I have never personally met a "mean" pit bull. One of by close friends has one and he is a total baby. I mean it! He brings a doggie pacifier with him on all of his walks. He will run away from other dogs, cats, birds, etc. He is frightened by the fish tank in the vets office and has to wait outside until it is his turn to see the vet.:D :D :D

:D :D haha

growing up
 

I had only pitbulls until I was 25 I never had a problem my dogs were loving gentle kind and loyal I dont own them now because homeowners insurance wont cover your home the ones that do charge a lot. At 15 I had a 70lb boy and a 7lb toy fow terrier both in tack the best of friends never a problem they died a week apart little one could not live without bigger one.

I've never known a real bad dog but several unresponsible owners no matter the breeds .

:thumbup: :thumbup:

This is a cross post from another site...

"I'm not sure if anyone seen this or not but a 1 year old boy was killed by 4 pit bulls. The pits were not raised to fight in any way.. the father stepped out of the trailer for a few minutes and when he came back the baby was dead on the kitchen floor..."

While I think that pits are beautiful creatures, I do not trust them as far as I can throw them. True, in the above case, any pack of dogs could have killed that little boy and it was the father's neglegence that resulted in the death of his son. However, don't say that it all depends on how they are raised.

Another story...I worked with a lady that had a female pit that was home raised. She had her since she was a pup and the dog lived in the house. Always spoiled and shown love yet this dog turned on her son one day and bit his hand (broke skin). He had to have stiches and his hand was bandaged up.

These dogs have more of a history of being unpredictable than other breeds of dogs. Beautiful, yes. Trustworthy, not in my opinion.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I am a lover of all animals. I have also known people that owned pits that were very nice dogs. I do agree that tempermant has alot to do with the way they are raised however, they were bred for fighting and some still are to this day. I agree they have gotten a bad rap but it is the "humans" that made them that way. I realize that ANY dog can attack and kill but pits are known fighters and when they bite they are biting to kill..this is the scary part. I watched a documentary many years ago on pits...the dog actually ran 10feet UP the tree then lunged out another 10ft and grabbed onto a peice of leather that was hanging from a rope and was viciously tearing at it. And when pits bite don't their jaws lock? I saw this on an animal planet once...bit the MSPCA officer and she was screaming for someone to get the dog off of her they had to pry the dogs mouth open with a board to release his jaws from her arm. Most insurances will not insure you if you have a pit...and alot of places make you muzzle them when you are walking them...some towns have banned them..I really feel bad for these animals as it's because of peoples stupidity that made them this way....

My post above came from someplace in South Carolina.

Didn't California (or was it Nevada) that passed a law that you had to have a license to own a pit?:confused:

That can be true for ANY BREED. I worked at Petsmart for three years and dealt with more breeds of dogs then most people could name. The most vicious I came across was a portiguese water dog who bit a half inch below my left eye, and a Toy poodle who tore open my co-workers lip. YES WE BOTH ASKED PERMISSION TO PET THE PETS. THE OWNERS ASSURED US THEY WERE GENTLE AND WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING. Total BS. This is another reason I URGE people to ask before petting or not petting at all. It's better to look and admire then touch and be rushed to the ER.

One other point I'd like to point out....how many people die from Cancer per year? How many people die from car accidents or drug overdoses or alcoholic related cases? A TON!!!!! In my family alone I've had three people die from cancer. My grandma is currently dieing from cancer. At least for a dog bite there's something that can be done for it:thumbup: . I.E. Hospital, stitches, antiseptic....But for cancer theres what? hospitalization (where it's more painful then being at home and dealing with it), theres radiation (which makes you feel like crap, and loose your hair), and chemotherapy (same effects). :thumbdown and then Bottom line with the cancer.... who cares you're still going to die a slow and painful death.:( Even if you do die from a dog attack at least for the most part its a quick death.:( where cancer can take from 2 weeks to ten or twenty years.:eek:

I LOVE pits and always will. They're goregous, gentle and have the biggest hearts I've seen in most dog breeds yet. I went to the store the other day and Bear (I believe it was) started playing with one. want to know who the pit reacted? It layed on its stomach and nuzzled Bear and let him jump all over him with out even a single growl. Sound Vicious? Bet not.

Ive got to jump in this one!!! I have a 7 month old GSD, and alot of people think that they are aggressive dogs, Well I can tell you from experience it is the person that owns the dog...its is just like we do with yorkies we want to check out the parents and see if there are any bad traits...I personal know about alot of breeds and how they bite and carry on(mail lady) But I honestly feel that with any dog they need to be trained and continue training the rest of their life...My Max weighs 70 pounds at 7 months and he is very strong, instead of letting him run the house you have to be in charge or they will do what they want too...I love my dogs dearly but looking back I have let my yorkies own me where I put a double standard on Max, he tows the line.....Pit Bulls are the same why, just like children have to have rules and be shown how to do stuff so do our furbabies...If you just let a child do what ever they want and they know you really don't mean business, look at what your done to that child...So I have been working hard to show all my furbabies that I am the Alpha in the house and by making them behave and do what I tell them to do isn't wrong or bad, cause they need someone to watch and protect them...I have spent a small fortune on having Max trained and continuing training but I would do it again because that is showing my love for him....and I have also been training my yorkies:eek: they are alot harder in some things but I bought them all and it is my responsibility to make sure they have the best life they can...and biting, driving everyone crazy, and being destructive isn't the best for them...this is my opinion and I am sure others will disagree and thats fine but I will tell you the truth ever since I have been training Max and working with the holy terrors, life has been alot nicer for me & them...& before anyone ask I don't beat, hit, or abuse any of my animals...They all want to please you and by making them do stuff you tell them, is showing love...

I believe it was California and that's only because they don't want Pit fighting to get out of control.

I was thinking....why have to own a license to control pit fighting but you don't have to a license to own a rooster to ban cock fighting which is issue as well, it's just not nearly as focused on as pit fights. People will say "it's because Rooster's have never killed anyone" or "It's because the farming industry relys on them" Well It's just as gruesome and I have been attacked by a rooster. It may not have killed me but they can be pretty terrifying and damaging when they put their minds too it. Just a thought.

Pits have gotten a very bad rap because they were trained for fighting...I feel the owners of these animals should get a swift kick in the A$$! People are going to have their own opinions about this breed no matter what any says. They are a very muscular, strong breed of dog that can do alot of damage. I have seen several different mean breeds of dogs...from rotties to daschaunds...The breeder that I bought my girls from also breeds rotties...She has a female that is a house dog...she is the most gentle passive sweet dog you could ever possibly meet. She has approx 14 in outside kennels...when they see you walk up the side walk they sound like they are going to rip you apart! I pray every time I go to her house that they don't get out...And let me tell you...I wouldn't want a death like that! I don't believe this would be quick death....and it would be extremely painfull. These are just opinions...everybody has them...that's what makes this forum what it is...

My heart goes out to you with all you are going through...you have alot on your shoulders right now...

I love german shepards!! (this is the breed you are talking about right?) You are right...they get a bad rap also but, I must say (don't yell at me!) Most that I have known have not been friendly... Like they have to remove the dog from the house before you can go in...are they a territorial dog? I really don't know much about except they are a beautiful animal.

Yorkies were bred to hunt and kill too. If they were bigger, I'm sure some of them could do some serious damage.

Did you know that sometimes when an attack happens, it's not actually a pit bull? The people think it looks like a pit bull, so they say it is one.

My dog, Rusty, was attacked by a pit bull a few years ago. Most people, after an incident like that, would hate the breed. But I still love them. I know it wasn't the dog's fault, it was his stupid owners fault that he ended up that way. I watched the man beat his dog. (of course I would have said something, but I was like 6 or 7)

Eventually, his pitt bull got put to sleep. I'm devestated that that had to happen. I would've rather seen the owner get put to sleep before his poor dog. I'm just thankful that now he's out of the cruel hands of his owner.

It's never the dog's fault. Sometimes, when they attack a baby, it could be because they have a dirty diaper. I heard of a case like that once. They could have been startled. They could have not recognized their owner. Anything could have happened. We hear all the time on here "My yorkie goes crazy everytime I put on a hat/mask/jacket." etc. but it's always sooo cute - because they're little. Well, guess what? Same thing happens to Pitts, but it's not so cute - because they AREN'T little.

all dogs are born to kill, but it depends on the owner, the INDIVIDUAL DOG'S PERSONALITY, and the circumstances what happens. notice how I bolded some of that. We are always taught not to be prejudice or raicist - don't judge a whole group of people by things that a few of those kind do wrong. Why should dogs be any different? They shouldn't. My Rusty has never bitten anyone, and I'm confident when I say he's friendly towards everyone. But if someone asked me "does he bite?" I'm not going to say no. of course he bites - he's a dog. Has he bitten anyone? no. But I don't doubt his ability to kill someone or something. My point is, all dogs have the potential to be unfriendly, some just are more sensitive about it than others.

I'm telling any of you who doubt the safety of pitt bulls - go onto a forum for them. You'll find owners just like us who treat them like babies - just like we do. Just because they're a different breed, and careless owners cause them to have a bad rep, doesn't mean they dont deserve life and loving families.

Sorry about that rant, I just feel VERY strongly on this subject.

It has alot to do with there breeding, raising and socializing......You have to get one that you know the parents have go traits, also you need to start socializing them as soon as you get them. Alot of people want them for protection so they raise them to be that why, which is crazy because any dog that loves you will protect, my yorkies are worse then Max about that...Thank God they only weigh 4 to 5 pounds...And you have to do alot of training...I honestly believe its the owners that control if a dog will be aggressive or not....If you let them show(act) and be the alpha your are in for big trouble....Max will let any one pet him and come in our house no problem, only time I have ever had him raise his hair on anyone or thing is the people that live behind me have a part german/great dane and that dog will come down in my yard and start growling and barking at me, so Max senses my fear and wants to protect me....Lexie & Bear would go off on him biting his ankles...lol just kidding...