Famous pit bull mix dogs in history: Stubby to Pete the Pup

Part 1

What pit bull means, and why the record gets confusing

Lucenay's Peter, who played Pete the Pup, was registered as both an American Pit Bull Terrier and an American Staffordshire Terrier. The American Kennel Club recognized the American Pit Bull Terrier and then changed the registered breed name to American Staffordshire Terrier in 1935.

If you have ever tried to guess your own dog's mixed background just by looking at them, you already know how hard breed identification by eye can be. The dogs in this guide show the same uncertainty, even after becoming famous.

Part 2

Sergeant Stubby, the stray who went to war

Stubby was a stray who wandered onto the grounds of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, in July 1917, while the 102nd Infantry Regiment trained there. Private James Robert Conroy took a liking to the dog, who learned camp routines including a modified salute. When the regiment shipped out, Conroy hid Stubby aboard the troop ship SS Minnesota, and the dog was allowed to stay once he saluted the commanding officer who discovered him.

Stubby served with the 102nd Infantry for eighteen months and took part in seventeen battles on the Western Front. He helped warn soldiers of mustard gas attacks, found wounded men in no man's land, and was credited with holding a German soldier until American troops arrived. For this, his unit's commander nominated him for the rank of sergeant, and he has been called the most decorated war dog of the war. After the war he marched in parades, met three U.S. presidents, and became a mascot at Georgetown, where he nudged a football around the field at halftime. His remains have been part of a display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Was Stubby really a pit bull mix?

Contemporary newspapers described Stubby as a Boston Terrier or bull terrier mutt, and historian Ann Bausum, who researched his life in depth, wrote that he probably owed some of his parentage to the early Boston Terrier line. Bausum states plainly that nothing in the historical record supports the claim that Stubby was a pit bull, and that the idea spread on the internet rather than from evidence gathered during his lifetime. Bausum, his biographer, states that nothing in the historical record supports the claim that Stubby was a pit bull.

Part 3

Pete the Pup and early Hollywood

The dog known as Pete the Pup appeared in Hal Roach's Our Gang comedy shorts, later shown as The Little Rascals, starting in the late 1920s. The first dog to play the role, Pal the Wonder Dog, was a UKC registered American Pit Bull Terrier born in 1924. Pal had a natural ring around most of his right eye, and his trainer completed the circle with dye. Pal died after being poisoned in 1930.

After Pal's death, his son Lucenay's Peter took over the role and became known as Pete the Pup. Lucenay's Peter was dual-registered as an American Pit Bull Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier, and since he lacked his father's natural marking, Hollywood makeup artist Max Factor painted the ring around his eye. He appeared in shorts including Pups Is Pups and School's Out, and his final Our Gang appearance came in 1932, before he died of old age in 1946. His trainer, Harry Lucenay, later said the dog was gentle, playful, and just the regular family dog.

Part 4

How the type's name changed over time

The American Kennel Club recognized the American Pit Bull Terrier and then changed the registered breed name to American Staffordshire Terrier in 1935. Lucenay's Peter was among the first dogs registered under the new name. The name change in 1935 moved dogs like Lucenay's Peter from one registry name to another.

Part 5

What sets these dogs apart from purebred icons in this hub

Stubby's exact parentage was never settled, and even the label pit bull is disputed by his own biographer. Pal and Lucenay's Peter were registered dogs, but their breed name changed from American Pit Bull Terrier to American Staffordshire Terrier in 1935. If you are curious about your own dog's mixed background, these stories are a reminder that identity in dogs, famous or not, is rarely tidy.