Very true. I always said that I would never own a pit bull and accept the liability that come with ownership. When I was a kid we owned a Malamute and she was a great dog. When I first married, my wife's cousin left a springer spaniel with us who proceeded to tear apart our furniture and was just a nasty tempered large dog wannabe. A few years ago a co-worker told me that her mom's dog had a litter and asked if I wanted a pup. I told her that as long as the dog wasn't a pit I would consider it. She brought in a photo of the pup and I fell for it. Turns out the dog was a pit bull. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body and in three years has never shown any aggression, unless I roll over onto his side of the bed. It's the owner, not the dog that creates problems. He loves people and other animals as well. Maybe he's the exception, but I doubt it. I would rather agree with Vlad.

Yes, but an angry goldfish never killed anyone.

OK BillyD... tell that to the guppy...

Vlad, when I see a young "man" swaggering around with a pit bull on a log chain...I call that "p____on a chain". They equate their manliness with the tough reputation of their dog. Idiots.

Vlad in Tn

I see that wanna-be crap all over in Green Bay. PitBulls on every corner.

The pit bull's behavior is no more than an extension of two kinds of people in America. These types associate anger, belligerence, revenge and aggression with acceptable means of behavior. The people are the problem. They are brown and they are white.....they have been allowed to act this way because the rest of us accept this in the form of movies, games and fantasy. Lack of prioritizing education has taken our society into the gutter. Two people- the country redneck and the African American/Hispanic minority stereotypical thug have fluorished in these times.

When it becomes cool to be smart, well-read and far-sighted, cool to understand depth to a topic.......and not loud and belligerent....then we will see this behavior translate into how we raise our pets and even our children.

And it's time we changed what we perceive to be of daily importance as a nation. These dogs express what we are.....if you are happy with that, you are happy when these dogs attack a child or elder, happy when these animals are abused. Maimed in battle, used as bait, tortured or drowned......it is what we accept. I expect better from a western society where freedoms allow one unlimited education.

BillyD1953 -

I don't know about that, I seem to remember a Family Guy episode with Chris in the sewer being held at gunpoint by a nasty looking goldfish they mistakenly flushed down the toilet cause they thought it was dead.

Yes, but in BillyD's defense... that goldfish was a "Bad Seed".

Right On!!!!!

I dont agree with what you are saying. I am a 25 year old female from the suburbs of Atlanta. I have a pit bull, he's 6, and he is the BEST dog ever! You can ask anyone who is around me or my dog. He is fantastic with kids, other animals, he's great. My mother, 57, also has a pit bull who ALSO does not a have violent bone in her body. I also have several friends and family members who own pit bulls and not a single one is aggressive and none of these people own the pits to "feel tough or cool" That is absurd. And NONE of the people, nor myself, are from a low income area/hood that is usually associated with pit bulls. In fact, some are rather wealthy. Fearing the breed is ignorance. I agree, they are more prone to negative behavior simply for the fact that many people use them for fighting, which I am TOTALLY against. I bet if someone put you in a crate and beat you every day and did the horrible things they do to the dogs, you would be quite aggressive too!!! So before anyone jumps the gun and makes a very broad judgement of a particular breed, you should know the facts. Pit bulls weren't bred to attack. They were originally bred as protectors of the family and household. Then they were used for boar hunting. They are bred to be loyal to people, yes aggressive to other animals, but again, that goes with socializing your dog and how you raise them. So stop judging the breed!!! They are awesome dogs and I wouldn't own any other breed. And no, not because it makes me look "tough". I dont need that, I just LOVE my dog!!!! --my b/f 5 year old son, my 6 year old nephew, and my 2 year old niece, LOVE my dog as well!!!!!!!

I own a hybrid and everyone who knows her will agree that she is well behaved and trained. Even my father in laws girlfriend (who is afraid of dogs) says mine is a great dog. DOGS USUALLY ONLY BEHAVE THE WAY THEY ARE TRAINED.

Ocie Nelson

I'm not sure if the capital letters were directed at me, or just the readers in general. I hope that when I stated that he had a protective attitude, it was not misconstrued as meaning he was mean. He was not. Any dog of any breed is going to be protective of it's home and everyone in it. I don't care if it's a Chihuahua or a Saint Bernard. It makes no difference how they were trained or by whom.

Wichasha -- part of the problem was the wolf blood. A hybrid is going to be much more difficult to control and raise than a fully domesticated dog. They really are not reliable "pets" because they are not meant to be pets.

As to the general consensus of the owner/trainer. Yes -- it's up to the owner as to the dog's behavior. Some breeds might require a stronger "pack leader" but all breeds DO require one.

My pet peeve is not with pits, Dobies or Rottties -- rather with what I call "small dog syndrome". Because small dogs are "cute", their owners tend to let them get away with behavior that no large dog would EVER get away with. Thus, the dogs become a small menace.

Wow, Beth

Do I agree with you. People seem to think because their dogs are small they can let them do anything. I've had chihuahuas go berserk around my dog when I'm walking her on the leash, and the owners think it's cute. No control at all.

I have to agree with the comment on small dog syndrome LOL, and freely admit that I am guilty as charged. I had big dogs....well over a hundred pounds....for years and years. When I finally had my last one put to sleep....he was 11 years old, a St. Bernard/Akita X who was just a lover but who was in so much pain from arthritis that I could not, in good conscience, not allow him to slip away with some small comfort, I said I was not going to get another dog. A few months later, someone saw me rescuing a kitten out of the highway and pulled up to my house. The woman had this tiny reddish-brown puppy in her lap, a smaller puppy than I had seen in years LOL. She said they had almost run over it about two miles down the road and it had no collar line, much less a collar. She went on to say that they knew I was an animal lover because they saw me stop traffic on a busy main state highway to rescue that kitten, and they were on their way home about a hundred miles north, and would I find this little dog's owner? With that being said, she thrust this little furball into my arms and they bailed without even waiting for an answer.

Honestly, up to that point, any dog less than 90 pounds pretty much made my lip curl. Not only did I not want another dog, but this incredibly tiny little beast made more noise in half an hour than my last three dogs had made in their entire lives LOL. I was determined that this...thing....was NOT going to live with me. I called the police to see if anyone had reported her missing, an the assistant chief, who was a good friend, laughed like a loon when I told him to call me IMMEDIATELY if someone did. He could hear her in the background, and thought it was the funniest thing he had heard all week. Yappy did not even BEGIN to describe her!

We called every vet, kennel club, shelter, and police department for almost 200 miles in every direction in the next few days, and no one had reported her missing. I took her to my vet, who confirmed my suspicion that she was a min pin, and one with excellent bone structure and blood lines. He scanned her for a microchip, and she had none. I finally decided that if no one claimed her, I would keep her. That was almost seven years ago. Her name is Sassy, and trust me when I tell you she earned it!

The following spring, someone from the shelter called me and asked if I would foster. Having learned the hard way I first asked what and how many. I have, over the years, ended up with numerous snakes, dogs, cats, various wildlife and other exotics by not asking, you see. Q nqture center even tried to talk me into taking a three foot alligator!

The guy said three and they were part chihuahuas, which didn't sound too awfully bad so I ran over and picked them up. I learned then that they had been taken from their mother without ever allowing them to nurse, been dropped into a Pepsi cube without even an old towel or scrap of blanket by "a reputable breeder" whose bitch had managed an inadvertent breeding that she did not want to report to the AKC. They were dehydrated and hypothermic and no one thought any of them would make it, particularly when you factored in the fact that the three of them fit in my cupped hands....all at once. I lost one to a brain aneurysm about a year ago, and the other two are lying here with Sassy next to me.

Honestly, I tolerate antics from them that would have never, EVER flown with any of my big dogs. Whoever said having a min pin is like having a two year old on crystal meth for seventeen years knew whereof they spoke LOL. To give them credit, they are not and never have been destructive, and they're really not disobedient, but the difference in attention spans is absolutely mind boggling. The one behavior I have not ever been able to control with Sassy is that of bolting out the door if she gets an opportunity. She simply cannot grasp the fact that "stay" does not mean bolt past or through mommy's legs when the door opens and she has given me some very anxious moments. "Stay" was one of the first things I always taught my big babies, but I can't seem to get it through to these little ones, and I love them to distraction in spite of it. The little ones can, though, be absolute monsters and it's without question the owner's fault, every single time.

Hey, at least I admit it!

I am a dog person, I always have been. The only dog bite I have received in the past few decades was from a min-pin. The little nipper climbed up on the back of a couch and attacked, I was not even trying to pet the dog. Funny way of trying to get my attention, I guess I was too close to the furniture, and it was protecting the property? Not much of a nip, but I don't visit those folks much anymore. I have seen the dog out in public, they have a wire muzzle on him now, I wasn't the only one he went after.

Beth-440386

There was no problem. Allow me to elaborate, by use of examples. At the time that I owned this particular dog I was living in Michigans Upper Peninsula. I and my wife lived on the western shore of the Bay of Green Bay. A cabin in the woods. The closest neighbor in any direction was about a mile. Friends and/or family would come over and use the beach when my wife and I were at work. The house was always open and they would let the dog out to join them. He was everybodys pal. Having him around would pretty much guarantee that should any of the resident bear decide they might enjoy a cooling dip in the water, or a self given rub down on the warm sand, or maybe even just soak up some rays, they would do it well away from our guests and their children. Then there was the occasional ferel dog that might be drawn to the sound of human activity hoping for a free meal or a chance to cause some damage on some unsuspecting child. Instead they would be on the recieving end of a serious can of whoop-ass.

So, these are some examples of what I was refering to in my original posting as a protective attitude. It was his job and he took it seriously. The social structure of wolves in the wild mirrors this behavior. Protecting the family group. That is why I made the statement "Maybe it's the wolf".

Meezermom, well said. Great post.

Meezermom, agreed and I'd say spend more time training the children as they can grow up to be MUCH more dangerous than a dog!

another great post, V. good point. most human bullies have bully parents; that's intense training.

Speaking of human bullies, my neighbor just got a new pit puppy from the pound confiscated in a cruelty case. She is about 3 months now. When she was just a few weeks old her previous owner cut her ears off with a pair of scissors. Pits are not just the most maligned breed but possibly the most abused dog, too.

Anyway, with regard to the puppy, she shows absolutely no aggression despite the abuse and will just about lick you to death or smack you with her wagging tail. She is absolutely gorgeous, too. She loves all the dogs and kids in the neighborhood. She will stay a great dog because she has a great owner now and is getting socialization and obedience training. I am always concerned when I see a pit but only when I see who the owner is.

I completely agree with you.

Dogs, just like children, learn by example.

People teach the dogs poor behavior.

I love my pit, it is the sweetest thing on earth. It barks like any other dog, but because it has a big set of choppers he is always the feared one. My chihuahua / rat terrier is the Alpha dog and the pit is her underling.

Pits have a bad rap plain and simple. Train your dog properly you have a best friend for years.

Sorry, but I don't have much use for "reputable breeders". I've seen far too many drowned puppies or puppies who are disposed of in other ways by so-called reputable breeders because they were the result of an inadvertent breeding that the breeder does not want to report or simply because they vary a bit from the breed standard and are deemed to be not worth the time and expense required to raise them.

I do however heartily agree that pits are undeserving of the bad rep that they have acquired. Every one that I have had contactwith including a couple owned by family members of mine has been as sweet and loving as anyone could possibly ask from an animal. They were, however, owned by people who understood them and treated them appropriately. It makes all the difference in the world.

We raised our Shih Tzu from a puppy following the standards outlined by Cesar Millan. The dog has aggressive tendencies and even bites family members as well as strangers. We don't understand it.

bullpuggy, too!

I too have owned dobermans and they are absolutely the best dogs ever, however, you must always maintain the alpha position in a doberman's pack through training, otherwise, they will make your life miserable because they are the boss.

I'll take a dobe over any other dog breed. Pit Bulls make me nervous, and I agree with the postings that it is the owner's responsibility to manage their aggressiveness through training and discipline.

AZ Hockeymom

I've had dogs all my life, virtually all were rescues, except for my Dob. I got him because my husband wanted one. I got him as a pup, and as I had a young child, and was leery because of their "reputation" I visited a number of litters that came from the same sire to see the stability of temperament. Although they do have a normal protective instinct, I made sure I socialized him as a pup, and as he became an adult, he "watched" anyone who was a stranger, or even friend that came to the house, but was the most intelligent, and temperamental stable dog I even had, and I have goldens now. When I got the dobie, I had a truly neurotic brain damaged poodle, and he always deferred to her. Tricked her, but never directly challenged her, even though he could have eaten her, if he wanted to. I truly grieved when I lost him.

Good point IndieVote. I have been around many breeds of dogs and "owners" & you make a valid argument. Maybe what I attribute to "crazy" could be the breed?

I agree 100%. We had an incident just last week here in New Smyrna where a guy was out hunting along with his pit bull near a horse riding field. A teenage girl was riding her horse and this pit bull for whatever reason decided the horse was the game. This friggin 35 lb. dog attacked the horse, and apparently would have brought it down and probably killed it and possibly injured the girl in the process. Luckily somebody nearby got the dog in a headlock and kept it down until animal control arrived.

If a pit bull will go after a horse there's nothing that will stop him from going after smaller "game" like a person! They are unpredictable and once they decide to attack they don't stop.

Except for the fact that Pit Bulls were bred to be aggressive towards other dogs and animals, but the opposite towards humans. Because they are pit, or fighting dogs, and handlers didn't want the dogs turning around and attacking people after a match. The problem is people seem to think they'd make good guard dogs and that aggression gets misdirected. They're not guard dogs. You confuse it's instincts when you train it to go after people.

Actually, Pits, or in the case of the Staffordshire Terrier were bred to bring down bulls by the nose. Other bully breeds evolved for their strength. Any breed bred just for killing - well what does that say about the human breeder to evolve a segment of a species just to kill for the sake of killing.

I had a Pit who was adorable. And he was found happily wandering the streets. I tried to find his home but came to realize he had a home. I brought this full grown adult Pit into my home with 3 cats. I had no other dogs at that time. He was more afraid of the cats then they of him. He was a cross between Scoobie-Doo and Marmaduke and was just a happy-go-lucky love you to pieces dog. We named him Sparky because he was so full of energy and a spark of life. We took him to the dog park and was the just as crazy about meeting the other dogs and people as he was when he was first found wandering. Months later and at different times, 2 more stray mixed breed dogs entered my life. Sparky couldn't have been happier to have playmates but he would occassionaly tango with the 3rd that was brought in. This is because Sparky was trying to discipline HIM as what is or is not appropriate behavior - the mind of a pack of dogs and Sparky was the leader of the pack and agression was not part of his nature, not in the least bit.

It is the immature gangbangers who have brought the bad reputation to these wonderful dogs - having them solely for the purpose of living vicariously through the muscles, size and mass of these dogs. All too often for those who use, misuse and abuse these dogs for fighting, I wish those dogs to turn on their owners so the owner can be put down. You get rid of the abusive owner, you can begin to reverse the fighting disposition of the breed. Cesar Millan shows these dogs can be rehabilitated, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah took on several of the Vick dogs and others have done wonderful things to dispell the breed's bad rap and actually spare these dogs their lives through retraining so that these dogs can actually experience the life of a loving home and good owner and truly know what it is to be a pet.

Actually your missing half the picture. Pits are not bred to be aggressive toward humans, but toward other dogs, it is an important distinction. Some animals are bred to hunt, we don't call them dogs trained to be vicious, specifically the famous fox hunters. I wouldn't want to own a Pit Bull, but I've seen plenty of well trained friendly pits, as for as Rotts go, I have never met a Rott that is even mildly aggressive.

uniquelyunique

I'm glad someone here can understand the difference between DOG TO DOG aggression and DOG TO HUMAN aggression. Pit bull types (there is no pit bull breed, folks) are bred to be human friendly and dog aggressive...

I never thought I'd want a pit bull but one ended up on my doorstep one day...scared, hungry, skinny and 12 weeks old. He was a needy baby and I took care of him. Four years later, I can't believe how lucky I am that he picked my place to end up...he's an amazing dog.

The term "breed" is a moneymaker for the AKA and a point of argument for righteous dog owners.

I was just going by the definiton of pitbull. I am aware that the Amstaff is exactly the same as american pitbull terrier. The only difference is which organization registers the breed. The UKC orinally registered the breed as american pitbull terrier, but breed enthusiasts at the AKC wanted to steer clear of "pitbull" labeling and created the Amstaff name.

doh AKC... LOL my dumb
I feel you have a handle on it better than I... it's just when you have listened to raged owners saying that their dog (pit) is a "pure blood" and I just shake my head... I think, does it really matter. Thanks

I absolutely agree. We have a very swett-natured lab/terrier mix, and I never left her alone for a SECOND with my infant. If I had to leave the room, one of them always came with me.

A couple of years ago, my golden retriever found a baby bunny in the back yard. The bunny was screaming his brains out and probably though he would be lunch. My dog was trying to get him to play. About a month ago, she caught a squirrel. She had him pinned under her paws. She let him go and then caught him again. She looked at me like - what am I suppose to do now? Then she let him go again and he ran up a tree. She was very excited. First one she ever caught. I'm sure she could be in a room full of babies and the worst thing that might happen is a few babies might get licked.

LOL! When people would bring their kids over my last St/Akita X would do his dead level best to not let them pick their kids up when the time came. I used to have to lock him in the bedroom. His attitude was, "Hey, you GAVE me that kid. Take a hike!"

I would rather be around a cranky large dog than a cranky small one. Small dogs in my experience do not know when to back off. I have seen many more bad tempered small dogs than large ones.

Funny you observe the same about small dogs. It seems they too are the instigators! I was wondering if anyone realizes the breed that has bitten the most? It is the Schnauzer. They are biters. Granted, bully bites are more severe and do more damage. Nonetheless, it is the bully breed known for its attack when the Schnauzer claims the title for most dog bites. Perhaps this stat may have changed but this was published in a newspaper a while back.

You just described my American Bulldog, Chumley to a T. Big old freindly guy plays with the kittens and lets them beat him up, loves kids and everybody else. His Mother died when he was born so he's sure my wife is Mommy. That's the one thing, he wouldn't take kindly to anyone trying to hurt her. The first thing he saw when his eyes opened was her face.

My best friend is a vet, and I hang with her and her vet office friends a lot. They find the nipping little dogs to be a frequent annoyance, and definitely prefer treating dogs like pitbulls and whatnot. HOWEVER, when they have a dog that is large and aggressive in the office, it can get very dangerous. One girl was almost attacked by a rottweiler that the owner insisted didn't bite. Two people had to sit on it to take a blood sample. There have also been some pit bulls that everyone was scared to handle.

The beginning of this was so right, and then you had to go and make a claim of your own without any research...

Anybody wanting one wants to be intimidating.

So wrong. I am a female who has had a couple of pit bulls. Not because I wanted to intimidate anyone, but because I rescued them and they were so sweet, smart and loyal I couldn't part with them.

I'll be sure to tell that to my 35 lb. pit/whippet mix. Apparently no one has told him how intimidating he is. lol

dizzydic,

My pittie is afraid of cats...no one told him he is a blood thirsty killer either. What a menace to society he is, curled up in a blanket on my bed hiding from the scary cat who runs our house.