Pitbull
Pit Bull is the common name for a type of dog. Formal dog breeds often considered of the pit bull type include the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, and American Pit Bull Terrier. The American Bulldog and Bull Terrier are also sometimes included. Many of these breeds were originally developed as fighting dogs. After the use of dogs in blood sports was banned, such dogs were used as catch dogs in America for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt and drive livestock, and as family companions, although some owners still bred and used them clandestinely for dog fighting. This practice continues to this day, but is illegal in many nations. The term pit bull is often used loosely to describe dogs with similar physical characteristics, and the morphological (physical) variation amongst "bully breed" dogs makes it difficult for anyone, even experts, to visually identify them as distinct from "non-pit bulls". While mixed breed dogs are often labeled as "pit bulls" if they have certain physical characteristics such as a square shaped head or bulky body type, visual identification of mixed breed dogs is not recommended by the scholarly community.