My Pitbull is amazing and is the kindest, most loving dog I have ever owned. She is so sweet to everyone she encounters! Just saying. I think it is more about the trainer and slowly introducing them to new people, than the dog itself.

 

So what you are saying, is that Suge Knight should probably not own pitbulls?

I owe a pitbull. He is the most loving dog I've met. Do you want a kiss? He'll give it to you. Do you not want a kiss? Too bad, he's still going to kiss you.

 

My good friend has a pitbull. He is sweet to everyone he meets.

 

Someone I know was fostering a pitbull for the past six months before it got adopted yesterday. I met the dog last week and she was great. I went to her adoption yesterday and she just laid their on the ground without anyone holding her leash. Probably about 20-30 came and went and she bothered none of them. She didn't mind all the other dogs walking by either. She just laid there and minded her own.

 

My parents have a Jack Russell terrier. He likes to bite at hands for no reason. I've been caught a few times by him. It hurts. Should we outlaw Jack Russels?

 

A friend works for a vet here locally. She told me in the two years shes been there, probably about 10 people have come in with dogs that bit people, none of them were pits.

 

Pits get an unfair rap because some owners are idiots and raise them to be aggressive or to fight. You raise a pit responsibly and they are loving.

I had the privilege of being around a professional dog trainer when I was younger. I distinctly recall him saying in response to an owner who informed him that his dog doesn't bite saying " Does it have teeth?" to which the owner replied of course it does. He said "then it can bite. You're dog doesn't have opposable thumbs. It's only line of defense when cornered involves teeth".

I've never forgotten that. When dealing with dogs that are bred for that purpose, no matter the nature of the dog, I recommend caution.

 

And for those who poo poo the notion of the pits being dangerous it doesn't take long on the google machine to find out they are far and away the worst offenders. The reasons vary like we've all said. And I'm not for stamping out a breed at all, but ownership should be selective in my humble opinion.

It's all about the owners, IMO. You can make any dog be vicious.

It's been said, but worth mentioning again. Raise a Pit Bull from early puppy stage and you'll be hard pressed to find a better breed to have around a family (even small kids). Pits are dogs that have to be trained and exercised regularly. When shown love and affection, a Pit Bull will go to extreme lengths to protect but are the first to cuddle. Best dog IMO because of their loyalty.

I've been assuming this thread was started because of a video I've been seeing pop up in the last week or so. I don't think it's been posted here. It's not pleasant. And it's the sort of thing that makes me leery when I see people walking around with them.

2014 U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities - Dog Bite Statistics - DogsBite.org

2014 dog bite fatality statistics

 

 

• 42 U.S. dog bite-related fatalities occurred in 2014. Despite being regulated in Military Housing areas and over 700 U.S. cities, pit bulls contributed to 64% (27) of these deaths. Pit bulls make up about 6% of the total U.S. dog population.2
  
• Together, pit bulls (27) and rottweilers (4), the second most lethal dog breed, accounted for 74% of the total recorded deaths in 2014. This same combination also accounted for 74% of all fatal attacks during the 10-year period of 2005 to 2014.
  
• The breakdown between these two breeds is substantial over this 10-year period. From 2005 to 2014, pit bulls killed 203 Americans, about one citizen every 18 days, versus rottweilers, which killed 38, about one citizen every 96 days.
  
• In the year of 2014, the combination of pit bulls (27), rottweilers (4) and mastiff-type guard dogs and war dogs (4) -- the types used to create "baiting" bull breeds and fighting breeds -- accounted for 83% (35) of all dog bite-related fatalities.3
  
• Annual data from 2014 shows that 48% (20) of the fatality victims were children 13-years and younger, and 52% (22) were adults, 20-years and older. Of the total adults killed by dogs in 2014, 73% (16) were ages 50-years and older.
  

No, I did not start the thread because of any video I saw. This topic came up in conversation with someone and that caused me to start the thread.

I don't think anyone will dispute that when a pit does bite, it usually doesn't end well. My question is, how much more likely or frequent is a pit to bite than any other dog breeds?

 

Another question....What % of Pit attacks as well as attacks by other dogs occur by dogs that have been properly trained, and what % is from dogs with little to no proper training?

Here's a pretty good break down of attacks from 1979 - 1998. Purebred Pits accounted for 66 fatalities while Rotts responsible for 39. German Shepherds at 17.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/images/dogbreeds-a.pdf

 

 

Until every dog is trained the same and lives in the same environment, you won't convince me it's not because of poor training and ownership. They are very strong animals, so when they do bite, it is going to be worse than a dog that isn't as powerful.

I admit I'm apprehensive around Pit Bulls. However, my niece has one that is a very gentle and loving animal so I believe that it's in the raising and training of the dog.

Classic Nature vs. Nurture.

Sure the upbringing is important, but (IMO) by their very makeup pit bulls are more aggressive than other dogs. I wouldn't want to pet one, but I have no problem with people's right to have them. They just must be willing to take responsibility for them. Hopefully that is not in the form of a lawsuit that injures someone else.

While it is true that any dog with mistreatment can "turn", certain breeds seem more likely and some seem less likely. A dog that can take quite a bit of teasing by kids and not attack is a Boxer like my brother's dog. Boxers are rarely known to attack and if they are being teased by kids, they are know more to run off or if they cannot, swat at the offenders, hence the name Boxer. Pit's are on the other end based on what statistics I have read about dogs attacks. It doesn't help that Pits are the favorite for idiot punks/thugs/whatever term you want.

 

So saying that, when around dogs, I am always on some degree of alertness. To use Colonel Jeff Cooper Color Code for Alertness, for most dogs, I would be in yellow. Around Pits, I won't lie, I shift to Orange.

You guys are kidding yourselves if you think a dogs nature is all training and handling.

 

My aunt and uncle had a Burmese Mountain dog years ago. Dog was awesome when he was young, very gentle, but the older he go the meaner he got. They finally had to have him put down. He was raised in a loving family and was not mistreated.

 

Sometimes dogs, or any animal for that matter, are wired wrong.

 

That said some dogs are just naturally more aggressive. Whether that applies to a pit or not i have no idea. What I do know is Pitbulls are responsible for more deaths over the last 30 years than any other breed. As a matter of fact they have almost twice the kills than any other one breed.