Back in the 70's when our kids were young a neighbor gave us a pit bull mix that looked like a pure pit bull. They had a purebred that had puppies by a german shepard that got into their yard. We didn't know there was any danger and she was a good dog. Now that we are older we have a small pekingese because he is easy for us to handle, carry, bathe. Our daughter lives in Denver and pit bulls are banned. You can drive through the city with one if you are just passing through, but you can't own one, they will take it away. Still there are people that do and just claim it's a different breed. Linn

I've met any number of fine, gentle pit bulls. But I wouldn't have one, nor do I want my kids around them. According to the CDC, over half of fatal dog attacks were by pit bull type dogs during the most recent two-year period. http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/dogbreeds.pdf

Dachshunds were bred to hunt badgers. Retrievers were bred to gently bring a hunter's kill to their masters without damage. Pits were bred for aggression and ability to do damage. They have gotten incredibly popular with people who have no interest in rearing a well-mannered pet. Inbreeding has become more common. The same thing happened with shepherds and collies when Rin Tin Tin and Lassie catapulted those breeds' popularity.

jerriellijay, I probably live next to the park in Atlanta where the little boy thought your lapdog was a Rottie. There seems to be some dogfighting in this area. Breaks my heart to see how many children *and* adults are terrified of dogs here. All of these people who will never know how wonderful it is to have a good dog in your life, and vice versa.

I posted this on another thread, but I'll post it here again, as it seems relevant.

Caution: some photos of deranged-through-abuse and rescued pit bulls.

I'm still all for pits-it's Vicks that I'm against!

Scotland, It was Freedom Parkway, North Highlands near Little Five Points. Boy, I'm glad I'm in the mountains now!

Organic, thats a great video. I particularly like the statistics - they've accounted for only 1.89 percent of bites in 7 years, and they're 4th from the bottom in a list of 100 of most likely to bite.

My boyfriend grew up in a family of 4 kids, 2 adults, him being the youngest and they always had pitbulls. From the time the eldest child was born til they moved out of the farm, they'd had atleast 15 pitbulls. Several at a time. Not one single human, child or otherwise was EVER bitten. The dogs never fought or hurt eachother. 3 rowdy, playfighting, boys, running free with several pitbulls, wrestling, chasing, jumping. Never one single nip or bite.

For or against? Against...big time.

another timely story...Pit Bull in Greensburg Chews Off Owners Arm, a local story.

The woman had raised the dog since it was a puppy.

Taken from the story:
Neighbors said Williams raised Toby since he was puppy and nobody ever witnessed any aggression. Hines said that Toby was taking obedience classes on the weekends. Police and neighbors aren't sure why the dog would turn on Williams. Police said they've never received a report about Toby attacking anyone else in the community.

Pit bulls do not need a reason to attack. Unpredictability and the inclination to attack are genetic traits within pit bulls.

I love it when people say "any dog can bite."

But can any dog kill????

So exactly what are you saying stir_fry? That any dog can "bite" but "any" dog isn't capable of killing? I would say that is not entirely true.Just about any dog is capable of killing a small child or baby.Maybe not by going for the throat or something like that but I know of an incident her in my own city a few years ago where a dog (just happened to be a Pitt) went after a dirty diaper(that just happened to still be on a baby sitting on the floor in a car seat),and injured the baby's genitals so badly that he died! Accident,yes,but still a dog was responsible for the death of that baby.True,the baby shouldn't have been left on the floor unattended with the dog in the room but the dog was a family pet,who would have thought? Animals are unpredictable.Dogs and cats,family pets,BITE! I would never presume that any of my dogs might not bite for some reason or another,no matter how sweet and docile they may be,or that I "think" they may be! People who think/say,"My dog would NEVER bite anyone",are living in a dream world! I don't understand how anyone can believe that.

lilliepad: I guess you misunderstand me. I was referring to comment such as...

I believe the highest incidents of bites in the US are from labs

I believe that the Jack Russell Terriers are more likely to bite someone than a pit bull.

I have been attacked by more Cocker Spaniels and cats than everything else combined

All dogs bite. Plan accordingly.

I guess my point is -- I just dropped my DD off at a friends -- they have a poodle that is probably 9lbs. I am sure it can bite -- can it kill me? Hardly.

It is not so much the biting that it is the issue it is that the pitts tend to attack to kill.

Thank you for clarifying that Stir_fry.
My point was that may be the actual bite may not be fatal but the results of even a bite from a smaller dog "could" be fatal.
I believe it is an instinct in the pitt to fight.Wouldn't have one and certainaly not around kids.I think they are beautiful dogs but they need a certain kind of person to own them and understand their personalities and requirements.I don't think most pitt owners are qualified to be one.

My sister has been a dog trainer for 35 years. In that 35 years, yes, she has seen various breeds of dogs bite. But, according to her 35 year experience, she said pit bull bites are the worst. She said she has seen them, unprovoked, bite even their owner. She said that their jaws have 2100 lbs of pressure, and that a bite can break your arm in two. She said that if a pit bull latches on, it is nearly impossible to get them off. She said that if a pit bull bites, one better have a gun to shoot them off or a knife to slit their throat - getting their jaws to let go is nearly impossible.

I don't feel pit bulls should be in households especially with kids or other pets. Terrifies me hearing when someone adopts one and they have young kids.

I have heard too many attack people, kids on the street, next door neighbour and the damage they do is unreal.

Yes, other dogs can be vicious but pitbulls latch on and rip your skin off.

There's nothing wrong with the American Pit Bull Terrier that another hundred years of breeding in the right direction can't fix... it must be remembered that until 1976, this breed had a job, it filled a niche in the world of canines, albeit one that not many understand or agree with.

When the Animal Welfare Act was passed, the APBT suddenly had no purpose. Since that time, the breed in general has gone down the genetic toilet, along with many other bull breeds.

There are way too many self-proclaimed breeders or breeders without the proper knowledge... and there are way too many owners that never bothered to research before buying, and are irresponsible in ownership.

It is unfortunate, but ignorance reigns supreme within the ranks of the general public, with regards to the APBT... and irresponsibility and the lack of common sense reign supreme within the ranks of breeders and owners of these misunderstood, and misplaced, animals.

Nothing will change unless those who breed and those who buy decide to use the common sense God gave them, and the publicly available data and knowledge. The really unfortunate part is that the government has to step in and take away our rights, and our dogs... and you know they're not going out of their way to learn about the breeds they pass laws upon.

It's a sad state of affairs when the news has that many stories about maulings and killings... none of which should have taken place.

I've been an Ameican Bulldog breeder for over 25 years, raised 3 children around a yard average of 20 to 40 dogs, and never had an incident occur that wasn't fully warranted. In other words, the only people who have ever been bit fully deserved it, and were trying to do harm to a family member at the time of the bite. A well-bred, well-trained AB is a re-callable bullet. I trust my life to my dog, but then, I bred her and handled her through training... she is the product of over 25 years of responsible breeding and culling.

I'm still amazed at the fallacies that abound regarding the APBT... and I'm amazed that ANYONE would allow ANY dog to be unsupervised around children or other pets!

While it is true that accidents happen... a lot less would happen if people took their heads out of the sand!

The lawless have no need for laws. It's law abiding folks that pay the price for the guilty. Criminals breed large dogs for their viciousness solely for self gratification and drug guarding. A ban would serve absolutely no purpose and would be impossible to enforce.

To respect a breed, no matter what it is and know how to properly socialize takes responsibility and discipline. Unfortunately, there are many, weak, undisciplined humans who would only end up rearing potentially dangerous dogs. Enforce the many laws already on the books regarding attacks-there is no need for a total ban. A bite is not always an attack and a dog that attacks unprovoked should be legally seized, destroyed and the owners held legally and financially responsible.

I kept a pit for several days until I located her owner. She was a sweet dog (though deaf) and played with my female pug (after I tested her temperment). Even so, I would never have trusted her alone with pug or child-the damage potential was just too great. If not for the pugs and my locating her owner, I probably would have kept her.

My husband took a bite from a small terrier, and he'd be the first one to say that it was his own fault. It's a long story, but the dog was just doing its job, protecting its charge. His inner thigh was black and blue for weeks!

The moral of the story is... even small dogs can cause a bit of damage when they bite. ALL dogs should be contained and supervised by their owners, not just the large breeds.

Enforcing dog laws is not the top priority of LE... not with crime the way it is today. And, it's next to impossible to fully enforce most laws regarding dogs, anyway.

Back to the topic, though... for or against APBT? I'm for... as long as the dog is genetically well-bred, and the owner is responsible and uses common sense.

For- as long as owners know what thy are doing. Know a guy that has two pits, he often lets them off leash (illeally I might add) and they run around and play, very nice dogs, then I met another family, with young children AND an intact massive pit bull, its testicals were huge and its jaws,yikes! but it was NICE.

However these owners both raised the dogs to be accpetable, I'm sure the same dogs in wrong hands would be very dangerous.

My 72 year old neighbor was killed by a pit bull last week. She was walking her granddaughter home from school when the dog broke out of the yard and attacked her. Someone called 911 and fortunately a police officer was in the neighborhood. The office had to shoot the dog but by then it was too late. And the poor little granddaughter was terribly traumatized.

How terrible sephia. The thing is, no one knows if or when they will attack. Even the nice ones.

Call me prejudice but maybe curtain races of people shouldn't be allowed to own pits- black people and hispanics seem to be the types that you see on animal cops/animal cruelty showson animal planet that train them for illegal purposes. Esspecically in areas that have a high race satistic of dog fighters/ect.

Then again some black/hispanic people are probably great pit owners/ its sad but maybe this is a good idea.

ok for one i would like to inform a couple of idiots on here that obviously are against pitts. so i read a post about a lady being ran down by 3 pitts into an apartment and they almost got her baby's head right before she got in!hahaha...ok thats bullcrap! there's not a pitt alive that's going to run to a baby as if it were prey. unless they were trained to do that in which i seriously doubt. thats a pretty ridiculous story by the way. and also i read a post that made the comment that they wouldnt leave their kid with a pitt but they would a lab or small dog. im hear to explain a little of my knowledge, i have 3 pitts a chihuaha and a huge black lab that are all inside dogs, and i would never leave a child alone with any animal because an animal is not capable of babysitting(you idiots!) but my point is i can leave my 9month old nephew, my 1.5 year old nephew, and 2 yr. old neice in the room with my pitts and nothing will happen. my chihuaha bites and my lab for sure will bite a whole in anything or body, my pitts are cool calm and collected and wont attack anything or body, and that's how all the pitts i have owned are. infact here's something for all you un-educated people... my pitts are scared of silver ware and hott biscuits!!! go figure... soo before all you racist's run ur head about pitts learn the b.s. your trying to talk cause u have no point!!!!!!!!!!!!

EMAIL: joshzbabie1000@yahoo.com
thanks

oh and another thing i want to answr some peoples question... "why do you see more about pittbull attacks and them being soo much worse then any other attacks?" ANSWER: the reason you see more about pitbulls is because they are not liked by ignorant people like they ones that post it! if u do your research before you talk your b.s. u will see what the news and paper and radio hide... they're have been far more attacks by rotts, chihuahas, great danes, labs, german shepards, etc...than pitts!!(do the research) and 2nd, theyre attacks arent worse...the worst animal attack in the world was by a german shephard(police dog) to a man who had only stepped out of his car when asked by the police!GO FIGURE!! thank you and if u disagree or want to learn or hear more please contact me via email i would love to have a 101 conversation about this to help you soon understand

"so i read a post about a lady being ran down by 3 pitts into an apartment and they almost got her baby's head right before she got in!hahaha...ok thats bullcrap!"

How the hell would you know moron?

I didn't even bother to read all of the posts here. Frankly, I just read the first 3 or 4. Statistically, the number one face biting breed in america is the cocker spaniel. I think Meghane (a vet) even posted she worries about a personal trauma with a cocker. NO big suprise to me.

Who is on a face level with a smallish dog? A child. A cocker face level??? a child!

Pitbulls were bred to be DOG-aggressive. Not human aggressive -- not guard dogs -- not household watchers. Simply dog aggressive. And that trait MAY OR MAY NOT kick in until the dog has reached adulthood - 2 YRS OLD!

I would no more put a pitbull at 6 months old with my other dogs than I would put a baby rattlesnake with a baby.

However, pitbulls might make very good single-dog families a GREAT PET!

Frankly, a pitbull would watch someone steal every item you own. They are not human aggressive animals.

I also (as some posters already said) NEVER LEAVE ANY DOG alone with small children ---- ANY DOG. Its just stupid.

bite statistics are readily available at the HSUS (humane society of the united states) website. It is a FACT that the cocker spaniel is the number one face biting breed in america - not the pitbull.

Ask any shelter worker -- we all fear the incoming toy breed far worse than any of the bigger dogs. They are more nervous frankly. And to anyone being bitten, a bite is a bite is a bite. Nervous or "fear bites" feel just as bad as an aggression bite. I always feared that nervous bite -- because it is FAR more likely than an aggression bite.

bumblebeez, you are VERY uninformed...dachshunds can be just as dangerous as any other breed. In fact, any dog can be dangerous around children, and none should be left alone with them. We hear more about pitbulls because the media loves a scare story, it sells papers. But in reality, there are more bites and maulings by other breeds everyday than pitbulls.

I have 2 chihuahuas, my mom has a dachshund, my brother has a pitbull. Guess which of our dogs have bitten or snapped at the kids in the family? One of my chi's, and Daisy the Dachshund. The pitbull is a big lovable lug. Our only concerns with him are dog to dog aggression, which is what pits are bred for, we are being very careful to keep him dog socialized so that does not happen.

There has never been a case of a well loved, trained and cared for family pit breed attacking another person. It is always the dogs that have been tied up, not socialized, abused or trained to fight that do the damage, and it is their owners that are responsible for that.

Do some research on the breed, especially the history of the breed...before the criminal element got ahold of them in the recent decades. Animal Farm Foundation is a great pit site, as is Bless the Bullys.

I just lost a long message I typed up so I'm not going to re-type it.
I think all pitbulls should be spayed/neutered and the breed controlled or allowed to vanish.

you can flame me all you want but I've owned one recently(not by choice) so I'm not just spouting BS. and if I had to make a choice between a Jack Russel Terror or a pitbull attacking one of my kids, I'd pick the JRT. They're nasty but my kid might be able to have a fighting chance against a JRT, but not against a pitbull.
The life of one of my children is worth infinitely more to me than all the pitbulls put together and I don't give a rat's rear end about how "cute" or docile anyone thinks they are. Extremely social dog, but the unpredictability factor is way high. She is now placed with a family without kids and everybody is happy.
and spare me the statistical baloney. Statistics can be twisted any way people want.
I feel the same way about some other breeds, particularly Dogo Argentino.
The ability of some breeds to be extremely social towards humans can be deceptive, and that is true in the case of pitbulls.

This kind of breed prejudice is absolutely ridiculous.

It is stirred up and perpetuated by the media, who is eager to grasp on to SHOCKING stories of DEATH and MUTILATION, no matter what else is going on. What do you think is more interesting to BRAINLESS Sheeple watching the 6 o'clock news, a Dachshund who bit a toddler and now has a BOO BOO (this wouldn't even get reported...) or a pit bull attack?

Fuel is provided from poor breeding habits- the pit bull is the current "breed" of choice for the masses of irresponsible dog owners, and they are bred to death for money. This complete lack of care regarding the disposition of dogs they produce and the horrible environments in which they can be raised- of COURSE you are going to have loose cannons. You also have Golden Retrievers, Labs, German Shepherds, Dachshunds, Cocker Spaniels, and Chihuahuas biting people. Smaller breeds get away with aggressive behavior because few adults feel truly threatened by a Chihuahua...

Almost all dog attacks I have read about involve one or more dogs who are RUNNING LOOSE, unsupervised, sometimes in packs. Again, an owner who does not bother to keep tabs or their dogs is not likely to have a socialized, stable dog, because they won't have done any training. Larger breeds with NO socialization or training are not a good idea, simply because of sheer size, and says nothing for what type of dog they are genetically.

A study found that the most aggressive (most likely to bite) dog was the Dachshund, followed by the Chihuahua and Jack Russel. Nobody reports these bites because the dogs are so small and unlikely to be fatal...

If the only thing you choose to believe about "dangerous dogs" it's what you've seen on the news, then you are a complete sucker! Go put your head back in the sand.

Taking responsibility for training and monitoring your dog is equal to being responsible for driving and maintaining a car. The problem arises when you have the same type of irresponsible people who drink/drive text/drive etc. who kill people with metal cars responsible for large animals with teeth.

The AKC just recognized the Cane Corso breed. You think pits are overbred, wait til Canes are added into that mix.

Pit bulls are like monster trucks. Made/bred for one purpose. Folks who use them responsibly know the problems. Monster trucks have no place in city traffic. Pits have no place in most households. Reason? Can you imagine the result of a car/monster truck wreck? Pit attacks are much more serious than a chihuahua or daschund attack.

Simply because people do not know how to handle a pit---much like most people do not know how to drive a monster truck.

Fact of life---bad people make good dogs bad. Good people often make good dogs bad as well.

The city in which I live has outlawed pits. They had little choice due to the number of attacks and the outcome of those attacks. I don't like it either, but the ban has caused the number of attacks byu pit bulls to drop in number and in frequency.

Has the number of pits in my city been reduced? I don not think by much. But, what has happened is that pit owners take much better care of their dogs---which is what should have happened in the first place.

From everything I have read about the "pittbull" breed,they have historicaly been bred for their fighting ability.So,how does one "breed" that inbred trait out of the breed and still have a purebred Pitt?
I know a few Pitbulls and they are basically pretty nice dogs,but I don't trust them and definitely wouldn't have one around children.

Taken from the link below:
Heaton said officers had no known cause for the attack. Irvine said Willams and her husband had raised the 3 to 5-year-old male pit bull since it was a puppy. As she tried to comfort Williams, the woman told Irvine she let him out like she did every morning and this time, he turned on her and attacked.

snip

"Lt. Huser described it as the grossest thing he had ever seen in 32-plus years on the force," Heaton said. "The dog was literally eating her to death."

Now what other breed is capable of eating an adult alive?

The only thing worse than a savage attack like that to a dog's owner, is an attack like that to some innocent bystander.

Count me among those that think that all pits should be spayed or neutered and the breed allowed to just vanish.

That unfortunate example is why I wrote pits are not good choices for most dog owners. I owned a pit mix. I did not know that as the pup was a Lab/pit mix and the pit characteristics did not begin to appear until 3 or 4 months.

I have trained guard dogs. I have trained a dog so aggressive and uncontrollable he was judged a danger to society. He is lying at my feet as I type. Unneutered also.

I raised the pit mix from a 6 week old pup. There were special rules for him(I have 5 grandkids.) When the dog was about 14 months(weighing about 60 pounds) my 11 month granddaughter could put him on the floor with a pointed finger and a grunt.

The kids could not play running games around him(created prey drive). They could not lay on the ground outside with him standing.(dominance) They could NOT play tug of war games---with each other or him(dominance and prey drive).

Everyone--- police, neighbors, vets----could not get over how well he was trained and how easily my grandkids could handle him. He eventually weighed 70 pounds and my 7 year old grandson(weighing 55 pounds) could walk the dog with loose dogs/cats around.

I had the dog put down. Why? He was an esdcape artist. And when he was loose, he was a very dangerous animal. I had no control until I actually put my hands on him---after running him to exhaustion. At the second my hand touched him, he was again the model of obedience.

I spent a lot of money repairing/strengthening fences--a couple thousand dollars in three years. I had cable ties and cable runs. Nothing worked.

The liability was too great. He was simply too dangerous.

That is why pits are not a dog for most owners.

Handymac, try neutering your dog like a responsible owner. Maybe that would have helped and you wouldn't have had to put it down. Who knows how many more puppies it spawned when it escaped.

And your other quote is priceless... "I have trained a dog so aggressive and uncontrollable he was judged a danger to society." That's a great contribution to society. Thank you for your hard work. You let kids and grandkids around a dog so aggressive and uncontrollable he was judged a danger to society?!?!!? What is wrong with you?????

YOU sir are the reason pit bulls get banned. 90 percent of pit bull owners think they are great owners and they've trained their dogs to be loving and obedient. Tell that to little Suzy walkin down the street when a pit bull rips her arm off or something equally hideous.

I listen to the police scanner for Cleveland. There are a ton of calls for pit bulls loose, pit bulls attacking, pit bulls escaping, etc. I have never heard a call for another dog. I would estimate, on average, one call on pit bulls every day or two.

And to everyone complaining about pit bulls (or other dogs) being escape artists...there's really a very simple solution. DON'T LET YOUR DOG OFF A LEASH EVER!!!!!!!!! Is that so hard? We have two beagles and a foxhound. I NEVER let them off a leash, even inside a fence. Not because they pose a danger to society, but because they are hounds. And when they find a way out, they will follow their nose right through the street and get hit by some idiot going 35 mph down a side street. They WILL find a way out, given time.

Same with other dogs, especially aggressive dogs like pits. THEY WILL FIND A WAY OUT. So be responsible, fully potty train your dog, take it out on a leash 4 times a day, and your wonderful aggressive threat to society dog won't escape to harm society.

The ignorance absolutely floors me sometimes. I try to avoid inflammatory discussions like this, but jeez. Use common sense.

First of all, my pit mix did not get loose when I was not able to track him every minute---NO time to sire pups. I euthanized the pit mix to prevent injury or worse to anyone else.

Second, the aggressive dog I retrained is a GSD/chow mix, not a pit. He was owned by a different family, who could not control him. My contribution to society was to rehabilitate that dog into a useful and trustworthy animal. Come visit me. Bring a 6 month old baby. I will be happy to demonstrate how well my GSD/chow mix now behaves. He loves tennis balls. Bring a 3 year old and I will show you how that 3 year old can take the ball from his mouth. Or take his food dish.

You read into what I wrote with your own mis informative ideas, you did NOT read what I wrote.

Pits and pit mixes are not the dog for most families. IT IS NOT the breeds fault!!!!!!! It is human beings who screwed up the breed and caused the problem.

Makes little difference now. Damage is done. I am a NCPP member and patrol frequently. I have a scanner and am privy to police reports. We have many more instances where small dogs bite kids than pits. Are the pit incidents more horrific? Heck YES---because the dogs are amoung the most aggressive and strongest.

Now, that GSD/chow mix---he is daily off leash, in the yard. Along with his buddy----whom he selected from the kill pound we got her from. Another rehabilitated dog. Does he get out? Only if the neighbor girls would purposely open the gate and let him out. I installed locks. He does not get out. Except on leash.

Oh, yeah, he is unneutered. Not a problem. Most folks never realize he is not neutered.

So, don't use your own twisted misinformation and accuse me of anything, especially when you cannot comprehend what I say.

Why wouldn't you neuter your dog?

The female is neutered.

The male is a guard dog. I pay extra for his licenses as well. Even animal control in three cities have no records of any problems with any of my dogs for the last 40 years. The police in one city do have records when the second guard dog did his job on four occasions.

The vets I know/use have accepted my reasons---this dog is not the first guard dog I have trained/had and probably will not be the last. The last guard dog was 15 when two strokes debilitated him enough to euthanize him. The one before that was 16 and developed severe arthritis. When medications no longer helped, he was euthanized as well. Max is 8 or 9 and in wonderful health.

I have high cholesterol and arthritus. I suppose if I get bad enough, hopefully someone will euthanize me.

Where the heck do you live that your guard dog has had to "serve his purpose" four times?!? I live in the ghetto and have never had an issue lol

At that time I lived in a fairly nice mobile home park. The dog prevented my little patch from the grafitti, breakins, and property destruction that happened to all my neighbors in the 20+ years I lived there.

Many of them had alarm systems. We were literally less than 2 blocks from the police station. I was the only trouble free lot.

I like dogs. Always have at least two(that is the legal limit where I live now.

There have been three house burgleries within a block of my present house in the last 6 months. Day time jobs. I live on a fairly well traveled street that bis a thru street. Easy to get to and easy to get away from.

I believe in preventing a problem. The dogs help do that.

Below is a link where the author puts the onus squarely where it belongs.... with the owner. My experience with pit bulls mirrors hers in that the worst bites I have ever received were from a chow and from a cocker spaniel. Consistently, the worst dogs I see in my obedience classes are cocker spaniels and most of the "lap" dogs who come to the first class in their owners arms. In 20+ years, I've seen a lot ot very poor examples of many, many breeds. In 20+ years, there was ONE pitbull whose temperament was a little shaky. ONE pit out of probably 1000. I cannot say the same about the GSD's, Danes, Dobermans, huskies, chows, cocker spaniels, rottweilers, mastiffs, collies, poodles, beagles, GSP's, bloodhounds, or even the goldens and labs that have been in a class.

Far, far fewer dog bites would occur if owners supervised their dogs ... ANY dogs ... period.

Any sensible person will agree the majority of the onus in on the owner.

My point is that pits have been bred to be more aggressive and less domesticated dog for years. The sad truth is that given the fact other breeds have a higher rate of bites, all the other breeds combined do not have the horrific death and injury conditions pit attacks have. That is simply because many pits are bred to kill. Purebred Am Staf's are wonderful dogs. The kill drive is not nearly as great, if it is present at all.

The real problem is the mixed breed pits and the unregistered breeding situation. The popularity of such a dangerous dog has skyrocketed. People thinkl owning such a dog makes the person more dangerous. Tens of thousands of people who really have no business owning any dog, much less a pit/mix, get a pit because the popular concept is you are a bad___ if you own a pit.

Those dogs do not get minimum exercise as a rule, they get no training---save how to bite----and are ignored most of the time thay are not being paraded.

Then there are the dogs bred for fighting. The culls are never bred. Only the most aggressive dogs are bred.

Yes, people/owners are at fault. Absolutely so.

The situatioin many cities is bad enough to require drastic action. When people are killed by pits, the public demands action. Banning the breed is basically the only step a city can take.

You people who against a breed of dogs are freaking nuts!!! Pit bulls can be one mean ass dog I give you that but trained right it can be one of the best dogs there are. Ok yes you hear about pit bull Killed this or did that did y'all ever stop to think WTF the home life of this dog is???? Let me guess no!!!! The facts is you rase a dog one way to be good it will be good that way but guess what people in the process wile your training the dog (example here not racism) say you dislike black people or Hispanics or whites you might not think it but the dog is going to be able to pick that up now say you not a racist and you rase the dog the way it suppose to be witch is keep it's master out of danger listen to it's master and above all else and this go's for any breed of dog that lives in a house hold protect it's territory. say your house gets broken in to and you catch the person doing it your not just going to sit there and be like I'm sorry sir I believe your in my house. Your going to do something about it just as such as any dog will not just a pit now this you hear about the attacks the pits do it's because the dumb ass owners did not fallow the laws and I am willing to bet if you sit back and look at any of the attacks caused by pits laws were broken in there that would go against the owners not the dogs now as the saying go's punish the DEED NOT THE BREED!!!!!!!!!! It's understandable for the act of loosing the dog over a kid that gets mauled but it's not just a pit that does it they're just the only ones to get thrown out there. So no I say this F that law bsl!!!!! If y'all don't kill off any animal that bites or fights then why is it ok to kill off one breed??? F that b/s law I ain't goin no were with out my dog and he ain't goin no were with. Out me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't know anything about Pitts and for many years, always thought they were mean Dogs because of what I heard. Well a good friend of mine inherited one and he'd been abused, but this dog was the sweetest dog I have ever been around and he was always glad to see you, never once showed a mean bone in his body. That turned my thinking around and I just love them. If I had a fenced in yard I would have probably 2, LOL!!

It's not the Breed, all it takes for ANY BREED is Discipline, Love, Exercise and Consistency!!!!

I would never have a dog breed with a history of aggression simply because accidents happen. We have always had lab mixes and now have two full labs. We are out in the middle of nowhere where the crime consists of toilet papering and teenage vandalism so why are their so many ads out here for pit-mix puppies on Freecycle? I get it in the inner cities, but out here?

Why does anyone adopt these potential monsters?

I would like to believe that as a society we have evolved a little more than this. Frankly, there is no intelligent argument for the possession of an unpredictable and deadly housepet. However, the same mentality that condones a few drinks before the drive home, firing your guns on New Years', and other irresponsible acts will always be defended under the guise of personal freedom. It's sickening, when you think of it, to think people hide behind our civil liberties in order to behave in such rediculous fashion. With every horror story we hear of Pit Bull attacks is the all too ignorant defense of the dogs' owner (But he's a sweet dog, he's never done this before). How can any human being with an ounce of empathy for his fellow man risk what amounts to a carefree game of Russian Roulette between his "pet" and neighboring citizens, children, small domesticated animals, and even their own family?
Decades of visious and unprovoked attacks cry out for the removal of this threat from society. How many mutilated faces, mangled limbs, butchered pets, and even human deaths does it take to convince even the slowest dullard? This being said, we know from the past that an array of advocates for this species will rise to their defense. That is, until tragedy strikes them at their home. There are plenty of intelligent, loving and obedient species to choose from. A Pit Bull is not a guard dog. A Pit Bull is not a weapon. A Pit Bull is a modern day experiment in genetics no less horrifying than Frankenstein's monster. In fact, the Pit Bull is more terrifying because unfortunately they are real. They do exist. They continue to attack, mangle, and kill the innocent year after year, after year. Anyone condoning the possession has made a criminal decision. They have decided to place their twisted pleasure over public safety. That is where their freedom infringes on the freedom of the entire community. Enough said.

well said beeman, this sentence says it all:

"How can any human being with an ounce of empathy for his fellow man risk what amounts to a carefree game of Russian Roulette between his "pet" and neighboring citizens, children, small domesticated animals, and even their own family? "

I know two dog owners who's pets were attacked by pit bulls while being walked. Both dogs were lucky to survive with horrible injuries and they were the lucky ones. many others get killed in the attacks. As if the physical injuries weren't bad enough, the trauma those dogs experienced was heartbreaking to hear about, and the owners were also very traumatized because of the viciousness of the attack and because they felt so helpless as they tried to get their dog free, and they will never be able to forget it. The problem also lies in the fact that with these dogs, it can be almost impossible to stop the attack once it starts until someones pet is killed or a person is seriously injured. There are over 100 breeds of dogs to choose from, if we lose one breed with the ability to do so much harm then there are plenty of other breeds to choose. There is a big difference between a dog bite and pit bull attack.

"Decades of visious and unprovoked attacks cry out for the removal of this threat from society. How many mutilated faces, mangled limbs, butchered pets, and even human deaths does it take to convince even the slowest dullard?"

By that arguement, we should ban automobiles, or at least large trucks, because those have caused millions of those kinds of sitiuations. And airplanes. And other things.

I am a proponent of Ban the Deed, not the Breed. Have been for a long time.

However, there has never been a population of dogs like the present pit bull population. There have never been so many people intend on breeding a dog capable of such vicious instinct on such a large scale.

Pedigreed pits have no such instinct. Americam Staffordshire terriers are not evil dogs. Cane corsos are bred to be evil dogs, for specific reasons.

I used a lab/chow mix and currently have a GSD/chow mix as a guard dog. They were/are evil in the situations for which they are trained.

I had a lab/pit mix. Not by choice. I got the lab/border collie mix(as I was told by the dam's owner) as an 8 week old pup. He was trained quite well. He was totally predictive when under control. In the house or yard or on leash. My granddaughter could piut him on his back with a grunt and a poiunted finger when she was 15 months old.

I could play tug of war(No one but me, since he was storng enough to hurt even me) and say quietly No in the middle of a tussle and he stopped NOW. Immediately. Totally. Dopped the rope. People could not believe how well he was trained.

But, when he got loose----and I spent over a thousand dollars in trying to contain him----he was a totally different dog. I talked to pit rescue folks and others. They all agreed, usually regretfully, he was dangerous.

He attaked almost anything that moved if he was on his own and I was not chasing him.

So, I had him put down.

If we comdemn the bad pits, we need to condemn the bad breeders/trainers/owners.

"By that arguement, we should ban automobiles, or at least large trucks, because those have caused millions of those kinds of sitiuations. And airplanes. And other things. "

I disagree with that analogy. many would consider driving a car or catching a plane as a necessary part of modern life, owning a pit bull is not.

If we drive a car or take a plane we willing accept the risks involved but people do not get to choose if someone's pit bull is running loose or not under control by its owner, the pit bull owner gets to make that choice but other people and their pets are the ones who have to accept the risks of their choices.

-A drunk driver is not an acceptable risk, IMHO.

My point was do not blame the dogs totally since people caused the problem. Ban that breed and another one comes along. It used to be Dobermans, and before that other breeds.

It is simply too expensive to enforce the laws presently on the books. What needs to happen is for people to form a group that starts identifying bad owners and filing complaints. Enough complaints or notices about owners who break the existing laws and the authorities will have to take action.

We have a system called the Blue Card Program. It is a two part card on which the issuer writes the address and infraction on both halves. One half becomes a post card and is mailed to the address. Anonymously. The other half goes to the city department in charge of following up on the complaint.

Fixing a problem takes more than venting indignation on a forum.

Handymac dobermans do not have the jaw power and the jaw clamping ability that pit bulls have, it's that simple. Neither do german shepherds and if people want a guard dog they are highly intelligent and highly trainable. You said yourself you could not control your pit bull and when it got loose it was a dangerous dog because they are bred for attacking other animals and it's in their nature.

If pit bull owners were required to 100% secure their dogs in their yards, only have them out in public on a leash with a muzzle with someone who can control them, no one would have a problem with the breed.

"Fixing a problem takes more than venting indignation on a forum."
Handymac just because I disagree with you there is no need to try and make it personal, that wont fix the problem either.

In my country most of the states have now introduced the above laws and if they are not adhered to the dog can be confiscated and destroyed because the responsibility is with the owner to do those things and if owners want to keep their pit bulls they are on notice that they have to meet those requirements. This is not a problem that is isolated to the US, this is a real problem in other countries too, and yet people who claim to love their pit bulls will still ignore the laws and cry foul when the dog is taken from them.

I said the dog was uncontrolable ONLY when loose. When in the yard/house, he was as safe as tissue paper.

I do agree pits need to have more control tham other dogs.

But, it is a people thing as much as it is a dog thing.

Indiscrimanent breeding almost destroyed GSDs, is now destroying English bulldogs, and has affected many animals. I had a horse that had a genetic defect so bad and so prevalent the AQHA had a warning about the condition---which stemmed from one stud.

All caused by the people doing the breeding.

Yes, some dogs in that breed area---and it contains several separate breeds---are dangerous.

Make breeding and owning punishable severely enough and the breeding will slow down. Just banning the breed is not sufficient.