“Once In A Lifetime” is a documentary film series exploring the controversial history and ongoing emotional debate surrounding pit bull terriers, weaved through a story about a once-in-a-lifetime dog named Preston.
Since the 1980s, one type of dog has been singled-out in political wars; declared a threat to the safety of the general public.
They are also said to be the most common breed of dog found on the properties of dogfighting raids, where they are bred to be matched against one another. The dogs we are talking about are often simply referred to as – Pit Bulls.
My name is Jeff Theman, and I am the human behind River Fire Films, LLC. For over 45 years there have been two main constants in my life – an inherent love for dogs and the arts.
For centuries of the human-canine bond, dogs have accompanied our ancestors in performing a variety of tasks. They assisted in working roles – such as hunting, herding of livestock and the guarding of property. And, they also offered general companionship.
However, in the case of pit bull dogs, their evolution is oftentimes muddied with controversy and uncomfortable conversations about the purpose of their creation.
Nevertheless, one thing is clear – the ancestry of the American Pit Bull Terrier is the byproduct of crossing an Old English Bulldog with a variety of terriers. This produced offspring that possessed the desired traits of both in one complete package.
These half bulldog-half terrier crosses – often referred to as bull-and-terriers or half-and-half’s, were the foundation that will later become the Pit Bull Terrier.
Most historians of the American Pit Bull Terrier acknowledge the majority of the originating stock of dogs came to the United States with their English and Irish immigrant families during the 19th Century, who fled their country sometime before the Civil War.
Even though most states outlawed dogfighting by the 1860s, interest in the activity continued to grow. This led to a well publicized match in 1881 between Lloyd’s Pilot (28 lbs) versus Kreiger’s Crib (27.5 lbs.) that has been largely identified as the turning point in the popularity of dogfighting.
After several decades of somewhat obscurity, news stories about pit bull dogs and their association to dogfighting began circulating in the mid-late 1970s. By the beginning of the 1980s, reports of pit bulls and their violent tendencies became national news.
In 1980, Hollywood, Florida passed the country’s first legislation targeting pit bull dogs. It was quickly struck down in court due to violations of constitutional rights, but by the close of the decade – breed specific legislation spread rapidly like wildfire across the country and around the world.
On the late morning of April 25, 2007, news quickly spread about NFL star quarterback, Michael Vick, suspected of running a dogfighting operation.
Federal agents and humane investigators raided his rural Virginia property, finding dozens of pit bull dogs and evidence of dogfighting. Again, this horrified the general population who were given their first glimpse into the world of animal fighting.
Weaved through this controversial story about pit bull terriers, is a tale about the human-canine relationship. How fate disguised itself as coincidence.
It’s a story about a once-in-a-lifetime dog named Preston and his filmmaker human, Jeff.
On July 6, 2006, three dogs were taken by humane investigators during a drug bust in Akron (OH). The dogs were seized due to fresh wounds consistent with dogfighting. Preston was one of these dogs.
They were taken to the local humane society where they were kept as evidence. This was pre-Michael Vick case, in a state that had statewide laws restricting pit bull dogs. So, once they were rescued by humane officers, they’d soon need to be saved…again.
“Remembering Preston” | A “Once In A Lifetime” Promo Video
View our collection of short promotional videos, featuring sub-stories related to pit bull dogs and the “Once In A Lifetime” documentary series.
Learn about the complicated history of pit bull dogs through vintage photographs, newspaper articles and other artifacts in this special blog series – The Archives, or read all Once In A Lifetime blog entries.
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