Code of Ethics For Breeders of American Pit Bull Terriers/American Staffordshire Terriers

Code of Ethics For Breeders of American Pit Bull Terriers/American Staffordshire Terriers

Section I: Introduction & Mission Statement

Introduction: This Code of Ethics is being presented by the Pit Bull Owners Alliance (PBOA). The material presented herein is to serve as a guide for breeders and reference tool for potential buyers seeking out breeders. The goal in presenting this Code of Ethics is not to promote Pit Bull breeding, but rather to discourage indiscriminate breeding, poor breeding practices, and support of unethical breeders. PBOA supports and encourages rescue above and beyond breeding or purchasing Pit Bulls.

Mission Statement: The ethical breeder of American Pit Bull Terriers and/or American Staffordshire Terriers ("Pit Bulls") shall always hold paramount the future of the breed. A desire for betterment and preservation of the Pit Bull breed should be the sole driving force behind a breeder's choice to produce puppies.

1) The breed's future: because of a) anti-Pit Bull legislation, b) irresponsible ownership, c) criminal animal abuse, and d) a surplus of dogs, the future of the Pit Bull is in jeopardy. Prior to planning a litter, a breeder should ask himself/herself if the litter will jeopardize the future of the breed by contributing in any way to a, b, c, and/or d above.

2) Betterment of the breed: the goal of the ethical Pit Bull breeder should always be, first and foremost, to better the breed through the production of puppies that are as good as or superior to the previous generation. Production of Pit Bulls that ideally represent the United Kennel Club (UKC), American Dog Breeders Association (ADBA), and/or American Kennel Club (AKC) Standard(s) should be considered the pinnacle of a Pit Bull breeding program.

3) Preservation of the breed: ethical breeders should work to preserve, through legal and humane means, the Pit Bull breed as it was, is and should be. Means to achieve this goal include: protecting the integrity of the breed through adherence to the Standards; careful culling (via sterilization, and/or humane euthanasia when necessary) of sub-standard stock; meticulous record-keeping, DNA profiling, microchipping, and pedigree research; studying to achieve a scholarly knowledge of breed history, temperament, health, structure, and genetics.

Section II: Actions of the Ethical Pit Bull Breeder

Note 1: For simplicity’s sake, "dog" will apply to both sexes. “Breeding stock” will apply to any dog or dogs that the Ethical Pit Bull breeder will breed, allow to be bred, or pay for the breeding services of.

Note 2: The pedigrees (previous generations) of all breeding stock should be considered as important as the breeding stock itself.

Note 3: Proper care, management and training are beyond the scope of this document. However an Ethical Pit Bull Breeder keeps their dogs well trained, in good health, in clean quarters, provides daily exercise and mental stimulation, and does not keep more dogs than can adequately be provided for.

The Ethical Pit Bull Breeder chooses breeding stock based on several criteria:

a) correctness of temperament (see #2 and Item 2)
b) health and vitality of the individual dogs (see #3, Item 3, and Note 3)
c) conformity to the applicable breed standard of the recognized Pit Bull registry (see # 5)
d) qualities the individual dogs may offer to future generations
e) qualities the pedigrees of the individual dogs may offer to future generations

The Ethical Pit Bull Breeder holds “A” and “B” above paramount above all other considerations when choosing breeding stock.

The Ethical Pit Bull Breeder:

1) has an extensive knowledge of Pit Bulls (their history, genetics, the Standards, care, training), as well as a strong understanding of breeding practices, canine health, and dog behavior/training

2) chooses breeding stock that is temperamentally sound and representative of the Standards. In addition, the Ethical Pit Bull Breeder does not breed any Pit Bull that is human-aggressive, fearful, exhibits behavior typically seen in breeds of the protection/guardian group, nor any Pit Bull that is not “temperament correct” (see item 3 below).

Item 2: The temperament correct Pit Bull: seeks out human interaction; is responsive, biddable and eager to please; may be genetically predisposed to aggression towards other dogs or animals; is appropriately submissive; is well balanced and optimistic; enjoys handling; presents good eye contact; is able to be calm in the presence of other dogs on leash or - if initially leash reactive - can learn how to tolerate their presence; is willing to connect with handler during high arousal; can be handled safely even in times of high arousal; accepts a reasonable amount of confinement; drops arousal levels quickly when removed from a stressful situation; is social with people of all types; is responsive and good natured; is never aggressive towards humans.


3) health tests all breeding stock prior to breeding, and certifies health of breeding stock prior to breeding where such certifications are available. Tests and certifications shall be conducted and processed prior to any dog being bred. Required health tests and certifications include: hips, elbows, thyroid, and heart (evaluated and certified by organizations such as Orthopedic Foundation for Animals [OFA] for hips, elbows, thyroid, and heart, or PennHip for hips). Dogs should test negative for Brucellosis and von Willebrand's Disease. Additional testing may be conducted for the following health abnormalties: Spinocerebellar/Hereditary Ataxia (specifically on American Staffordshire Terriers), and Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) with subsequent registration with Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF) encouraged for dogs free of PRA. Results and certifications of any and all tests will be made readily available to potential buyers if tested and certified dogs will be bred. In addition, immediately prior to each breeding, all breeding stock should pass a basic veterinary health examination and be determined to be in good health.

Item 3: No dog with unsatisfactory health tests and/or certification results shall ever be bred. Unsatisfactory results would be (among others):

a) OFA hip ratings below fair
b) OFA elbow ratings that indicated elbow dysplasia
c) PennHip ratings that show abnormal joint laxity
d) thyroids that do not test normal; thyroids that test TgAA positive
e) hearts that are not found to be clear of murmurs or other abnormalities upon examination with a Doppler (ultrasound) exam by a Board Certified Cardiologist
f) positive tests for Spincerebellar/Hereditary Ataxia
g) positive tests for PRA
h) positive tests for any other hereditary/congenital/genetic disease

Note 3) No dog that has ever been diagnosed with a hereditary/congenital skin disease (including demodectic mange) shall ever be bred. A dog with chronic health problems (such as skin allergies) and/or weaknesses, and/or immune weakness shall never be bred. A dog that has torn anterior cruxiate cigaments (ACL) shall never be bred unless the torn ligaments were damaged because of conceivable stress and/or injury which indicate normal environmental causes and not hereditary/congenital/genetic weakness.

5) chooses breeding stock that conforms to the Standard(s) of the applicable recognized Pit Bull registry.

6) registers breeding stock and produced litters with a recognized Pit Bull registry.
Item 1: For the sake of this Code of Ethics, recognized Pit Bull registries will be considered the United Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeders Association (for American Pit Bull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terriers being registered as American Pit Bull Terriers), and the American Kennel Club (for American Staffordshire Terriers). These organizations are the oldest and hold breed standards that are most sought after and followed.

7) only breeds mature (over 2 years of age) dogs. Does not breed elderly bitches, nor does the Ethical Pit Bull breeder breed any one bitch more than once every 24 months.

8 ) seeks validation of quality of breeding stock through competition in organized dog sports and subsequent achievement of titles and certifications such as:

a) UKC, ADBA, and AKC conformation, obedience, agility, and performance titles
b) certifications such as the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC), American Temperament
Test Society’s Temperament Tested (TT), Therapy Dogs International’s Therapy Dog International (TDI), and other similar, valid certifications.
c) events, titles, and certifications offered by other valid organizations.

9) breeds less than 3 litters every year. Should ideally breed no more than 1 litter a year.

10) breeds when there is a specific demand for the puppies, and owners for puppies have been predetermined before birth.

Section III: Puppies, Placement, and Care

Note 5: Section III also applies to adolescent dogs and/or adult dogs any breeder may have in their care and potentially place.

1) chooses homes based on ability to properly care for and handle a Pit Bull, and acts as match maker between puppy/dog and potential owner to ensure compatibility.

Item 4: The quality of the home any puppy or dog is placed into should be of great importance. The Ethical Pit Bull Breeder only considers a potential owner that:

a) has already done good breed research. Asks good questions. Shows willingness to learn more
b) is realistic about breed challenges (dog-aggression, high energy levels, strong and pushy, breed specific legislation, rental and home owners insurance issues, bad reputation of breed, etc.)
c) shows a stable, mature, open-minded personality
d) is happy to be interviewed and receive a home inspection
e) is physically capable of handling a strong dog
f) wants an indoor pet as a companion animal/family member
g) has had some dog experience and knowledge of basic training.
h) has a reasonably active lifestyle and is prepared to satisfy dog's daily exercise needs
i) owns a home or has a secure rental that will allow a Pit Bull (should provide proof in lease)
j) can provide safe containment: tall, secure fences if yard is present and working latches on gates.
k) lives in a household (includes roommates, children, seniors) that is involved in the decision to bring a Pit Bull into the family and is able to help manage a dog
l) has other pets in the home that are a good match and understands that Pit Bull must be separated from other pets when not supervised

12) socializes and conducts basic training with all puppies before sending them to their new homes.

13) microchips all puppies prior to sending them to their new homes.

14) does not place puppies under 8 weeks of age.

15) does not place puppies in areas where breed specific legislation that would endanger the puppy’s life or quality of life exists.

16) provides legally-binding, non-expiring contracts upon purchase that protect buyer as well as puppy. Contract certifies health (congenital, genetic, hereditary) and temperamental soundness of puppy. Assures puppy is disease-free prior to placement through records detailing proper veterinary and health care. Contract includes clause that requires new owner to relocate with the dog, or return the dog to the Ethical Pit Bull Breeder in the event that breed specific legislation that would endanger the puppy’s life or quality of life is enacted in the new owner’s city/state.

17) takes responsibility for any puppy produced, during any point in the lifetime of that puppy, should the original home become unable to care for the puppy or grown adult dog.

1Cool sends puppies home with papers from the recognized Pit Bull registry to allow the new owner to register the puppy in his/her name; unless the puppy is pet stock and is not spayed or neutered prior to going to new home, in which case, the Ethical Pit Bull Breeder will withhold papers until the new owner can provide proof of spay/neuter. It is strongly advised, however, that the Ethical Pit Bull Breeder spays/neuters all pet stock prior to placement in new homes.

Item 5: “Pet stock” is any puppy that is not or would not potentially be bred by an Ethical Pit Bull Breeder, and/or any puppy that will not potentially be shown in conformation events.

19) after sending puppy home, offers support indefinitely to new owner by way of breed counseling, training/behavior advice, health care information, referrals, etc.

20) recognizes that breeding is not a money making venture, a business, nor a means to bring in extra money. Stud fees and sale prices of puppies should reflect the costs of ethical breeding. The ethical breeder does not see a profit at the end of the year, but may actually see a loss.

Foods you should not give to your Dog

You may not be aware of it, but some treats that we give to our dogs might be toxic either in small or large amounts. These foods should be avoided at all cost if we want our bestfriends to live a long and happy life.

Here they are:

1. First and foremost, do not give cooked bones to your pet. Cooked bones splinters and could destroy the intestinal tract of the dog's digestive system.

2. Chocolates,coffee,tea and other caffeinated drinks are also bad. It disrupts the heart and nervous system of dogs.

3. Avoid giving your dogs grapes and raisins. They contain unknown toxins that damages the kidney.

4. Large amounts of cooked liver causes Vitamin A toxicity which impacts muscles and bones.

5. Keep your dog away from nuts it might choke your pet because fo their small size. Keep them also from mushrooms, onions and garlic.

6. Bread is also bad for dogs. It could cause bloating which is a very serious medical case for dogs. It could kill them in a matter of hours.

If you think your dogs ingested some of these toxic food, call your vet for immediate assistance as soon as possible.

How I got my first pitbull

Itachi, the first time I got him at 2 and a half months





Itachi at 4 months



It never crossed to my mind that I would be owning a pit bull since it had a bad reputation as a mean and vicious killing machine as what the media would portray. I was planning to choose from several breeds that are known to be child-friendly (though we don't have a kid yet in the family). These are the Labrador retriever, the Golden retriever, and the Jack Russel terrier. After months of research, I've decided to buy a Labrador retriever. I've made a reservation last October, 2008 from a neighbor who is currently breeding Labradors. I said I would need a male pup. His female Lab had just been mated on the first week of October. Since it will take 60-63 days for a dog's gestation period before giving birth, I expected to have a Lab pup by the end of the year.

But my mother had knowledge about my plans to buy a Lab pup, she asked me if I was serious about it. I said yes. She told me all the advantages of owning a Lab, from grooming, to food (they're eating machines,they could probably consume 15kg of dog food in just a few weeks.), for being a heavy chewer and excessive barkers. But I insisted since I've already made a reservation.

During the last week of October of last year. My mother suggested an idea to buy a pit bull pup. I was stunned of what she said. "Are you serious?" I told my mother,"Haven't you heard the news that these dogs are man-eaters?". I know my mother, she gets what she wants, I thought she was just joking about getting a pit bull pup and she was not. She invited me to come to her student's house (she worked as a pre-school teacher at that time,now she's retired) to take a look at a litter of pit bull pups. The student's father is a breeder of show-bred pitbull pups. I surfed the Internet to find out what more about pit bulls. After serious consideration I've decided to take a look at them.

When I got to see the pups,I find them so cute and adorable. They're a litter of 8. They're two and a half months old. I immediately noticed this black-eyed spotted puppy eagerly looking at me with the rest of it's littermate. He's different from the other pups. This male pup reminded me of the dog who starred in the Little Rascals movie and Wishbone TV series. I never got see their mother but I saw their father on the other cage, and what a monster! His head is so huge around 25-30 inches in diameter,and he got ripped muscles too.

So finally,I decided to take this puppy home. The daughter of the owner, took him out of the cage and gave it to me. I took him by my arms and he immediately licked my face as if telling me that he also like me and he's willing to go with me wherever I go. So that's how I got Itachi..... :)

Traveling with my pet, Itachi

Traveling with my pet is a little troublesome for me,. People here in the Philippines also view pitbulls as vicious animals. But I believe the contrary,they are one of the sweetest animals I have ever known. You'll know what I'm talking about until you own one. But pitbulls are not for everybody,these dogs are for responsible owners only. The reason why these animals have a bad rap because of irresponsible pet owners. The some media people exploit news of reported bites to sell their news and create public scare against these animals. Pitbulls don't snap for no reason. They could have experienced maltreatment from their bad owners or simply mishandled by ignorant owners who doesn't know this breed very well.

Before buying or adopting any dog breed, one must do his homework by researching about the breed of your choice. There are many things to consider before getting a new puppy or a rescued adult dog. First, does this breed fits your lifestyle? If you want an athletic type of dog like a pitbull or a dalmatian,be sure you have an active lifestyle. If not, get a toy dog breed which only requires minimal activity. If you get a dog that doesn't match your 'way of living', expect the worst to come. If you could not provide large and athletic dog breeds enough exercise, they would resort to do unwanted behaviours which of course are what we do not want to happen at home.

In my case, I make sure that my pet would get the necessary exercise he needs but I don't overdo to it since he's just a 6 month old puppy (he already weighs as much as 15-20 kgs, whew!). We take a walk for a few meters and play fetch afterwards. I also devote 10-15 minutes a day for basic dog obedience training.

Another thing to consider in buying a dog is your medical condition. If you are allergic to dog furs, you can't get a shi tzu or a chow chow even if they are so adorable and huggable,. Consider short-coated and easy to groom dogs like Jack Russel terrier or the Chinese-crested hairless dog. Or you can also consider dogs that are found to be hypoallergenic such as poodles,maltese, or a pomeranian.

Also, consider how large your house is. If you just have a small apartment or studio type rooms choose small breed dogs like chuhuahuas,shi tzu or mini-pinschers. But if you insist on buying bigger dogs, I'd recommend medium sized dogs such as beagles, Jack Russel terrier, bassett hounds, or a pitbull! Just make sure you provide them enough exercise and proper obedience training as these dogs are very active.

Lastly, look into your budget and ask yourself; "Can I afford to buy a dog and provide them the quality life that they need?". If yes, go and adopt one, if not, buy another specie of animal that won't eat up a lot of space and cost a lot of money.

As for my pitbull Itachi (I got his name from one of the characters of my favorite animation series Naruto) I make sure he gets a lot of exercise,training and TLC (tender loving care). Before I got Itachi, I really did a lot of research. I weigh down the advantages and disadvantages. To make the long story short....I've decided to keep him and be a part of our family and I tell you, he may look mean and scary (at just six months,wait until he matures) but he's so loveable and sweet. Their nature is to please their masters at all cost.

Jeepney and taxi drivers are relunctant to give us a ride when we travel to dog parks. They thought pitbulls are human aggressive by nature but contrary to public belief, pitbulls are not, they maybe dog aggressive but it is not their nature to attack humans. They even extremely friendly to strangers that is why pitbulls are not suitable to be employed as guard dogs. But drivers who are familiar with pitbulls would be very glad to give us a ride. With regards to passengers, some would be afraid while some would take my dog to pose for some pictures. Because he's sweet-natured, he is easily adored by many of the passengers we ride with. In this way, I was able to show to the people that pitbulls are not be afraid of.

You cannot probably understand what is like to have a pitbull until you own one...........

American bullies vs American Pitbull Terriers

Last Sunday, 2pm Philippine time, at Tiendesitas, Pasig City. I brought along my pet pitbull to watch a local dog show for APBTs. However,I noticed a majority of American bullies in the event. There are three main categories for the conformation competition,the ADBA division where the gamebred pitbulls are showcased, the UKC division,where the showlines are displayed like beauty contestants and the Philippine Bully Kennel Club division where American bullies are showcased. Each division have their corresponding breed standards as criteria for judging. However I noticed that in the UKC division, some American bullies were put in there as official entries which I think is a misjudgement since they are not the type of pitbulls that the UKC prescribes in their proper breed standard. Dog show officials should look into this matter. American bullies are too massive to join the UKC division. Their body type alone serves as disqualification for the said event.









an example of the breed standard for the American Bully



Example of the UKC standard for the APBT



Example of the ADBA standard

Welcome to my kennel

Hello! My name's Dennis,I'm 30 years old :( but very young at heart....:)). I'm a newbie here in the world of blogging. I'm currently working as an online English teacher, though I never took English as my major, because of my family's economic woes, I need to look for a job that will help us augment our daily budget,even if the field I have chosen is not within the scope of my major I took in college. I wasn't even able to finish my major. I stopped schooling by the summer of 2000, my supposed year of graduation.

Many people and close friends were somehow feel sorry that I was'nt able to finish my degree in UP Manila.
My reasons for dropping out of school is still kept as a secret. It will take an eternity to explain why I chose to drop out of college. Maybe I was inspired by the likes of Bill Gates,Lebron James, people who became multi-millionaires who dropped out of school. I dreamt of becoming like them someday, though that's a long shot for me since opportunity is a scarce resource.

I almost got a shot at being a contestant at 'Who Wants Top be A Millionaire" when one of their representatives called me up to be a studio contestant. Unfortunately, I was at my ex-gf's house when they tried to call me up. So I passed on a golden opportunity to become an instant millionaire.

Right now,I'm well settled with my current job at a Korean online education company. I'm already on my 5th month hoping to be regularized before the end of my probationary contract. I've been actually teaching for two and a half years already for three Korean companies. The first one is a man-to-man tutorial school,and the next two are online schools.

Anyway,I signed up to start this blog just to share my views about life in general,to relieve myself of my boredom in office during my vacant time since I can't browse all websites because my company has utilized firewalls and filters to block popular websites that affects bandwidth space.

I'll be posting pieces of information that might be of good use to all of us. Good bye and God bless!!