(http://www.pitbull411.com/history.html):
Like many modern breeds, it is impossible to be completely sure of the details of the American Pit Bull Terrier's long history. However, many pit bull enthusiasts believe the origins of the breed can be traced back to antiquity and the Molossian family of dogs. The Molossian family of dogs bears the name of the people with whom they were most often associated - the Molossi tribe, a group of people who lived in ancient Greece and favored the use of robust, muscular dogs in warfare. Officially termed canus molossi (dogs of the Molossi), these animals were reknowned for their fierceness, and for their innate ability to intimidate the enemies of the tribe.
During this same time period, it is also believed that the Molossian dogs were used for other purposes. In fact, early Phoenician traders may even have used the Molossians as a bargaining item in their commercial transactions.
The Molossians gave rise to another family of dogs known as the Mastiffs. The early Britons employed a variation of the Mastiffs as pugnaces - fighting dogs that could be used in either a guardianship or warfare capacity. When the Roman emperor Claudius defeated the Briton Chief Caractacus in 50 AD, the powerful pugnaces piqued his interest. He quickly seized on the opportunity and began exporting select quantities of the dogs back home to satiate his countrymen's appetite for entertainment in the arenas and coliseums of Rome.
Once in Rome, the British dogs were crossbred with their Roman counterparts. From the years 50 AD to 410 AD, the breed was widely disseminated throughout the Roman Empire for use as fighting dogs. Along the way they mixed with other indigenous breeds throughout Europe, creating a genetic melting pot for the bulldogs that are thought to have been the immediate antecedents of the American Pit Bull Terrier."
With that being said, let us please not forget that even our beloved APBT stemmed from.... OTHER breeds. Stating a new breed can not become a new breed because we have enough already, simply doesn't do justice to the historical proofs that show that this is in fact how we have the breeds we do today.
Anyone fans of Molosser breeds as a whole? Remember the now extinct Bullenbeisser (sp?)? Ancestor to the Boxer and I think the German Great Dane.. These can be brought up in EVERY breed, with some ancestors not being extinct. Now, it is more of a coexisting of established breeds and hybrid breeds. I'm sure some with rise and fall (like the labor-doodle, which as ridiculous as I think it looks, offers a dander free alternative to the lab, with a less thoroughbred hunting type dog as the large poodles) but a couple are destined to be here in a century. While the APBT might not be being "bettered", are the breeds that are compatible with the APBT to an extent and being bred not receiving some of the hardy and superior traits of the APBT?
I am in no way, shape, or manner condoning the hybridizing of dogs (even though we do so with apples, other fruits, and a TON of other living things) but rather the cohabitation and tolerance that hasn't existed in the history of US as a race, not the dogs.
Not quite sure why I felt my opinion necessary to state, I just supposed I felt the irony in crucifying the practice that gave us the amazing breed we own today was kind of errk-ing.
Rant over =D And with that off of my chest, PROBABLY SHOULD NOT GO ON AN APBT SITE ASKING ABOUT A HALF BREED.... Maybe they have Bullboxer or Boxerbull forums
