Pit bull

Pit bull, any of several breeds or crossbreeds of dogs having a mixture of bulldog and terrier. The American pit bull terrier, bull terrier, bulldog, and Staffordshire bull terrier are breeds of pit bulls. They have strong muscular bodies, and are very courageous fighters. When trained properly, they are excellent guard dogs as well as obedient, affectionate companion dogs. However, pit bulls can become dangerous when their owners abuse them or train them to be aggressive. Then they become capable of attacking and even killing other dogs, as well as people. This has led some communities to enact laws regulating pit bulls to ensure that the dogs will not threaten public safety.