It is so unfortunate that children, people, and pets have been maimed and killed by "pit bulls." From posters' anecdotes, it seems that the pit bulls who attacked were typically not contained. I chalk it up to irresponsible pet ownership. I have seen and heard of many pit bulls who were simply chained and left outside with no socialization or training. And I really think that we need more responsible owners who understand the risk for violence that is associated with these breeds, and can properly control their dogs.
My local dog parks have banned pit bull type dogs, since in my area at least, there seems to be more irresponsible than responsible put bull owners. I will not be surprised if there are illegal pit bull fighting rings here in the area, and I will not be surprised if some pet pit bulls came from these lines bred for dog fighting. Of if some pet pit bulls came from backyard breeders who were not careful to exclude aggressive pits from their lines.
I have met some responsible pit bull owners and their dogs were so sweet. I did notice that these owners supervised their pet greatly when around people and pets, so these owners did understand the potential for violence and did not let their guard down. |