# Pit Bulls and The Nanny Dog



## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

I tend to see people giving great informative comments on new stories and they all go down hill when they mention the Nanny dog. When you advocate with incorrect information, it discredits everything else you have written, even if everything else is true. I would love people to understand the history of this myth.

Here is a detail history of the term Nanny Dog.

A google search for the term "nanny dog" turns up over 41,100,000 results which are mainly blogs and newspaper articles about the pit bull or Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

19th century: Archive searches of American, British or Canadian newspapers turn up not one single mention of "Nanny Dog" with regards to ANY breed. The only 19th century mentions the Staffordshire Bull Terrier that can be found online is a want ad for a good fighting dog.

Early 20th century: 1904 the first stage production of Peter Pan opened featuring a "nursemaid" dog named Nana. Nana was a Newfoundland, and has since been portrayed by a St. Bernard and an Old English Sheep Dog. Not pit bulls and not "a nanny dog".

In 1971, Walter R. Fletcher wrote _A Breed That Came Up the Hard Way_ for a New York Times article where Fletcher interviewed William R. Daniels and Mrs. Lilian Rant, President and magazine editor for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of America. Mrs. Rant acknowledged that the Staffordshire Terrier "had an unsavory reputation for fighting and violence and his name became associated with ruffians, who cared little for him as a dog but only for his ability in the pit. The Stafford we know today quickly becomes a member of the family circle. He loves children and is often referred to as a 'nursemaid dog.'" In 1971, there were 99 registered Staffordshire Bull Terriers in the United States. As editor of the club's magazine, she must have been at the center of all conversation about the breed. It is likely that she was the one who coined the nickname.

A timeline search does not turn up a mention of the exact term "nanny dog" until 1987 in an archived Toronto Star article entitled _Move to Outlaw Pit Bulls Under Study in Several Cities._ "Breeder Kathy Thomas, president of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Association, mother of two young children, said her eight Staffordshires are "wonderful with children. In England, our Staffies were called the nanny-dog because they were gentle with kids.'"

It took about 16 years for the phrase to change into the Nanny dog of England - historic fighter and lover of children. The myth did not really take off for another 4 years, when Lilian Rant published her book in 1991, Staffordshire Bull Terriers: Owner's Companion. She uses the term "nursemaid dog" three times and writes: "He has a great affection for children, having earned the title 'nursemaid dog' many years ago." In this instance, "many years ago" means about 20 years when she first used the term in regards to her own dogs.

So now we move onto "America's Nanny Dog" referring to the American Pit Bull Terrier or the American Staffordshire Terrier. 1,650,000+ results come up for that search. Again, you cannot find one single citation, source or reference to a text from the 1940s that confirms this assertion. A google timeline search for "America's Nanny Dog" shows the earliest online publication date is September 25, 2007 as an opinion piece in the online publication, Times-Standard entitled "America's Nanny Dog" by Tyla Hafstrom. It is a complete fabrication and an utter lie.

PLEASE prove me wrong and point me to evidence that demonstrates "the nanny dog". And old historical pictures of kids with their dogs do not count as evidence&#8230; Many people take pictures with their pets, no matter what year it was.


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## jaceaa (Aug 20, 2012)

I loved this myth. I can't remember if Diane Jessup ever included this in her books or not, but man I really did want that to be true. I can't use this anymore, but I have deffinately observed gentle and protective behavior towards my daughter.


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## blueSULLEYnose (Feb 2, 2014)

Thanks for clearing that up. Good and interesting bit of information. 
Im fairly new to this site and when i got my dog, I too read about the "nanny dog" myth.


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## APBTN00b (Jul 8, 2013)

I absolutely HATE this myth. Actually I don't think hate in caps is a strong enough word. Loathe. I loathe this myth. It has never been true and the person who came up with this and has caused the deaths of many children because idiots believed it needs to have their butt whipped. 

I am glad you posted this.  Its very good information. And no matter how much I trust my dogs. I NEVER leave them alone with the kids.


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Jaceaa by no means did I make this post to elude or predict good or bad behavior with kids, by any dog. I honestly believe your dog is gentle and minds your child, as a lot of great dogs do. Like apbtn00b said, even a stable amazing dog of any breed should not be left alone with children not old enough to understand right from wrong. Shoot even some older kids who SHOULD know right from wrong cant be left alone with them cause I don't trust the kids. 

I would never discount the bond an animal has with their human, I just want people to understand that referring and quoting something that is not true does no good to help the perception of the breed. Your dog and Daughters bond in action does more to show your dogs nature than a myth that is turned against all owner anytime a dog identified as a "pit bull" attacks.


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## jaceaa (Aug 20, 2012)

I know Ames. Your right. Every time that a dog identified as a pitbull does something to a child it does call all of our dogs into question, and I am not a proponent of leaving children alone with dogs, but the idea of it happening during the civil war era sounded really cool.


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## SMD760 (Oct 31, 2013)

We should all take into account that although Google is an excellent tool to find information, a Google search alone is not proper historical research.


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Google isn't the only tool used in this post just wanted to make that clear. The library was where research started. I just added the google information as an FYI that 41 million posts and almost all reference a lie.

Sent from Petguide.com App so please excuses the typos


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## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Not sure if that is even legible on here might shrink it down. Just a summary of the above.

Sent from Petguide.com App so please excuses the typos


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## jttar (Jan 31, 2013)

Good thread Ames. Should be a sticky so it don't get lost. Although I already knew about the nanny myth from my own research it is a very common mis belief that I thought to be true at one point. I remember hearing Cesar Milan refer to a "pitbull" being the nanny dog and it made my toes curl. LOL.


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## APBTN00b (Jul 8, 2013)

Joe anything Cesar Milan says in reference to any breed of dog makes my toes curl.


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## jttar (Jan 31, 2013)

:rofl::rofl:

I agree APBTN00b.


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