American Pit Bull Terrier
Within the United States the Pit bull is often considered a diverse grouping that includes the breeds American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and occasionally the American Bulldog, along with any crossbred dog that shares certain physical characteristics with these breeds.
For our purposes and generally in Australia, these are all separately classified breeds or developing breeds.
Pitbulls have been banned from importation in Australia since 2011 and are currently a restricted breed in most states. Conditions may include:
- Owner must be over 18 years of age.
- Dog cannot be bred from.
- Dog must be desexed and microchipped.
- Must be muzzled in public.
- Cannot be sold or given away except to council pound/shelter or if the owner has died.
- Council/Registration Authority must be notified when:
- the dog is missing
- the ownership or address of the dog changes
As at Sept. 2023 QLD is strongly considering a total ban on Pitbull’s. However there is no restriction on their transport provided they are properly registered and the owner properly notifies the authorities of required changes in details.
In reality we have never experienced an issue with a Pitbull and would more likely associate aggression or lack of control with dogs described to us as AmStaff’s or with unspecified cross breeds of this group.
The American Pitbull terrier is not generally considered a brachycephalic breed and is not typically affected by BOAS. Many Bully breeds tend to have a wide range of breed characteristics due to their recent development and competition between breeders for a specific look or type. This leads to there being some individuals within those types that may have shorter muzzles and which do suffer from some BOAS symptoms when under stress. This is less evident in the pit bull due to a longer history than more recently developed types.
As with all dogs, but more particularly with Bully type breeds predominantly from the US and which include foundation breeds bred for fighting it is important that dogs are well assessed before transport. During transport dogs will be housed adjacent to many other dogs and handled by a variety of people. Those that are not well socialised or show ANY signs of dog or human reactivity or aggression should not be transported on our standard Express services and may be better suited to a more personalised and planned service if possible.
Please be aware that as with all dangerous dogs, we do have specific terms & conditions specifying that in the event a dog is a danger to our staff, other dogs or the public we, or the authorities, have the right to take actions to limit any harm that may include sedation or euthanasia.
