Temperament-screened dogs were adopted until the program was halted, after several of the newly adopted pit bulls killed cats. Francis Terriers' hoping that people would be more likely to adopt them. In an effort to counter the fighting reputation of pit bull-type dogs, in 1996 the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals renamed pit bull terriers 'St. In addition, law enforcement organisations report these dogs are used for other nefarious purposes, such as guarding illegal narcotics operations, to use against police and as attack dogs. Pit Bull Terriers also constitute the majority of dogs used for illegal fighting in America. Pit Bull Terriers successfully fill the role of companion dogs, police dogs, and therapy dog.
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Some have been selectively bred for their fighting prowess. In the early 20th century, pit bulls were used as catch dogs in America for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt, and drive livestock, and as family companions. For decades afterwards, dog fighting clandestinely took place in small areas of Britain and America. Dog fighting was used as both a bloodsport (often involving gambling) and a way to continue to test the quality of their stock. Since dogfights were cheaper to organize and far easier to conceal from the law than bull or bear baits, bloodsport proponents turned to put their dogs against each other instead. These bloodsports were officially eliminated in 1835 when Britain introduced animal welfare laws. In the United Kingdom, Bull-and-terriers were used in bloodsports such as bull-baiting and bear-baiting. These dogs named Bull and Terriers were bred in the British Isles, and arrived in the United States in the late nineteenth century where they became the direct ancestors of the American Pit Bull Terrier.
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Until the mid-19th century the now-extinct Old English Terriers and Old English Bulldogs were bred together to produce a dog that combined the gameness of the terrier with the strength and athleticism of the bulldog.