The way it was

After looking THE DOG FANCY 1912 & looking at old time pictures of Pit Bulls of that time period & the ads that sell them . A person can connect the dots.
John P Colby sold Jack the Ripper ( A 63 pound dog on chain) for $100 with the statement this dog can whip any dog in America if trained by a competent person. He had many ads with impressive statements on his dogs at prices around $50 Bottom line he says he has the best dogs in America.
All in all though there was an endless number of names Flagg bros. Flint and Blackwell , George Armtage , EL Marris ,tons of small ad's all saying more or less the same thing, Very business like and tasteful & letting people know the Dogs are game , or Dead Game, how long it fought , sound limb and teeth , with dogs weighing from 34 to 64 pounds
you could buy a Pit dog for $5 $10 to $15 a general price , stud fees were around $10 to $20 for great dogs. The pictures of the dogs are nothing short of IMPRESSIVE the dogs of 1900's look extra fine to me!!
Considering the income of those years all the above price were not a casual expenditure you had to have dedication for the sport.The fighting purse was from what i read $300 $500 and up.
wages early 1900's
child in textile mill.................$3.54/week
housekeeper..........................$5.00/week
girl in sweatshop...................$8.76/week
meat packer............................$9.50/week
Ford auto worker, 1913............$2.00/day
Ford auto worker, 1914............$5.00/day
average salary, 1912................$592/year
average salary, 1914................$627/year
average salary, 1916................$708/year
The dog men had all , freedom to express from A to Z , importantly the prices were high to be in the game & must of helped keep the riff Raff out..
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Next when you look at what the general pet Pit dogs people owned in the 1900's Many do look like the real fighting dogs but also, many are a BYB of the day with very varied sizes and head shapes . The true fighters seem to be More consistent in looks. From what i can see there was huge love for the breed ,the Army , the General public , the Sportsmen (dog men) Those were the good old days .

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A small sample of 1900's​

Beechmont Kennels 4548 FIRST ST LOUISVILLE KY RED PAT AT STUD 30 lbs FEE $10.00 RULER AT STUD 45 lbs FEE $10.00 Red Pat RED PAT Is by Rubel's Ch Pilot ex Red Nell and a half brother to the great 32 pound dog Tomlln who won In two hours and 12 minutes over Lentz's Demon Tomlln also stopped Bailey In 55 minutes and after taking him home a son of Pilot and a Coach dog got to him and he fought them both for six hours dying the next day Pat has proven to be absolutely game and his sire and dam have also proven so Their sires and dams and so on back for 6 generations Therefore a man can t go wrong in breeding to the last descendant of this grand old bitch that always produced winners Young and old stock for sale WJ TOOMBS 4548 First St LOUISVILLE KY Swineford's Bull Terrier Kennels The home of the Famous Delihant's Paddyj Stock Young stock for sale by following STUD DOGS King Paddy 35 lbs King Harrod 32 lbs General 45 lbs Swineford's Bob 60 lbs My kennels contain twenty brood bitches gleaned from the best strains of Pit Bull Terriers the world ever produced ALL STOCK ELIGIBLE TO REGISTRATION When you buy a pup from me you get a big strong healthy one One that la used to all foods not a suckling that Is liable to die on your hands because Its stomach is not accustomed to heavy foods CTAM stock guaranteed as described and none misrepresented A square deal assured KING PADDY L A SWINEFORD Proprietor Ashland Ohio

 

Colby's Famous Fighting Dogs PIT BULL TERRIERS Containing the blood of Galvln's TURK Teddy Racine's DANGER Charter Lloyd's PILOT and Colby's TIGB and PINCHKR the five greatest dogs the world has ever produced We have the nearest descendants of those famous dogs now living JOHN P COLBY HAS BRED AND SOLD MORE FIGHTING DOGS THAN ANY ONE MAN IN AMERICA It Is easy enough to get good lookers and good fighters but It takes a game dog to win If you want game dogs buy at the fountain head Wa furnished the best dog men In America Stock of all weights and ages for sale Including several fine bitches In whelp JOHN P COLBY 36 Franklin St Newburyport Mass

 

Flagg Brothers Breeder of Fijlitiii Dull Terriers 16 Auburn Street Newburyport Matt At Stud Fee $10.00 BUSTER BC8TEB 62 Pound Check AIM AB SOt t IT EL V GAME DOG Buster contains the blood of all the greatest dogs in the country and has proven to be a sire of game fighting dogs Young and Matured StocK Always

 

Bowser's Modern Method Kennels I am ready to book orders for pups from three of as good bitches as live sired by my 26 pound dog DIXIE the gamest and purest bred pit dog alive Buckskin and white 26 pound dog DIXIE Sire Duffy's Jack McCarty s Bucky ex Nagel's Nell Dam Curt in s Bess sister to Burk's Tim Burk's Billy ex Boutell's Maud Extended to 10 generations I also have several grand pit dogs for sale BOWSER'S MODERN METHOD FOR TRAINING AND HANDLING PIT DOGS The onlv modern and up to date book published on the subject Gives In detail each day's training care of dog after work and how to feed Also full details and cuts showing construction for building training machines Instructions for handling in battle and care afterward All tricks exposed Gives complete Instruction for training for rat killing Gives Dog Fit Rules Rat Pit Rules Badger Baiting Rules Blank forms of articles of agreement to fact every detafl pertaining to care of Pit Dogs by the most successful trainer In the world Price $1.25 postpaid Modern Safety Harness made to order price $2.60 Modem Box Muzzles made to order price $1.50 prepaid L BOWSER 119 Prat St GREENFIELD IND Dixie

 

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1 PIT BULL TERRIERS Very best of breeding Full pedigree furnished These are all dead game tried out dogs Prices right too If you have been disappointed by dealing with unscrupulous dealers buy of me At stud General 52 pounds and the marvelous little black and tan dog Dixon 36 pounds WHD Vose PO Box 647 Lawrence Mass 20 12 a FOR SALE OR EXCHANGE Ten good Pit Bull Terrier bitches Will be in season soon Weights from 25 to 45 pounds Best breeding possible and dead game Will sell cheap considering quality or will exchange some of them for a good stud dog Also have some good game chickens to trade for Pit Bull Terriers Dillon's Pit Bull Terrier Kennels Shawnee Okla 20 12 a SACRIFICE SALE One 44 pound brin dle bitch one 42 pound brindle and white bitch bred from the Delihant Paddy strain Game fighters $20.00 each Will soon be In season One 45 pound dog brindle and white Colby stock dead game $25.00 One brindle and white pup 3 months old The same as the above stock Price $15.00 All pedigreed E Riley 1350 National Ave Milwaukee Wis 20 12 a FOR SALE Bull Terrier puppies two months old male and female They are beautifully marked white and brindle and pedigreed The grand sire is imported Prices males $10.00 females $5.00 One male 14 months old $15.00 These dogs are guaranteed to flght anything Mrs CT Smith Jr Croxton Va 20 12 b

 

I conclude this post , but I wish I could time travel back & pick up a dog from the 1900's .I wonder if some one from the future will say the same of us.

 

Excellent post and info. I love reading all these old magazines and adverts
from a by gone era. Defo makes u want to have been around then.

But it also demonstrates how civilised society was towards
Each other in general. Who would have thought that animals
Would have more rights than people nearly a hundred years
On.

 

LOL... they advertise dogs they are selling as dead game. The BS spans the ages! I wonder if the peddlers of today will be looked back upon with such reverence?

 

I think they were referring to the pups or litters of dead game dogs. But u
R correct, bullshit does span the ages.

 

If colby was alive today, I'd have no hesitation sending him my hard earned
For a few pups, unlike some peddlers around today !

 

I think bull shit could span life times but back then one really could fight dogs & believe what you see. Hypothetical was not a word (concerning a fight) back then. Dogs were real.

 

theres alot of damn gud dogs out there as well as dogmen/women n breeders,but there alot more peddlers,thieves,n grimmy ass fukers out there.many people have forgot bout being humble,respect,honesty,n common courtesy.sum foos have their head too far up their own ass n think just cuz they have sum damn gud hounds other shuld kiss their ass fr a dog.just like foos on here that do nutn but talk shit all the time rather than tryn to help sumbody out.its like the old sayn goes united we stand ,divided we fall.we r only fukn ourselves n our breed

 

I think back then, how much could you bull shit some one ,testing a dog was a hart beat away.If our dogs are still good it's cause of dog men from the past, and who ever is here now. But i feel 100 years from now what will the APBT really be like.

 

nice pit 5 very enjoyble....
the prices the salaries

 

i hope that is a joke

 

I guess animals have more rights , But how many dogs are killed yearly in the pound ? how are animals (human food) - cows pigs chickens - raised now compared to 100 years ago ? are we still hunting wales ? are animals heading to extinction ? , are the poler caps melting ? hows the ozone doing? If you watch Nancy Grace you know people are killing there children Look those things don't really matter cause at least there is no dog fighting - thats the law. WOW we are so civilized now. I think i want to suggest no Betta fish fighting , how about lets ban the fish since people can not be trusted. some one is fighting the Betta fish we need to ban together and do whats right. Sarcasm