[zdlupikkkdi]

I wonder how many non-hardcore fanciers actually have a game bred APBT...or "the real deal" as the fanciers like to say.

Do they really make their way to shelters and rescues in abundant numbers so that they can be adopted into the general population?

The AmStaffs, UKC APBT's and AmBUllys don't count - that is not what we are talking about.

I know there are plenty of breeders (according to the ADBA APBT Gazette) saying they have dogs from gamebred lines that they are anxious to sell...and they seem more concerned about getting your credit card number than they do about having a conversation about philosophy and whether or not the dog is a good fit for your home. But still, people must actively seek out these dogs; and they have to - to some minimal extent - know where to look - which means they at least know what it is they are looking for.

I guess what I am trying to say is it really has imo become apples and oranges. I don't want a gamebred APBT, in that I certainly wouldn't seek one out. If one fell on my doorstep accidentally then I would have to manage it because that is simply me: I don't give dogs back and I don't kill them unless they're trying really hard to kill me.

But that said; the dogs I like - the shelter dogs, the AmStaffs, the UKC APBTs and yes even some of the AMBullys are NOT APBT's in the eyes of (I would wager) everyone making a case that is pro - dog fighting; so why in the world would the fanciers even be concerned about my position on dog fighting?

Do my preferred breeds tend to be DA...yes. Is it a trait I like? Not especially. But then again I can't name a breed of dog that doesn't have at least 1 trait that I dislike. I will take DA over drooling. I would prefer neither - but it doesn't work that way. However just because I have a DA dog, does not mean that I have an ethical obligation to allow the dog to fulfill that desire. Many, many dogs are no longer fulfilling the purpose they were originally bred for because in many instances...society has changed and there is simply no need for it anymore. However people have decided that they still like the actual dog and want to keep it around. So what happens is you get modified versions. You end up with very few lines of "working dogs" that are still being worked and doing what they are "bred for". And many more lines of show and pet dogs...that have aclimated and changed over time to fit in better with their environment.

So the same can (and probably always will) hold true for the APBT as well. I am certain that there are pockets of individuals in this country (and of course abroad where it is legal) keeping these dogs "true to form". The other thing I am fairly certain of is that they are not on the internet discussing it; and offering their dogs to random strangers - unless they of course live in a country where it is legal.

What I don't understand is why people, when it is convenient can't wait to point out that the shelter dogs, AmStaffs, UKC APBTs and AMbully aren't real APBTs; but then get frustrated and annoyed that people who have these dogs that are actually much further removed from their dog fighting roots (and that are in fact in many instances being bred specifically for other purposes: pet, agility, weight pull etc.) ; aren't avid dog fighting fanciers.