I seem to remember molossers were very valuable amongst Phoenecian traders who journeyed all over the ancient world, including the FC. The dogs were so valued that they were even a form of trading currency and when the Phoenecians reached the British Isles the dogs were mated with mastiffs of the area to create the ancestors of the Bull and Terrier as well.
It sounds like there are pit type dogs that live in the Fertile Crescent. The one by the Iraqi police station is a sort of pet for the policemen and likes to snack on scraps we'll feed him when we pass by it on patrol. It will bark whenever people that aren't Iraqi police or US troops show up too.
Even the Romans used the molossers as pit fighters too. Roman cruelty was not just toward their fellow humans. The ancestors of pits fought in the Colosseum it seems.
So would some rate Pits as Mastiff types as well? A fellow soldier and amateur dog enthusiast says Pits are basically miniature Mastiffs. I don't agree, frankly. I wonder what other pit fanciers think of that statement.
I've read the same of Phoenecians having dogs as well. These dogs being bred with Mastiff of British Isles where did the dogs of the Brits come from? The ancient molossers are said to be the ancestors of those and other mastiffs.
As for the ancestor of the bull / terrier I've heard some theories. Though it is most probable that bulldogs went back to the molossers. Bulldogs were considered small mastiffs, but it is a dog of different type then the typical mastiffs we think of today. A bulldog also would not always mean a specific breed. It was a butchers dog or a bull baiting dog. This would be true of terriers also, different terriers were bred together early on and some bred within different regions (which is how some came to be named) within a closed gene pool which turned into types/lines/breeds.
Romans certainly made use of the molosser dogs. It seems in many types of contest. Today the bully kutta is still a larger type fighting breed. One that is agile, slender built but big and powerful.
There are also the Great Danes. Today many are bred only for show and many do not have the same temperament they had really not all that long ago it seems. From what I observe people (Dane breeders and the like) do not want them known as guardians nor hunters, ect.
Molossers have spread throughout the world in one way or another. I would not however call Pit Bulls a mini mastiff. To me they do not have the quality of a mastiff nor do they have blood of modern mastiff breeds.
On another note, there was one civilian police advisor (the sort of guy who trains Iraqi policemen and who works as a police officer in South Central LA) I've spoken to who said he's had to deal with tons of badly bred pits, usually property of illegal dogfighters or drug dealers. He's one of those guys who says pits tend to turn on their owners (I don't believe this, it's about training and knowing your pooch no matter what or who he is) and also he's had to put down pits that have attacked him whilst on calls or counter-narcotics raids. Can bad breeding/abuse be treated in most pits? I've heard horror stories throughout the web of rescued ex-fighting pits who've turned on their new masters. Are these true or mostly chaff?
I'm sure as a police officer in the city he's had to deal with a lot of badly bred and trained Pits. They are popular with gangs as fighting dogs and protection dogs. They are also utilized as guard dogs of drug houses (though some are actually quite friendly and are of no threat to trespassers/police officers, unfortunately others really are vicious junk yard type guard dogs).
Pits in general do not tend to turn on their owners. But they can turn on their owner/family just like any other breed. A lot of dog owners (not breed specific but Pits included) do not have the most stable dogs or the dog has an issue that isn't being addressed. When this is ignored or goes unnoticed it isn't resolved then the dog finally attacks whether that is someone in the family or outside the family. This happens in all breeds and in dogs from varying environments from small to large dogs in a nice family setting treated with kindness to a dog that has never been treated right. Dogs that are badly abused tend to fear people and fear their owners too much to turn on them but some might be more likely to attack others out of fear.
I would say the stories are mostly BS. A lot of the lies of Pit Bulls and fighting dogs myths are perpetuated by the HSUS. So while their are bad in the bunch without a doubt, you can't deny that, dogs that aren't culled that should have been most game/game bred dogs have solid temperaments. I've met a few man aggressive Pits and the majority were not that of game breeding. Overall I've had only one dangerous of all the Pits I've owned. Truly a screw loose with that dog. The good nature, stability, trustworthiness with humans of the breed comes from being pit dogs so it is illogical to think that it would at the same time make them untrustworthy, it'd be like a contradiction. There is no way I believe that most of my dogs ancestors were dangerous or that they did/would turn on their owners. I also find it ironic that when the heat came on pit fighting and it started to be outlawed soon followed the time when they started to become known as aggressive, dangerous dogs. Not previously when these pit dogs were known for also being good family pets, great dogs with children and dogs of courage. Look at Petey of the Our Gang comedies, I'm sure no one looked down on him for his breed, nor fretted that the children were in danger. The same of his GR CH pit fighting sire. Pit Bulls were not considered to be "bred to attack and kill" "unpredictable and vicious" until later on after the dog fighting crack down.
None of my ex fighters have ever had anything but friendly temperaments to humans, some very over friendly. I also say overall stability is there. Though to be honest there is an exception but then she was badly abused so she was fearful of people. Still not the lease bit aggressive. Only taking forever to trust us, then was like a totally different dog (with us, happy, playful she learned to play). But with people she did not know she would try to hide or just stand very still. She did warm up to one pit/dog lover immediately, it was awesome to see. Then she also went on to not behave so skittishly at vet visits. Her temperament has nothing to do with fighting and more to do with the physical abuse she received from her previous owner. I also don't know of her early handling/socialization which I imagine was probably just as terrible. When bad things happen early on they can be more damaging in some dogs. Even neglect can cause fear and other issues.
A lot of people want to be blind to the good nature of these dogs. The Vick dogs helped to change some minds going into pet homes with success and Leo becoming a therapy. Only 1 was put down for bad temperament out of all of them. And we know from the accounts that these dogs were horribly abused and neglected. It is true that some are still at a sanctuary, the worst cases and those that would not adapt so quickly, it is not due to aggression.
You must consider the abuse/neglect they suffered. It is not really different then puppy mill rescues, some are put down because of temperament or they take lots of time to rehab. If you lock a dog away for its whole life, like Vick did or others do, the dog does not know how to act around people nor how to interact with them. Humans are more complex but if you do this to a child you get just the same, the child would not know how to behave, how to interact with other people, how to play. Dogs are not as complex, much more resilient and much easier to rehab. They can learn and adjust quicker.
I do not think a true man aggressive temperament by blood can be "treated" if it is the type that is unpredictable. Without a cause for the dogs aggression nor a trigger to know of. There really is no basis to work with. At least I'm not risking this myself nor put my families life in that type of danger.
ETA
Dog aggression and human aggression are 2 different things. Aggression to humans in this breed is seen for a number of reasons. Even in dogs not from abusive homes, even those who think they treat their dogs perfect and their dog will always be an angel. Pit Bulls can become DA and are perfectly capable of attacking other dogs/starting fights all on their own even if it is the last thing they want their owner to do. There is no reason to think that setting a dog in a pit and allowing them to do this will some how turn them into a dog that will attack their family. Whether the dog fights and the owner wants it to or the dog fights and the owner doesn't want it to it would still be the same dog. Stable just the same if it was prior. The dog does not know it is wrong or that it is illegal. The dog is just doing what it knows to do.