Well I have to say I was glad to read this thread and learn some new information...I think any dog can be a wonderful addition to a home and family, but would I ever own a pit bull? NO.
First off let me start by saying that I thought the pictures in this thread were absolutly adorable! Also I do not believe that all pitbulls are terrors that have locking jaws, I do know the difference between an AMSTAFF, Bull Terrier, Staffie and APBT and I do not mind being around them. Further, I do not support any form of breed specific legislation and whole heartedly believe that responsible owners should be able to have these dogs as the breed of their choice...That said I do not buy claims that these are not "game," dogs by nature and I know a number of "pit advocates" that would say the same. Just head on over to pitbullchat.com and you will see a variety of threads on this same sort of topic. Even if these dogs were bred for other purposes at one time, the APBT in particular, much of the history of their lines was developed around dog fighting and given that fact I think it would be short sighted not to expect that there could be some tendency toward dog aggression in them.
I generally believe that most bully breeds are not for the faint of heart nor are they for the inexperienced handler. (1) They are extremely strong and powerful dogs. Our neighbor has an APBT that is about 60 pounds, perfect with people and well trained, about 5 months ago we were out walking our dogs and it escaped from the owner and got to my BF's 180 pound dane. Had it not been for the owner's quick reaction, it would have had Denzel on the ground in seconds! (2) There are serious liability issues associated with owning them, your home owners insurance will be higher, etc. (3) They are extremely athletic and need lots of exercise, special attention to training and socialization, etc. (4) Because of the issues w/ their various registries, etc it is could often be hard to find a responsible breeder. I could go on and on here about why I do not think pits are for everyone, which is a bit off topic...
So at any rate, I do believe that these dogs make great pets, but I am not drinking the Koolaid and believing that a majority of the breed may not have dog aggressive (not human aggressive) tendencies. To me it would sort of be like getting a pet squirrel to keep at home with Bruce, since even though yorkies were bred to catch rodents I have never seen him kill one. I feel sorry for a lot of these dogs and good pits everywhere because I think a lot of people get them not thinking about this fact and set them up for failure by putting them in situations that are inappropriate for them. Then when something happens the owner throws up their hands and says "I had no idea this could happen," and the general public points their fingers and says "see all pit bulls are horrible animals." Just my opinion. |