should be. They are able to capitalize on their lack of ethics by in turn registering these dogs as APBTs in the UKC and the ADBA.
And the only way I see out of this mess is for the parent breed clubs and registries (namely the NAPBTA-UKC and ADBA) to a) make height/weight disqualifications in the standards, b) thoroughly investigate the bloodlines popularly used in "AmBully" kennels (i.e. Gotti and Razor's Edge) and revoke all papers if it is determined that these dogs contain the blood of other breeds.
With disqualifications in height/weight and revocation of papers, "AmBully" breeders will be forced to withdraw from the APBT arena in general, and perhaps then they will be driven to truly unify and create their own, unique breed. Right now, what these breeders are doing is piggy-backing on the APBT breed, riding its coattails, if you will. There is nothing about what these breeders are producing that can be considered "APBT", yet they use the breed's name, use its registry and continue to blur the lines between legitimate, purebred, standard APBTs and their own distorted version.
Elsewhere, when I've read discussions on AmBullies vs APBT, the mish mosh of responses have been confusing at best, and completely off the wall at worst. The lack of one trait or the presence of anther by itself does not make or break a dog's breed - one response I read suggested that anything over 40 or 50 lbs is considered an AmBully - well, by that definition, my AKC-registered (and UKC-eligible) AmStaff of White Rock lines would be considered an American Bully? I think not.
AmBullies are being bred by people who still may call their dogs APBTs, but also refer to them as "bullies", AmBullies, etc. AmBullies are not a 'breed'. AmBullies are faulty APBTs or in some cases mixed APBTs. People without a knowledge of what makes an APBT an APBT, or who desired dogs with exaggerated features, or who felt that they could improve upon the breed, created monster-sized bully-type dogs by breeding for exaggerate bully-ish traits already existing in the breed, or, it would seem, in some cases by crossing in larger mastiff and bulldog breeds.
I know of no concerted effort being made to truly legitimize these American Bullies as a unique and distinct breed. I know of one registry that seems to be a money-making enterprise, not a serious organization looking to establish a real standard (the one they have seems lifted from already-existing breed standards), set health and breeding guidelines, and seek breed status through an organziation like the UKC, AKC, or FCI.
As far as I can tell, people are breeding these so-called American Bullies and cross-referring to them also as APBTs. They seem to be considered APBTs of the "American Bully type".
In fact, if you wander around the internet, you'll discover that breeders of these dogs don't really seem to have any idea what they are breeding - APBTs, AmBullies, whathaveyous. They are registering their dogs as APBTs. Some of them also register with the American Bully Kennel Club.
These breeders don't seem to be striving for anything other than "big and musclebound". If you study various dog breeds, you will see that throughout time, various breeds have been plagued by rebel breeders who zero in on a single trait, exaggerate that trait, and then market it to make a buck. These faulty dogs don't suddenly become a new 'breed' - they are just bad representatives of the breed from whence they came. Just because there is now an American Bully Kennel Club doesn't mean that these exaggerated, overdone, and/or mutt APBTs are a new breed.
The dogs coming out of these "AmBully" kennels aren't anything more than badly bred APBTs, or in some cases apparent APBT mixes. They are being bred/crossbred with other APBTs, and registered as APBTs. They are a distortion of the APBT breed.
AmBully breeders, or breeders who shrug their shoulders at the standards and history of the APBT should be called what they are - unethical.
Right now, the APBT breed is in shambles, with breeders making up their own 'type' of APBT as they go along, no regard to the standard or what the APBT is and should be. They are able to capitalize on their lack of ethics by in turn registering these dogs as APBTs in the UKC and the ADBA.
And the only way I see out of this mess is for the parent breed clubs and registries (namely the NAPBTA-UKC and ADBA) to a) make height/weight disqualifications in the standards, b) thoroughly investigate the bloodlines popularly used in "AmBully" kennels (i.e. Gotti and Razor's Edge) and revoke all papers if it is determined that these dogs contain the blood of other breeds.
With disqualifications in height/weight and revocation of papers, "AmBully" breeders will be forced to withdraw from the APBT arena in general, and perhaps then they will be driven to truly unify and create their own, unique breed. Right now, what these breeders are doing is piggy-backing on the APBT breed, riding its coattails, if you will. There is nothing about what these breeders are producing that can be considered "APBT", yet they use the breed's name, use its registry and continue to blur the lines between legitimate, purebred, standard APBTs and their own distorted version.