Nichols- you have sort of made a point that I hadn't thought of- I bet mosquitoes bite humans a 100,000 times more than pit bulls do in Texas every year. The mosquito leaves a small welt but the pit bull leaves a puddle of blood on the sidewalk that is easy for the news media to see and convey. Therefore much more care must be used on one's pet pit bull than one's pet mosquito. That's the big issue- if every pit bull owner was as responsible as you all on this forum are with your pit bulls then there would be no stories. Apparently that is not the case with some folks. I wouldn't be mad at the folks that are expressing a negative opinion about this awesome breed that is really misunderstood alot, I would be mad at the irresponsible owners that are not vigilant in their duties to watch this type of dog.

What makes the pitt better than any other dog? What does it do, other than hog dogging, that any other dog will not do just as well?

I mean, I love Beagles. My wife and I rescue them. I'd be the first to tell you that they're just another breed of dog though...


So why the rabid loyalty to pitts?

KC- you are hitting on another whole issue... One that would require Dr. Phil to sit us all down and make us admit painful realities. I am guilty of "pit bull" syndrome as it relates to my latest rifle infatuation. I just love the look that I can produce on my AR-15s. I also love the reaction of my friends that "ooh" and "ahh" over a gun that is simply a semi automatic rifle wearing a black leather jacket- sort of like the Fonz when we thought he was cool. I have a Great Dane and I'm told they were bred for wild hog hunting too. Pit bulls are loved by some based on the bad boy vibe they emit- I'm not saying that anyone on this forum is guilty of that but the knuckleheads that I have encountered (both men and women) seem to dig the "bad factor" that a pit bull possesses. Pretty far afield from the question- "why do you love or hate pitbulls" but a thought none the less.

What I like about 'em= Theyre good dogs if responsibly raised / trained.

What I hate about 'em= 99.9% of the low-lifes that own them fail to teach / train them properly and they are a safety threat because of this. When I lived in Arlington, two Pits approached me and my neighbor aggressively. My neighbor jumped into the back of my truck and onto the cab and they went berzerk. I grabbed a 12 ga I kept in the garage and put them both down.

Strong desire to please more so than any other breed I have raised,loyal, stable , intelligent dogs. I dont discriminate what others own why should I be discriminated? THe problem is irresponsible ownership,poorly bred dogs, and poor containment this is for all breeds. Those for the breed to be banned it will only be a matter of time before your breed of choice is targeted. Just some simple facts for this year. The American Temperment Testing Society posts results for all breeds annually so feel free to see for yourself. The American Pit Bull Terrier showed to be a more stable dog than
the German Sheperd,German Shorthair Pointer,German Wirehaired Pointer, English Springer Spaniel,Golden Retriever,Catahoulas,and the beagle thats just to name a few

+1
I will drink to that!

Too bad dinosaurs are extinct. Pitbull owners would be getting rid of their dogs and stocking up on Velociraptors.

I have been around and raised many pitt bulls most of my life.For hog hunting and loyality and brains.But just like any breed you have the inbreed and tied to a tree and food throwed to them and no attention.Pitt bulls need alot of attention and is not the every person dog.You have to be on your toes at training.It is alot to do with the raiseing.Ignorrant owners have ignorrant dogs period.

Loyalty, desire to please, intelligence- why those sound like "genetic" traits germane to that breed! I thought it was all nurture and no nature?

So you'll posit that a pitbull is more loyal, more intelligent, and more eager to please than any other breed, but there's no way in hell they could be more aggressive or inclined to do damage to humans. Do you know the definition of cognitive dissonance?


Like I said, you volunteer to raise a mountain lion from a cub, or a wolf/coyote/dingo for that matter, and let it roam free around your babies and then I'll buy this crap about how they are wonderful animals and it's all in the raising...

My beagles track and howl because that's what they were bred to do. My daddy's lab loved to jump in the pool and bring back sticks. My granddaddy's GSP will point on a bird. Nobody has to tell them to do it. I don't care what your doggy psychiatrist has to say, I've never heard a news report of a Beagle ripping a child's throat out.

How bout a Presa Canario?

I do think that pit bulls are a little more prone to dog aggression. That is what they were bread for many years ago and still are in some areas.

I also think that is like saying my neighbors husky was bread to pull a sled, the people across the street with the golden that pee's itself if you throw a ball was bread to retrieve. The folks two doors down with the english setter that spends a total of 2 minutes outside a day, has chest hair that hangs down to the ground, and is scared to death of their pet bird is bread for hunting. Another guy I know has a bulldog that would die if it was outside for 5 minutes in the summer because of breathing problems. I really don't think that dog would make it in the combat arena playing the roll of gladiator.

Or maybe the reason these dog's wouldn't be useful for the work they were bread to do is because they weren't exposed to it. Then again it couldn't be the way they are raised........ right???

I don't think that any of the above dogs would make it doing the job they were originally bread to do no matter how they were raised. They just were not bread to do it. Take labs for example. Not every lab will retrieve, especially if you put rules on how they retrieve. The majority of labs owned in U.S. were not bread to be good retrievers. They were bread because they were stocky and block headed. Neither one of those traits help the dog's ability to retrieve. You have to look hard to find a good working lab, not just buy a newspaper and make a call.

Do you think if the most popular dog in the ghetto, or trailer park, owned by people that had no clue about raising a dog was a lab that it wouldn't have a bad reputation??

If you put a golden retriever, lab, or setter on a chain with a barrel and it had zero human interaction, was covered in fleas, had worms, and miserable all its life, that if it got off the chain it would be more trust worthy than my pit bull????

You must not if you think it doesn't matter how a dog is raised.

As far as what they were bread for.... you got to be kidding me!!!

Rotweilers will get pretty aggressive also.Dobbermans,Heelers and etc.

This is about like antler restrictions everyones got their own preference.I see this going nowhere.lol.

I do not have a "dog" in this fight:

When I was in college I worked for a dog training and boarding facility the entire time. I can tell you we never had a single problem with a Pit and we probably had over a 100 during the time I was there. Hands down the worst dogs we had to deal with were male Chows - you could not do anything with them. The second most aggressive dog was a GS followed closely by a Rotti. In my years at the kennel we had no problems with Pits but had 2 different Labs during my time that were extremly aggressive and would not hesitate to strike if you were not paying attention.

With that said - we had a ton of little dogs that wanted to ripe you to threads when you had to clean their kennel or even feed them.

HAHAHAHA
Shows you know little bout the breed and the breeds history much less bout dogs in general. Willing to bet if I showed you 5 dogs you wouldnt be able to pick out the American Pitbull Terrier.

+1
Animal aggression is an acceptable trait within the breed and should be expected of the breed that way the dog is never in a bad situation. This is why I recommend most owners are better off with goldfish as a pet. However no one should get animal aggression and human aggression twisted two different traits.

Point out the flaw in anything I said. Never claimed that raising doesn't matter- it does. Spent two years working in a kennel training retrievers, I've had a lot of interaction with dogs. I know there are other breeds out there that are large and aggressive- had my arm chewed on by a lab/rot/chow mix.

So far, everybody has claimed that a pit's genetics have nothing to do with their behavior, it's all in the raising. However, every reason listed for owning one is genetic (loyalty, intelligence, desire to please).

Yes, the fact that a lot of thugs have pits definitely leads to a higher incidence of pits being abused and raised improperly. However, not every pit attack occurs in thugville. Not saying a person shouldn't own a pit- I've hunted behind them before. Just saying that anybody who lets them around their family is irresponsible. Anybody who lets any animal large enough to maim or mutilate wander freely around the house with babies is irresponsible, be it a lab, chow, rott, pit, shepherd. It's just crap that you can't admit that your dog, no matter how precious you find him, is nothing more than a dog. An animal. No capcity for reason. No intelligence. He is an instinctive being- you can overcome that instinct, but only to a point.

Got your baby mountain lion yet, if it's all in the raising?

Very bad example - dogs have been domesticated over how many thousands of years?

Perfect example- genetics vs raising

You are kidding right? A domesticated animal behaves much different than a wild animal even one raised from a cub/pup.

So raising a wild dingo pup vs a blue heeler pup is the same?

There is no way you believe that and hence a ML is a bad comparison.

I'm using hyperbole to point out the idiocy of the statement. People are asserting that a dog's genetics have nothing to do with their disposition/action, and that it is all contingent upon how they are raised. I'm saying if that is true, then run your happy arse out, grab a mountain lion, wolf, or dingo and raise it up right...

I do think that pit bulls are a little more prone to dog aggression. That is what they were bread for many years ago and still are in some areas.

I also think that is like saying my neighbors husky was bread to pull a sled, the people across the street with the golden that pee's itself if you throw a ball was bread to retrieve. The folks two doors down with the english setter that spends a total of 2 minutes outside a day, has chest hair that hangs down to the ground, and is scared to death of their pet bird is bread for hunting. Another guy I know has a bulldog that would die if it was outside for 5 minutes in the summer because of breathing problems. I really don't think that dog would make it in the combat arena playing the roll of gladiator.

Or maybe the reason these dog's wouldn't be useful for the work they were bread to do is because they weren't exposed to it. Then again it couldn't be the way they are raised........ right???

I don't think that any of the above dogs would make it doing the job they were originally bread to do no matter how they were raised. They just were not bread to do it. Take labs for example. Not every lab will retrieve, especially if you put rules on how they retrieve. The majority of labs owned in U.S. were not bread to be good retrievers. They were bread because they were stocky and block headed. Neither one of those traits help the dog's ability to retrieve. You have to look hard to find a good working lab, not just buy a newspaper and make a call.

Do you think if the most popular dog in the ghetto, or trailer park, owned by people that had no clue about raising a dog was a lab that it wouldn't have a bad reputation??

If you put a golden retriever, lab, or setter on a chain with a barrel and it had zero human interaction, was covered in fleas, had worms, and miserable all its life, that if it got off the chain it would be more trust worthy than my pit bull????

You must not if you think it doesn't matter how a dog is raised.

Not saying it has nothing to do with it. Just that the average Husky, dachshund,lab,dalmation,yorkie,poodle,bull dog,great dane, and all the rest are not bread b/c they show traits of good working dogs in their specific work field.

So I think you can get rid of the medieval mentality that one dog is good for one thing and another good at somthing else. Unless you have looked more into it, I believe most dum arses bread dogs b/c they are the same bread.

If you go to working lines you will see dog's bread for the original purpose.

I do have a dog that is half wolf and half husky. Loves people!! She is about 9yr old and yeah her instincts to kill have definately come out hence the tons of possums, armadillos, etc. but she has never killed another dog or growled at a human. She is really loving dog!! great with kids

Since she has husky she must pull your kitchen table around all day.

It doesnt matter how you raised her. Since she is part husky you are always going to have to deal with her pulling stuff.

Does that make sence??

If it does you believe all pit bulls are bound to snap at any moment.

Are you drinking right now?