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THE
PITBULL TERRIER, poor fellow, is now almost obsolete, and what a
shame! Will no one endeavour bring him back to his rightful own?
Not
to his former, much abused--pitifully abused--state, which was actually
the cause of his downfall, but to the position of a true dog among
dogs. Never
was there a more noble, well -meaning, loyal, or courageous dog
on the face of the earth. While perhaps some of the inferior types
of this class were nothing much to look upon, yet those of the better
specimens were really splendid-appearing animals and worthy of a
place in any home or show ring. This terrier did not lose his reputation,
and with it his popularity, because of any fault of his own.
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Those
who handled him, those who made him fight to maim and even kill
other dogs, always at the grave risk of his own life, ultimately
caused his decent down the grade rapidly toward oblivion. Left
to himself, he was no more of a fighter than many of our other
dogs which are held in the highest respect, and under the right
supervision he was one of the most peaceful creatures living.
Of course, it must be admitted that he could not really boast
of blue blood, nor could he exactly claim a true-to-type strain,
but, nevertheless, if other breeds could be carefully developed
and raised to a standard recognized by the American Kennel Club,
why could he not have enjoyed this honour? Surely, he well deserved
it. So let us sincerely hope that some sympathetic person, or
group of persons, may sooner or later take up his cause and carry
it through until he has a fitting place in canine history.
John
Lynn Leonard, DVM 1928
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