For Over 150 Years Americans knew Pitbulls as the Nanny Dog.

Here's a look back from a time when pit bull breeds were considered the “Nanny Dog”, the seventh most popular breed in America.

Through most of America’s history, pitbulls were considered the safest and most reliable dog to have around kids. Around the 1970s that attitude drastically changed and Pitbulls continue to be regarding as aggressive and unpredictable by nature.

There are many myths in American Society including the myth of the "locking jaw" which pitbulls in fact to not have.

Another myth is that pitbulls have the most powerful jaws of any breed (Rottweilers are in fact the owners of the most powerful jaws). How Public opinion of these animals has changed over the years is quite fascinating and also unfortunate as it contributes to the mistreatment, abuse, killing of these loyal dogs as well as the culture and laws that allow dog fighters and illegal breeders to flourish while their animals suffer the consequences of human action and inaction.

Here is the text of the original blog. Enjoy.

“Astoundingly, for most of our history America’s nickname for Pit Bulls was “The Nanny Dog”. For generations if you had children and wanted to keep them safe you wanted a pit bull, the dog that was the most reliable of any breed with children or adults.

The Nanny Dog is now vilified by a media that always wants a demon dog breed to frighten people and LHASA-APSO BITES MAN just doesn’t sell papers. Before pit bulls it was Rottweilers, before Rottweilers it was Dobermans, and before them German Shepherds. Each breed in it’s order were deemed too vicious and unpredictable to be around people.

Each time people wanted laws to ban them. It is breathtakingly ironic that the spotlight has turned on the breed once the symbol of our country and our national babysitter.

In temperance tests (the equivalent of how many times your kid can poke your dog in the eye before it bites him) of all breeds the most tolerant was the Golden Retriever. The second most tolerant was the pit bull.
Pit Bull’s jaws do not lock, they do not have the most powerful bite among dogs (Rottweilers have that honor) they are not naturally human aggressive (in fact pit bull puppies prefer human company to their mother’s two weeks before all other dogs), and they feel as much pain as any other breed (accidentally step on one’s toe and you’ll see).

The most tolerant, patient, gentle breed of dogs is now embarrassingly portrayed as the most dangerous. It would be funny if the new reputation did not mean 6,000 are put to death every day, by far the highest number of any other breed euthanized.
That’s a lot of babysitters.”