Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 07:02, 3 December 2012

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) No issues specified. Please specify issues, or remove this template. (Learn how and when to remove this message)

American Bully
An American Bully.
Origin	United States
Breed status	Not recognized as a breed by any major kennel club.
Traits Height Males 18–21 inches (46–53 cm) Females 17–20 inches (43–51 cm) Weight 70–120 pounds (32–54 kg) Coat Short, close Color All acceptable
Notes	This breed is recognized by the American Bully Kennel Club, United Bully Kennel Club, Bully Breed Kennel Club, United Canine Association, European Bully Kennel Club and OREBA Registry Kennel Club
Dog (domestic dog)

The American Bully and American Bullies is a new type of dog established in the mid-2005s through breeding between American Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Terriers,American Bulldogs, as well as Mastiffs, and other breeds which have not been disclosed. The American Bully is only recognized by various private registry breed clubs.

Breed standard

According to the American Bully Kennel Club, the American bully has a well-defined, powerful appearance with straight, muscular legs. The head is medium-length and broad with a well-defined stop and high-set ears, which may be natural or cropped. The neck is thick and strong, tapering from the shoulders to the base of the skull, with no loose skin. Jaws should be square and well-defined, with an even or scissor bite, and the tail should be undocked and of a medium length with only a slight curl. Curly or corkscrew tails are considered to be a fault.

The coat is smooth, short, and hard. Any color or combination is acceptable. Any aggression towards humans is disqualifying.

Temperament

According to American Bully breeders, gameness and dog-aggression have been bred out. The genetic inheritance of aggression is complex and poorly understood. Study of the heredity of canine temperament has demonstrated that temperament heritability scores may be as low as 0.15, as currently living bullies are as few as 6 generations away from the oldest foundation animal, The Late Showtime, under ideal circumstances in which only completely non-aggressive animals were bred, it would be statistically and scientifically impossible to 'breed out' aggression or game-ness within this timeframe. Under ideal circumstances in which breeding only occurred for the purpose of the reduction of aggression, the observed levels of pitbull aggression could be reduced by approximately 62.5% within 6 generations.

Despite breeder claims of aggression in American Bullies being bred out recent media reports have implicated American Bullies both in chasing pedestrians off a sidewalk, as well as an attack on a child. However, attacks by supposedly non-aggressive breeds, such as Golden retrievers, do occasionally still occur.

Breed Standard, Development and Animal Cruelty

United Canine Association breed standards for the American Bully dictate that "The head is large and of medium length, broad skull, very pronounced cheek muscles, distinct stop, short foreface and high set ears.". In addition the American Bully Kennel Club includes an "Extreme" conformation category for dogs with "dogs with heavier body frames and more overall body mass".

According to the Pitbull advocacy group Pit Bull Rescue Central the American bully is a "conformationally exaggerated dog with emphasis on extremes: wide, short, jowly and slow-moving. They are not as athletic as their bully breed relatives and may suffer from crippling health problems as they age like English Bulldogs and other breeds bred for a certain look. ". The health problem resulting from the confirmation of the English Bulldog have received a great deal of attention and a report titled “Pedigree Dog Breeding in the U.K.: A Major Welfare Concern?” determined that the “There is little doubt that the anatomy of the English bulldog has considerable capacity to cause suffering. . . . Many would question whether the breed’s quality of life is so compromised that its breeding should be banned.”.

Both inbreeding and breeding for extreme traits has been repeatedly determined to be detrimental to the health and welfare of dogs. Wayne Pacelle of the Humane Society has gone as far as to state that though it is not a "more obvious" form of animal cruelty “Inbreeding and other reckless breeding practices may not be as bloody as dogfighting or as painful to look at as puppy mills, but they may ultimately cause even more harm to the well-being of dogs,”.

Recognition

The American Bully is recognized by various private registry kennel clubs:

USA

• American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC)
• United Bully Kennel Club (UBKC)
• Bully Breed Kennel Club (BBKC)
• United Canine Association (UCA)
• OREBA Registry Kennel Clubs Inc. (OREBA)

EUROPE

• European Bully Kennel Club (EBKC)

References

1. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Pit Bull Rescue Central.
2. Wilson, Dave (10/6/2006). "Come see our gentle 'bullies,' unfairly savaged by a currish editorial". Free Lance-Star. Retrieved 14 May 2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. "American Bully Standard", American Bully Kennel Club, American Bully Kennel Club, retrieved 13 May 2012
4. Liinamoa, Anna-Elisa (6). "Genetic variation in aggression-related traits in Golden Retriever dogs". Applied Animal Behaviour ScienceLinda van den Bergb, Peter A.J. Leegwaterb, Matthijs B.H. Schilderc, Johan A.M. van Arendonka, Bernard A. van Oostc. 104 (1–2): 95–106. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |year=, |date=, and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
5. Wilsson, Erik (1). "The use of abehaviourtest for the selection of dogs for service and breeding, I: Method of testing and evaluating test results in the adult dog, demands on different kinds of servicedogs, sex and breed differences". Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 53 (4): 279–295. Retrieved 14 May 2012. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
6. "Hammer Bammer". Bullypedia. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
7. "The Late Showtime". Bullypedia. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
8. Duffy, Deborah (1). "Breed differences in canine aggression". Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 114 (3–4): 441–460. Retrieved 14 May 2012. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
9. Sandrick, Bob (April 20, 2012). "Parma man plans to fight city's ban on pit bulls". Sun News. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
10. Rugg, Diana (14 May 2012). "Pitbull owner disagrees with seven-year-old's story of attack". NewsChannel 36. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
11. Cherry, Tamara (13 March 2007). "Child attacked by Golden Retriever". Star.com. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
12. "Breed Info American Bully". United Canine Association. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
13. "American Bully Extreme". American Bully Kennel Club. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
14. ^ DENIZET-LEWIS, BENOIT (November 22, 2011). "Can the Bulldog Be Saved?". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
15. "The American Bully Kennel Club". Retrieved February 11, 2012.
16. "The New Generation Bully Registry". Retrieved February 11, 2012.
17. "The European Bully Kennel Club". Retrieved February 11, 2012.

• Dog breeds
• Molossers