[OmegaSupreme]

Originally Posted by BBMW

Because the thug class is draw to the pit bull's tough reputation and appearance, and then turn them into weapons. They're very loyal dogs, and will do whatever their owner wants. If the owner wants them to be vicious to strangers (maybe to protect a drug stash), they will be.

Yep, again not the breed, it's the owner

Most lovable affectionate dog breed I've ever encountered and I've never owned a pit bull

[Caltovegas]

Oh he doesn't bite. Chomp.

[clutchcargo777]

Originally Posted by Caltovegas

Oh he doesn't bite. Chomp.

"I thought you said your dog doesn't bite?!?!"

"That's not my dog".

[Prosze]

You have got to be so careful with babies around dogs. That being said,

i'll never understand why someone would choose this type of dog when there are so many better breeds of dogs, especially for families.

Any dog can hurt a person, but I'm not going to choose one with the reputation this type has earned.

[Hughie]

Originally Posted by Dltordj

You have got to be so careful with babies around dogs. That being said,

i'll never understand why someone would choose this type of dog when there are so many better breeds of dogs, especially for families.

Any dog can hurt a person, but I'm not going to choose one with the reputation this type has earned.

Must be the owner self-identified as a bad-ass. Seems a shame that in order to walk your dog it is better to open carry.

[stan4]

The owner thing goes so far.
Lots of bites from pits with nice, normal owners.
Dog breeds come with innate characteristics. You can try to shape them and give them direction. But that's it.

I didn't train my collies to herd. But they do it. And I can't train them not to. That's what they do.

[Hughie]

Originally Posted by stan4

The owner thing goes so far.
Lots of bites from pits with nice, normal owners.
Dog breeds come with innate characteristics. You can try to shape them and give them direction. But that's it.

I didn't train my collies to herd. But they do it. And I can't train them not to. That's what they do.

It seems that breeders could mix their less aggressive dogs though, and get a more gentle animal.

[stan4]

Originally Posted by Hughie

It seems that breeders could mix their less aggressive dogs though, and get a more gentle animal.

Given that so many bites and attacks occur suddenly and from nice animals no one would have suspected, how do you suggest one determine which are the gentle animals?

[Maliblue]

You have to consider who is raising the pit bull.

I have known many pit bulls over the years. The ones raised in a loving, doting home were some of the sweetest, most eager-to-please dogs I have ever met. A pit bull raised in a happy home to be a happy dog is sociable, patient and protective with kids, playful, and obedient.

If I had to come up with two complaints about them, I'd say that they are not the rocket scientists of the dog universe and do dumb things sometimes, and that they do indeed have sharp teeth, so during play you can get your knuckles scratched up from removing tennis balls from their mouths. However, they seem to know this, and generally try to be very gentle when you stick your hand into their mouths full of razor teeth.

I've played with pit bulls with children many times, and never once felt that a child was in danger. If the pit bull is not the children's own dog, I think children should be supervised, but this is true with any dogs.

However, an awful lot of pit bulls are raised to be fighting dogs. They are the breed of favor for drug dealers and other badasses who need to look tough, and you can't depend on criminals to raise a dog with love and guidance. They are also the most likely to leave the dog tied up (which makes the dog go mental) or let the dogs roam free, so that they wind up escaping. These dogs have often been subjected to kicking and being hit or otherwise abused, and that is what makes them violent.

Because of the bad rap they get, fewer "nice" families raise this breed and more criminals raise them, which means a higher percent of this breed is going to be abused. That is when the sharp teeth become deadly.

The breed itself is not any more crazy or dangerous than other breeds, and doesn't need to be singled out (which needlessly makes nice pit bull owners look like "bad people" for even owning one). What needs to happen is that people need to be held accountable for when their dogs escape and cause harm. People also need to be better educated about dogs in general; most dogs (including pits) are polite enough to give ample warning to stay away before they resort to attack, but people don't understand how dogs communicate this.

Nobody who has never spent time with good pit bulls is likely to believe any of this, but people who do know pit bulls personally know what I am talking about. They are extremely loving dogs when given a happy home.

[hellob]

I think it's a 2 part issue
1- a lot of people are scared of them. They sense that fear and it agitates them.
2- a lot of people are scared of them. Therefore, they don't get socialized the way other dogs do. They have less exposure to strangers and other dogs.