This practice lead to the sport known as bull baiting, where the bull was purposely agitated and put into a ring with the canine. Spectators would place bets on which dog could hold on the longest or bring the bull to the ground. The rings where these fights were held were known as pits hence the name pit bull (2014). Milan speaks of two different origins of the pit bull, yet one thing is for sure, the pit bull is not born as an aggressive dog, but it is trained by humans to be aggressive.
There are a few different variations of the origination of the American pit bull terrier. According to the "The Pit Bull Cruelty" webpage on the ASPCA website, the pit bull is the descendant of the English bull baiting dog. The English called these dog bulldogs. Bulldogs were trained to attack larger animals such as bulls and bears. The loss of blood combined with fatigue would eventually bring the larger animals down to the ground. In the late 1800s, the baiting of bulls became illegal. Because of this ban, humans started to fight their dogs against each other. When the fighting became more common, the owners started to breed a smaller, more agile canine. Once these dogs made their way to North America, we had the beginnings of today's pit bull. The pit bull was beloved in North America (n.d.). Although the ASPCA may have a different origination of the pit bull, it is again mentioned that these dogs are not born to be violent, but humans trained them to be violent. The "American Pit Bull Terrier History" on the Pit Bull Training 101 website also says pit bulls got their name from the bull baiting days of early Britain. Breeders saw a financial opportunity in fighting their bulldogs. To become a better fighter in the ring, bulldogs were bred with other like dogs and became known as the Staffordshire bull terrier. This breed was so small and quick that it gained the fiercest reputation in the ring (2013).