I am not a fan of the breed but i dont think it should be banned! I took a 1yr old female pit from a friend (not sure how he treated it) and had it for a yr or so no problems ever and she wasnt aggressive to anyone then one day while i was feeding her she turned and clamped onto my forearm deep punctures and laserations! no pravocation never hit the dog?, let her run the farm and had a horse stall in the barn for a house/bed. So i smashed her in the nose about 4-5 times to get her to release me and she turned and walked over and laid down as if nothing happened?? So i went in the house got the 12 gauge and put her down I will not tolerate that behavior in any animal and i have small nieces and nephews that could be seriously injured so! I would have done the same to any breed that acted this way not just pits!! on a different note my B-in-law has a 1/2 huskey/wolf (dog is usually alone no one home and free to run and no type of training that i could see) that is a sneeky killer type, has killed chickens and cats etc.. i turned one day(in my yard) to see it making a grab at the back of my leg and my russel clyde goin for his throat (defending me) so after clyde tore some arse on him i told my B-in-law the next time i see any type of agressive move from this pos i would drop him on the spot and leave him in his front yard!!
99% of the time it is poor training / ownership!!
ever watch that tv show animal cops is it just me or are like 75% of the mistreated dogs pits or what?? no wonder some of them hate people!!

 

I agree with everyone who says pitbulls are bad it is not the owner I know several people who have pitbulls that treated them with love and 3 of them have been sold because they bit someone. In 1979 and 1998, one-third of all fatal dog attacks were caused by Pit Bull type dogs. The highest number of attacks (118) were by Pit Bull type dogs, the next highest being Rottweilers at 67. What does that tell you about these kind of dogs.

 

That the owners really didn't train them right.

 

Dogs are still animals no matter what training or breeding there is. Some breeds are so docile that you would never guess they have any non-domesticated animal genes in them. All dogs will defend, and all dogs have the capability to bite.

I have an 11 year old Akita who is more like a Lab than a typical akita. However, she has never been good with children, so we make sure to keep her away from them. There's something about the fast movement of kids from 2-6 or so that spooks her. After they get older she's fine, and she gets a full body wiggle going when she sees any adult.

When she's bad, shes gotten yelled at, and a few times while getting yelled at, she has growled at me. As soon as that happens she gets smacked with a newspaper or magazine, whatever is laying around, but never with a bare hand. She's a very good dog, and is definitely one of the family. She's great with cats, babies and adults, not so much other dogs but once you know your own dogs traits, you can live around them. As good as she is, and as obedient and laid back as she is, she did bite me once, but I startled her so I feel it was my own fault. I walk her off a leash when she's on my own property, she was sniffing where I didn't want her to so i went to grab her collar. Apparently she was really into whatever she was sniffing, she turned and bit me. I yelled, she yelped and immediately hit the deck. I've never seen a dog with such a miserable face before, she definitely had no idea it was me, and was trying to apologize. Should I have put her down? Hell no. She's a dog, she has teeth and she has instincts. If I happen to trigger one of those instincts, thats my own fault.

People need to figure out that dogs are not people. They may act alot like people, and be part of the family, but they are always dogs. There's a chance, albeit not a large one in most cases, that something might trigger that instinct. Inbred dogs or those bred for fighting have a higher sense of aggressive instinct. Its not the dogs fault.

 

I agree with others, it is not the breed, its the idiots who raise them and bad breeders. So what do I know about dogs? I have trained and help train Service Dogs to help the disabled. Myself included, I am on my 2nd Service Dog that I have trained and have had certified (altho not required by law).
My last one was a German Shepard (was put down for a brain tumur) He was breed of tru German Stock. And GSDs are also known, for the wrong reasons as dog that should be banned. Currently have a Bernese Mountain Dog. I also know of a couple of people that has a Pit Bull as a Certified Service Dog, and are the biggest gentlest baby you will know.