and "uses" him to kill the owner.

Never heard of a child finding a pit bull "hidden" under a pillow or a mattress and accidently kills a brother.

Never heard of someone using a pit bull to shoot 20 children, or shoppers in a mall.

Get real!

you've heard of an irresponsible gun owner either leaving it where it can be found, or handling it improperly.

if you say he dropped it and it blew someones head off, one in a million and maybe not even that often.

No gun has ever shot anyone.
No spoon has made anyone fat

and- Pit Bulls don't attack people as a function of the breed.

I know because I read it on DU last yr after the Sandy Hook massacre when ar15 forum linked to us and we were swarmed for a bit. Most of them told me that fact so it must be true. I wonder if more people are injured by screwdrivers than omgpitbulls?

yes INDEED

In the 4th paragraph it states:

"In 1976, the Supreme Court passed the Animal Welfare Act of 1976 and dog fighting was made illegal in all 50 states."

The AWA was passed by Congress. The Supreme Court can only rule on the constitutionality of laws passed by Congress. They cannot "Pass" anything.



https://awic.nal.usda.gov/public-law-94-279-animal-welfare-act-amendments-1976

...when they do Go Off, they kill or do severe injury.

My neighbors Peek-a-Poo went off last Saturday.
They laughed.
No one was killed or went to the hospital.
Most people should not be allowed to own an animal,
my neighbors included.

genetically speaking. Many of them are bred to be aggressive/fighting type dogs. It is why they are good catch dogs for hog hunting as opposed to hounds which like to trail but are not really in it for the fight, but most people do not know how to deal with this attribute.

The truth to the article is that there is nothing really wrong with the dogs (although denying a genetic propensity exists is stupid). Most people do not have the skill or knowledge to handle dogs with an aggressive predisposition for fighting and prey drive.

Problem is backyard breeders are idiots and usually macho a-holes who breed all aggression into them.

Back in the day they were bred to only be dog aggressive. If a dog showed human aggression it was put down. This was so that people could always handle them even if they were fighting dogs. And the prize fighters usually retired into the owner's home. They weren't treated like they are now by the a-holes who fight them. Those guys will slam their dog into a fence if it loses, or toss it into the trunk of the car. Any animal who gets treated like that would have an inclination to be aggressive.

Anyway, breeders are breeding out all aggression, but unfortunately due to illegal fighting and macho idiots who think it's cool to have an aggressive dog, backyard breeders are into breeding aggression in as well as mistreating the dogs.

If you read books about the breed you'll find they all say they make a great family pet. In the fifties they were known as one of, if not the, best family breeds. They don't necessarily have any prey drive. They were not hunting dogs. Plus they are extremely obedient and learn very quickly with minimal training. People need to understand dogs though, and as with any dog, need to make sure the dog knows who is dominant. And that doesn't mean being mean to the dog, just letting them know you are the leader of the pack and they need to do what you want them to do right when you tell them to do it. My dogs were amazing. And my neighbor's pit, which she rescued from the shelter when he was about 2-3 years old, is completely non-confrontational. He avoids it. If I walk him by a barking dog he moves away from the fence. He wants nothing to do with that. My cat owns him. He is just a lover and has no desire to be aggressive at all. And he will do whatever you tell him to do. His main goal in life is to be a good boy.

you can make a reasonable decision about getting one. But, getting one from a shelter with no idea of its breeding and prior treatment is a bit of Russian roulette.

Some friends of my parents have a Silky terrier (like a yorkie, basically) and they think it's FUNNY when she attacks their son (in his 30's). They provoke the dog and laugh when the dog goes nuts.

It's just all kinds of wrong.

I have a tiny dog and I don't let her bite...ever. I teach her not to bite, and not to growl at me and I treat her like a dog. I don't train her much differently than the large dogs I've owned in the past. So many people treat their little dogs like babies and let them get away with all kinds of nasty behavior. It's really aggravating.

I WANT my dog to be well trained and well socialized...even if she IS little because if she's not well trained, that's the kind of dog that sends out the wrong signals to other people's dogs. My neighbors have pit bulls and I'll be darned if I let all 3.3 lbs of my dog provoke the neighbor's dogs. Their dogs are sweethearts (LOL, the first time I met the dogs, my neighbor was immensely disappointed I wasn't scared of them. He didn't say that, exactly, but the conversation that ensued led me to believe he likes people to stay scared of his dogs) but it would only take a 'nip' to kill my itty bitty dog. I take precautions, just in case, and part of taking precautions is training my own dog properly. These people who think it's hilarious when their itty bitty doggie goes off are the first ones to sue pit bull owners when their dog gets attacked.

No one is going door to door seizing pit bulls. If they are being euthanized, then it is because they are being left at animal shelters and no one wants to adopt them. If they are being left at animal shelters, either people are carelessly breeding them ("bred by the wrong people "?) and/or people obtain a pit bull and then decide not to keep it.

I've read the refrain ""no bad breeds, just bad owners." many, many times. Yet, it is commonly accepted that border collies, for example, are very active dogs requiring lots of exercise and training. Labadors are recognized as dogs who will eat anything. Beagles will follow their nose and need to be leashed or confined at all times.

http://www.cwbeagles.com/rescuefolder/Pros&Cons/Pros&Cons.htm

Most descriptions of dog breeds will include typical personality traits and historical uses,yet somehow, we must believe that a dog notoriously bred for dog fights and recently adopted as a guard dog by drug dealers is somehow gentle as a dove if properly raised.

Dog breeds are often named for their function - hound, retriever, shepherd. Yet somehow, "pit bull" is only a casual, innocuous term having nothing to do with the dog's form or behavior.

"Thousands of pit bulls are euthanized every day", yet because the AKC doesn't recognize a breed called Pit Bull, we are led to believe that there is no such dog.

Every pit bull is a gentle, intelligent wonderful animal until the day it isn't. I could believe that the overwhelming majority of pit bulls would make good family pets - but how do you pick out the one that is going to attack people or other animals?

So sad, dogs that no one wants. Why don't people get their dogs fixed. We have owned many dogs over the years from Basset Hounds to Yorkies, we always get them fixed so no puppies. And most breeds of dogs have some behavior bred into their genes. We have owned a lot of bird dogs, they have the urge to point things that is bred into their genes. I once owned a Bouvier and she had the urge to guard and was always on patrol.

I now have a pit bull mix. I took this dog as a rescue pup and she is about 4 years old now. I love her dearly, she is sweet and lovable to me and our family. But...there is no doubt in my mind that if a stranger came in the door, she'd go after them. We have a big fenced back yard for her to run loose, but if I take her out in the front, I always have her on a lease.

They are a very dangerous animal when raised by people with bad intent. Ownership should be closely monitored and breeding done by permit only.

"Although fatal attacks on humans appear to be a breed-specific problem (pit bull-type dogs and Rottweillers) other breeds may bite and cause fatalities at higher rates."

and many tell us how sweet their pit bull is.

It's a massive fine if they are not.

That said, I'd rather live next door to a well-raised Pittie than an ill-tempered Yorkie.

we went to eat breakfast yesterday morning and in the pickup that I parked beside there was the prettiest pit bull I've seen in a while, I say something like hi puppy and he, even though he was a long way from being a puppy got up and smiled at me and came over to the side of the truck as if asking me for a confirmation of that. I petted him and he licked my hand then watched me all the way into the restaurant, waging his tail. In his mind he felt he had made another friend. The pit that lives next door to me should be shot as even though as a puppy it was friendly to me and likewise I to it but one day it started charging the fence whenever one of us went out in the yard. I had to choke it down to get it off our old border collie or it would have killed her. It knows now that I'm not to be fucked with but its still aggressive to my wife and granddaughter. I'm not afraid of a dog and will fight them on their terms if need be and the next time it comes in my yard and attacks my pet it will be its last time. You can fuck with me all you want but don't fuck with my family or my pets.

the owners are druggies and paranoid so I figure that has something to do with it. Its a female dog and they let her have a couple litters, one by her own offspring. They still have one of the dogs from that litter, terrible looking little fella too.

is the competency of the owner, then you would expect that serious attacks would be initiated by a cross section of all large breeds.

Not so.

Two or three breeds account for the overwhelming majority of serious and fatal attacks and nearly all of them involve dogs that were never trained to fight.

Sigh. Even the CDC says the results are based on flawed data. Newspaper reports, for instance. And reporting a dog as a breed it isn't and reporting a dog/incident as 2 or more dogs.

Read the conclusions.
"Although fatal attacks on humans appear to be a breed-specific problem (pit bull-type dogs and Rottweillers) other breeds may bite and cause fatalities at higher rates."

Got anything else? Maybe something from Merritt Clifton (I hope I hope).

ask what your home owner's rate will be if you own certain breeds of dogs. Those rates are based on careful records of actual payouts.

"Although fatal attacks on humans appear to be a breed-specific problem (pit bull-type dogs and Rottweillers) other breeds may bite and cause fatalities at higher rates."

cover anything that will end up costing them a lot of money in the long run, and pit bulls have proven a bad risk for insurance companies.

"other breeds may bite and cause fatalities at higher rates."

bye bye coverage for pit bull owners and dealers.

Raise right and treated like a friend/member of the family they are loyal and obedient and all they want to do is be good. They are so affectionate and really interact with their people. Best dogs ever.

My cuties:

but where are your manners? Please introduce these properly by their names...

The toffee/caramel brindle girl is Ruga (pronounced Hooga and usually turned into Ruga Buga Muga Wuga which always made her tail wag when I said it) which is Brazilian Portuguese for wrinkle. And the honey/blond boy is ChIF, short for Chocolate Ice-Cream Face. Isn't that a real pit bullish name? He got into my pint of ice-cream once when I left the room for a second and that's how he got the name.

Sadly, they are no longer with me. But I fill with joy every time I think of them. They were truly the best dogs ever. As close to kids as any dogs could ever be.

They were brother and sister. The only two in the litter. The people I got them from had found the mother, tried a bunch of houses and no one knew whose she was. They took her to the vet the next day and he said they may have separated her from her litter since he could tell she had been nursing pups. The went back and looked and couldn't find any pups. They kept her and two weeks later she popped out these two. Vet said it must have been a second impregnation. I found their ad in the paper and got them when they were 8 weeks old.

attacks, are higher than with other dogs.

A recent study indicated that between 1982 and 2012, 426 people were killed by dogs in the United States and Canada. Of these deaths, 233 (54 percent) were caused by pit bull attacks, while pit bulls comprise only 4 percent to 5 percent of the dog population.

In that same period, there were 3,394 cases reported where a dog attack resulted in bodily harm, of which 2,235 (65 percent) were caused by pit bulls.

...why would we assume we can ignore the breeding that went into the creation of a pit bull.

Many insurance companies will not cover new shelters that adopt out pit bulls, meaning that they are automatically euthanized upon admission. Older shelters are not typically affected by this policy. Landlords are increasingly barring pit bulls, as their insurance companies will not cover them.

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20130421/PC12/130429935

… these dogs were bred to participate in an inhumane blood sport called “baiting.” Spectators found it highly entertaining to watch bulldogs pitted against bulls, bears and other large animals. During these violent events, one or more dogs were expected to attack another animal, biting it around the face and head. The dogs usually maintained their grip until the animal became exhausted from fighting and loss of blood. After animal baiting was banned in the early 1800s, people began pitting dogs against each other, and the cruel sport of dog fighting was born. As it grew in popularity, enthusiasts developed a lighter, more agile dog for the fighting ring. Some people bred their bulldogs with black and tan terriers, creating dogs who were only 25 to 30 pounds. Others may have simply selected smaller bulldogs for breeding purposes. These dogs were the forebears of the present-day pit bull.

Pit bulls were genetically selected for their fighting ability. What does this mean? It doesn’t mean that they can’t be around other dogs, that they’re unpredictably aggressive or that they will always fight to the death. These are all common myths about pit bulls. It does mean that they may be easily encouraged to fight with other dogs.

If a pit bull does bite, he’s far more likely to inflict serious injuries than most other breeds, simply because of his size and strength.
Perhaps because of their hunting and bull-baiting history, some pit bulls also have a tendency to grab and hold on with determination. This does not mean that they can’t or won’t let go of another dog once they bite.

While some pit bulls are indeed very easygoing, others should not be left alone with other dogs, cats or other pets. Pit bulls are strong, determined dogs. It might not be a pit bull who starts a disagreement, but he may be the one to finish it.

Pit bulls are high-energy dogs and need lots of exercise, but some just aren’t good candidates for the dog park. Because they’re very muscular and easily excited, friendly pit bulls can sometimes overwhelm and even injure their playmates during rough games. And pit bulls may become aggressive more quickly when exposed to the hectic, high-octane energy of a dog park environment. If there’s a squabble, a pit bull may be one of the first dogs to jump into the fray. For these reasons, many responsible pit bull parents find other ways to exercise their dogs.

They’re easily excited and, when in an agitated state, they may have little control over their behavior if they haven’t been taught to inhibit their impulses. This trait has given pit bulls a reputation for being “mouthy”—they tend to bite harder in play than other breeds. They are also quite stoic and can be insensitive to pain.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/truth-about-pit-bulls

Perhaps the solution is to stop the breeding of pit bulls altogether and disappear this unnecessary type of dog with its useless attack ability. That would solve the problem of the euthanizing.

You can't "stop breeding" them because "pit bull" is a generic term for any of several breeds of powerfully built, terrier-based dogs and every conceivable mixture thereof.

Statistics are useless because newspapers, hospitals, EMTs, victims, and owners all freely call any dog they deem large and scary to be a "pit bull," No one ever knows if they're taking about a Staffordshire Terrier, the American Pit Bull, Bull Terrier, bulldog mix, or whatever else. They aren't all infused with the ancient history of bull baiting or dog fighting either.

Dogs don't have some kind of Jungian race memory going back to the Middle Ages that makes them all killers.

The only thing we can impact is people keeping or training aggressive dogs large enough to hurt people.

Terrier breeds were created to kill animals.

Terriers were bred to get down into the the "terra" and chase vermin, not people. And not all of them even have a huge prey drive or are aggressive. Hounds of all kinds were bred to pursue, and sometimes help kill prey as well. Greyhounds in particular will chase small animals consistently. Neither hunting history nor prey drive is an indicator of aggression in a breed.

Aggression toward humans is another matter. All dogs are capable of biting. It's part of their nature, as it is part of the nature of cats and hamsters and chimpanzees.

Unless you're suggesting we create a Veggie Hound and make that the only legal breed, there's no point to be made about terriers any more than any other.

And again, "Pit Bull" isn't even a thing. It's a catch-all term for muscular dogs people blame for everything. There's an American Pit Bull Terrier, but Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Bull Terriers, Bulldogs, Mastiffs, and any number of other breeds and their mixes are all lumped together as "Pit Bulls" when the dog bite stories are written.

It's a meaningless term.

Apparently the pit bull breed, generic and not, has a higher rate of causing death by bites, which is why insurance companies have decided to deny coverage to entities that allow pit bulls (generic) to be housed.

bulls but just short haired stout mixed breed dogs? Short haired stout powerfully built dogs of every possible mixture you say are all "pit bull breed"?

Ohhhh myyyyyyyy

I will let my granddaughter play in the next door yard with their pit bull--NOT.
A lot of people suffer dog bites every day. Those attacked by Pit Bulls are maimed for life or dead.
I have had dogs in my life since a child and have myself only been bitten once by a German Shepard that was constaintly restrained and chased me down as I ran. I only got a bite on my calf.
I wish owners of Pitbulls would get out of the denial they are in and take responsibility where responsibility is due.

The only difference between the breeds would be the level of injury.

The statistics don't convince them, they reject these, and they will continue to deny them, or "play" with them to justify their desire for pit bulls to be seen differently from what they were bred for.

Be very specific. I look forward to your Merritt Clifton/CDC based response.

What there is, is an almost zombielike FoxNewsviewerness about the general public in regards to "pitbulls" in this day and age.

My suggestion, is that pit bulls should be stopped from being bred to be pit bulls until the "line" is lost forever.

I can take any that I choose, here or Googled eh?

Google for this...good joke. Something for folks to rely on when they don't really know. The think they get that "holy grail of my point I just made!" and end up looking stupid.

I GET IT.

But insurance companies are REFUSING TO PROVIDE INSURANCE TO ANYONE HOUSING PIT BULLS. The reason being, PIT BULLS COST INSURANCE COMPANIES A LOT OF MONEY. Insurance companies don't like anything that costs them too high an outlay of cash. They won't provide insurance to homes in beach areas that are routinely flooded, they won't provide insurance and they will not provide insurance to entities that house pit bulls.

Due to a potential liability hazard, the aggressive dog should be removed from the premises," the letter from Shelter Insurance Companies read. "No aggressive dog or aggressive breed of dog should replace this dog."

Such ultimatums are not uncommon for home owners who have what insurance companies deem "dangerous dog" breeds.

Dog bites accounted for more than one-third of all homeowners insurance liability claims paid out in 2012, costing more than $489 million, according to the Insurance Information Institute (III). There were 16,459 dog bite claims last year. The average cost of settling those claims was $29,752.

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130924/NEWS07/130929695/1067


To determine which dog breeds are dangerous, insurance companies rely on self-reports, says a spokesperson for American Family Insurance, a company that denies coverage to owners of pit bulls, Akitas, Chow Chows, wolf-dog hybrids and Dobermans.

Read more: http://digitaljournal.com/life/lifestyle/insurer-discrimination-against-pitbulls-rooted-in-fear-not-fact/article/375342#ixzz2vcc3vT8j

Pit bulls were bred to kill. They were not bred to be dancing dogs or guide the blind. Their jaws and musculature, their personalities which can be set off as quick as a switch, are bred to kill. You can argue until you're blue in the face. Even the ASPCA website is honest about it, why can't you be?

I suggest you get yourself some poodles instead.

I've read your previous posts and over the years, many posts by the ignorant and blind. "Their jaws and musculature." And, yes the "bred to kill"

Hey, psst, you should read that last link of yours again. The whole thing. The one about "rooted in fear, not fact"

I'm not saying that insurance companies aren't being absolute shits about certain dog breeds, of which, the "pitbull" is one. Doesn't admonish them from being the aforementioned zombie idiot Foxwatcher ilk I spoke of previously.

I don't just like them, I rescue them. I fight for them against the ill-informed, ignorant and just plain stupid among us. Sadly, of which there are many.

I wish you failure in your wish for the extermination/extinction of this breed. Your canine "cleansing" desire has been noted.

*firmly puts goalposts back* Statistics indeed. Fail again.

NOT by nature, and with the sole intention of creating a killing machine. Humans can unbreed it.

are powerfully built?

You breed them with other breeds and "disappear" that MAN-MADE breed altogether. After all, man created it, and man can disappear it.

mixture? Good lord, no wonder there is a problem, with that being what "pit bull breed" is.

Because he firmly believed all dogs loved him. He was wrong, and that little shit from Hell was never invited over again. It wasn't her fault; her owners sucked at raising a well-behaved dog. I've seen vicious Shelties, horrifying terriers, and the like.

Pit Bulls are used as service dogs in some cases, just so you know. They are built so that they can handle the weight of an adult and are used as balance assistance...much like Great Danes. The more you know...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/07/prince-georges-county-pit-bull-service-dog_n_4057528.html

to be funny, but really.

As for pit bulls being service dogs, they are bred to kill. Are you going to give a blind man or a sick child a pit bull to care for them? UH... not exactly.

The results of that little joke on my dad weren't humorous. I donate money to two service dog projects. One that raises Danes and one that raises Pit Bulls. If my child had balance issues? You bet I'd get one.

play with our 13 pound Jack mix. Scout adores children- but, will she get over excited and jump and scratch them? Yep.

I am amazed at the people that let their small children run up to her while we are out walking her- fortunately she is so small, we just scoop her up and restrain her while the kids pat her.

Sergeant Stubby (1916 or 1917 – April 4, 1926), was the most decorated war dog of World War I and the only dog to be promoted to sergeant through combat. America's first war dog, Stubby served for 18 months and participated in seventeen battles on the Western Front. He saved his regiment from surprise mustard gas attacks, found and comforted the wounded, and even once caught a German spy by the seat of his pants, holding him there until American soldiers found him. Back home his exploits were front page news of every major newspaper.

Stubby, according to vintage articles from his time,was noted to be a Pit Bull breed. Stubby was found wandering the grounds of Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut while a group of soldiers were training. The dog hung around as the men drilled and one soldier, Corporal Robert Conroy, developed a fondness for the Pit Bull. When it came time for the outfit to ship out, Conroy hid Stubby on board the troop ship. The story goes that upon discovery by Conroy's commanding officer, Stubby saluted him as he had been trained to in camp, and the commanding officer was so impressed that he allowed the dog to stay on board.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant_Stubby

Although I myself think similarly of Rottweilers. And I possess a strong aversion to both breeds because of this. They have very over-pronounced jaws and cartoonishly proportioned heads. I find them rather repulsive, actually.

Whereas I grew up with a German Shepard which does not possess the outwardly menacing appearance that I associate with the shape of Pit Bulls and Rottweilers. And I have no aversion to German Shepards.

This despite the fact that all three of these breeds possess similar jaw strength and aggression.

This is either an argument that all three breeds should be heavily regulated or that they shouldn't be heavily regulated at all. I'll leave that for you to decide.

I'll pet them if they are wagging their tails and obviously looking for ear scritches and the like. I would not have one around kids under 10.

had two Pit Bulls which at different times attacked my husband and I. Like someone said above, messing with me is one thing but then one attacked and nearly killed my Australian Cattle dog. I petitioned the court, had the dog declared vicious, and they removed the dog.

Six months later the other attacked my Cattle dog and back to court we went. Dog Gone. All of these attacks were in my fenced yard. The neighbor had debris stacked so high on the fence his dogs could come right on over.

About a year ago, we lost our other dog. Our groomer couldn't rest until she got us another dog. Somehow she sent us a Pit Bull rescue. That poor dog had been abused, chained, and left to die in the Arizona sun. He is the sweetest and most appreciative dog. I think he believes he died and went to heaven.

He may only want to cuddle but his appearance would give one pause. Not to mention he sounds big and bad. He is a big two-year old baby and still pees like a puppy.

which confirms that it is not the dog, it is the owner.

Hope he will get house trained real soon.

They're apparently too much for many people to handle.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-12-05/news/ct-pit-bull-abandonment-met-20131205_1_pit-bulls-reported-dog-bites-strains-rescuers

SNIP

Pit bulls have been both glorified and victimized by their reputation. They're not a breed but a general term for a group of dogs including American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers and various mixes. Known for their powerful builds, and large, broad heads and jaws, they're beloved by some for sweetness and loyalty, and feared by others for much-publicized vicious attacks.

Their growing numbers at shelters have run counter to what otherwise has been a great success in animal care in recent decades — a steady decline in impounded and euthanized pets, due primarily to sterilizations and adoptions. In Chicago, the number of animals put down each year dropped by more than half from 2006 through last year, to about 8,000. The number of pit bulls impounded, however, went steadily up from 2010 to 2012, with the number euthanized generally also increasing.

SNIP

For those looking to own a pet, pit bulls are seemingly everywhere: they're for sale on eBay for up to $1,000 each, at pet stores, in parking lots and even on ice during breaks at Chicago Wolves hockey games. On a typical recent day, Chicago's animal control website for the city showed 28 of 41 dogs up for adoption were pit bulls.

Part of the reason for the rising tide of pit bulls is their increase in popularity, but pit bulls appear to end up in shelters far out of proportion to their numbers. No pit bull breed was among the top 50 most popular breeds listed by the American Kennel Club last year.

People breed then litter after litter, almost giving them away. People buying them are often clueless about the dangers of not raising/training a dog like this. If the dog is a problem (usually from their owners ignorance) they just get rid of them and get another.

I have a large breed dog, he isn't my baby, he is my dog. If I don't do my job and train him correctly, then he can be dangerous. He could kill someone or another dog. In my opinion, dangerous dogs are not the guard dogs growling behind a fence. Really dangerous dogs are large breeds that are spoiled and allowed to run a household, confused about their place in the pack.

As I have said many times, I think people should have to take a class before buying a dog and obedience classes after the purchase.

Do the owners realize the responsibility of raising them? Of training them? How many get them so they have "attack dogs?"

The very first response to this thread compared them to guns..

One aspect is true: people get guns and "attack dogs" to brag, or to alley someone's fears, or to boost their egos. They don't bother to be responsible owners.

... is complicated and full of "grey area" considerations.

Anyone who has even briefly examined the issue can fairly easily see that Pit Bulls are statistically not much different from most breeds in terms of vicious propensity. You can also see that - like most dogs - a vicious Pit Bull is most often the product of its environment. Any time ANY dog attacks a person or another dog, you can safely bet that it stems from a lack of training, lack of socialization, or an abusive upbringing.

BUT - you also cannot ignore some simple and plain facts:

1. Pit Bulls are large, powerful, and HAVE been bred over the centuries for the very traits and characteristics that make the animal a formidable opponent in a fight. Strong jaw (I agree they don't "lock", but they're still powerful), a low center of mass... Physically, it is simply easier to kick away a collie or a Springer spaniel than it is a Pit Bull. That's not the dog's fault, obviously, but you cannot ignore this fact.

2. Pit Bulls have a reputation that ATTRACTS the type of owner who is more likely to be abusive, or is more likely to desire and promote the viciousness of the dog. Not ALL PB owners, of course. But it would be foolish to ignore the fact that Bubba the redneck is not nearly as likely to get a Jack Russell to guard his meth lab, right? I don't have a source for this - but I think its common sense and a given of human nature.

3. I sincerely believe that dogs can sense fear and anxiety, and that sensing such, in turn, promotes fear and anxiety in the dog. And the presence of a Pit Bull generates fear and anxiety in many people - rightly or wrongly. It must be confusing to the dogs to feel as if everyone around them is wigged out all the time. No wonder they often feel on edge. But again, it would seem foolish to not take this into account if you're in the presence of a large, powerful dog.

I have children. Not so small now, but still small enough to worry about this type of thing. I'm apprehensive about ANY strange dog around them. I'm more apprehensive about any strange BIG dog around them. And I'm even MORE apprehensive when they are around a large breed dog that I know is "perceived" by many owners as aggressive (PBs, Dobermans, Akitas, GSs ...) because I have to wonder if their owner got that breed because they love their dog, or because they think its cool to have a "kick-ass", "siccum" kind of dog, or even because it was a rescue that might have suffered abuse in a previous life.

It certainly is not the dog's fault. But in our society - perhaps because of our society -, I would be an idiot if I didn't keep an extra eye out at the park when such a dog shows up. I'm sorry, but I'm just not as worried about Sally the soccer mom with her 70 lb Labradoodle wearing a bandanna as I am DeWayne the redneck with his 50 lb PB wearing a spiked collar.

I suspect my take on this is common. The problem is that people try to make this a black and white issue. Its either PBs are the "best dog ever" or "evil demon spawn". No. They're dogs. And dogs - and owners - are a mixed bag.