famous pit bull owners: the thomas alva edison edition

Mina and Theodore Edison with spaniel

why the pit nutters would want to claim edison as one of their own is a head scratcher. i'll admit, thomas alva edison SHOULD have been a pit bull owner. after all, he is the most famous inventer/thief of all time (bill gates is a very close second). there are similarities between edison and the personality profile of a pit nutter (sadistic, liar, thief), but as usual, i find no evidence that edison owned a pit bull. i did find that he killed many dogs, maybe one of them was a pit bull? maybe edison inspired the dogmen to cull their curs with electricity? thomas edison electrocuted many animals; dogs, horses, calves and even an elephant in both an effort to discredit nikola tesla's superior invention of alternating current and to test out electrocution as a form of capital punishment to replace hanging. edison later hired tesla to redesign (ie fix) his own inefficient motors and generators and then cheated tesla of the $50K promised.

The experiments to decide the merits of electrocution over hanging took place on March 2, 1889, in the large wooden building which Edison had had fitted up with every electrical appliance necessary for the purpose. The victims chosen were several dogs, four calves, and a horse. The dogs claimed the attention of the experimenters first, and a big black Newfoundland quietly submitted to being weighed he turned the scale at close on ninety pounds and then with the same docility allowed a small plate of brass, covered with felt and soaked in a solution of salt, to be tied to his head, while a bandage moistened with the same lotion was fixed to his right leg with a piece of copper wire. Lest he might show a desire to run away, the animal was made to stand in a box, but flight seemed far from his intention. He seemed as interested in the experiments as any one present. The dog's "resistance" was next computed by means of two fine wires connected with the electrodes, to which was attached a registering instrument. A slight shock was then sent through the animal so slight that he scarcely winced but of sufficient strength to correctly record his power to withstand the electric current. Heavy wires then took the place of the fine ones, the current was turned on, and the animal immediately stiffened. There was a slight tendency to leap forward, but it was momentary, and the animal remained perfectly still. The current was kept up for ten seconds, and when turned off the dog dropped in a heap perfectly dead.

i thought the pit nutters were trying to distance themselves from people like Michael Vick and the rest of the pit rabble that pops up in the news on a daily basis?

links

thomas edison unmasked

new york times

Thomas Alva Edison; sixty years of an inventor's life

nikola tesla

google "thomas edison famous pit bull owner" there are over 7 million hits. let's make this blog post the number one hit.

thanks again cking!

famous pit bull owners: the mark twain edition

Mark Twain and cat

very early in my research of mark twain, i discovered this man had a deep love for cats. i immediately began to have doubts about the pit nutters inclusion of him on their famous list. of all of the famous people that i have researched so far that were erroneously included on the famous list, Mark Twain is by far the most amusing. Mark Twain didn't even care for dogs all that much. but don't take my word for it. read on and be sure to check the links.

from Mark Twain, a Biography: the Personal and Literary Life of Samuel Langhorne Clemens by Albert Bigelow Paine volume 2 p 685:

There was less enthusiasm over dogs at Quarry Farm.

Mark Twain himself had no great love for the canine breed. To a woman who wrote, asking for his opinion on dogs, he said, in part:

"By what right has the dog come to be regarded as a "noble" animal? The more brutal and cruel and unjust you are to him the more your fawning and adoring slave he becomes; whereas, if you shamefully misuse a cat once she will always maintain a dignified reserve toward you afterward you can never get her full confidence again."

He was not harsh to dogs; occasionally he made friends with them. There was once at the farm a gentle hound, named Bones, that for some reason even won his way into his affections. Bones was always a welcome companion, and when the end of summer came, and Clemens, as was his habit, started down the drive ahead of the carriage, Bones, half-way to the entrance, was waiting for him. Clemens stooped down, put his arms around him, and bade him an affectionate good-by. He always recalled Bones tenderly, and mentioned him in letters to the farm.

i especially like this sentiment, "By what right has the dog come to be regarded as a "noble" animal? The more brutal and cruel and unjust you are to him the more your fawning and adoring slave he becomes;…" this leads me to believe that Mark Twain would have reserved his greatest disdain for the american pit bull terrier.

also from Paine's biography:

At a place on Minna Street they lived with a private family. At first Clemens was delighted.

"Just look at it, Steve," he said. "What a nice, quiet place. Not a thing to disturb us."

But next morning a dog began to howl. Gillis woke this time, to find his room-mate standing in the door that opened out into a back garden, holding a big revolver, his hand shaking with cold and excitement.

"Came here, Steve," he said. "Come here and kill him. I'm so chilled through I can't get a bead on him."

"Sam," said Steve, "don't shoot him. Just swear at him. You can easily kill him at that range with your profanity."

Steve Gillis declares that Mark Twain then let go such a scorching, singeing blast that the brute's owner sold him next day for a Mexican hairless dog.

even though Twain seemed to have a general dislike of dogs, he at least a good sense of dogs and genetics, unlike the pit nutters of today:

"My friend is not to blame for the sensitiveness of his nose, any more than you would flog a pointer for being keener on the scent than a stupid watch-dog."

further evidence that indicates he was not fond of dogs. Mark Twain made the following statement at a dinner commemorating Benjamin Franklin:

The carrier was then an object of interest to all the dogs in town. If I had saved up all the bites I ever received, I could keep M. Pasteur busy for a year.

it does appear that Mark Twain owned at least one dog. well at least it appears that his daughters owned at least one dog.

i do have a theory how Mark Twain ended up on the pit nutters' list. he references dog fighting and baiting in his fictional work. in The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, there is a character by the name of Jim Smiley who likes to bet on dog and cock fights. and then there is this excerpt from Huckleberry Finn

The hogs loafed and grunted around everywheres. You'd see a muddy sow and a litter of pigs come lazying along the street and whollop herself right down in the way, where folks had to walk around her, and she'd stretch out and shut her eyes and wave her ears whilst the pigs was milking her, and look as happy as if she was on salary. And pretty soon you'd hear a loafer sing out, "Hi! SO boy! sick him, Tige!" and away the sow would go, squealing most horrible, with a dog or two swinging to each ear, and three or four dozen more a-coming; and then you would see all the loafers get up and watch the thing out of sight, and laugh at the fun and look grateful for the noise. Then they'd settle back again till there was a dog fight. There couldn't anything wake them up all over, and make them happy all over, like a dog fight -- unless it might be putting turpentine on a stray dog and setting fire to him, or tying a tin pan to his tail and see him run himself to death.

SPECIAL THANKS TO CKING. without this individual's help, discrediting the pit nutters' claim that Mark Twain was a pit bull owner may not have been possible.

Pit bull owners barking mad over cartoon By MIKE STROBEL, TORONTO SUN

Pit bull owners sure are frothing over Andy Donato’s cartoon on Tuesday.

They insist they are not thugs in leather and chains.

“Appaulling,” opines Jessica Oman.

“Your an ignorant, uninformed idiot,” writes Kari Hennig.

Briana Post expresses her “udder disappointment.”

Jenna Lee demands “an appoligy.”

Katherine Myers chimes in: “I hope your genitals get gnawed off by a wild pack of fluffy, yappy, ‘beloved,’ ankle biting lap dogs!!!”

Yowser! My kind of women.

Many are Americans, tuned into pit bull websites. The cartoon was in response to an NDP MPP’s bid to reverse the province’s ban on the breed.

Incidentally, the couple behind the thug is Donato and wife Dianne, walking their Shih Tzus, Panda and Tybee.

If you watch Discovery Channel you know that, for pit bulls, Shih Tzus are a main food group.

Okay, so we’ve established pit bull owners are not all hulking men in camouflage and Hitler helmets. Some of them are hulking(ITL)women(ITL) in camouflage and Hitler helmets.

On the other hand, there’s Pete Migneault:

“You are a ------- moron,” he writes. “If I ever see you on the streets, I am going to knock your front teeth out.”

He then suggests Andy “post a picture of yourself getting ------ in the --- by a poodle.”

Now, just a cotton-pickin’ minute, Pistol Pete.

I’m sick and tired of the stereotyping of poodles and their owners.

My building on Queens Quay swarms with them.

Not to mention Yorkies, Maltese, Pomeranians, Havanese, Pekingese and Scotties.

And that’s just the people. You should see all the little dogs.

My grandma had poodles, for crying out loud. Yappy little buggers, but c’est la vie.

Some of my best friends are poodle owners.

Several are hairdressers named Bruce. But not all. DON’T ASSUME!

Nor do female poodle-pushers all wear Chanel and Calvin Klein and talk like Brigitte Bardot.

True, I once lunched with Ottawa socialite Marlen Cowpland, wife of the Corel software founder, and her pink poodle, Bunny, who was tucked away in her purse. Or was it a Maltese? Hard to tell when they’re dyed pink.

Nearly had a heart attack when Marlen’s bag shook like it was possessed, and out popped Bunny.

For the first time in my career, I got to ask, “Why is your dog pink?”

“Because I can,” she answered, or something like that.

But Marlen is hardly typical. Of anything.

Just because poodles are airy-fairy, dainty, snooty, spoiled and chirpy, doesn’t mean their owners are the same.

Winston Churchill was an English bulldog — but he had a poodle named Rufus.

Macho poodle owners have included John F. Kennedy, fitness pioneer Jack LaLanne, Pablo Picasso, Patrick Swayze, and Liberace.

Don’t discount that manly, patriotic American tune, Yankee Poodle Dandy.

And don’t generalize that hoity-toity blue-haired women have poodles. Consider these: Jaclyn Smith, Elke Sommer, Ivana Trump. Jane Goodall, Lucille Ball, Katharine Hepburn, Grace Kelly.

Marilyn Monroe had quite the pair of puppies.

Yes, poodle owners are often as noble as their beasts. And as smart — second only to border collie owners. Pit bulls are down the list, just below dogfish.

So open your mind, Pistol Pete. Cast aside the bounds of bias. Your pit-bull-packing pals think Donato’s cartoon is “racist?!” Well, quit picking on poodles.

Look to your own dog: That rippling bundle of muscle, jaws and fangs bred to leap upon foes and tear them limb from limb.

So what if one study found pit bulls and part-pit-bulls accounted for 1,618 of 2,815 serious attacks on humans in North America since 1982?

“Lies, damn lies, and statistics,” a pit bull owner might say. If he can spell statistics.

And don’t gloat, Rottweiler fanciers. Your pets came in second, with 453 attacks.

Chihuahuas? Zip. Nada, though I bet that yappy Taco Bell mutt drove a few people to jump off cliffs.

Face it, pit-bullies. Your dogs give off the warm vibe of an AK-47. And you’re a little scary, too, judging by many of the e-mails.

Nothing personal, Bubba. Don’t sic ‘im on me.

John P. Colby: the fountainhead of the American 'Pit' Bull Terrier within the United States

JOHN PRITCHARD COLBY, the most famous name in american pit bull terrier history, not only owned a man biter, he owned a man killer. read more of dogsbite.org's exposé of the this famous dog fighter.

from hardcore dog fighters of yesteryear to serious dogmen and crazed pit nutters of today, all of the pit bull fanciers praise John P. Colby and his pit dogs. here are a few highlights.

from sporting-dog.com

I think John P Colby tops as a breeder. The rolls I saw when I was up at Colby’s in 1935 or 1936 were better than half the matches I have ever seen in my life. John P called them turn ups. It was hot around Boston so any local action was kept quiet. A lot of people who didn't know any better said J.P never set one down. Three dead game Colby dogs I have had were Sport, Buddy, and Hobo. I think I have some good ones now, but to say a dog that is still living dead game is wishful thinking. None of these three dogs ever made a turn in there life or before they left it. I have over a dozen old Colby pedigrees around the house, and I cant find one of the dogs in them Mr. Pete Sparks mentioned in a recent copy of Bloodlines, I'm sure he was mistaken.

Howard Heinzl 1955

from riospitbull.com

Mr John P Colby was an active breeder for many years and produced some of the best dogs of his time. Much of his foundation stock was from the Gas House and Burke strains, as were the dogs of many other breeders. The difference in the quality of the dogs Mr Colby produced was the result of breeding principles he employed. Also, Mr Colby in my opinion possessed a very important attribute, which I refer to as a gift.

Indian Sonny

from workingpitbull.com

Pit bulls breeders have - to this day - been notoriously secretive about how they breed their best dogs. Pete Sparks, one of the most noted authorities on pit bulls during most of the 20th century, stated that with only one or two exceptions (the Colby family being one of those exceptions) almost "all" breeders such as Corvino, Carver, and others would intentionally fake pedigrees.

primo, the apbt that was used as the standard for the amstaff.

Then a small group of pit bull fanciers decided that their "Grand Old Breed" needed full American Kennel Club recognition in order to distance itself from its baiting/fighting heritage. A standard was drawn up and application made to the AKC. (John Colby's dog "Primo" was one of the dogs used to formulate the AKC standard, and Primo's picture illustrated the idea of perfection for many years. Those wanting to know what a real American Staffordshire is supposed to look like should study a picture of Primo.)

from workingpitbull.com

COLBY'S BOOK OF THE AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER: by Louis Colby and Diane Jessup 192 pages, hardback. ISBN# 0-7938-2091-X A classic for history buffs! Louis Colby's love and knowledge of the history of this breed makes this book special. If you love pictures of old-time dogs you will love this book. Interesting history of the Colby family; at one time the Colby family was associated with dog fighting, however these days the dogs are finding homes with folks who want a good natured family pet with an interesting history. This should be required reading for people becoming involved with the breed today - this book shows them what a "real" pit bull looks like.

i wonder if this history includes the fatal attack of colby's nephew?

from Jason Mann of pitbulllover.com

Colby's Book of the American Pit Bull Terrier.

I like this book because it shows the rich history of the American Pit Bull Terrier. Specifically this particular line of the breed dating back well over 100 years.

One of the best things about this book is the pictures. Quite a few pictures are included in the book and many of them are from the Colby family archives. Showing dogs with children and even a young Louis Colby with one his dogs.

If you don't already have this book I recommend every owner add it to their library. Great read, great pictures, solid information, overall a great book.

John P Colby (probably the most famous name in all of Pit Bull history) decided to register his dogs in the American Dog Breeders Association.

Richard stratton p82 World of the American Pit Bull Terrier

I do resent Mr. David's characterization of John P. Colby, as he was an honest dog man and a credit to the breed.

from riospitbull

John P Colby is noted for making only one outcross during his lifetime, and that was after 30 years of breeding experience. This was indeed possible, due to the extreme care he took in the selection of his initial breeding stock and his own talent and skills as a breeder.

Throughout his lifetime, Mr Colby was known to be an honest man, always "on the square", as well as an honest breeder. He is known and remembered as one of the worlds foremost authorities concerning the American 'Pit' Bull Terrier. He was a Dogmans "dogman" even among the elite of his peers. Men like George Armitage, Pete Donovan, Earl Tudor, Howard Heinzl, and Al Brown, all stated that John P. Colby was and always would be in a class all his own as a breeder of game dogs.

In the early part of his career as a breeder, John P. Colby became the center of controversy. One must understand that until this time, breeders and fanciers of the pitdog were a much tighter group, much more exclusive than the fanciers of today. The finest dogs were only passed to family and the most trusted friends and the secrecy of their lineage was closely guarded. John P. Colby broke with that tradition when he began to offer stud service and quality bred pups for sale to the "common man". This was to be his crime. He became successful in making the American 'Pit' Bull Terrier popular to the general public, and was the first to do so.

John P. Colby worked hard in all areas to help promote the breed and their popularity to the general public.

E.L. Mullins

dog fighter ray fox

Above is John Pritchard Colby Born June 15, 1875 and died in 1941 in Newbury, Essex Co. Massachusettes. He was one of the men that started dogfighting in America by producing some of the best. John also put his dogs in the hands of some of the top dogfighters. In the 1960's and the 1970's some dogmen including Loposay crossed Colby and Lighter dogs and got many winners. This cross whipped man dogs from all bloodlines. I'm not sure of the Colby dogs of this era.

an interesting comment from a discussion on bloodlines and temperament from 2003

I had a pure Colby as a kid, but he died of old age (16). I have 3 now. The father (I own him) is mainly Mason Hog with a little Red Boy/Jeep in him. The mother (the people who owned my male have her)is 1/2 Mason Hog 1/2 Red Boy/Jeep. I've noticed some difference in the temperament & size of my 3, & the Colby I had as a kid, but I thought it was maybe a difference in where they came from! My Colby was pretty mean at times (for no reason). The 3 I have now are pretty submissive, & quite wimpy (unless a strange dog is around, then all 3 want to fight it). The father to my Colby was a fighter. If we hadn't gotten him when we did, he would've suffered the same fate.... Don't get me wrong, he was a GREAT dog. Just a little ill tempered some times.

Man Eaters by Gary J. Hammonds

GARY HAMMONDS and RUFUS ROM

Man Eaters

by Gary J. Hammonds (Pit Bull Gazette, May 1982)

Trough the years, the ,,Man Biters,, have been of special interest to me since, in theory, most are not supossed to be game. Simple observation tells me there are as many game man biters(percentage wise) as there are game dogs in the Pit Bull family. Most of the old-timers felt the man biters should be destroyed and most definitely never used in a breeding program. I believe a deeper look into these dogs to be a worthwhile project. Through my research and observation, I have concluded that there are several types of man biters, each of which deserves recognition and comment. The most acceptable of the man biters are those that are both protective and territorial. Most bulldogs have this trait to varying degrees and the beauty of it is that it can be encouraged or discouraged depending on the needs of the owner. These dogs are usually the more intelligent bulldogs and while they are generally gentle with people, will become a terror to the suspicious intruder and literally inhale a direct threat to its master or his property. The second most acceptable man biter is the territorial junk yard dog. This dog gladly accepts its owners but all others are not welcome in its domain. Off his own property, he is not nearly so aggressive except when challenged directly. These dogs are not for the novice but can be kept and are definitely a deterrent to dog thieves and various riffraff. The last acceptable type is the junk yard dog that will bite anyone anytime, just for the fun of it. Many of these dogs actually have to have their feed chucked to them even by their owners. These dogs are for the professional only, and most are probably good candidates for execution. There is also the excitable dog that will bite you to get loose and get another dog, cat, horse or whatever. These dogs are definitely not for the amateur and should be kept from these types of situations as much as possible. Bullyson, Andersons CH Spade and Mesquite Sam were dogs of this type. To me the most dangerous is the latent man biter that just goes bad without provocation. These dogs should always be destroyed as their unpredictability makes them an extremely lethal commodity. This recessive tendency surfaces in other breeds so why should the Pit Bull be any different? The percentage of malicious man biters in the Pit Bull family is extremely low. I believe that through the use of proper breeding methods we can even lower this. Most of the attacks that are given so much news media,, coverage are generally made by dogs of no breeding. Check the records---in most cases where a bulldog mauls or kills someone, they are dogs that were bred by the amateur breeder and usually backed by several generations of scatter-bred individuals, most of which are equally bred badly. So in many cases the breeder is at fault and in all but a few instances, human error enters into the mishap. There is much to be said about the man biters but for the sake of good judgment, everyone who owns one, just like all Pit Bull owners, should be very conscientious. Just one case of carelessness could mean a law against the breed in your area and turn public support from our dogs. That is exactly what we do not need at this point in time. Man biters--keep one if you must, but take care if you do.

dog breed history lesson: the boxer

page 82 from The Working Pit Bull by Diane Jessup

The Boxer is yet another variation on the original Bulldog, but this one was developed in Germany. Early Boxers were almost indistinguishable from the modern-day APBTs, and their temperament too, is similar. The history of the Boxer in Germany is almost a mirror of the Pit Bull in England. First developed as a "gripping" dog for boar hunting. It was later used for a time as a dog fighter. Unfortunately for the Boxer, its flashy appearance and proud nature made it an ideal show dog, and soon a "standard of perfection" which called for a non-functional muzzle and jaw structure was developed. Rather quickly, the Boxer became just another show version of the Bulldog type. Without doubt he is closely related to the Pit Bull, and comes from the same ancestors, simply developed in another country along slightly different lines.

i recommend jessup's book.

famous pit bull owners: the humphrey bogart edition

Bogart, Mayo Methot, newfie, scotties 1944

Bogie and one of his boxers

i am convinced that a cadre of pit nutters all got together one day and said "hey! i know what we can do to improve our frankenmauler's image!! let's create a list of famous people that owned pit bulls!" "YEAH!"

if you google Humphrey Bogart and pit bulls, you will find over 100 pit nutter sites that mention Bogart as an owner. no pit neutral sites mention pit bulls and Bogart in the same breath. topping the list of those promoting the lie is none other than CESAR MILAN.

Humphrey Bogart was a dog lover and owned many dogs but other than the fact that boxers are 1/3 pit bull, there is no evidence that suggests Bogart ever owned a pit bull. i have confirmed boxers, scottish terriers, sealyham terriers and a newfoundland but no pit bulls.

links/books to prove pit nutter lies:

the internet movie database has over 600 photos of Bogart, many of him with his dogs.

in 1952, Bogart, Bacall, their 2 boys and 3 boxers were featured in a magazine.

Why We Love the Dogs We Do by Stanley Coren

links/books perpetuating the lie:

karen peak of west wind dog training

p 83 Animal Assisted therapy in counseling by Cynthia K. Chandler

compared to:

Bogey and I had Boxers. We were married on Louis Bromfield's farm in Ohio. Louis had Boxers that would fight under the table at dinner. He gave us a week old Boxer puppy for a wedding present. We named him Harvey, after the invisible rabbit.

thanks P!

and this wikipedia entry:

but hey, if you repeat something loud enough and long enough, people will eventually accept it as truth.