Are Pit Bulls Dangerous?

In a word: no. Many people THINK they are, and if you ask them for proof, they send you lists of bite statistics and news reports of Pit Bull attacks.

But that doesn't prove anything.

Rarely do the writers perform actual research. One obvious question they could investigate: Was the dog actually a Pit Bull? It's impossible to determine breed by appearance alone. And given that the CDC non-fatal bite statistics come from counting newspaper reports of attacks claiming it was a "pit-bull type" dog, there are bound to be gross inaccuracies.

No DNA tests were ever done, which are required to determine breed.

This is highly related to the reason why breed specific legislation doesn't work.  And it never will.  Even the CDC agrees:

“Breed-specific legislation does not address the fact that a dog of any breed can become dangerous when bred or trained to be aggressive. From a scientific point of view, we are unaware of any formal evaluation of the effectiveness of breed-specific legislation in preventing fatal or nonfatal dog bites. An alternative to breed-specific legislation is to regulate individual dogs and owners on the basis of their behavior” (JAVMA, Vol 217, No. 6, September 15, 2000 Vet Med Today: Special Report 839-840).

For these reasons, and many others, both the CDC and the American Veterinary Medical Association do not recommend discriminating based on breed.

The frenzy against Pit Bulls is nothing but blind fear fueled by the human need to find a scapegoat. There is not a single shred of proof that the American Pit Bull Terrier is a vicious, dangerous breed.

What are the facts?

The American Temperament Test Societ ( perform their temperment tests regularly on popular breeds. You can visit their web site to view upcoming testing dates and location and actually get your own dog tested. The most recent aggregation of all test results was in 2008. Description of the test:

The test simulates a casual walk through a park or neighborhood where everyday life situations are encountered. During this walk, the dog experiences visual, auditory and tactile stimuli. Neutral, friendly and threatening situations are encountered, calling into play the dog's ability to distinguish between non-threatening situations and those calling for watchful and protective reactions.

The dog fails the test if it shows:

  • Unprovoked aggression
  • Panic without recovery
  • Strong avoidance

American Pit Bull Terriers passed the test at a rate of 85.3%.

This is higher than Collies, Golden Retrievers, and other dogs generally considered "family friendly". The average dog population is around 77%.

As most dog behaviorists and trainers will tell you, a dog is almost 100% a product of it's owner and the training it recieves.

And if the APBT is so inherently dangerous, how come they are so successful as therapy dogs?  As search and rescue animals?

Honestly, more people die drowning in their backyard swimming pool every year than die from dog attacks.  That doesn't make it any less tragic, but to call it an "epidemic" is a little far fetched.

Pit Bulls are not the first breed to be unfarily labeled dangerous, and they won't be the last. Politicians love to act important and pretend like they're doing something, and media outlets love to sensationalize.  Don't let them get away with nonsense. Learn the history of the breed and educate yourself.

The only thing that can be said about them is that sometimes, they tend to be dog aggressive.  But almost every breed of dog is aggressive toward some other animal. Where did foxhounds and wolfhounds get their names from?

UPDATE: We now have a review up of "The Lost Dogs", which is about the fate of the Michael Vick dogs.  Dogs trained and abused to fight, and many of them are now therapy dogs.  This is an important book showing the true nature of the breed.

Are you Encouraging your Pit Bull's Bad Behavior? Get the FREE Report and Learn the 7 Biggest Training Mistakes Pit Bull Owners Make.

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Pits are lovers. They just want to be around you and make sure you are happy. They are great dogs.

I have a tattoo shop and i take my 75 pound blue pit with me everyday to lay around the shop while i work. I love when new people come in and ask me if he is mean. I just smile and say yes, about as mean as a box of

I am so sick of hearing ppl saying that the pitbull's are dangerous. I have owned a Canadina red nose Pitbull for almost 4yrs now and I would never get another breed of dog. He has been the best friend I could of ever asked for. I have 3 and 5yr old boys and he is great with them. One day I was in the back yard with my boy's and just put some left over mac chips in my dogs food bowl, then I started to hang the washing out. I turned around to see my 3yr old sitting down next to my dog eating the chips out of the bowl and my beautiful dog just let him. Then my 3yr old started to feed my pitty. Now you tell me if the pitbull is a dangerous dog. I accually cried at the site, as thoughts of how the pitty gets a bad rap then I see my dog and my boy sharing chips. Why cant the goverments leave the pitbulls alone and put the ppl that train them to fight down or lock them in cages to punish them? So please let us all get somthing done about this problam and free the pitbull's.

The problem is not that pitbulls are more aggressive, meaner, or attack more than any other breed: its that WHEN THEY DO ATTACK, they inflict a lot more injuries that other dogs. Therefore the risk of having these dogs around just is way too high

Except the risk of pit bulls attacking is much lower than a majority of other dogs, including some "family friendly" ones. And some of these "family friendly" dogs can do just as much damage. And when they do, most of the time it is preventable. It's still more dangerous to have a swimming pool in your back yard.

All dogs CAN be dangerous.

Perhaps we should start punishing people for crimes that, if they performed them, they presented a greater danger than other folk.

That 275 lb. guy over there would really do more damage, if he so happened to rape a woman, than other normal sized guys. He should therefore be locked up or executed, and not be allowed to mate so his genes are never passed on.

Because, you know, he's dangerous.

Not true "Except the risk of pit bulls attacking is much lower than a majority of other dogs, including some "family friendly" ones." Not true.  Here's true evidence, but you will ignore it.  Statistically  Pit bulls are responsible for 60% of attacks per year.  They also are more vicious.  Recently two pit bulls entered a home and tore a elderly lady apart.  She was covered in blood, poor thing.  And her two small dogs were brutelly ripped apart.  But I know that people that love pit bulls have blinders on when it comes to hard cold evidence.  Just be careful and always, please always have them leashed and securitly confined at home.  Thanks.

You seem pretty uneducated about animal attacks and animals in general. All animals, big or small, can cause considerably damage when they attack or partake in any other activity that may lead to injuries.

A labrador retriever is just as likely to kill somebody as a pit bull is, as an aussie shepherd is, as any animal.

Did you know that horse back riding is statistically more dangerous than riding a motorcycle? Yes, more people suffer sever injuries or die because of being around or riding a horse. Should we ban all horses?

The fact is that all animals are dangerous. It's a risk that people take by having animals around- it's a risk that we take by existing side by side with animals, domesticated or not. And there's nothing that can change those risks, because animals, wild or otherwise, will exist along humankind forever (hopefully).

To say one animal is more dangerous than another, especially when it comes to specific breeds of dogs, is unjust and unfair. More then half of news reports incorrectly identify dog breeds in attacks, causing an unfair prejudice against a breed of dog that didn't commit the crime.

People should be held accountable when their animals attack. Most attacks can be prevented- most attacks happen because people don't take care of their animals; that isn't the fault of the dog or the breed. It's the fault of the educated person who refused to follow simple laws, like keep your dog leashed, or fenced in a yard.

Saying "having these dogs around is just way too dangerous" is like saying having African American's around is too dangerous because people think they're all dangerous and going to rape and kill you. We know this isn't true, we know there's millions of African American's that wouldn't even think of hurting somebody. But yet, racism still exist because of sensational media reports. Because the ones who do commit the crimes get more media attention then the ones who become doctors, lawyers, or police officers. It's the same exact thing.

Do some research first, then come to a conclusion. Pit Bull type dogs are no more dangerous then golden retrievers, labradors, aussie shepherds, or any other "common family dog".

OK... Now one thing that isnt mentioned here it pitbulls are the most abused breed of dog in the WORLD!!!!  The breed endures more abuse nation wide than any other....Rather than hate the breed, lash out on the people who starve them, put 50lb weights around their necks, throw them in fighting pens as bait, shoot, drown, electrocute, burn, and torture them if they lose a fight... the people who use them as a money making trophy... WERE pit bulls considered an unfit animal when the three stooges had petey the pitbull on their show???? PEOPLE wake up... Man kind is dangerous... Not the pitbulls... we make them what they are!!!!! 

Go to rnews rochester ny..go to july 2010 search pitbull abuse... my dogs were on the news. 

Misunderstood is an understatement!!!! ignorance and prejudiced of the breed is more appropriate. 

People starve them and throw them away like trash, people throw them out of windows, people are the blame... 

if a Black lab was used for these purposes would you be afraid? 

Not to mention they weren't bred to fight... go back in history!!! bred for strength and endurance...herd farm animals....A pit bull is a scrappy terrier/bulldog mix...strength from the bulldog, endurance from the scrappy terrier....bred to not tire out, bred to please... unfortunately people took the please ur owner to another level. So now people just think they are bad! WRONG ANSWER!!! A Staffordshire Terrier is a loving, warm affectionate pet... very loyal.. protective yes, as is any other breed!

before you try to be the judge, do a little research... the only one to balme is MAN!!!

Thank you for putting it so well.  


We domesticate these animals and then hold them responsible for how WE treat them.  How fair is that?!  You're right--it's the risk we take as humans, interacting with animals.  Period.

These dogs have no place in this world and the subculture that try to present them in a positive light make me sick.  My dog was attacked by a male pitbull weighing a little under 65 pounds.  I weigh 250 pounds.  I got him in a headlock once we (myself and the 120 pound female owner and a couple other bystanders) realized that he wasn't going to let go and he was starting to try and shake my dog.  A dozen of my adrenaline fueled full force punches to this putbull's jaw were not enough to convince him to release his lock on the neck of my terrified and comletely helpless female husky.  What finally did work was inserting the metal end of my dog's leash into the pitbull's mouth and prying until we broke his teeth.  After seeing the extent of damage he did to my dog, I truely wish I would have instead crushed the skull of that foul animal with my boot.  You will never convince me that any dog that been selectively bred for a locking type bite style should not be erradicated from the population.  The owner claimed that she had never seen any behavior like this from the dog.  The attack was provoked by my dog snapping at him after he tried to mount her.  All of you people need to stop trying to justify the continued existence of this breed, and keep them away from the public until they can all be euthanized.  Call them myths, call it a witch hunt or media bias, I don't care - I know what I saw.

I disagree.  Accordning to the "research" that I have seen pitbulls have the deadliest record while being only a small percentage of the dog population.

I have witnessed a pit bull attack on a Lab.  The pit bull was a "loving" family pet about 4 years old that had been through obediance training and grew up with the lab.  They were playing fetch when the pitbull decided to attack the lab.  The lab did not make it.  All I will say is I am glad we were having to physically hold the artery closed by hand on the labs leg to keep it from bleeding to death in front of us, instead of their 2 year old baby. 

This "loving" well trained dog  IS dangerous and unless you have actually seen the fury of the pittbull attack you may never believe just how dangerous they can be.  I always believed, not the breed but the owner.....but in this case....I see that is was the breed that caused the extent of injury.  When they latch on and don't let go and shake their victim like a shark shakes their victim, the victum does not have much of a chance.  Believe what you will about pitts, but I will NEVER trust another after witnessing this horrific Attack and it was just attack, unprovoked, and deadly!



I respect your opinion? but have you REALLY gotten to know a pitbull? if not then WHY judge? c'mon. you have to own a dog to judge it. and the newspaper or news doesnt count as getting to know it.

That's because the media has portrayed the APBT (American Pitt Bull Terrier) as a quote unquote "Viscious" or "Aggressive" breed. Any other breed of dog is just as likely to attack another dog or a person. It is ultimately the owners responsibility to ensure their pitt bull is raised correctly and controlled at all times. I have owned 3 pitts my self and never had a problem with any of them, and by the way 2 of them were former fighting dogs and one was a puppy. My friends alpha male "Tank" stands at an amazing 93 pounds and unless you consider licking someone to death as "Risky" then you need to seriously stop being ignorant and actually do some research about the breed because people like you is what gives this breed a bad reputation. Thank you and have a nice day.

Pitbulls dont do any more damage when they attack than alot of other breeds. I'm pretty sure a great dane or a Dogue de Bordeaux could do just as much damage. That lady in france had her face ripped off by a lab and it supposedly wasnt even actually attacking her. And its the risk of having irresponsible dog owners that is just way too high, not the dogs themselves. Dogs owned and raised by good dog owners dont bite. Because a good owner like myself, wouldnt put their dog in a situation where biting was possible. Akitas, dalmations, labradores, pretty much any dog has the ability to seriously injure or kill a person.

I dont really know a way to put it to the haters of the breed to understand the way we do. Just say u have two middle class kids, one kids parents show them love and support them. Then the other kids parents abuse them and teach them how to steal. Now which kid will go to college and be sucessful and which one will end up in prison. Is it the kids fault(dog).Or the parent(owner).But your right just to risky too own the bad kids...think about it..Its all about the way u raise your dogs, ive been around pits all my life, i have a 13 month old daughter that has been around my dogs her whole life. To be honest i trust my dogs around my child, more than i trust most do some research about this wonderful breed of dogs that you classified as monsters, before you talk bad about them..thanks, i think i speak for everyone who loves their pitbull terrier...

Foggie36 I think that is an unfair statement.  So in that same train of thought Muslims can be terrorists and if they are they inflict a lot of damage so the risk of them being here is way to high...that is what we call prejudice and I do not believe in it.  There are MANY dogs who have the potential to inflict similar injury, there is a "list" of these dogs:

  • Akita
  • Alaskan Malamute
  • Chow Chow
  • Doberman Pinscher
  • German Shepard
  • Pit Bull
  • Presa Canario
  • Rottweiler
  • Siberian Husky
  • Staffordshire Bull Terrier
  • Wolf hybrid

I have seen many of these breeds be kind and sweet as well.  Also this list is inaccurate as Pit Bull is not a specific breed.  People who are prejudice and discriminate against dogs and people are plain ignorant.  While they don't inflict as much damage small dog breeds are more apt to bite than large breeds, they just don't get reported as much because they inflict less damage although there have been some maulings by small dogs reported.  This information might help you as you seem to need some dog education:

“A study performed by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the CDC, and the Humane Society of the United States, analyzed dog bite statistics from the last 20 years and found that the statistics don’t show that any breeds are inherently more dangerous than others. The study showed that the most popular large breed dogs at any one time were consistently on the list of breeds that bit fatally. There were a high number of fatal bites from Doberman pinschers in the 1970s, for example, because Dobermans were very popular at that time and there were more Dobermans around, and because Dobermans’ size makes their bites more dangerous. The number of fatal bites from pit bulls rose in the 1980s for the same reason, and the number of bites from Rottweilers in the 1990s. The study also noted that there are no reliable statistics for nonfatal dog bites, so there is no way to know how often smaller breeds are biting.”

In other words, as the story says, ”Biting has more to do with circumstances, behavior, training (or lack thereof), and ignorance on the part of human beings.”





I agree with you my pitty is just about as dangerous as my truck meaning if not handled correctly she can be very very dangerous well no nevermind she's bout as dangerous as a rifle long as you're responsible with it there's no harm to be done to some one with it. and yea totally agree with you on the food sharing thing my one year old smuggles table scraps to mopar every night from his high chair.

When looking to adopt, my husband and I weren't in the mindset "We need a pitbull." No, no...we had another dog in mind, and O'Shea was our number two choice. Our first got adopted, so we were able to take O'Shea home. And we are HAPPIER than we've ever been with dogs in our life! Never before have we had a dog that would obey commands so easily (is he stubborn sometimes? Yes...but he definitely has some human characteristics in him, lol). Never before have we had a dog that enjoyed his humans massaging his gums, brushing his teeth; let alone get things out of his mouth he shouldn't have in there (I don't think he enjoys that as much, but knows it's for his own good).

And for our families who have told us that he's "vicious," or "why would you consider getting a pit bull? UGH..." I have news for you--we're keeping him, getting a second soon, and will indeed have children. And as far as pit bulls attacking--I'm pretty sure as I walk down the street, I'm more concerned about the smaller dogs who are fenced in and bark excessively. I won't say that the pit bull breed won't ever get aggressive, but from personal experience of having MANY MANY pets (dogs) in my lifetime, the best I've ever had has been the one I have now--one year and about 7 months old O'Shea, fawn colored, big brown eyes...and a pro at giving kisses and obeying commands. :)

It's not the dog it's the HUMANS that makes them aggressive.If somebody mistreats,abuse,aggravate and disrespect and push you to a limit,what would you do? That's just like if,I walk up to you,slap the
S!#T out you what would you do? You'll turn around slap me back.
It's all about how you treat the dog.You treat it with respect they'll respect you and anybody else.My male is an American Carver. He's a
BIG GENTLE GIANT.I have toddler nieces and nephews not even walking yet comes over to my house and crawls over my dogs.And they let them.
I have 4 Pits and a Chihuahua.The Chihuahua meaner than the pits.
The Chihuahua picks at the pits.
At first I didn't like the breed.But,when I got my male 4yrs ago I got a better understanding of the dog.Now I wouldn't have any other dog.

Hello, I need advice from pit bull owners please. My son found a female 2 or 3 yr.old pit bull from the animal shelter that he is really wanting. The ladies from the shelter brought the dog out to our house to see where it would be living since they have gotten attached to the dog. My concern is I have a 4lb. yorkie and am a little worried about this pitbull hurting my little one. We brought the pitbull inside and let my dog go up to her. The pitbull really didn't show much interest in my yorkie. I am wondering if it would be safe for my little yorkie? If anyone can give me some feedback. We have never had pitbulls before. I do realize that bad owners can turn any dog into a bad dog. Debbie

i think that it cool u r considering a pitbull and to tell u the truth it is completely safe for your other dog as long as it is trained right and as long as u pay attention the the interaction of the dogs.u have to train the pitbull as well and most people dont realize that training any dog isnt so much about training the dog but training yourself. the dogs will only do what u allow them to do and as a pitbull owner myself i know that they can b stubborn but they r just as trainable as any dog. i would also suggest getting the history of that dog before u adopt bcause some dogs need a more expierienced owner than others. the best advice i can give u is watch the dog whisperer and watch him work with dogs alot of issues dogs have can be solved by watching him to tell u the truth i have used alot of his advice to train my pitbull and my lab/boxer mix and they are equally trained. good with other dogs and good with humans even little kids and infants. so ya a pit is a good idea just b educated about the breed and how to train them and u will have the most loyal and most eager to please dog u hav ever owned.

Hi Debbie,
as a child i was bitten by a very abused pit bull, and 2 of our own family dogs (dobi-Rot mixes). as an adult i did a lot of research before we got our pitty. we got her at 2 months old and she will be a year on the 15th of this month. we also have 2 cats and various caged pets as well. i have 2 teenagers and a special needs 10 yr old. our Pitty, Amber, is the biggest gentlist baby you will ever meet. as for worrying about your little dog getting hurt by your pitty, id be more worried about your pitty getting hurt by the little dog. Amber LOVES my 2 cats. one is Chloe, she's a HUGE Maine Coon, and the other is Sadie, a very very small tiger. Chloe and Amber are BEST buddies!! they play together, sleep together and even eat together, yes im a bad pet mommy my pitty steals the cats food! :) BUT Sadie, just tolerates Amber. Sadie has attacked Amber and made her bleed... but thankfully only minor.
So would i worry about the pitty hurting your Yorkie.... No i wouldnt. like i said id be more concerned with it being the other way around. Pit bulls tend to take alot and just ignore most of it. the worst thing that i would worry about is their bark and playful growl... Amber has a MEAN growl when playing tug-a-war, but you can reach into her mouth and take food right outta it.


We have a big 3 year old male, my mother in law has a tiny yorkie- and they adore each other! they play together and he is very gentle aound her.My initial concern was that he would hurt her, unintentionally because he is so big and could step on her or something. But they seem to know and adjust to the size differences.good luck and congrats!

Hi Debbie...I have a pit bull named Dez (actually he is my son's) and he is about 7 months old now and the best dog I have ever been around...I recently was in on a rescue of some dogs that were under nourished and pretty much left uncared for in some pretty harsh environments, well I'm still quite tore up from the experience...the whole point is that of the 7 dogs that were rescued the one that came to me and accepted my help without fear and no grudges was the pit bull. He looked worse for wear than the rest; starving and apparently beaten, but he came to me and laid his head in my lap and I cried, almost sobbed because all he wanted Debbie was a friend...I don't know if the pit you're looking at needs a friend like he did, but I do know that if you're looking for loyalty and a dog that is smart and courageous...the pit is your only choice. If you do your homework, everything will be fine…You may have to worry more about what your Yorkie will do to the pit that the other way around. Pit bulls when socialized with other dogs are friendly and fun for all, I have four cats that walk all over Dez, he looks at me as if to say, "really, this is Ok with you, I mean four of them what were you thinking?" But he has never offered to hurt one of them and he out weighs the biggest one by 50 pounds, so if he wanted to he could, but Debbie I know he doesn't have it in him...Pit Bulls are journeys

Keeping a pitbull is a rewarding experience provided the dog gets plenty of excercise and has a job these are not couch potatos. That being said I always supervise dogs when they are together and keep toys up as well as feed sepereatly. Pitbulls require trainning and alot of time and hard work. If you are up for it I say go for it I have had these dogs all my life and would never get another breed. My dog is fine with are 11 year old border collie and 2 cats but strange dogs it's sometimes not so nice. Just do your homework and read read read :)Diane jessup has a good site and RIOS pitbull kingdom is even better as long as you skip all the dog fighting crap he has some good info on trainning and genetics. I will try to think of more just went running 4 miles with the dog so I am dog tired no pun intended. Matt

Thank you for reply. I just was worried about my little one and then also I am getting a boxer puppy 9wks old this coming Wednesday. So hopefully everyone can get along and be a happy family.Debbie

I am thinking of getting a pit bull for my family. I have 4 children from ages 9 to 18 children are very good with their animal and take time to play with them everyday! we live on 21 acres and have plenty of room to run. i have researched many sites so far and found that this one seems to describe the breed well! Both the parents of the puppy we are thinking of getting have been around my children and seem to be very good with them. my question is can we train the puppy to not be dog agressive as i have a beagle and a stray we have adopted! My beagle is somewhat food agressive which we are working on as we speak! but i want to know is it a good idea to bring a pit into our family with other dogs?

I would check with your insurance company to see if they will insure you with a Pit Bull. Most won't insure or will reduce liability coverage. Insurance companies don't just go by hearsay. I am sure they have had to pay many claims. I would ask if it is worth the risk. My Mom's dog was killed by a pit bull and I had an insured sued for damages caused by bite to the face - can be expensive - Cosmetic surgery. I have actually seen many sad news stories. All probably said the same thing - My dog is friendly and wouldn't, etc. etc.

Insurance companies don't cover many breeds, not just pit bulls. So anytime you consider getting a dog, you should talk to them. Don't worry, its not that hard to find one. Just shop around, just like you shop around for rate, and coverage anyway. Yes, there are horror stories in the news. But its called 'media sensationalism' . Many other breed attack and kill humans and other dogs, it just does not make the news, as its not a hot topic right now. You made a great first step by looking into this wonderful breed. Good luck in finding the perfect pup for your family, and make sure to post lots of pictures and happy stories!
I have 4 dogs, and I always feed each one in there crate, and then allow them some quiet time after to help there food settle. My vet said its best to keep them calm for about 30min after eating to reduce risk of bloat. So they don't ever interact with each other while eating, so no chance of issues. I also crate them separately when I am not home. The only thing I don't agree with is your getting a puppy. You can't raise a non dog aggressive dog, only train and control it. Most DA shows up at about 2-3yrs of age. I got my one pit at 6 months of age, which was a mistake because despite her good training and socialization she started showing signs of DA when she was about 2yrs. Now all my other dogs I adopted as trained adults. I know their behaviors before I adopted them. I also foster adult dogs, and find it is way easier than puppies to handle! You can find one through a rescue that is in a foster home with kids already, so you know how it will behave around them. But the choice is yours, and I am sure many on here will disagree with me!

I don't know if they cover in every state but I have FARMERS insurance. They do not cover pit bulls persay but they cover ALL dogs as long as they have never bitten. They will also help keep ypur dog alive if someone breasks in your house and your sog bites them protecting your family or home. I am very happy with them.

Welcome to the site. Congratulations on choosing a Pittie for your home, they are truly a wonderful breed. Check out they have a lot of info on multi dog homes, NFL, etc. I learned and was very successful with what they offered. There is no guarentee a Pittie will not to become dog aggressive. You can train and work hard to control putting them in situations where this can happen.You must always supervise all animals when they are together, never leaving them alone. Teaching your Pittie you are the Pack Leader. I own a 8y/o Mastiff and a 20mth old Pittie. My Mastiff showed DA after 6 mths of blissfullness. They hung out together, slept next to each other then one day things simply changed so now we live the crate n rotate lifestyle. It works wonders and everyone is safe. Even after being attacked by my Mastiff my Pittie has not showed signs of DA. Good Luck and again welcome.

i live in marshfield wisconsin and the town is trying to pass a pitbull bann and if u r a pitbull owner like myself u should b concerned as much as me. we need to educate people about the breed and show them that just because people fight them and make money doin it it is not there fault. that is how people make them and i think that suks that ruins it for responsible owners like myself i could never fight my pit for any reason. people that fight pits make it easy for the media to pick this breed out and slander there name.if u do research u will find that pits r therapy dogs search and rescue dogs but that is somthin that is never mentioned by the media and for the people who dont understand the breed and r scared of the breed i implore u to do the research and learn about what u dont understand. my dog viper is the most loyal dog i have ever owned and i will never give him up no matter what happens with the bann they r trying to pass.

just wanted to say i love pit bulls and am a happy mom of one pre pit and 2 mixes with pit in them.. and they all are good babies

Thank u everyone for the help! We are excited to get piper (my girls) named her! she will be old enough for us to get on sept 17th!

the news only shows the attacks that they want to and half the time they are wrong we owned four pit pups a pit cross and a pur bred casey he passed away 6 years ago someone poisoned him and he would never hurt anyone when i was two i hung off his ears and all he did was look at my dad like get this kid off me

We have finally got our puppy! We are excited to add her to our family! we have named her piper! she is such a sweetheart! As i am typing she is laying on my chest! I have come to think these wonderful animals have got a bad name from THEIR bad owners!! Every dog could bite they all have teeth! I believe its all in how they are raised! And so far piper is doing great! she loves my 18 month old son he lays with her! I have done tons of research before getting my puppy and im very happy with getting her! thank u everyone!

ok ppl i have a big problem with my baby tank! he is so sweet and lovable! i have four kids who love him and ride him!!:) my problem is i have a fenced in yard and its by my mail boxes and this one person who is scared of my dog claims he bit her! Everyone says they never fair him the only problem they have is he licks alot! so they made us keep in in the house for ten days and take him to the vet after ten days to make sure he was healthy. right after getting back from the vet they took my dog saying he was aggressive!!!they have a pic of the bite no stiches nothing just teeth marks! no proof he even did it!now im going to court over it and had to pay to put a chip in him and 275.00 to get him out also walk him with a muzzle till court is over!dont i have some kind of rights as the dog owner!!! i love him he is our family dog i would be crushed if they make us put him down!Any suggestions on this guys???

I've been in a similar situation. There are dog activist out there that might help. But the best thing I found helpful was to have your friends, neighbors, and anyone who might know the dog go to court and testify on it's behalf. Mine was on a tie out and never came close to the lady who said it, the main thing that saved me was a security camera that showed the scene and proved the lady to be a liar. Fortunately my case was dismissed and I received an apology from the local authorities. But I had to be without my baby for 3 months while it all went to court. They wanted me to spay and tag her too, only the fines were gonna be around $4000.00 I wish you the best of luck. Because unfortunately, being it is a pitbull, makes it hard. Like I said, get people to go to court with you and testify on the dogs behavior, and if you can get your vet to sign an affidavit or even better show in court them self. There are a few groups on facebook that may be of help, and there is a site called the petition site that you may be able to stir up some feathers through. Something else you might do is contact your local news paper and tv stations and tell them you want to tell your side of the story. They usually jump right on these kind of stories. Best of luck to your family and your baby.

Can your vet get a dental impression of Tank to see if the teeth marks match the alleged victim's injuries? My big question is - how did the person get bit if Tank is in a fenced in yard? Did she put her hand through the fence? Either I'm missing something or something sounds fishy about her claim.

Pit bulls are not dangerous, People who own them are. If you are gonna teach your dog to be mean to other people,he will. But thats with pits, german shepherds, boxers or any breed.

Sometimes people just don't realize that when they play rough with the puppy that the puppy will play rough when it grows up. Mildly stating, that it isn't always that the owner intends to teach the dog to be mean, but just really don't realize that they are until it is too late. I've seen it too many times.

ive been wanting to get a puppie. i really really want to get a pit bull my whole life and now i have a chance. but the problem is that i have a friend that had two pit bulls a few years back that was attacked by both of them for no reason. she had both of them for five years since they were puppies. she was a very very good owner. she took them everywhere they can possibly go. i never saw anybody that loved their dogs that much. its just that all i want is a pit bull but that issue been really bothering me on if i shuld get one or not. can someone please help me

You say that your friend was attacked for no reason, but no animal attacks for no reason. There's always a reason for their actions. I'm not saying that your friend did anything wrong, but something set the incident in motion & she wasn't aware of what that was. Did the dogs attack her, or were they being aggressive with each other and she got into the middle of it? In addition to loving her dogs was she also providing a stable environment and leadership? Most dogs will step up to the role of protector/leader if they feel their human isn't doing it. I would suggest that you do some research to make sure you understand APBTs before going ahead and bringing one into your life. Right now you have some fears that will get in the way with being the confident human that your pit needs you to be, and that could result in you surrendering your dog to a shelter - nobody needs that. Do your homework. Get in touch with a local RESPONSIBLE pit lovers club and see if you can meet some pits & their peeps to learn more about them. Then decide if an APBT is a good fit for you, or if you're better off choosing another type of dog. Good luck!

thanks for the reply. but the pits did attack unprovoked. she left her house for 15mins to go to the store to get dog food and when she got back she was in the kitchen putting the dog food away wen she heard growling behind her and thats wen she turned around and saw both dogs with there teeth showing to her. she told them to stop and thats wen they attacked. she didnt do anything to provoke them from attacking her. im by her house atleast 4 times a week and believe me she had total control over her dogs. thats wat she lived for. she lived there by herself. and im not the type of person to give up any kind of animal. i got two lizards that i have attached to me. a turtle a big ass fish tank a smaller dog and a crazy girlfriend. lol. and i wuld never give any of them up fer notin. thats exactly how that girl was and her top lip and a quarter of her nose was torn off by her pit. im not blaming the pit for nothing. but i know that girl did all the right things for her. and believe me if i decide to get a pit or not there still gonna b my all time favorite dog regardless..

Please believe Grimm up above when she says that no animal attacks unprovoked - it may seem like there was no reasoning behind it, but then again, we don't know the entire story due to not being present. And sometimes, even if we are present, we may miss vital yet subtle clues as to why a bite occurs.

Sometimes it can be as simple as mistakes in body language(Was she bending over when she was putting the food away[I.E. in the position of another dog]? Did she make eye contact with one or both immediately after turning around[which would be considered a challenge]? Etc). Believe me, this is nothing against your friend nor her training methodology; we as human beings just sometime forget our 'doggie manners.' It's especially easy to do with our own dogs and ones that we've had for years.
If one or both above were involved, a contributing factor could be if she bumped into another dog while out of the house(so she also smelled of another dog).

Pit bulls were(obviously) bred to be less tolerant of another dog 'stepping up' to them and challenging, whether in general or for resources. Even during play between normally dog-loving pitties, an action that could be seen as a challenge could spark a scrap or even a full blown fight.

That being said, however, pit bulls were also bred to be pussycats around human beings, especially 'their' human beings. So any attack against a human being is extremely aberrant for the breed. People were and (unfortunately) still are in the pit with these animals as they're fighting; they were bred to never turn on any human even in the heat of the moment. Any dogs that did were generally swiftly and painfully exterminated; some were luckier and only were fixed.

A few more things to take into consideration is where did her two pitbulls come from? What were their parents like? What was the environment like during gestation? What was the environment like during the first two months of life(or up until your friend getting them)? Were they fixed? Did she get them from a rescue, a breeder, a pound or shelter? If a pound or shelter, what were the conditions like there? And were they picked up as strays? If they were picked up as strays... is it 100% certain they were pitbulls and not another breed or even mixes? Some breeds are more given to snap at human beings and should never be mixed with pitties.

Those questions are pivotal as well in trying to figure all of this out; there may be some that neither you nor your friend may know the answer to.

Again, none of this is supposed to malign your friend who has certainly suffered enough(due to the injuries she sustained and the fact that it sounds like she lost both of her dogs from this) nor the breed itself, but sometimes it's just a matter of a 'perfect storm' situation arising.

If you still are considering getting a pitbull(if you haven't already), definitely do a lot of research on the three breeds that primarily fall under the word pitbull(the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier[yes, I count them as separate], and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier). Go to rescues that focus on these breeds or shelters that do a lot of work with the breed. Ask people who already own pitbulls. The Popular Dog Series has three issues that focus on pitties and other bully breeds(Training Secrets for Bully Breeds[Topic Volume 9], Bully Breeds[Volume 21], and American Pit Bull Terriers[Volume 45]).

If after doing copious amounts research(which anyone should do regardless of which breed they're aiming to own) and you're still set on getting a pittie, you have a second choice to make. Rescue or buy?

We'll start with buying; first and foremost, never, ever buy a puppy from a pet store. Those are puppy mill puppies and that's a whole other issue. Secondly, find yourself a reputable breeder(clean set up, peaceful, well trained dogs that conform to breed standards, etc). Definitely don't limit yourself to those just in your area - look far and wide for a good breeder and visit the facility. Are the dogs tied/chained outside and look like they live out there 24/7? If so, turn around and do not buy from there. The dogs of a really good breeder will be a part of the family. Ask if the parents have been tested for generic and breed specific health problems. MEET the parents and watch if and how they interact with other dogs, animals, and human beings. What are their temperaments like?The temperaments of the parents may end up being inherited, so it must be taken into consideration. Have the parents gone through training courses and passed? Have they gone through CGC testing and passed? Ask how long the puppies will be kept with the mother(minimum of two months, but the longer, the better) and if any preliminary socialization and training will be done with the puppies. Better breeders will work on handling from the time the puppies are born and will do basic training once they're older(they may even housebreak and crate train the puppy, too - BIG bonus!). These are just the basics to ask and consider.

Now for the second option: rescue. Definitely an commendable choice of action and one that I've taken twice myself. You may still be able to get a puppy from a shelter, rescue or pound. Sometimes, the parents may have been surrendered as well, so you may have a chance to meet them as well. Since this would be your first pittie, though, I'd recommend getting an older, more easy-going dog, one around 3 years of age and that has been temperament tested. The more information they have on the dog, the better! This way, you'll know primarily what you're getting into. With puppies, their personalities change as they age(like human children). It happens slightly around 6 months of age(puberty), 1 year(teenagerdom), and then at 3 years(ah, adulthood). Most pittie puppies under 1 year play really well with other dogs, but once they hit 10 months to 1 year, that can change, and more supervision is required. At three years old, they're generally done with emotional and mental changes of that nature. Any propensity for dog aggression, resource guarding, or even human aggression is already known.
Again, try to find for yourself one of the most mellow dogs available - look around at multiple shelters and rescues and talk to staff and volunteers about the dogs they have available. The more information about your life you can give(how active you are, how many people in your home, etc etc) can help narrow the choices down. Take the available dogs for walks and spend time with them.

I've really only scratched the surface on the topics mentioned and I most definitely have more to say, but already this is a mammoth post and certainly tl;dr material. However, I do commend you for willing to give the breed a chance despite what happened with your friend.

TL;DR version:

There are a lot of factors to consider in any animal attack while some of the causes may have been too subtle for most people to pick up on.

If you're still pursuing getting a pittie as a pet, do plenty of research and consider your own lifestyle. This definitely isn't a breed for everyone.

It sounds like the dogs thought she was an intruder. did she greet the dogs when she got home from shopping? or did she just start putting stuff away? If the dogs felt that there was an intruder in the house they aren't going to listen. they wanted to protect there home.   My amstaff is the best puppy and is extremely intellegent.  I crate my dogs when i'm not home, i don't feel that leaving them out would be safe for them. if you're worried about a situation then put them in a crate and let them out when your around. they will see you and reconize you before you let them out of there cage. :)    no intruder accidents :)  i hope this is an option for you and makes you feel better.

yeah not sure what the attack was all about but Pit Bulls attack out of fear the majority of the time, when they attack and it's a lot more rare for them to attack a person than the media has lead everyone to believe. I've been around dogs my whole life I seen good and bad in all the breeds I've been exposed to . I did a lot of reading and attended some classes when my son brought home his Pit Bull, this is where I learned about the their attitudes and tendencies...about their fear factor, they are tenacious and strong but they are actually less aggresive than some of the more common breeds that nobody seems to fear, Rotties have a very powerful bite and a record of people attacks, but no one is banning I would suggest you get your puppy, take him/her to classes and get him/her socilized early on, let him/her play with other dogs so they know that there is nothing to be afraid'll have a wonderful time and you will become so much more wise from the experience. Pits are great athletes, they can run forever and need the exercise to keep them from getting bored. Get your puppy and if you do you will have also picked up your best friend...Have fun....

My Mom's dog was just killed by a Pit bull and her husband was attacked trying to save it. He was walking the dog down his own driveway and the neighbors Pitbull came and attacked it. It was a Yorkie terrier and weighed maybe 3 lbs. I have owned many dogs and I agree it is mostly irresposible dog owners - the problem is with all the pit bull shows the breed is getting more and more popular and it makes a good aggressive dog and can be more viscious than other breeds - regardless of aggressiveness. Some dogs like the pit bull are more predisposed to certain traits due to breeding, history, etc. So, you can say what you want - but, when the lawsuit comes your way - it won't hold up in court. If you have an aggressive dog you are asking for trouble. There are not too many insurance companies - if any, that will insure a home with a Pit bull or other aggressive breeds - so, you are taking a huge risk on many levels.

'it makes a good aggressive dog and can be more viscous than other breeds - regardless of aggressiveness.' I am confused about that statement. Perhaps its just some bad grammar. Are you talking about it being a good dog for someone who wants a human aggressive breed? How can it be more viscous regardless of aggressiveness? I own 3 pits and have one foster pit, and have had no hard time finding insurance. I just shop around, just like you would (or at least SHOULD) shop around for best price, coverage, etc. All dogs are predisposed to certain traits due to breeding...thats the point of having different breeds to begin with!
Please don't confuse dog aggression with human aggression. Its separate traits. Although Bully breeds were breed to win fights with other dogs, they have NOT been bred for human aggression. And what do pit bull positive shows on TV have to do with this? They are getting the word out that they are great dogs!
My friend had a yorkie and she was playing basketball in the driveway. The ball bounced off the rim, and hit the dog, breaking its back. It had to be put to sleep. Is it the basketballs fault, or the parents to letting the kid play while the dog was outside? I'm sorry for your mother's loss, but your argument does not make any logical sense.

So your not a Pit Bull Owner? Then why comment on this site? This site is for people who have pits and are looking for friendly advice on their dogs not for people who don't have one or understand or are educated on them. ANY dog can be agressive it takes very little to make them that way and Yorkies are yeppy little things that think their 100lbs. My pits are afraid of little dogs cause they always want to attack them. Which is the way of most pits. Pits were origianlly bred for bull baiting. Idiots fought them. They were known as America's Dog before the 1980's rolled around! You can't say it's the irresponsible owners then turn around in the next sentence and say that pits are way more likely to be vicious than any other breed. If you turn that into humans then it would be the exact same as saying well all blacks can be theives and criminals, all hispanics are illeagl immigrants, and all muslims are here to blow our country up. Come one really? If you want to slam a breed of dog then look at the Wolf hybrid dogs. Those dogs are not dogs they are wild animals. They even act that way and usually turn on even their owners they are human aggressive pits are not and never were they are made that way by stupid criminals who think they need to look bad and tough. Low and behold pits (real pits) don't know a stranger and are absoulutly the WORST gaurd dogs unless you think licking an intruder is vicious. LOL Education is what is all about with the most misunderstood breed in our country.

You are absolutely right. I love my Pit. I would never say she is a guard dog. A stranger walks up to her and out comes her tongue and the person will feel loved.

Here is a little story for you. I love this. Yesterday was Trick or Treat in my neighborhood so I took out my dogs, a pitbull and a pitweiler, for a long walk. There was a family outside with two little kids. The kids wanted to pet my dogs. So we walked up to them and my dogs sat down and the kids got to pet them and gots lots of licks. Their mom was talking to me about the dogs they have had in the past and the subject of Pitbulls came up and she said she would never have one let alone have her children get close to one. Well I said look at your 2 year old daughter and she does and asks why. I reply that is a 2 1/2 year old Pitbull she is petting. She got quiet for a second and knelt down to pet her and said wow really this is a Pitbull. She said I didnt know they were friendly. I was so proud to have converted a family from hating Pits to liking them and giving them a chance. She said we are always welcome to come over.

lol did you really just say that? So this site is only for people who own pit bulls and want to pat each other on the back about how great they are? Umm... ok ignorance is bliss I suppose.

If it is ignorant to own a pitbull, then I guess my children and myself are among the thousands of proud ignorant pitbull owners! My pit Duke is the best damn dog I have ever owned!! He is a big 90 pound lap dog, a teddy bear, "babysitter" (or so he thinks), cuddler, etc. Does this mean all pitbulls are great lovable dogs? NO! It just means mine was raised right and kept out of the hands of nasty people! Nobody said your precious statistics were wrong, they just said they never encountered a problem with their dog. Statistics by the way are based on a small percentage of dogs, and the good about the breed is never brought up. In one of your comments you said "labs wouldn't act in this manner." That's a load of crap!!! My youngest daughter has a big scar on her face where she was bitten by a lab. All dogs have the ability and probability to bite its not just one breed. PUNISH THE DEED, NOT THE BREED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ignorance like this is exactly why bully breeds shine in a negative light. Educate yourself a little before you try to converse w bully lovers. Some of them may have DOG aggression but then again, most breeds do. I've had 4 pits in my liftime and all 4 were 60-85 lb lap dogs who loved belly rubs and lots of attention. They were horrible watch dogs except every once in a while the sheer sight of them would send people that didn't know any better, running. This is fine w me however. If they don't know my family and I well enough to know my dogs are as sweet as sugar, then they are strangers and don't belong at my house anyway.

I am sorry for youre mothers dog. But i can tell by the information you provided on what happened, the owners are not fit to own a powerful breed like a pit bull and they are irresponsible. So please blame the owners and not the poor dog that has to live with those people that dont properly do their job as a pittie owner.
just because a dog is a pitbull doesnt make it aggressive. Pitbulls arent naturally human aggressive. They naturally adore people. They can have some animal aggression if not socialized early on as our pit does because we didnt get him untill he was 3 and his prior owners didnt socialize him with enough animals (he likes dogs fine, just not cats) I have also owned many dogs and the pitbull is by far one of the best breeds. You obviously dont or havent ever owned one so not to be rude but you dont really have the knowledge to assess pit bull behavior and the characteristics of the breed. And i bet that neighbor had an unaltered dog. And it shouldnt have been running loose.

I constantly here pit bull owners wanting to blame the owners and I agree it is their fault the dog is poorly trained but I still don't think people at least not anyone who wants one should be allowed to have a pit bull here's why. If I were to tell you I was going to hand out guns to everyone in the US would you want everyone to be allowed to have a fully automatic rifle, or a hand gun? In the wrong hands they can both kill and in the right hands they are both relatively harmless but one is unarguably much more dangerous in the wrong hands. Is it the fault of the owner for allowing themselves to use the gun in a bad manner? Yes. Does that mean I am willing to allow any idiot who wants to own a fully auto own one? Hell no. Someone tried to say that horseback riding is more dangerous than riding a motor cycle and this is stretching the truth. The number of horseback injuries may outnumber the amount of motorcycle injuries but the severity of the injuries sustained by a motorcyclist are much greater and comparing this to owning a pit bull doesn't really make sense as people who choose to ride a horse also knowingly choose to take some risk in doing so. People who are attacked by any dog do not have a choice in the matter and it is usually a wrong place wrong time scenario that they couldn't have avoided. Also why is it relevant that a swimming pool is more dangerous? Your swimming pool isn't going to get loose and drown someone in it against their will. That's like saying its more dangerous to leave knives standing on end in your house than it is to own a pit bull. Well that's great I won't visit a house like that because I CHOOSE not to but unless you can guarantee me that no idiot will let their pit get loose I don't see how your argument is relevant. Last but not least to the person who tried to refute the fact that pit bull attacks are more lethal... come on. You tried to say that the person who said pit bulls were more lethal didn't know much about dog attacks well here is proof of what he said. (though you will probably say its all lies and just a scheme of the American and Canadian media trying to make pit bulls look bad for some completely unknown reason to anyone. It actually IS true that if a 285lb (or whatever you said) man were to inflict more damage he would get a steeper punishment. That's the way our legal system works... You pay for the amount of damage done. I think you used rape as an example which is once again an analogy that doesn't make sense as most rapes involve one thing, sexual assault and no other physical damage to the person. A more proper analogy would be the 285lb man hitting someone in the face as opposed to a 150lb man doing so. Whether dog or human it is more likely that the larger and/or stronger offender will receive a worse punishment as that individual is stronger and most likely inflicted much more damage in their fit of rage. I know all of you on here have your sweet angels but that doesn't mean its a safe breed because in the end pit bulls are more dangerous in the wrong hands.

The only problem with your agument is that guns were built to kill.  Automatic guns were meant to kill PEOPLE.  You are correct that I wouldn't want just anybody to own an auto or semi-auto gun, but that is because they have no other purpose but to kill.  Pits weren't created to kill, nor is it their nature.  Murder was not intended to be their only purpose.  If trained and handled properly they are loving and loyal pets.  If you handle a gun properly does it mean that it won't shoot bullets?  No, it means that those bullets won't be discharged AT A person.  We aren't trying to change the nature of something that was created for distruction.  We are simply trying to combat stupidity and ignorance towards a breed of dog that some people have recently decided are dangerous.

Really? Have you ever been sexually assaulted? So, by your logic, should all men, who have the propensity to rape, surrender their penises? I cannot believe you said that, as a rape victim, I am so outraged. That being said, as a pit bull owner, I am fully aware how dangerous she is. She saved a little boy from being hit by a car, saved me when we had an armed intruder, and watches the neighbor's kids like a hawk. She mothered newborn kittens, even allowing them to suckle off of her. However, like all dogs, she reacts poorly to humans who are afraid of her. As a puppy, she escaped from the house and chased a little girl who ran screaming from her and knocked her down. After months of the mail lady running from her, she finally bit her.Although my son was outside with the dog, who was on a tether,and my son  had told the mail lady not to enter our property until he had the dog secured inside, she did anyway, then ran screaming when she saw the pit. All dogs react aggressively to fear and my Morta is no exception. We paid dearly for this "attack"  (one minor bite, no sitiches required) for no other reason than our dog is a pitbull. I understand that a pit has an extreme bit, and when a pit becomes aggressive, it is very difficult to calm them down. However, that can be claimed for all dogs, even the little ones. I have been bit by little dogs many times, but never by a large dog. My cattle herders are more aggressive than my pitty. Pits require more training for no other reason than their bad publicity. You need to stop making medieval logic connections and do your research.


You just made our argument. In the wrong hands they are dangerous. People are allowed to have guns. Even the idiots that commit the crimes out there. Yes it's a choice. Unfortantely the dog doesn't have the choice of the type of owner he/she has. What people on here is saying that a typical Pit Bull that is raised properly by educated responsible owners aren't any more dangerous then any other large breed dog.  I'll tell you a story about a rescued pit bull that was starved neglected and abused. We brought her home showed her love. Socalized her and trained her. This is what happend she actually broke her leash while on a walk. We were in the process of getting her back. She has a friend in the nighborhood she simply was going over to play with him. We take her over there all the time. A little Terrier from another persons yard came out and bit my son. Our pit stopped in her tracks turned around and picked the terrier up by the scruff of his neck and tossed him away from my son.With the simple command we have trained her "Drop it" and "Leave it" She followed thes commands. True she could have easily killed it but we have trained her and worked with her on these aspects to prevent such things from happening. If you were right she would have simply killed that animal. Just for the record we did end up having to get a stronger leash. She now has one that she hasn't broken.

My friends pit bull was attacked by a mini schnauser and his artery in his neck was cut and he lost so much blood he had to have a transfusion (true story, I was there!) and my cousins chihuahua hates and attacks men. My friend's yorkie was killed by a lab. Just putting it out there. On the other hand, my family has a wonderful shar pei mix and I have a very friendly pit bull mix. Theres a good and a bad to everything, dogs included. I'm really sorry to hear about your mom's dog though, I would be so sad if anything happened to my dog. I hope your mom is ok and hope her husband is as well. Best of luck to you and your family :)

I'm sorry to hear about your Mom's dog.
We all can agree that the neighbor's Pit should have been better supervised. NO dog should be left to roam around loose.
As for the insurance issue, you may want to check your facts on that again.

Okay my pitt is being rised with my boyfriends younger brother who is ten years old and has autism. So Duke (my pitt) gets his ears pulled, tackled, chased, taunted, and jumped on, on a daily basis and has NEVER once showed aggression towrds the ten year old. It's the owners not the breed. And Duke also lives with a bischon and collie, and believe it or not the collie has snapped at the ten year old more than once

Your boyfriends brother is one lucky kid to have a dog that is so willing to be ruff housed with and still take it like a champ. And most dogs will tell if there is something wrong with people and play into those traits people display. For the fact that he is autistic is a blessing to have a sturdy muscular dog to call his, that is willing to do what he does to him and still keep coming back for more.

Pits are not mean...we need to ban the people not the breed. I love my pits, and will continue to advocate for them everyday! Team Pit all the way!!!

I have a question, my son and his friend have a 4 month old American Pit Bull Terrier and a Texas rednose. They rescued it and my son wants to keep it. I need more info on the breed as we live in Ontario and we have no papers on the dog... I want to take the dog to the vet and get the info on the dog before i go so I don't meet any surprises...He is a male and very quiet and is quite a suck... What do I need to know.

JB, I don't know much about Ontario but I do know that some countries, states, counties, cities and neighborhoods have bans on bully breeds. I would check into that first. You don't want to get into trouble. Also, I have an American Staffordshire Pit name Bella. She is 1 year old and weighs about 75 lbs. She is my 6 year old daughters best friend! Bella is protective of her and I completely trust them around 1 another. Don't believe all the horror stories you have heard. Pits are amazing animals and I've had 4 in my life time and never had an ounce of trouble w any of them. The very 1st one we had (Malachi) was shot inside our fenced in yard. He was 8 months old. He had never escaped the fence or bitten anyone. He would have been one terrific pet if it hadn't been for the misunderstanding that people have of these bullies. If you do decide to keep the baby, just be prepared for negative comments from people and try to remember that they are territorial and will protect what is theirs (usually). I never leave mine in the yard alone. She's never shown any aggression toward people or animals but you never know and it's better to be safe than sorry. Good luck!!

If you think that pit bulls are dangerous or viscious, then you are ignorant and retarded. Take my friend's pit bull for example, he is a brindle/blue fawn mix weighs 97 pounds but is the biggest couch potato in the history of all pit bulls. Oh and by the way he saved my friends life from an armed gunmen who broke into his house while his family was sleeping.

Yeah Jonathan's friend has a nice pit bull so they must all be that way and the statistics saying otherwise are lies made by the government to make us vote republican! So you must be a retard and ignorant if you believe data and facts over his experience with one pit bull.

That's rediculous.  None of us are saying that ALL pitbulls are nice.  Our argument is that they aren't all blood thirsty monsters.  We aren't being ignorant, we know our dogs.  Our dogs are the great family pets and loyal companions that DON'T get into the news.  We are the intelligent human beings who know that stats are created to serve a purpose (by the way, there are also plenty of stats out there that say pits aren't more prone to agression than the average dog.)  We are the ones who choose to go off our own experieces, rather than just believe what somebody says is true.  Open your eyes.  Media has been twisting stories and using the most extreme instances to influence people since the beginning of time!  You poor ignorant sod.  Do you also believe that Sadam Hussein had anything to do with the Twin Towers?  The press released that rumor too!

you sir, are ignorant.  the 'statistics' used to calculate dog attacks come exclusively from news reports, where the reporter rarely if ever actually verifies what kind of dog was involved.  They do this because 'pit bull attack' is more sensational and gets more reads/notariaty.  Any dog of a certain size that with a heavy head structure is automatically a pit bull, regardless if it was a boxer mix, some other molloser breed/mix etc.. 

The news reports of these so called pitbull attacks are actually badly bred mixes of pitbulls or dogsthat look like pits.JUDGE THE DEED NOT THE BREED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was at the park one day looking for my pit(he got out) and i asked a lady with her kid at the park if she had seen a big black and white dog (my pit Roush) she said no and one minute later when I was about to leave Roush came sprinting towards me she grabbed a big stick and asked if that was my dog i said yes she told me that my dog was a pit and i said DUH and asked what was wrong with pitbulls she said they are vicious dogs and i explained to her that if she didn't put the stick down she was going to see a vicious dog so she did and i told her to EDUCATE DON'T DISCRIMINATE!!!

This story shows what a bad dog pitbulls are portrayed to be in the media
BUT THEY ARE GRRRR-EAT DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Really? You just admitted in that post that your pit is vicious implying that if the woman hit it to get it to go away it would attack her. I have owned labs, basenjis, and many different mixes and NONE of my dogs would ever bite someone even if they were provoked. You probably believe its right for your dog to bite someone if they hit it and told it to go away... Yay people who own pits.

Any dog has the potential to bite if hit. There is no need to do so."NONE of my dogs would ever bite someone even if they were provoked." Hopefully they do not prove you wrong, get real. Instead of being an instigator here, go do it on a lab or a mix breed forum. And, for the record, "Yay" for us Pit owners.


Lol you told her XD i hate when people are all like its a pitbull run for your life!!!! what if it was a rabid chiwawa thats tens tyme more dangerous and i bet they'd all be like awwwwwe so cute. in reality on the most DANGEROUS dog board almost all of the dogs are small ones so i agree with pitbulls you get what you grow.

we have a pitt....took him to the very busy public park...put a sit stay command.......he is training to be an assistance animal for my husband who is epileptic.......anyway.....i walked away from him.....setting moms running for their walked away ......20  feet stopped turned back to him...where he still was sitting awaiting his next xommand and with hand geatures alone i called him to come....he cam e directly to me ignoring the kids, cyclers, joggers, and people....he came and sat in front of me...becore picking up his lead again i signaled him to the heal position....he walked around me then sat on my left......sometimes my husbands speech is slurred from seizures so he must preform on gestured commands.......he reaponds to voice and geature....your so get what you grow......i grew a patient, loving, obedient, assistance animal out of a red nosed pittbull who i rescued from a kill shelter 2 years ago...... 




I think people should make themselves more aware. I to was guilty. My daughers friend raises and sells all kinds of pit bulls. Well when she went behind my back and bought one, needless to say I wasn't to happy. I went ahead and let her bring the dog home. I began to remember that when I was growing up my family raised Dobermans. My aunt gave us one, Prince. Well my doberman never bit anyone except one man who was trying to break in our home, WHILE WE WERE ASLEEP! On the other hand my aunts dog was evil. Her name was Duchous, and she was mean. You could walk by her and she would bite you. Awlful dog. So I thought its not the dog its the owner. So I set out to love Eden so much that she wouldn't be mean. Well success. She hates violence. She doesn't even like me acting like I'm hitting the kids. And she showed my son she didn't like him even playing to hit me. I think her name suits her. The Garden of Eden, created by the hand of God. Strangly ignorant people would make comments to me like "what made you get such violent dogs, shes gonna eat your other dogs you just wait and see" Well I had such fun with Eden that I adopted another pit bull. Ha. "THEY couldn't believe I did that." Yet the bet is still on. My pits don't bite, however, my MALTESES do bite. HA HA Eat your hearts out.

Why is it that everyone wants the world to completely ignore stats because they have a dog that isn't vicious? That's great you have one pit out of the thousands of them that isn't vicious. What is the logic exactly? That if they aren't all 100% vicious that they must all be cuddle bugs?

statistics are bull crap that is why, statistics are by very small groups not 100% of anything. and no one that i have read has said all are cuddle bugs, but most of us that actually own this breed have cuddle bugs and from what i know of your valued statistics my dogs were not included in that survey. so really, all these people saying how wonderful their dogs are should give you a freaking clue that you shouldn't live your life by what statistics say. look at marriage statistics will you decide if to marry or not based on the "statistics" that more than half of marriages end in divorce. just sayin....

need advice....
i am a 1st time dog owner,just got ruckus fm the pound mon. he is 2yrs and so far perfect,never thought i would love a dog this much(perfect,except for when he pees on my bed)i have 2small kids (ages 2&3).Ruckus sleeps in the bed with my son at night...hes as loveable as can be and for the most part very gentle except when he gets excited and wants to play,but i feel as i shud b cautious and not let him be alone at night with my 3yr old son....advice?is it not a good idea to leave ruckus unattended with my son while they sleep at night?i want to make sure i am doing all the right things as a pit owner...

I also have a child who will be 3 in a couple months. My dog never slept in my sons bed he slept in his own bed next to ours but i put his bed in his crate and lock it before i go to sleep. Your dog will probably not bite your child, but you can never really be sure a dog wont bite so i wouldn't let him sleep with your son. Think about it, what is the difference between leaving your dog unattended with your child during the day and doing so at night? there isn't a difference. While i'm betting your son loves sleeping with the dog, I would put a stop to it asap. Get a crate to put him in or close your sons door at night. Better safe than sorry, especially with children.
Do some reading about the pitbulls needs and responsible ownership of them. Generally the breed isn't for first time dog owners, but i think if you do your research you should be fine. This site has good resources for that. Hope i helped.

I had the issue with my min-pin peeing in my bed (only on my husbands side) that is when all 3 of my dogs started to sleep in their own cages at night. I have 2 min-pins and a American pitt bull terrior. The cages keep the dogs out of stuff while you are sleeping and helps keep the accidents to a minimum. It would be better for everyone if you did put him in a cage at night. It won't hurt and it will give you a piece of mind. I have 3 kids that try to sneak the dogs in their room but the dogs have learned that when I say its bedtime they go to their cages.

I live in Ohio and Alstate covers APBT's. You really shouldn't make statements on things you are not sure of. I had to shop around when I had 3 dogs, an Aussie, a Rottie and a Mastiff. One place recommended I get rid of my dogs. I told him would he get rid of his kids? I walked out. I found Alstate would accept my dogs and now that I have a APBT they accepted him also.
If you are willing to take the time to train, socialize and educate yourself and your dog. Issues of biting are rare unless there are unusual circumstances. Responsible pit owners know that if their dog has HA they put them down for everyone's protection.
I am a responsible owner. My dogs are never left alone unsupervised even to go out potty. My area is fenced in and when in public (outside of our yard) for any reason, they wear a muzzle. They don't wear a muzzle for fear of them biting someone, it's so no one can say they were bitten by my dogs. As with ANY dog you should never leave a dog alone with a child.
DA is a whole different ball game. My Mastiff has DA. He has been with us for 9 years and I wouldn't get rid of him but a RESPONSIBLE dog owner makes plans for these things. We crate n rotate.

A 8 week month old pit bull walked right in my house Christmas Eve. My 7 year year old son thouoght we got for him for Christmas. This was not the case. I just took her to the vet today, he said to get rid of her since I have a Chiauhua. That when the pit gets older she will kill it. Is this true? We really love the pit bull puppy, but the chiauhua was here first, as well as our great danes.

Is it safe to keep the pitt bull? Any help would be greatly appreiciated.

Your Chihuahua will be just fine with the pitt. I had a 5 year old and 3 year old min-pin when I got my pitt. I brought her home when she was 5 weeks old. She is now 2 years old. My min-pins showed het early on who was boss in the house. They also let her know when she was being too rough with them while playing. She still to this day loves to play with both of them and my 3 kids. She is a very good dog. She listens better then the other two do. She rarely barks and is well behaved. The only issue I have is she likes to jump up on people when they come over. She loves company. She thinks they are here to see her.
All of my dogs sleep in their own cages at night. That way they don't get into stuff while everyone is sleeping. Make sure your pitt gets acquainted with people and other animals early on. I take mine to the city park for walks. It doesn't matter how big or small the other dog is, she will lay right down and roll over while they greet eachother.
Congrats on the pitt puppy and I hope it all works out for your family.

liberty mutual will do an interview with your pitbull. Come to your house, meet him or her and see how they are and how they interact. If all goes well, welcome to home insurance. my girl Cheyenne passed with flying colors, and my rate is actually cheaper now with this company. FYI: in Connecticut: agent Jennifer Crawley

I have been bitten by a dog 4 times in my life and none were a PitBull bite.

I have dealt with a few dogs of this breed and to say they are dangerous is not the truth. Dogs have a sense in them that tells if your afraid of them or can tolerate or adore them, and because of this they play off those "vibes" they get from every person they encounter. My friend had an APBT that he said was very protective of his house and didn't like meeting new people very often. I asked him if I could pet her and he said sure just be aware that she might bite you. He had to step on her chain cause she was outside at the time in an open yard, and I approached her and she turned into a completely docile animal and her owner was like I've have never seen her do that for any person I have ever had come to my house. In my life I have never meet a dog that doesn't like me, for the simple fact that I respect the animals I live with and and am around. I recently started doing volunteer work at a no kill shelter and there was a APBT that had been there for seven years since he was six months old, had been beaten and abused by a man to be a fighting dog and then rescued. I asked about him and if I could try and befriend him and help him think that men are not this vile and viscious thing he knows. I worked with him for a few hours a day one day a week, and now every time I come into the shelter to do my volunteer time he looks at me through his fence and smiles and is full of life. A true nature of a dog that literally hated men now looks at them with respect and life.

I am sort of worried. We have had Petie for about 3 years. She sometimes charges our guests, but then just does sort of a "fake attache" She hits them with her nose after a vicious bark. Has anyone ever had this sort of thing happen? She has done it probably 5 or 6 times that I know of. She has never bit anyone (except when we were not home and someone came in unexpected, and she did not know them, they tried to shove her in her crate)That was YEARS ago, but I am wondering if anyone has a pit that does this weird "fake attache thing"? She is so good otherwise! I just do not know what to do about this! No one has ever been hurt, just in need of a new pair of underpants!

i grew up with a black lab, that would eat your face off if he didn't know you and you tried to come in his yard. we watched him try to attack a boy i was dating because through the fence, he didn't know him and he thought he was going to just walk in the yard, any breed of dog can exhibit this behavior, just sayin....

You I have had enough of. A lab would never my ass. I have been attacked by a LAB mix. My neighbors used to have a black lab so vicious we could not walk down the street with out the dog attempting to bite us, nor anywhere the dog could roam. I was in the church parking lot down the street and turned around because I heard him growl at me and reacted in time to kick at him to keep him from biting me, then had to shoo him off. Currently, we have THREE vicious labs on  my street. One is I believe a pure bred yellow who is un-neutered, has severe eye problems, andn is the ring leader. The other two are his sons, who are also un-neutered, super vicious, and mangy. I have to carry pepper spray with me to be able to walk down my own street. These dogs attempt to sneak and bite every time I go by the house. The owners have been talked to by several neighbors and have been reported to the sherriff's office because of these dogs. These dogs attempted to attack me while I had BOTH of my dogs on leashes walking them with my nearly 4 year old son. These dogs are why my 4 year old Blue Healer/Husky/Am Bulldog mix dog is afraid of adult dogs and takes forever to warm up to puppies. They are probably the reason my one year old pit/Dalmation mix dog is sans 4 inches of tail.

They are also the product of bad breeding because of irrisponsible owners, and why we had to keep a gun loaded. We were repeatedly awoken at odd hours of the night because of the pack of dogs, only one of which was a pit the rest were all lab and other undetermined mixes, of which there were about 8 dogs, kept comming into our yard and attacking the feral cats. I got woken up on Christmas Eve by a pack of 6 chasing a 6 month old kitten under my house and cornering it, then dragging it out from under the house and using it as a bean bag until it died. All the while my "vicious pit" as you would say, was out side on a run in my yard, cowering in the shed because of those dogs. Do not say a lab would never. Yes a lab would as would ANY dog not properly cared or bred for. Pits are dangerous because unless you can get an AKC or other registered dog, the breeding hasn't been monitored. Idiots breed them for agression to fight then sell the puppies and the bad genetics get passed on because the next moron lets the dog breed too. Registered breeds aren't allowed to breed if they show signs for a reason. So don't blame the dog, as again, it's the moron HUMANS who are the problem. And no, I don't hate labs. I love them. I would love to have a lab myself. I hate dogs based on individuals. I hate the aformentioned dogs. Love my brother's lab female to death. Cried buckets when Dixie passed away, as she would always sneak into my bed when she came to visit. His new lab, Kenzy does the same. Love her too. Breed is NOT the reason for or against agression.

I have seen tiny dogs attack faster than you would believe and big dogs cower. My mother's fiest is the meanest dog in the house. My son SLEEPS on TOP of my pit/Dalmation and my mom's dog bites at him constantly. My mother's dog hates kids due to an incident when she herself was a baby.

We had a neighborhood Doberman. Sweetest dog ever. He got SHOT because of someone like you. They shot him for no other reason than he was a Doberman. The dog had never done anything to anyone. I have owned 2 pure breds and 4 pit mixes. One of those gave us issues, and it was because he was over protective of us. He nipped people for getting close to us. Never did anyone need stitches, usually just a bandaide. Not saying this was good, it wasn't, and we had to give him away because of it and the person we gave him to STARVED him to death. I was 6 when we had him and used to sleep on him. Yeah...such a terror. He knew who I was a year after we gave him away. And licked me. The last pure bred we had hated my uncle, but my uncle doesn't really like dogs. My grandmother used to feed this dog scraps. She was in her 80s and perfectly safe with him. He died of old age and the whole family cried. I have a friend with an English Mastiff. I watched her play with thier 13wk old lab puppy and it was the cutest thing ever. 160lb dog playing with a 16lb puppy and letting Dent think he was winning.

Do not get on your own soap box with YOUR favored breeds and tell us that we are stupid because we favor pits. ANY breed has the potential to maim and kill, both because of mishandling and bad genetics. It's a risk you take with having any animal in your home. Pomeranians are deadly bacause people think they are to little to do harm. Tell that to the family who lost thier 6 wk old infant to thier tiny Pom. The Pom's jealousy towards the baby lead it to get into the crib and maul the baby. Bad parents for not keeping a better eye on things, but all the same, the baby is dead and a 10lb dog did it. Didn't make the national news because Poms are "Cute" and fuzzy and lap dogs. The pits who get attacked by other dogs and run and cower get blamed because of thier breed. Do pits attack? YES. Do labs attack? YES Do Germand Shepards attack? YES Do Spaniels attack?YES All dog breeds have cases of attacking. The problem is the stats are bad because people don't know what a pit actually is. Boxers get called pits, and while they are a terrier breed, they are not pits. Anything with a square nose gets called a pit or anything that's big and loud. People say pit when they don't know or because they think that's what it was. So yes, stats are great but they aren't accurate. DNA tests would be nice, but ain't gonna happen. Check the bite stats for breeds. Labs and German Shepherds are highest on the list. Labs are HUNTERS and Shepherds are GUARD DOGS. They are bred for the instinct to lunge, grab, and bite. This doesn't make them bad dogs. They do what WE as HUMANS have bred them to do.

Sorry if I have offended any with my rant, but saying a lab would never is like saying it's not dangerous to stick a penny in a light socket because you have rubber gloves on.

sounds like she is just making sure they know they are in her house, but i would still be watchful, my dogs are usually good with people but i am always very watchful of strange behavior and sometimes will put them in their beds if i know someone who is uncomfortable with dogs (not just pits) will be over.

Does she also snap? Its called a snap and miss. It is a serious issue that needs to be corrected, as it's likely to escalate. Unfortunately, I had the same issue with a Malamute. I couldn't correct the behavior after training and medications so chose to put her to sleep with the recommendation of my vet.

A lab would exhibit that behavior. A dog is a dog. Breed has nothing to do with it. Black people are not bred to be criminals. Mexicans are not bred to drive with no insurance. White people are not bred to be bad dancers. If I get shot I'm not going to sue Remington for making the gun I was shot with. I'm going after the person who pulled the trigger. A dogs mind is a blank canvas as a puppy. You, the owner create your own dog. My first dog was a pit. In the seventeen years I shared my life with him he never showed one bit of aggression. Last week I brought home a 8 week old pit bull pup, and I expect to have the same experience from her. On the other hand, my crack-head neighbor can bring home a pit puppy and it could attack anything it sees, but they can do the same thing with a lab. They are a product of their environment not a product of their breeding. Anyone who disagrees should open their eyes and look at the subject from both points of view.

I have for insurence reasons signs BEWARE OF THE DOG!!! But break in my home she will kiss them silly. It would be more acurate to post BEWARE OF THE OWNER, I be much meaner.

I have a pit and he is aggresive toward our lab. What should I do?

I have a dacshund and a pit and my dacshund is more aggressive to kids than my pit is!! The pit also plays really rough with me and my husband but we just recently found out when she plays with a child she is extremely cautious! It amazes us how smart and loving she is! She is soo funny too! She does have her stubborn times but she is starting to listen better now that she has grown up more! Over all she is a wonderful and sweet dog and like I said she has more patience than my dacshund!! :)

So I am in my last week of Prentation class in college, Itwas a funny thing last week when i had mentioned that i have a 3 year old daughter, a 6 year old son, and a 7 month old pit bull. I got all sorts of opinions thrown at me, and i was not amazed to hear how many were not siding with me, so I have been inspired by all of these comments, and by the frustration i feel over all the dicrimination i heard last week about this breed, my last assignment which will make up 30 percent of my final grade, because it is in fact the final, will be a persuasive essay and speech consisiting of what the APBT really is, what media has done to their rep, what makes them mean, what makes any dog mean, What they are capapble of and what they are like when they are treated the way they deserve to be treated!


This as me so frustrated! All of these poeple up here saying how the pits cant be trusted,ALL MY CLASSMATES SAYING  i am a bad  mother for allowing one around my chilren coming up with all of these stories. I have owned many breeds of dogs too! Doberman, mini doberman(the love of my life, best friend) A golden retriever, Great dog, he was our babysitter when i was a teen, German shephard, dominent,sharp,athletic, but got very possessive and aggressive of stranger, but good dog, poodle, ughhh sorry not so much into her, chihuahua, great lap dog, thats it, sweet cddly, but a lap og, and of course 3  pits, athletic, cuddly, full of kisses, great listeners, intelligent, quick learners, and have great personalities, but from that exsperience i can say ALL DOGS ARE CAPABLE OF BEING WHO YOU WANT THEM TO BE, ALL DOGS HAVE TEETH, THEREFOR THEY CAN BITE! ALL DOGS CAN HURT THERFORE DONT HIT THEM!ALL DOGS DESERVE LOVE, SO GIVE IT TO THEM, ALL DOGS(this may be my religion speaking but) WERE PUT HERE TO BE OUR COMPANIONS, TO GIVE US LOVE WHEN WE LOST SOMETHING OR SOMEONE, TO LET US KNOW WE R NOT ALONE WHEN WE FEEL WE ARE, To have something to love when we feel we have noone to give it to, o protect us when we are really needing it, and to make us happy, but they were put here for companionship, not to be chopped at, snipped, beaten, fought, hated, starved, ALL DOGS DESERVE MORALITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!And a pit bull is just another one of those many who deserve it!

So here goes this assignment, wish me luck!

Your passion about this is amazing! I agree with you 100% and I wish more people would listen with their ears and brains and not their tv inspired fears. I giggled out loud when I read ALL DOGS HAVE TEETH THEREFORE THEY CAN BITE!! so do all cats! LOL. i was actually attacked by a cat that put 2 puncture holes in my leg as deep as his teeth were long, so I guess we should ban all kitties too. Thank you for what you said and what you feel! Good Luck with your essay I am sure it will be amazing, wish we could read it when you are done.

Lol...guess I need beware of the cat signs too?? I have 6 cats all of whom have claws. Buddha has no back claws but that's because he's fat and grinds them off when he jumps. Sumi's the tiny one who will attack. The rest are too lazy to care. I am aware that my cats have teeth and claws and my dogs do too. Those teeth hurt when they nip while we play. Granted tug-of-war can get dangerous when the dog goes for the toy and you move the wrong way. Never been actually hurt though. Lol.

Hey tatersmommy, I really feel bad for those guys.

But you know ignorance always leads this. It is like racism, most racist people are like that because they don't know shit about what they are talking about. It is the same with religion, race,... It is very sad, that some individus, either animals or humans, are targetted just because few of them act in a bad way.

I agree with you, the best thing to do in thos situation is to be smarter then those stupid ass.

I did the same thing then you, I wrote a paper when I was doing my bachelor, about APT, and many person came to me to tell me that they learned many things about them, and that they kind of changed their minds about the bread. But I also got stupid comment like I am a criminal and so. Someone even told me" you are muslim and you got a pitbull, that makes you twice more dangerous and violent". I was really shock. But I am too smart for thos kind of ignorant things.

I really hope that your paper will teach them some. You are propably a great mum, and having pits with your kids is the best choice, because a happy pit makes a great friend for kids.

People should understand that there are no bad dogs, there only are bad owners, or owners who lack confidence and knowledge about the bread

Good luck! Let m know what happened


man i cant wait until someone finally proves to the world the pitbul is a great dog i mean some ppl shud read the fact america's most decorated and recognized hero was a PITBULL type a staffie now the they want to teminate the breeds such a shame -_-

U are absolutely right pitmaster!

People tend to always forget the good and remenber the bad. And this is not even the worst. The worst is people that use pits to fight, to make dirty money...people that beat them up to turn them into very agressive dogs...those are the worst people.

If most of the world believes that pits are devil...well good for them...we know the truth, and we are more then enought to speack up for our pits. But those that we have to really fight against are those who are treating them bad. Here, where I live, lotttttt of pits owner organize fights...and then throw them into the rivers when they dead, or just kill them when theyr almost dead...and even if theres many laws against it...even if there is the human society fighting it..people just dont care and keep breading them for bad reason.

That makes me sick to my stomack.

me as well but in my opinion y ban the breed y not just confiscate the dogs from the people who cause the promblem not everyone causes the agression problem man i'd rather them make me have to take a test to keep bully breeds instead of just banning them all like WTF!??? o_o

well it would be a good idea to actually remove those pits from those people. But it is not easy.

Some organizations already do that in the US (you can see some in animal planet....and some are actually specialized for pits), but then even if they can get those poor dogs out of those negative environments, most of them are in bad shape. They can never again trust people, they are agressive, and most of the time in very physical shape, So what can you do?

And then, not only that, but also that it is very hard to be able to check allllll the breaders to see how they treat their animals, and to who they sell them, knowing that lot of breaders are actually working for the illegal market.

And then, lot of those people who fight pits are also actually doing lot of drugs, or sometimes in some those people have power and money...and often police can really do none to stop them.

That is the sad reality.

O n I forgot those people who take pits for fashion, and who have actually noooooo clue at all of the bread. They believe that educating a pit is like educating a shiwawa...or a its totally different. Pits need much more attention, exercice, strengh...


I have 2 pit mixes ~ they are the kindest dogs you would ever meet! Both would rather lay across your lap on the couch than do anything else! I get upset when people talk stupidity about things they do not know!


all this talk from one person about how horrible this breed is. wow, does anyone remember when the movie 101 dalmations came out and everyone went crazy over them dogs? Dalmations are MEAN dogs! they had numerous people attacked by this horrible breed. see how ridiculous you sound? I have 2 pit bulls, a german shephard and a boxer, I have to lock my Shephard up when people come over because he does not like strangers or children smaller than him as he was not brought up around small children. but this is where I am a responsible dog owner. I know my dogs and will not take a chance of something happening to them or someone in there presence. My pits have 2 very different personalities, my 3 year old will chase a 3 year old little boy around my house so he can LICK him. my 7 month old is more aggressive but will hurt you only by jumping on you because he is so happy to see a new person.
Pit bulls are not a bad breed, inbreeding of any animal will make them crazy including the Human animal. In my opinion and this is only my opinion - we should all stop judging a breed or a race by one animal or person. I love my pits, and will own more when i am able. and as everyone else has stated EDUCATE yourself about something before you just go rambling about it.

ya ikr im going to get a a neo/pitty and it going to be nuthing more than my companion and may come with me for wild pig hunts only time it will have to be a guard dog is when it decides to be.

I love the breed i cant stand idiots that dont take the time to read or investigate the breed or put effort in learning about what the hell they r talking about before they open there mouths full of bullshit.

Pitbulls r not dangerous and they dont hurt u people do.

I have had about ten in my life time some needed a better home took them in some just cause they were giving them away, alot of these pitts were already 2 or 3 years of age and i spent time with them and to them i was a stranger but became their owner and they showed me love very fast and i gain their trust fast. these dogs just need love and time and a good owner. i really stand behind the breed. Love my pitts.

I Think That That Justin Bieber Moviee Was Awesomee!!! And It Madee Me CryY! :P Teehee! I Was Embarrased! :P

I <3 Justin Bieber!!

This site is about pit bulls, not justin beiber. Maybe you should look for a blog about justin beiber and you might find other people like yourself. Do you have a pit bull? If so, this is a great place to talk about him or her :) Please stop with the JB comments. Thanks!

My comment is to DEBBIE: I have a pitbull and also have a yorkie/miniature pincher mix. Since the dog showed no interest in ur lil baby it most likely will not harm the lil one. My pit Duke acts like a daddy to my lil one, cleans her up, naps with her, even protects her from other dogs he thinks are threatening. We love our babies and wouldn't trade them for the world!!! Hope this helps!!!!

Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is as much about the rights of the People who own the dogs as it is about the dogs. From a legal viewpoint, BSL sets a dangerous precedent for Everyone. "Due Process"  is vital for the protection of All Americans. Bypassing this essential part of our legal system is not only Unconstitutional, it's outright dangerous. Today a ban or restriction targets My Family Pet for seizure and summary execution. What's the next target? Pro BSL, or Pro PitBull, all of our legal protections within the American legal system are predicated upon the Constitutional maxim "Innocent Until Proven Guilty". Any exception to this  calls into question the Rights of All Americans. This Includes BSL Supporters.

 It's a given that any dog, regardless of breed, can be aggressive. Do the research. Ask your local animal control officers which breeds lead the bite list. You may be surprised by the answer. Next to never is human aggression a problem in a healthy, well trained Pitbull. As for attacks blamed on a "Pit Mix". What else is in the "mix"? One dog about to be destroyed for "looking" like a pit in a comunity that bans them was tested and the largest percent of dog in the mix was belgian shepherd, at the botton of the genetic list was Pit. ALWAYS do the research and get the facts before assuming and speaking.

Exactly. I have a pitt and 2 min-pins. I have to worry more about who is walking into my yard when my male min-pin is out in his chain then I do my pitt. He is very protective over my kids and his yard if he doesn't know you. My neighbors beagel has jumped out of their window and attacked my female min-pin in my yard not ounce but twice for no reason.

they love you somuch mine would never hurt no one

pit bulls are wonderfull dog people say they are mean and blame them for attacking people news flash it is not the dogs fault it is the people who raise them that are the ones to blame i love my pit and i have a kid on the way and i cant wate for them to meet

    I just want to say that I AM FURIOUS with all these stupid people out here saying all these bad things about PitBulls!  I have three recue dogs including two beautiful Pits. Our oldest Pit sadly passed away last year due to cancer. I recently set up a pet food bank called Paws From Heaven in his memory. He was severly beaten and starved when i saw him chained to concrete with no food,water or shelter.I contacted our local police dept., put up a huge fight until i got custody of him through the courts. I had him for 9 wonderful yrs. inside our home with 7 cats which he adored all of them ,along with my teacup chiuahua,and my beautiful 4yr. old son .There is never ever a bad dog, there are plenty of bad owners!  Oh and just for the record, my teacup chiuahua is way meaner and aggressive than any of my Pits.  Punish the owners ,stop killing these beautiful amimals!

Thank you so much for telling your story.  Christmas eve a pit bull puppy walked right into my house.  I have 2 great danes, 1 chiuahua at the time (2 now), chocolate lab, and shar pai, german shepard mix.  When I took the pit bull to the vet the following Monday morning he told me to get rid of the pit.  That she would grow up and kill my chiuahua.  Well I kept the pit, she is now 5 months old.  She does everything any puppy would do.  I have noticed that the chiuahuas are way more aggressive.  I have a feeling my pit bull named Baily is going to be one of the best dogs I've owned.  She is very sweet and loving.  Now if we can just get through the teething phase.  lol



I have recently become a reformed pit bull hater. We rescued a pit bull that had been abandoned. She showed signs of being abused. She has in, in less than a year, become a very loving and caring member of our family. She has learned the basic commands. She even plays gently with my 4 year old nephew.

Not sure if that qualifies, I don't own a pit, but I have the one of one of my neighbors as guest here daily. And 5 other dogs, a husky/shepherd mix, a sheltie mix, a yellow lab and her two pups. Buddha, that's what I call the Staffordshire (pit), loves being in the 'pack'. He's the center of harmony (hence the name). At about 5 years and 80 lbs, he's a scary looking dude, but rather shy towards humans he doesn't know, as well as strange and curious dogs. Sometimes, he just hangs out with me, laying his head in my lap.

Scary looking? Absolutely. Dangerous? NO. He doesn't even bark at anyone.

The first time I gave Buddha a treat, he snapped at it and damn near severed my fingers, so that I cringed and said 'Ouch!'. From that day on, he has used his tongue and snout only to get his treat, really gently. Tells me that Buddha understood and is trying to avoid inflicting pain.

Pitmaster, I always recommend watching 'Dogtown', season 2, 1st episode to people. It's about the rescue of 22 of Michael Vick's fighting pits, after he got arrested.

They are all rehabilitated, all but one got adopted, and the one that stayed at 'Best Friends' did so because of a court order - he bit someone in the beginning. One of the others, Leo, is now a therapy dog, an internet celebrity.

Also cool to watch is 'Daddy', Cesar Milan's (The Dog Whisperer) pit, who, together with 'his' pack, helps out with integrating unruly dogs. Daddy, unfortunately, since has passed of old age.

I am so glad I found this site and so grateful that pit bull owners and fans are setting the record straight regarding this wonderful breed. For people trying to adopt a pittie in a neighborhood with restrictions or suspicious neighbors, here's a tip: it's not just about your willingness to train the dog properly, but also about how you present your dog to the community. If you make a point of having everyone in the neighborhood observe your pet behaving the way pitties typically behave, then things will probably be okay. Even something as simple as a name makes a difference -- naming your dog "Killer" or, with due respect to an earlier post, "Viper," stacks the odds against you and your pet. Work with friendly names, even human names. Who was ever scared of a dog named Phil?

I have a pit bull, he'll be two in November 2011,

His two best friends?

Two chihuahuas!

Yea, but he's totally vicious.

His name is Caesar, and, he's pretty big at this point.

But everytime someone new comes into the house, we hold him, close the front door, and let him go.

He runs up to them and sniffs him.

Then he's in love with them!

He often sleeps on my lap,

And despite his huge size,

He like to get on the back of the couch behind me and lay there.

He loves puppies.

But isn't fond of big dogs.

We have to keep him on a chain in the back yard,

Which does break my heart,

Because he LOVES to run around and play out back,

But theres a dog next door,

And we're afraid of what may happen.

But he'd rather be loved on all day than be outside!

Which to me, is cute.

He's really smart,


He sometimes gets a little bored.


They wont cause to much of a ruckess if the house is calm,

But if everyone is loud and roudy,

They'll get excited and do the same.

They don't mind playing a LITTLE rough.

They prefer it,

Because they're big dogs,

And love to play.

But Caesar only has one person who plays rough with him,

And that's my friend Whisper (Yes, that her real name) 

And he loves her to death!!

He's always excited when she comes over cause he gets to play with someone he doesn't have to worry about hurting.

He sometimes barks at her to play with him.



He's just a big spoiled baby.

If he see's somewhere he wants to sit on the couch,

He'll just stare at you innocently.

Giving you the hint.


Of course,

Since he ALWAYS gets what he wants,

Everyone moves and even helps him up there.


Yeah, watch out, pits tend to suffocate people with facelicks. :) Across the street of my house, there's a junkyard, and it's guarded by 4 black, vicious looking pitbulls. On rare occasion, they get out. First thing they do, is come over here, and their pack leader, a 3-year old 75 lbs female, literally drowns me in kisses. The owner usually calls them back, and keeps apologizing, and I just can't hold my wad laughing. The pit girl's name is "Pookie".

Buddha, the big AmStaff that is my regular guest, isn't that exuberant, but when he starts licking, he won't stop easily. But most of the time he's okay with just laying his head in my lap. And yes, this is a Latino neighborhood, where virtually all dogs are 'intact' (meaning, not neutered or spayed). So the 'testosterone rush' doesn't hold water, but I keep telling the owners that altering is a good thing for everyone. Try telling that to Mexicans... :(

My pittie is the best thing that's ever happened to me :) she's a real sweetie & now I'm trying to get the word out.

We just took in an 8 week old pit. Friends and family are being so ridiculous. I actually had a friend tell me that her kids can not come over any more. I believe that any animal can be dangerous. It is all in how you raise them. I am so upset on how people are reacting to our new family addition. I would never put my children in danger.

I was under the impression that pitbulls were dangerous, wild and ferral animals just waiting to take out the throat of an unsuspecting owner, or passerby...but that is just not the case, not at all. I was introduced to the breed by my son who brought a puppy home one day and said "hey mom and dad meet Dez" well to say the least we were a bit shocked because like everyone else we were misinformed. To make a long story short Dez is love incarnate, he is wonderful! He is smart and courageous, and our four cats love the way he cleans their ears, Ok thats a little gross but you catch my son works with him everyday socializing him with other dogs and people, he loves everyone.  If my son fell down a well Dez would find away to pull him out and not even Lassie can make that claim. We love OUR pitbull and are very dissapointed that the media doesn't treat them fairly. I was attacked as a child by a St. Bernard and chewed up pretty badly, the owners were so perplexed, becasue Annie was never known to be agressive, well Annie like a lot of other breeds can have a bad and Annie made up and became fast friends.  I want people to understand that pitbulls are very loving and loyal...they may not be lap dogs but they really do think they are; they are great companions, and stead fast friends, how many people do you know that fit that description; I know a few but I also know that that is excatly what my son found when he found Dez... 

Happened to my ex-boyfriend from highschool. His aunt had an Akita and when Casey was two, he apparently pissed off the Akita by taking it's toy...or something, I dont remember the why. Any way, the dog decided his head was a good replacement chew toy and tore apart his skull. Casey had to wear a special helmet once he got out of the hospital and had to be very closely monitored because the accident left him with seizures for a while. The helmet was due to seizing and because the dog gouged runnels into his skull and actually took out a silver dollar sized portion of his skull just above his left temple. He's now 25 and still has a hole there that he has to be careful of. And is the proud owner of and Akita. One bad dog doth not an evil breed make. Though I think his aunt's dog was put down after that. I can't say that I blame them, but she never showed agression before eating his head.

Pit Bulls are the best dogs in the world!!!! I have heard many people say "Pit Bulls are mean and shouldn't be allowed in public, and my golden retreiver would never hurt anyone." Thats the kind of people I hate the most saying one breed is horrible and one us awesome because of the way they were born.  Kinda like racism to people.  A golden retriever puppy tried to bite me (not mouthing, it was being agressive) the only reason it didn't was because I got away quick enough.  It proves that any dog can be agressive it all depends on how they were raised not how they were born.  I love Pit Bulls with all my heart and soul, my life is dedicated to pit bulls.  The only crime they have commited is stealing my heart!

There are no such thing as "Bad Dogs"....Only BAD Owners...We have had two pit bulls in our family; they love everyone and are excellent with children.  Irresponsible owners give any type of dogs a bad rap.  I would never own any other type of breed, Pit Bulls are the most loyal and sweetest dogs in the world...there are too many ignorant people around who feed into media and hype, that's sad.

Sam is my 6 year old pit/lab mix (he's about 50-50 although he shows more of the pitbull characteristics) and he is the greatest dog i've ever met. he's my personal trainer even though he hates running more than a mile, he's willing to tough it out through 5-mile runs 4-6 days a week. He curls up with me in bed, but i usually end up on the edge because he is the biggest bed hog known to man. he sleeps on the stairs where he can sunbathe in relative peace, and eats just about anything. he follows me just about everywhere (exception: the bathroom, he wont willingly go into one). And when he knows i need a break from working on my laptop, he will come over and try to get me to pet him, this usually doesnt work so i tell him to go away and then he lays down right next to me rolls onto his back and starts playfully gnawing on my arm, after that we usually have a good 10 minutes of tug-of-war with one of his many ropes. also he is a very big fan of small children, he has a little fan club going for him in my neighborhood, and the only fear we have about that is he might knock them over trying to give them hugs and kisses. And at night during thunderstorms he jumps off of my bed and crawls underneath it (usually right below me) and whines and cries until it is over. Now can anyone tell me what is evil about him because at least 3 dozen have told me he is mean and agressive just because he is part pit. people these days.

We get weird and scared looks all the time when we take Magnum on walks or the park ...The funny part is everyone else's dogs are the ones being aggressive and barking at us while Magnum minds his business...So it's pretty crazy how people misconcept pit bulls as mean and aggressive especially when my two toddlers walk by his side...

We, as Pit Bull Ambassadors, need to keep educating our friends, family and public that Pit Bulls are not bad dogs, that any dog can be aggressive, but that's the responsible of a good owner.  The only dogs that has bitten and nipped at my kids and another family member was a cocker spaniel and some mixed breed (not a pit bull mix).

If they've never owned a pit bull, they should keep their opinions to themselves...they will never know how great these dogs are and they are going to miss out!

The ATTS results mean nothing. The people who bring in their dogs are a self selecting group, that is, only responsible owners of pitbull type dogs will bring in their animals for the test. Since the breeds under this category are known for being vicious creatures, people only bring in pits that they feel will pass the test. This is not the case for a border collie or a labrador. Since they're generally considered friendly, people will bring in their dog assuming it will pass the test regardless or, take it in because they suspect it has personality problems. If you had drug dealers bringing in their crack-guarding pits, I'd bet the results would be more around 50% or less.

The plural of anecdote is not fact. I know you all hate statistics because you're convinced that there's an anti-pit conspiracy, but murder statistics are pretty hard to fudge;

"Studies indicate that pit bull-type dogs were involved in approximately a third of human DBRF (i.e., dog bite related fatalities) reported during the 12-year period from 1981 through1992, and Rottweilers were responsible for about half of human DBRF reported during the 4 years from 1993 through 1996....[T]he data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted for 67% of human DBRF in the United States between 1997 and 1998. It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities." (Sacks JJ, Sinclair L, Gilchrist J, Golab GC, Lockwood R. Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998. JAVMA 2000;217:836-840.) 

The Clifton study of attacks from 1982 through 2006 produced similar results. According to Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes were responsible for 65% of the canine homicides that occurred during a period of 24 years in the USA. (Clifton, Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to November 13, 2006; click here to read it.)


I hope for your sakes none of your pits end up attacking you or your family members. Look up pitbull scalpings if you have the stomach for it. Look up pitbulls killing horses and other large mammals and try to find another breed of dog that has done the same thing as often. Look up the breeding history of the pitbull.

Just because you're a responsible owner doesn't mean that the breed is not an unstable one. In an ideal world only good breeders and good people would own pitbulls and they would only look scary, not actually be insane. Unfortunately, many pitbulls are bred and owned for the express purpose of being batshit crazy--by drug dealers, dog fighters, men with small penises etc. Look up the fox farm experiment in Siberia. Not only did they manage to breed people-friendly foxes in less than 60 generations, they also managed to breed their nightmare opposite--insanely aggressive animals. Personality IS inheritable.

Furthermore a dog that is "dog-aggressive" is just as dangerous as a human aggressive one. How many loving dog owners do you think will stand by watching their best friend get mauled and murdered by a pit? How many of those dog owners are elderly? Disabled? Not everyone can break up two dogs in a fight. If someone were to be attacked/killed trying to stop their pet from being killed by your out of control pit, it is not their fault--it is your's for owning it and not taking enough precautions. Honestly, dog owners should be punished a lot more when their dogs attack.

The fact that you all have nothing but anecdotal evidence, a dubious personality test, and ad-hominem attacks indicates that you have no case. Pits are on average vicious dogs and should not be owned by the casual pet owner. They should be restricted or outright banned as certain other dangerous or wild animals currently are. In this nation people can only do as they like as long as it does not pose a danger to others.

 perhaps you should truly read and understand the stuff you're quoting:

"Conclusions—Although fatal attacks on humans


dogs and Rottweilers), other breeds may bite and

cause fatalities at higher rates."

Other breeds may cause fatalities at a higher rate...sorry this is not the smoking gun you're looking for. And while anecdotes are not facts, they are factual to the person sharing the are neither qualified nor educated enough to make a statement disqualifing a breed for the slam campaigns being leveled at them...but you are entitled to your opinion and if in your opinion Pit bulls are bad news, here's the good news, you don't have to own one and if you see one you can lock yourself behind close doors until the boogy-dog goes away...have a nice border collie day...

Your argument about statistics is correct, but applies to the statistics you present as well.  Just because more pit bites result in death or serious injury DOES NOT mean that pits are more likely to bite, only that their bites are stronger.  I've been snarled at and attacked by poodles and yorkshire terriers more times than by pits.  My step daughter had to go to the hospital because her grandmothers poodle bit her face and left four puncture marks around her eyes.  Arguments can be made against any statistics.  They do not show facts, only interpretations of a certain group of results.  If you want some really greusome pics, look up "car wreck."  If you want some really dangerous behavior, look up what happens when people decide to inhabit hurricane or flood prone areas.  I'm not saying pits are for everybody, with pit ownership comes a large amount of responsibility, towards other people and towards our dogs because they are so powerful.  However, our choices of homes, vehicles and pets are personal choices.  People who live in Mississippi are not being asked to defend their choice of a home just because it is prone to flooding.  Driving and SUV has not been outlawed, just becuase they have high roll over rates.  I know I'm going to open up a can of worms saying this, but being black hasn't been outlawed, just because criminal statistics are higher for that group of people (I'm not by any means racist, just using an example.) The point is, our choice to own pits is based on personal preference and should not need to be defended, nor should our beloved pets fear for their lives, any more than my horses should (by the way, horses are very powerful and dangerous animals in their own right, they just aren't generally exposed to an ignorant or abusive public.)  I don't hate all poodles, just because my daughter was bitten, I dislike THAT poodle.  I don't hope that my pit won't ever attack anybody, I know he won't.  I don't worry about him with my kids or my 18 month old nephew, but that's because I raised my dog the right way.  Any activity has a certain risk factor, ownership of any animal comes with it's dangers (amphibians, for instance are more likely to spread salmonella, than any warm blooded animal.)  Our breed is simply being targeted as millions of other peoples, animals and causes have been and will be.  We have a right to stand up for ourselves and for our pets.  Heaven forbid they ever outlaw ignorance in our country on the grounds that it is detrimental to the progression of our society!  It would be horribly unfair to so many, very kind and loving individuals :)


If you are that big on dismissing anecdotal evidence, perhaps you should check your opening statement.


So here's the breakdown:

1. You have no idea whatsoever who brings in animals for this testing and what their motives may be. Some may indeed be self-selecting, but others may deal with legal mandates and still others may bring in their pit for the very reason you suggest they bring in other breeds, namely the desire to determine whether the dog has a behavior issue that requires (or defies) training. So you have opened your argument with a fundamentally unsupportable statement -- always a good move.

2. "Known for being vicious creatures," eh? Known by whom? By what definition of vicious? This is anecdotal material at its worst: hearsay. Your statement regarding Labs and border collies and their owners fits into the same category -- it happens to be a positively worded statement, but it is still hearsay.

3. Ah, those drug dealers and their crack-guarding pits. How many drug dealers are you familiar with? And how would you know which particular banned substance was being guarded by which breed? Moreover, how could you possibly have any data related to dogs -- pit bulls or others -- who had been rescued from drug dealing operations? This moves from hearsay into gross stereotyping.

4. Not only have you introduced anecdotal material to support your own argument against anecdotal material, you have also thoroughly misapplied the term to this forum. When an individual speaks from personal experience, that is, by definition, not anecdotal -- it would only be anecdotal if forum members were sticking up for pit bulls they had heard were friendly. What we have here are people speaking from direct personal experience, which means these accounts are not anecdotal; that certainly doesn't mean that all pits act the way these pits do, but when someone offers an account in which their pit gives them a kiss, then that qualifies as a fact unless you can prove that the individual fabricated the story.

That's about it. Sorry for the length of the rant, but I dislike muddled reasoning as much as I do bigotry.

Pits aren't vicious. It mostly depends on how one approaches a dog. If you have negative energy towards a dog, it will pick it up and responds likewise, and pits aren't the only dogs that do so. I have personally never had a problem with pits, they are my favorite dogs, I never got bitten by one (but I got bitten by a St. Bernard and a yellow lab), and they are the most affectionate dogs I know. Not for nothing, at one time, the APBT was America's #1 dog. Of course, we seem to live in an era where a burglar can sue a dog owner for the dog disturbing his business and protecting his master...

I will agree with you on the facts being off because it's only the responsible owners bringing in thier dogs, but stop and think about that for a sec. Those people got dogs from reputable breeders and not the crack dealers you spoke of. I agree...those people need to not be breeding and for the exact reasons you just stated. Agression doesn't need to be allowed to be passed on. However, this statement also holds true for all breeds, not just pits, and not just dogs. It holds just as true for humans, which I say there are lots of humans who shouldn't be allowed to contribute to the gene pool for a reason. We DO need better registration on pit breeding, but also on all dog breeding. Labs aren't bred to fight but rednecks (Yes I am from the south there for I get to poke at rednecks as I am one) breed labs to have a lab. And then there's the puppy mills for pet stores. None of these things are good and all need to be addressed. It's just sad that pits are suffereing because of WHY they get bred. Humans are still the root of the evil here since they are the ones breeding them for aggression to protect thier crack as you put it. This doesn't make the BREED dangerous it just makes a sadly large portion of the poor unregistered babies out there a problem. Registered and properly bred dogs should present no more a danger than any other dog. But milling them out is dangerous to the breed and everyone around them due to the violence and crime that follows as well as the higher risk of the dogs becomming violent due to environment and bad breeding.

@ facteroid:

Yes there are statistics, but did you know that there were also more Pit Bull type breeds than any other, because of over breeding and using these dogs for illegal dog fighting and drug dealing?  Thus, many of these incidents resulted from irresponsible dog owners. Remember when Doberman's and German Shepards were on the spot light for being dangerous dogs?  Well now it is the Pit Bull and Rottweilers, thanks to hype and media...

***It is the responsibilty of the owner, no matter what type of breed a dog is, to teach their pet and to socialize them properly.***

Have you ever owned a Pit Bull?  If not, then how would you know so much about them, besides reading their bad rap?  You are stereo typing this loyal breed...We have had three Pit Bulls in our family and none of them has ever hurt anyone.

Did you know that Michael Vick's ex-fighting Pit Bulls are now serving as therapy dogs to the ill and cancer patients, elderly, being adopted out to families and some training to be police dogs?  How could you judge, just because of what you hear and read about?  Like I mentioned before,  there are NO BAD DOGS, but there are many BAD OWNERS and accidents could be prevented if they're responsible.  The only dogs that has bitten my kids and family members are a Labrador, Cocker Spaniel and a mixed breed (not Pit Bull type).

If you don't like Pit Bulls, then you shouldn't be in this forum. So Good Bye.


People like you make me laugh, genuinely. Your attitude is amusing. I am sure you think all black people are criminals, all Latinos are illegals, all Deaf people are stupid, all native Americans are drunks, all Jews are money grubbers obsessed with greed, all gay men are pedophiles you know this so certainly but haven’t actually met any of these people. Am I stereotyping you? Yep. Am I putting things on you and saying them as fact based on limited information and not really knowing you? Right again. Just thought I would put the shoe on your foot.

Why not actually read the information on this site? It is written by people who own pits, are with them every day and in many cases have owned the breed for decades. You read news reports written by people who do not know the breed factually, only in passing to write a story, for an industry that sensationalizes stories to sell. Your point about labs, you should have watched “Its me or the Dog NYC” Saturday 5/14/11 yeah the one that just passed. There was a lab that was attacking it’s owner, her children, their neighbors, and friends. This lab was drawing blood and left marks, bruises,  all over the arms of the owner and the neighbor that came over on the episode. This was a dangerous dog and shockingly, (uh to you), it was a lab. If these same actions were perpetrated by a pit the dog would have been put down at the demands of the people in the neighborhood as being a vicious dog on the first bite… yet because it is a lab he gets off with a pass for the multitude of adults and children it attacked.  Its amazing to me that Chihuahuas dauchsons and the like get away with being mean dogs that attack people constantly but it is excused. The normal response is, well they cant maul people. Its okay to be a mean aggressive dog attacking people and pets, as long as you cant do any damage. I loath double standards. The concern should be about aggressive dogs period.

Also what kind of person joins this type of forum for no reason but to bash its members? I cannot comprehend it.

to southern_pit79  I have a Pit. My comment that you reamed me bout by e-mail was directed to a post from dantehman.

Misunderstanding. I thought you directed a response to a post I commented on. I now see, it was an e-mail to me with other peoples responses. Sorry for misunderstanding. I am new on forum, and did not realize how it worked.

Thank you! I got fired up at that post by dantehman and saw replies that appeared that people thought I posted the nonsense. You are good people too. Hope day is good. Pit people are good people.


Mon, 05/23/2011 - 11:02

You are all misguided. I used to be on your side. My Jack Russle was bred to chase small animals and she does this naturally. My coon dog was bred to track a scent, and she does this really well. Pit Bulls were breed to fight bears and defend hunters period. They were breed to fight and they are very good at it. Y'all talk about "Family Friendly" dogs doing more damage then a pit. Which would YOU rather fight a Pit or a Golden Retriver? Hell which would you rateher fight a Pit or a German Shepherd? I'll take the latter 2 any day. The reason I WAS on your side is because I did believe it was the dog's owner who made a good or bad dog. Not True. 3 year old Pit, Family Raised, decided he no longer liked 6 year olds and bit her in the face right in front of us and then turned on her dad when he went to the rescue. Imagine if we had not been there what would have happen. Oh I know. We would have had another story that the media blew out of proportion or "Targeted" as you say. I told my friends the same thing I am telling y'all and they said the same thing y'all are saying. Now I know that not every Pit will kill or attack but they are all capable of it just like any dog but a Golden Retriver does not have 600 pounds of bite force or a body that is perfectly designed to fight. Before you go back to being pig headed like my friends just think to yourself. If I am wrong is my kids life worth the mistake. In the end we are Humans and the dog is well, just a dog and not worth 1 life. I DO NOT believe they should be outlawed. People who are to ignorant to ignore what Pit Bulls are ingrained with should be Outlawed and taken out of the Gene Pool. If your a single Female or just a whimpy guy, get a Pit. If you have Kids don't tempt fate. How many Idiots stand beside a small Grave and say well that Pit had never done that. It only takes once.

what was the 6 year old doing and had been doing to the dog? Was the dog imbred? do you know? i dont like small children around dogs period for the dogs sake. little kids not meaning to be malicious can do a lot of harm to dogs. i dont understand why people find it cute or funny when a child is banging a toy on the dogs head poking it in the eye yanking their poor ears. i feel sorry for the dogs. my nieces and nephews wont go near my dog till they know how to act thats just me. and why do pit owners need to be a female or whimpy guy? your name is logicthinker but i fail to see your logic in that statement. one experience makes you hate the breed, do you hate people of a particular race for 1 person doing something bad?

I have never been against Pitt Bulls.  I have tried to believe that Pitt Bulls are not a dangerous dog.  I now understand, after wittnessing a pitt bull fighting a lab, why they ARE dangerous.  Yes, all dogs have the ability to cause harm to a human or another animal, however, the bite of a pit bull is NOT a bite of a lab.  When the pitt bull attacks, it does hold it's bite and shakes the victum.  This bite is similar to the bite of a shark.  They can cause more severe damage to their victum than most other breeds.  They also  do not give warning to their victum.  They will not shine their teeth, or growl.  When they attack, they attack without warning.  Not all Pittbulls are going to bite,  but WHEN it happens, the outcome is usually worse.  The fight I wittnessed was between two "loving" family pets to the same owner.  The Pitt had received obedience training and had been socialized well.  The dogs had been together since they were both puppies and had spent nearly 4 years together.  We went in the yard with the owner to visit the dogs, and were playing fetch, when the fight began.  The fight was vicious and the pitt latched onto the labs leg after many other bites, and began the hold and shake bite.  We tried everything we knew to do to break the fight up.  Finally my husband stood on the pitts neck which must have made it difficult for it to breath, and the pitt let go.  It was too late though.  The pitt had severed the artery of the leg, leaving the lab with certain death.  This was only one of the wounds the lab received but was the worse.  The lab had to be put down.  This Pitt did not give any signs, or warnings, just attacked.  Now, does every pitt attack.......Well, obviously not, but when it does...It can and most likely will be deadly for the victum.  This Pitt is now known to be animal agressive.  Will it turn and bite the owner or the owners 2 year old son?  I can only say, I pray not..because IF it ever happens.. The outcome is going to bad.  Why would you put yourself, your children, or other animals around an animal that has the ability to kill as this one has proven possible.  I don't know about all of the pitt bull lovers, but I would not go swim in a shark pool, even if they say they won't bite, simply because IF IT BITES, it might kill me.

I don't hate the breed, I now fear the breed after witnessing this horrific attack that was unprovoked and deadly.  I am greatful that the animal did not turn on any of us while trying to get it off the lab. 

If all of the lovers of the breed witnessed their pet mutalating their other beloved pet (or family member) the breed lovers may consider how dangerous this animal is IF/WHEN it attacks.  It is not the breeds fault, and in this case, not the owners fault.  I believe it is just the genetics and make up of the animal.  WHEN IT ATTACKS, and not all will, IT CAN BE AND MOST LIKELY WILL BE A BAD OUTCOME FOR THE VICTUM!


"People who are to ignorant to ignore what Pit Bulls are ingrained with should be Outlawed and taken out of the Gene Pool." OMG,Logicthinker01's illogical emotional and poorly spelled rants are so entertaining. I love when "logical" people fall prey to their own logical fallacies. You might want to look up what that means before posting again. No, I take that back. Just keep posting, we all need the laughs! XD

Who's misguided here?


Here's a FACT for you;

"While bite force cannot be reliably determined in dogs, reputable professionals concur that dogs bite with a force of 200-450 psi, depending on the size of the dog."


Are you a member of the media by any chance?

You are correct when you say they were originally meant to fight. However, they were also bred for fierce loyalty and to work in teams with people and other dogs. I have no doubts that my pit would defend me against a bear! However, my dog is my 6, 7 and 9 year olds' best friend. He's another one of the kids and I have NEVER worried about him around them, or my nephew who learned to roll and crawl with my dog laying next to his blanket. Yes, they are powerful and need to be handled and TRAINED responsibly, but be careful about who you accuse of being misguided. I did not jump into the decision to bring a pit into my home with two children without doing my research. The German Shepherd or the Golden Retriever would have done just as much damage to the child as the pit. As for me, I think that people need to be aware of what they are getting into, no matter what the breed and I would prefer that people keep control of their animals so that I don't have to fight ANY! My kids' grandmother's poodle bit my 6 year old so badly on the face that she required stitches for four puncture wounds. However, nobody suggested that this animal be put down for being aggressive! The bottom line is that there are good stories and bad stories about EVERY breed, on this web site, we just so happen to love pits. While some of us work in our communities to advocate for the breed, we are not trying to force anybody to own one, or even like them. We are simply combating the death penalty being aimed towards our beloved pets. This article wasn't published in Time magazine to convince people that pits are the worlds best dog, it was posted on a pro-pit web site, just in case anybody was looking for our side of the story. I understand that your feelings towards the breed may be a little less that copasetic, however, there is no need to educate the "ignorant masses," we made our decision to own and love pits, not out of any misunderstanding, but for what they can truly be, the same as your friends did.

Agreed. I myself got bitten by a lab, but it was rather an accident than cruel intentions (the lab was trying to nail another dog that was taunting her from between my legs, so she got me instead. I'm almost 100% positive that that bite wouldn't have penetrated a dog's coat, but I was wearing shorts at that time). Overall, there's not a single dog that I would call vicious, quite the opposite, but the pits and pit Xes excel in loyalty. I could sleep outside and feel totally safe, because the pit X Boo will warn and protect me. He's done it numerous times. 

Still, I also agree to properly train a dog -no matter the breed- to properly introduce him to children and other pets, if he isn't used to it. Best to have several, because dogs that grow up in a socialized pack are the best. See Cesar Millan for reference.

So I should NEVER own a lab based on my bad experiences with them right? Out of the 10 that I have personally known, 6 have been vicious/agressive and either have or have tried to attack me. I'm not saying what happened isn't bad, because it is. But don't villianize the breed over one bad dog. Neighbor kid got bitten by a pit that was family owned. Town was kinda uppity about it......I was worried til I heard that the dog had had some grouchy tendencies for a while. Kids and grouch dogs don't go well. I will agree with you on bite force, but I'll take the pit over the furry dogs that were bred to tackle and throat lunge. Pits were bred to subdue. Any dog is dangerous, and by that logic I should hate labs, but I don't just those that I have had problems with. The other 4 I've known were great. Played with a lab puppy and an English Mastiff this week. Big babies...both of them, with the lab being more dangerous than the Mastiff due to him being 13wks old and a ball of hyper. The Mastiff just gave kisses after deciding she didn't need to go hide from us. We as pit lovers know the potential danger of dogs, we just chose to lean towards the positive rather than fear the danger.

We're all capable of murder, after all 45,000 homicides take place in the US each year. Pit bulls kill half as many people as lightning and are reported injuring less people than lightning. That isn't so dangerous considering there are 4-7,000,000 oth them and half are likely neglected.

By the way, Pit Bulls don't have 600 pounds of bite force, nor were they dessigned specifically to fight, but to be the perfect athelete capable of pinning bears to the ground and holding them, not to harm them. They were bred to have endurance, stamina, agility, bravery, and strength for their size.

I can relate though, I image I might blame my dog for attacking 2 people too, but it hasn't happened yet. None of my pit bulls have shown any sign of aggression and I've owned dogs my entire life.

600 lbs of bit force?  you are poorly informed or maliciously repeating lies.  lions and hyenas have 600lbs of bite force.  The highest bite pressure from a dog is 550 max, from a male english mastiff.  pit bulls actually have rather pedestrian (by dog standard) bite force of 250 -320lbs depending on the dog. Only an idiot would leave a child alone with any dog unsupervised, its not a pitbull problem.


Mon, 05/23/2011 - 11:07

Oh and that Lab up there that left Bruises and Cuts on it's owners arm. Damn sombody break out a band aid. What would the Pit have done to them. I guess about the same since you know labs are bigger stronger more athletic and designed to fight. Your argument about the lab is not well thought out.

my comment was about the dog being vicious, not soley the damage done and that lab was vicious he attacked small children and women in particular, but he is a lab so its okay.

Just for the record, if you are basing any argument on size and body type, Labs weigh in anywhere between 55 and 100 lbs.  Females are usually on the smaller end of that scale.  The description is muscular and "blocky."  Most APBT weigh between 30 and 60 lbs. (some males may be heavier when trained with weight.)  The description is a broad, well developed chest, broad face and well defined muscles.  So, the argument about the lab was better thought out than you give it credit for.  Typically labs are heavier that pits and are capable of doing just as much damage!  Thank God my husbands lab, who became agressive towards children, was put down before she ever had the opportunity to attack anybody like your friends pit did!  The sarcasm in your remark is misguided.  You should do your research before making an argument based on physical characteristics.  As far as the pit being designed to fight bears, the lab was designed to go after small game.  Considering the size of my year old nephew, I trust the dog that was bred to defend it's family against bears and bulls, rather than the one bred to "fetch" small animals.

i too did a lot of reserch prior to adopting Layla Mae Jankins, (her full name), i dont allow myself to go into any situation blindly if i can help it. i also find it odd that you make these assertions as though you are an expert yet actual experts, ie vets, trainers, members of the akc and actually the animal planet on tv of all places agree that pits are great dogs and more than any dog can endure horrible torture, (yes torture what other breed can you say is regularly tortured???), and abuse at the hands of humans and come back from it a loving companion.... and actually be therapy dogs? i am a litigator given the liability how can therapists use pits and actually mike vicks tortured pits as therapy dogs if they are so evil? why do they regularly fail as k9 unit dogs due to lack of aggression? sorry there i go speaking facts. i'll stop doing that right now. 

I also have to say that it depends on the agression level of the dog on how bad ANY bite will be. A nip is a nip and a bite is a bite. But a dog out to maim will maim, and yes do more damage if it is of a breed that was bred for bite strength like pits, mastiffs, Rottis, bull dogs in general, terriers, Shepherds, and most other working dogs that weren't bred for gentle mouths.

A fully grown lab will do some damage if it intends. Poodles too. And let's not talk about how bad a Pomeranian or other tiny dog can get you. It's tiny right? Tell that to the infant who was mauled to death by the Pomeranian. The bite argument really isn't a good one dear sir. A bad dog bite is going to be bad no matter what breed did it. Though power house dogs, I will agree, will be the worst 99% of the time.

I have a "pit Bull" Even though it is just his head that is pit bull like. He bit someone who was on our property and waqs just protecting us. We do not know what kind of life he had before us. We are now going through to court process and the judge today deemed him a vicious dog to be put down. It is a very hard thing to go through. We are appealing the verdict and will not give up, but if anyone has any tips or usfull advice please tell me. We need all the help we can get. Our state can not put dogs down because of the breed. the court today was very courupt during the hearing.....please please help




Hi Oliver,

I'm sorry to hear about this, it must be such a hard time for you guys...Although, it is ridiculous how they just assume that all dogs that bite are Pit Bulls...I've read and heard about dog owners having to rehabilitate (through a Canine training facility) their dog from being referred to as aggressive and then evaluate after the course to see it  the dog's behavior positively progresses...May be you can bring this up to the judge to see if they'll give your dog a second chance, after all when the dog psychologist or trainer sees how good your dog is, then may be he or she can write a letter to the judge on your behalf?  Hope this helps, good luck and take care,


Hi Oliver! While walking our pit the other day, he took awhile to do his business, but after he did, a neighbor of ours, whom he has met before, walked across the grass toward his house, and along the way said "Hello there bud." Since our pit did well meeting him before, I brought him over there, since I always like for him to meet people and/or dogs while on walks, to socialize him as much as possible. After our neighbor pet him, our pit sat (which seemed normal), but for whatever reason he was provoked somehow, by a gesture/a look, we're not quite sure what it all happened so fast. He leapt at our neighbor while growling--we were lucky he didn't draw blood, otherwise it'd be a different story. But since he had NEVER shown any aggression before--our neighbor, we spoke with him, and after we shared we're taking IMMEDIATE action to get a physical/mental evaluation from our vet, as well as a trained, professional behavioralist/trainer nearby. I read up on as much information on unprovoked as well as provoked aggression, and from what I have read, as well as my just recent experience...your pit will DEFINITELY need to be evaluated by possibly a vet as well as a behavioralist/trainer. This will at least give you a chance at keeping him. But know you're in good company, because many of us have experienced some aggression from our pits--it's just on different levels, and makes it even more so DIFFICULT when you don't know your pits history (which was our case, adopting from the "stray" side of a shelter...not much info on these dogs, as they are city dogs who were left to fend for themselves). I'll be thinking and praying for you :)

I believe all dogs have the capability to be aggressive if provoked.  My dog is a pit/black lab mix and weighs in at 100lbs.  He is not small by any means, but is a true sweetheart regardless.  He's been around my cousins new born baby and I couldn't get him away.  All he wanted to do was like her little feet!  On the other hand I am very vigilant to keep an eye on him when there are children around that are capable of walking and being in his face.  I don't have kids so he's not used to being around them all the time.  Unfortunately young children are at eye level with many dogs, and that can sometimes be seen as a challenge to the dog.  I've never had an incident with my dog personally, but we've all heard stories concerning all different kinds of dogs, not just pit bulls!  My Harley has a bad ear that is constantly being treated for infection and he will not allow anyone but me to touch it.  I won't run the risk that a child might accidently grab his ear and he reacts by, god forbid, biting them.  My dog also loves to wrestle with my boyfriend and Harley sometimes doesn't realize exactly how heavy he is.  My parents had 65lb female yellow labs and they were more aggressive to any new people in the house than my dog has ever been.  Shoot my grandparents only ever had Chihuaha's and if they didn't know you they would bite you.  Big or small, all dogs are capable of defending themselves if need be, it's up to the owners to be vigilant and pay attention to their dogs behavior and their current environment.

Dog owners will be partial to their companion, be it a Pit, a Lab, a Golden, a Sheppie. Every owner, no matter the breed, can attest to quality time with his Lab, Golden Retriever, Husky, Beagle, German Shepherd....etc. To truly judge the Pit Bulls as a breed, you'd have to be around different kinds of breeds, including pits. I'm around 4 different breeds: Malamute mix, Yellow Lab, Pit mix, AmStaff. The pits are hands down the most loyal and affectionate, but also the most protective of their master, the Lab is the most playful one and also the most food-driven, the Malamute a bundle of energy without any aggression whatsoever (the worst guard dog), but she has a little of separation anxiety when left alone for several hours and tends to chew up shoes and put scratches into the doorframe. But, are pit bulls dangerous? As dangerous as the owner wants them to be, as demonstrated by, let's say, Michael Vick's fighting dogs. Now that they have switched owners, they have become role models. Pits are good dogs, and I can trust the two pits with my life. Just don't get annoyed by their extreme affection. ;-)

Years ago I was bitten by the nicest dog on the planet.He was over a 100Lbs of mixed up dog and trust me ,there was not a drop of Pit Bull in this dog!!(Lab/Shepard/Husky)He was such a nice,smart dog that our friends/neighbors routinely let him out into their front yard(not fenced) Where after he would do his business(usually in someone Else's yard) He would just sit and watch neighbors go in and out of the neighborhood.I did see him on at least one occasion go after a young dog whose owner was walking him in our neighborhood.He bit the dog and made it yelp and frightened the dogs owner but no major damage was done and since everyone liked the dog (and my friends/neighbors)nothing was done and nothing changed.He still was let out unsupervised and unleashed. This dog DID NOT like cats or any small animal for that matter and if he spotted a cat,squirrel,chipmunk or rabbit,He would give chase until they either ran up a tree or escaped into the thicket. He was relentless when on their trail.One morning while I was working in my front yard, my friend came down to say Hi and chat for a bit and her dog followed her,unleashed of course,and my cat who was outside at the time decided to come over and visit,she had been raised with dogs and was not afraid of them(very naive of her)To make a long story short,Dog went after  cat,I scooped up cat , turned and got bit on the back of the arm.The Dog was NOT trying to bite me He was after my cat.The problem was that he was a very large dog with very large teeth and although there was just one deep puncture wound it nicked my artery causing a lot of bleeding under the skin.When I went to the Dr. I was told that I was lucky if the tooth had gone just a bit deeper and severed the artery I could have bled out.My point to this story is that one well placed bite Can be fatal,that one does not need to be mauled. And that even the nicest dog in the world is capable of inflicting a serious bite.It is our responsibility as dog owners to manage our animals. No dog should have free rein to wander and go as they please.And really neither should cats(,although our community does not have leash laws for cats but they do have leash laws for dogs) And If you have a dog That is human aggressive(Which this dog was not and neither are MOST Pit Bulls) WHAT EVER the breed the problem MUST be addressed and a solution MUST be found! If for what ever reason the dog can not be socialized and remains human aggressive then  I am sorry to say,the animal should be humanely euthanized.Even Grammy's Toy Poodle or Auntie's Pomeranian.

how ruff is to ruff when you play with your pit? i dont want mine to get to aggressive.

Hi Blue Fawn Brendle,I am sorry that you are having to deal with food aggression in your mini schnauzer and I am glad that no serious damage occurred! As food aggression can be dangerous  it must be addressed immediately. If I were you,I would seek out a qualified professional who has experience dealing with this specific behavior problem.If you are unable to seek out  a professional than here is my advice1 If you haven't neutered or spayed your dogs,you need to2,.If you have not crate trained your dogs then you need to.3.They need to be fed in their crates.4.Anytime they have a chewy they need to have it in their crate.5.When they come out of their crates chews MUST be put up.6.Any time food is an issue whether it be your fixing dinner,sitting down for a meal or enjoying a bowl of popcorn in front of the TV at least one dog needs to be crated and if it was me I would crate them both to avoid jealousy issues.I know that it sounds like a lot of work but once everyone gets use to the routine everything will just  fall into place and it will seem natural.You ask if your Pittie will keep ignoring your schnauzer's bad behavior.My honest answer to that question is ,I rather doubt it.I say this because your Pit as an 8 month old pup has already reacted,so as an adult dog, in my opinion, would almost certainly react,as to the severity of that reaction....I have no idea....It could be mild but it could also be severe.You state that this your first Pit,(Congratulations,I love this breed and would never have another breed of dog!)and you want to know how rough is too rough to play with her.I believe that no dog,whatever the breed should be allowed to nip you even in play. I don't want them to ever think it is alright to bite.And I know some people believe it is alright to play tug of war games with their dogs as long as the person wins most of the wars and that the dog understands the LEAVE IT command.I don't play such games though. We play fetch games and take long walks for our exercise.If you are worried about making your Pit bull mean by playing rough I seriously doubt that would happen.Most Pit bulls adore people and would never be mean to a person!I just think that by playing rough with any breed of dog you may get a dog who thinks it is okay to jump on you or nip you in play and that,to me,is not acceptable.

I hope that you have found this post helpful and I wish you luck,


thank you jems, i do play tug of war with a rope with her but i dont allow her to nip, i cannot spade her( idk if i spelled tht right) because we are planning on breeding her. but as for the crates i think it is a good idea. thank you for repling it was lots of help.( she is my first pit but my step dad has had many more, she may be young but she is already my favorite dog and i wounldnt trade her for anything)

This goes out to the people who think pitbulls are bad dogs: Excuse me, but pitbulls are NOT bad dogs, the people that have owned the pitbull, or the pitbulls family are bad. My dad owns a pitbull, and he is the nicest dog I have ever seen. If the pit was breed to fight in its past, or its family has been breed to fight then your pit is going to fight! It does not matter if it was taught to kill another DOG, it will go after a human if it feels the need. It is there instinct. So I am dearly sorry if you think that when a pit attacks it is there fault, you are completely wrong. The media has made a complete ass out of these dogs, and so have people out of the media. If you want a safe dog, TRAIN IT. All dogs are extremely smart, when you train it the correct, humane way, they will grow up to be wonderful loving dogs. Even if you don't train your dog to fight, or if it has never been trained to hurt people or animals, there are still things that can provoke your dog to be mean. When you are stressed, don't you get a tad bit cranky? If you are leaving your pit inside all day, or cooped up outside in the cold/heat it is going to be stressed. Just like us, it will get cranky. Teach your children to love the breed and the breed will love them. Pitbulls have a bad rep because of the human population. And those humans deserve to die in Hell. Good day(= im the proud owner of two butiful german 5 yr old named kujo and a 9 mnth old named kong well my roommate when to huston for a weekend and she called me lastnight and said really cute dog here..hey he needs a home hes a rescue dog...well i said how old is he and she said 3 yrs old. so i asked her whats his story and she told me he was abused and used as bate...well then my next question was what is his breed she said PITBULL... so said um well stay their...ill call you i did a little research and all i could seem to find is bad thing after bad thing after bad thing about pitbulls so i called my roommate back and i said well what does he look like she said hes white with gray spots and goldish grey colored eyes his ears are really short... and hes kinda stalky and hes got a black when i herd short ears i though the fight cut...i said well let me call my mom and so i did and she said well do what seems right for you...just rember the safty of kong because he is very small and defencles against a pitbull excpesaliy one that has been used in i called my roommate back and told her everything but she still really wants this dog!

so i need someones input that has owned a pitbull or a rescue pit...on if i should rescue him or not for the saftey of my other dogs!

Pitbulls are not more dangerous than any other breed of dog by nature.  They are by far the most mistreated and abused breed of dog in the country, and im sure there are lots more defensive/insecure pitbulls out there than the average breed, but that is not because of the dog, but how its been treated.  Take a german shepher or lab, treat it like faar too many pit bulls have been treated, and thery will be just as 'dangerous'.  That being said, i think it is irresponsible to leave any child or elderly person alone unsupervised with any dog.  I have a pitbull but no children at the moment, but no child is going to be left alone with Isis, and a prerequisite for letting a child play supervised with my dog is that the child has established 'dominance' with the dog by getting her to come, sit, and lay down.  I also think anybody who owns a bully breed dog that does not own a break stick is being very irresponsible.  My dog is sweet and well behaved, but you never know when somebody is going to have their misbeaving, untrained idiot dog running around off leash.  A properly trained pit bull is not going to be dog or people aggressive, but they also are genetically incapable of backing down to another dog, so if somebody's idiot dog does comes and picks a fight, the pit bull will win.  The break stick is just a precaution in case your doog ends up latched onto another dog and is a way to safely release the jaws.  Pit bulls do not have 'locking' jaws like people believe, but they will hang on (by the way, pitbulls also do not have abnormally strong bites.  your average german sheppard can bite much harder, and rotties and mastiffs have much, much stronger bites).  I also would never own more dog than my wife or i could physically restrain.  Im not a big fan of having numerous dogs, because they can form their own dominance structure behind your back, and suddenly you have a problem.  You must at all times (for any dog), maintain a dominance structure where every human memeber is above every dog in the pecking order.  Most of the recorded dog attacks i in the country involve 1.small children 2.elderly people 3.abused or neglected (scared) dogs 4.multiple or packs of dogs.

Nine years ago I HATED Pit Bulls for no reason other then the negative things I'd HEARD about them.  That hatred turned to love when I reluctantly agreed to "temporarily" take in a 4 month old Pit mix pup that had been abandoned in a parking lot on a freezing cold winter night.  He won my heart so completely that today, nine years later, not only is he still a big part of my family....4 years ago I adopted another Pit mix from the H.S.(scheduled to be euthanized) and 3 years ago I adopted a stray Pit Bull that had been dumped in the middle of nowhere. If there's one thing I've learned in the last 9 years it's that those who hate Pit Bulls the most often have never experienced FIRST HAND what sweet, devoted, people-loving and comical companions they are in the hands of loving, RESPONSIBLE owners.  Today?  I can't even imagine life without my Pit Bulls!

My son just adopted a beautiful blue pit who is approx. 15 mos. old.  Yes he is stubborn but a wonderful dog so far.  I am a little intimidated by his size (especially the size of his head).  He obviously has no knowledge of how big he is or how strong he is and insists on being a lap dog.  Enzo will comply to my son's commands immediately.  When I tell him "no" or "down" he looks to my son's confirmation before he obeys.  I don't visit that often but when I do I would really like to feel very comfortable around Enzo.  How do I get over his big 'jaws" and how do I get a better response to my commands?

Of course pit bull owners will blindly support their dogs and most have no problem.  Just like people who drive drunk will say, "I can handle my liquor, I've never had a problem."   Hopefully, you never will have a problem but just because your pit hasn't bitten yet, doesn't mean he won't. 

I've seen so many court cases where the pit owner says their dog was wonderful and harmless, then one day grabbed a child's arm and would not let go.  That's the real danger, not a predispotion to attack, but the intensity of the attack.  Other breads "nip,"  pits lock on and don't let go.  You have to beat the dog senseless to open those lock jaws.  

From a rational, intelligent, unemotional perspective, the facts are very clear. 


I love the argument about not having DNA tests done on the dog, lol, we can all rally around that one!  

And the scapegoat, of course when a dog mames a child, someone is looking for a "scapegoat!"   You have to be a real pit lover to swallow these arguments.

Everyone who says they know a pit that's just wonderful, well, that's wonderful.  It's like my kid saying that he doesn't wear a helmet on his bike and it's fine, he's never gotten hurt.   Hopefully, he never will, but the statics show that injuries are significantly worse if you don't wear a helmet - so should he ware one or not?  Nothing has happened to his head so far?

The fact that thousands of people have never had a problem with Pits and love them very much, does not have any impact on the simple and real fact that injuries caused by Pits are FAR more frequest and serious than any other breed.

Two out of every three serious dog bites are by Pits.  The other one third of bites is shared by ALL other breeds, the second highest breed is a rot and it's waaaay below a pit.

And the vast majority of the owners who Pits attacked and injured someone say just like you all, their dog was a wonderful harmless pet, with kids, etc..  And they blamed the victim for doing something wrong...

So you can keep on riding without a helmet if you feel like it, but understanding the truth may help you keep your dog for hurting someone.   TRAINING IS NOT ENOUGH, it's in their genes.


No breed of dog is born aggressive.  Pitbulls only become aggressive when they have irresponsible owners who don't know how to train them or provide decent upkeep for them.  Any dog that's confined indoors all day without getting excercise, mental stimulation, or proper training will develop anxiety, depression, or frustration, which all leads to problem-behavior.  Since pitbulls are genetically a very powerful, high-strung breed, they tend to develop aggression when they have ignorant owners who don't make time to tend to them.  If they have an owner who takes responsibility and takes care of them how they should be, they'll be very sweet, loving, loyal companions.

Pitbulls are really not bad depends how u treat them if u treat them bad and be mean to them they will grow mean but if u treat nice they will be some great pets.


I got her this past december as a christmas gift to ME :)

I do my best to read up about pitbulls and pointers everyday as I want to be a really good owner/trainer. Cocoa responds well to commands such as sit, stay, paw, etc...especially if i have a treat in my hand. 

I try to acknowledge both Cesar Millan and Ian Dunbars school of though. While both talk about pack orientation, proper walking etiquette etc......Ian is more reward based training, and Cesar is more respect based.............Ian says to use treats and reward good behavior. Cesar encourages affection as the treat and making sure the dog is responsive without treats. Every dog is different, every owner is different and much like Democrat vs Republican, Old Testament vs New Testament etc.....the truth is somewhere in between.

Ive read alot about the temperement. Cocoa has been really sweet with me, and QUIET. ...SHE NEVER barks for attention. Only as information tool such as someones at the door and since Im home, it must be a stranger....She is very jumpy still but tail waggin playful jumpy and its a work in progress lol

ive only has a couple instances of aggression with her:

ONE was when she barked strongly at another dog at the vet who approached me and I went to pet lol (she hasnt done this anywhere else such as the dog park)

TWO was when my ex who wanted to babysit Cocoa at her house, brought their dog into mine to let them meet. (this ive learned is not a good way for dogs to meet) Cocoa got protective when the other dog got near her dishes. Once away from the food areas they were playful but the fight in her is a serious side that as an owner i need to learn what to do...(good thing i rarely panic or get stressed out about things)

THREE was at the dog park when another owner brought their dogs dishes from home into the park and I believe similar to what happened in TWO happened there but with the other dog being protective....however this time when they fought, Cocoa (my dog) got a hold of her cheek and clamped down (locked jaw) ..............there was nothing I could do to get them apart (im looking into break sticks). So while I know its a myth cause she did eventually let go on her own, and luckily the other dog only had a sweaty wet fur spot (she was an akita with a thick coat) couldve been alot more serious 

So while i know the locked jaw is a myth, its pretty close to a locked jaw and a side of pits that every pit owner i think should be aware of with how to handle it. If you dont think you would be strong enough to grab your dog safely from the back and use a break stick when needed, you shouldnt own one. 

Cocoa is now 7 months and still extremely lovely and relaxed at home, is good on her leash, doesnt bark or chase after other dogs when walking (she will wants to go up and play with them if the other dog/s move toward her first) and I definitely feel safe around her especially knowing that even at their most aggressive dog state (when they are looking to get into locked jaw mode) it is NEVER directed towards a human and if the human does get hurt or bitten and held onto its due to trying to protect what the pit was going after or protecting itself from (ie another dog)

So no more dog parks (she might be going into heat and maturity might make her less tolerable of negative dog activities such as another dog being protective over water that is supposed to be shared)

No more other people bringing their dogs into the home without them meeting somewhere else first

And alot more training sessions in different environments (she listens at home good, so now its places where other dogs, noises, etc might be around in the distance)

Ive also looked into an arm sling used to train pitbulls to go into aggressive mode so they can be trained while in aggression mode to let go when instructed. (but i think ill leave that to a professional experiences with pits and their locked jaw capabilities)

PS my view on the locked jaw: while i know their physical makeup is the same as any other dog, they have a very different approach and tenacity than most others. Other dogs will nip and change positions and snap and pull in and out, but a pit will simply get a good grip and NOT LET GO........and if the average person cant just pull the dogs jaws apart by hand, then for all intensive purposes, ITS LOCKED

I will say that because of this locked jaw aspect, when i put my hands near her trying to get her to let go she DIDNT and therefore theres no chance my hands would get hurt in this stage providing that they arent in reach of the other dogs as long as i can stay behind her, i can get near her mouth and use a break stick

(im hoping i dont ever HAVE TO the more i learn what places and situations to avoid......but theres a chance such as another dog thats loose can come at us while walking around and its something i want to be ready for)


First off I`m not the media or here to judge pitbulls. I love all animals, but, I am more of a cat lover so I never considered having any bread of dog. My son bought a Red Nosed Pit in North carolina where he is based in the military. My son got Rocky before he really should have been taken from momma. Rocky was 1.5 pounds at his first Doctor`s appointment. Rocky is now 6 months & weighs 37.8 pounds. My son is deployed over sea`s & I got the honor`s of keeping him safe while his daddy is gone. I have fallen in love with him & I enjoy the cuddle times & love he shows my family. He has always showed aggression toward my 14 year old cat which I understand & I keep them apart, he is also showing aggression towards other animals, but, what scares me is he is now growling at the neighbor hood kids playing, also my friend brought her three kids over & I had to put him in his cage not to punish him, but, because I was afraid of what he would do, he just wouldn`t stop backing up & growling. He also been getting excited while playing nicely & jumping up grabbing our nose with his teeth. I`ve been reading up alot on the internet & they said it`s normal towards other animals, but, not normal towards humans, to seek professional help for him, he might have inharited bad gene`s. I am no doubt seeking help for him because not only is my son & myself liable for him, but, we do not want to be one of these terrible pitbull stories, nor do we ever want anything bad to happen to him. He has always been showed love & treated very well & I`m starting to be fearful of his future. My thing is I always thought it`s the up bringing of this breed when bad things happen & now I find myself wondering if some of these cases are just in the dogs gene`s. Feeling scared in Pa


My son bought a house in North Carolina 6 months ago. while searching for a dog, he found a local add hanging up selling Red nosed Pitbulls. When he bought Rocky, he was actually to small to leave mommy & weighed 1.6 pounds at his first doctor check up. He grew up around alot of love. He is now 6 months old & gonna be fixed on wednesday. My son is a Marine & is now deployed for 10 months, so I got great honors of sitting with our bundle of joy. I`ve been seeing things that make me worry for his future. He is hunting my cat whom is 14 yrs old, I have my mom sitting for Cat till Rocky returns to my son, this is understandable, but, what scares me, he growls at some people, especially little kids. He hasn`t been around little kids before & we got kids everywhere on our block. I read this is not normal for pits to show aggression towards human. I`m scared to let any kids around him, although they say socialize him, I don`t trust his actions. Please help give some feed back, I don`t want any bad things to come for his future, we love the ground this Dog walks on. He has been to puppy class & I`m thinking of sending him to a pet trainer. scared in Pa


I am a new Pitt owner and I could not be happier. My Brooklyn is the sweetest most loving dog I have ever owned. I would recommend people get to know a Pitt before judging. My Yorkie is more aggressive than Brooklyn will ever be. Educate yourselves people.

We adopted our puppy 9 months ago when He was 8 weeks old. We knew He was a Lab mix which was fine as we have had 2 other lab mix dogs in the past which turned out to be great dogs. We realize now, that our puppy is part Pit Bull which kind of freaks me out. I have been around other Pits which were laid back and friendly but our Jasper has been more than a hand  full!!! From day one, He has been nippy, especially toward me, Mom. He is incredibly stubborn and sneaky. He has been almost impossible to discipline and I have read and tried everything I can get my hands on but nothing seems to work.He seems to want to distance Himself from us unless we have  food or toys.  I am heart broken about this and kept thinking He would grow out of it but at 9 months we still have not bonded very well. I have tried the Alpha Dog techniques but seems to make Him worse and more distant and naughty.  He does things like sneak up behind me and bite my butt, grab onto and rip my clothing  when walking by Him, My husband is the only one He will listen to and only if He REALLY gets after  Him. We are heartbroken and considering finding a new home for Him. We live in  rural area in the country and have no access to obedience classes. Any advise would be welcomed.

I remeber I was so afraid if pitbulls just from what I heard on the news and from people who didn't own a pitbull what they would say but then I got my blue and oh my goodness I can say I luv him soooooo much I mean all the kisses and tail wagging is the best I love my blue spoon much pit bulls rock would have no other breed

I have two brand new pit bull pups and everyone of my friends want them. Badly! :D They're not dangerous animals, but can be if the owner is ingnorant enough to train them to be. I personally love Pits and know mine would never harm anyone. Except maybe my toilet paper rolls in the bathroom....

It is the Pit Bull owners that contribute to the reputation that Pit Bulls have. A month ago I was attacked by two Pit Bulls. The owner is a woman I know who has owned them since birth and had them trained in obedience school. I was at her house, the door was opened and I was INSTANTLY attacked. They began biting my stomach and moved down my leg and gnawed on my ankle. I had a 4" tear and multiple punctures and tears that required stitches. Last week I was at a party where a woman asked if I'd had surgery because she could see the bandages. I told her what happened and she immediately told me it was the owner's fault. She is apparently an "owner" and is blind to any negative implications regarding the breed. I said I wondered if she would feel the same way if she herself or someone she loves were to be severely attacked. At this point, her husband mentioned numerous family members who had been bitten by Pits. He made my case for me, and they say you have to be "smart " to be a Pit Bull owner???!!! So owning a Pit Bull is more important to him that the safety and well-being of his family? What a moron!!!

Some Pit Bull owners behave like cult members which also does damage to the argument for unlegislated ownership. No amount of information, facts or statistics will be listened to. They defend the breed to the end regardless of consequences. Those of you who are like this are fanatical and dangerous, just like the breed! Unpredictable and dangerous! If YOU bothered to do the research as I have done, you would learn that Pits posess more of a particular neurotransmitter than other breeds that cause them to be more agressive and have a higher tolerance for pain. I wish I could be there to say "I told you so", when your perfect pet goes berserk and kills your child or the neighbor out for a walk or the friend who came to visit!



Pit bulls are wonderful dog. I mean look at the picture on the profile it says a 1000 words. He really loves his girl. He lets her put makeup on his , paints him and he just sits there. My dog is great with both of my kids. Only thing that my dog does that drives me crazy is that he has always has to be touching you. I will walk around the house and he will be leaning on my leg. People need to get it through the thick head that these dog only want to make you happy and get love in return. I would not trade my boy for anything.

Me and my finace just got a 2 month old pitty today. We have always wanted one and from what i have seen pitties have been the sweetiest dogs i have ever seen. We have only had 6 hours and hes already crying to get up on the bed and cuddle with us. He hasnt even looked at our cats wrong and  hasnt tried to hurt them even when one of them was hissing at him, he now gives the cat a wide breth when walking around it lol. Our little bear is a sweet loving baby.

I have a question. I recently got a pitbull puppy, Anabelle (I put her bio on this site), and she is 13 1/2 weeks old. She is a sweetheart, but I have been reading on this site about how their personalities can change after certain earmarks in their age. My main concern is where I got her from. The guy has been breeding pitbull puppies forever, and he does not fight them himself, but I know that he sells them to people who probably fight them. The parents are not fighting dogs (I saw them both a few months before I got Anabelle), but I know that they are neglected and the mother is probably just kept for breeding purposes. Anabelle had a horrible case of hookworms when I got her and the vet told me that she probably got it from the mother, so I know these dogs are at the very least not taken care of very well. I wish I could have taken all the puppies, but we can barely contain her in our tiny one bedroom apartment.

Anyway, I am looking for advice I guess on what kind of behaviors I should look for to tell me if there is something wrong with her. I love her so much, but if I felt like she was a threat to a human being, I would put her down, as heart-wrenching as that would be, before someone got hurt. I really do not think she will turn like that, especially after reading some of the stuff on this site, like pits are bread to never turn on a human, even if they are fighting dogs, and generally only exhibit dog aggression. Plus, I knew a family who were responsible pitbull breeders and had pits their whole lives and never had one turn. But then again, they bread them responsibly and NEVER sold them to people who would fight them.

So, again, my question is what should I look for to indicate that she might be a threat to a human? Is there any sign, or does it just happen out of nowhere one day? And I would appreciate that no one reply to this with negative statistics about pitbull attacks bc I know that alot of those are biased. I just want to hear from people who have owned pitbulls and know what they are talking about because of their EXPERIENCE, not just becausae they read some statistics. Thanks!

Pitbulls are great dogs I have two pitbulls and a husky. I'd never give my pits up they are characters and great dogs! I hate when you see sites discriminating against pitbulls they are not horrible dogs. I had a puppy and a pitbull before my neighbor dog attacked the puppy and he was a mixed breed. My pitbull wanted to get in and protect my puppy but I would not let it happen. My puppy I had was put down. My pitbull only shown agression that once and it was to protect my other dog. Pitbulls are pointed out when they are in an attack but when any other kind of dog attacks someone or something it is hidden thats not right. They are like every other dog and if you train them and give them love they will be the nicest dogs. Its not the breed that makes them mean its how they are raised DON'T LISTEN TO WEBSITES that are out to put a bad name on the breed!

Of the 88 fatal dog attacks recorded by, pit bull type dogs were responsible for 59% (52). This is equivalent to a pit bull killing a U.S. citizen every 21 days during this 3-year period. The data also shows that pit bulls commit the vast majority of off-property attacks that result in death. Only 18% (16) of the attacks occurred off owner property, yet pit bulls were responsible for 81% (13).

Pit bulls ARE dangerous.  It doesn’t take much evidence to know this.  People that think their great pets aren’t thinking correctly.  It doesn’t mater if their a dog expert or not.  I have laid tons of evidence onto people that think Pit bulls are great animals and their minds are a solid brick wall.  Nothing goes in.  I firmly believe that these people have what I call a small round black (dumb) spot in their gray brain.  No matter how much you prove it, the brain will not accept it.

There are five dog breeds and the pit bull that are responsible for attacks and deaths to humans and dogs, every year.  And every year out of that group, Pit bulls account for 60% of all the carnage.

Utah, out of five hundred different breeds of dogs, plus the Pit bull, outlawed the Pit bull.  Why?  Because they are not dogs and are explosive.  When they explode, they are more dangerous than three dogs.  Remember, Pit bulls are not dogs!  Their more akin to hyenas.  Their ferociousness might even be more powerful than hyenas.  

Pit bulls, 40% of the time can be very gentle, but 60% of them will explode sometime during their life.  With those statistics, does it really make sense to have a Pit bull for a pet?  Of course not!  Remember there are over 500 different breeds of real dogs available.

I have owned serveral types of breeds of pits and will have to say i love me some pit bulls,  They are a bit stubarn, But are lovers and lapdogs. 

we have a pitt and i have spent hours training him he fetches and suts, stays, comes, and stabilizes my husband as well as aleet me to his teying to rwgistwr him as a companion for him he is the best companion dog we have ever had.....he is loving, patient and so vwry smart........took him to the park...put him in a sit, stay command, dropped the lead and walked away from him.........freaked people qith kids out totally ...i got a good giggle....but he stayed till i stopped turned and then signaled without one qord said and he came directly to me and sat in front of me and never went after the kids playing or joggers foing by or cyclers or people walking by........i know he would not hrt anyone......he proved it that day......i love this breed......

Okay, so I have spent over an hour reading all of your comments and stories.  I am VERY torn.  We are going to be adding another dog to our happy family when we get our new home in about 6 months or so, so I am doing my diligent homework by researching before adopting.  We have a 4 or 5 year old adopted beagle male neutered that is the best sweetest dog ever.  I also have a 2 year old cat that likes dogs more than other cats.  I have two young kids, 6 year old girl and 4 year old boy.  They understand how to respect animals and the right way to treat them so I'm not worried there.  My problem is this.....I am one of those people who fear pitbulls....not for me, but for my kids.  My daughter was bit in the face by a RAT TERRIER, and while it left no physical permanent damage, it left behind a big mental fear.  It happened so FAST, and I knew the dog and trusted the dog.  Now, the bigger the dog, the bigger the mouth, the more I worry.  However, there are SO many pits that need a good home, and we have one that they could enjoy forever.  My boyfirend had a pit when he lived in Turkey, but he had to put it down because he just kind of snapped one day and stopped obeying him and tried to attack his mother that the dog had known for years.  I want so badly to get over this, and I KNOW that the media only reports that bad things and very rarely any of the good, and that society is in LOVE with drama and pointing fingers and I KNOW that dogs are very much a product of their environment/raising, but I worry that dogs are largely bred for certain purposes.....herding, hunting, ect. and that one day, these instincts may take over, even if they have been raised in a loving safe home.  Just like these tigers and monkeys that were raised in loving homes, they never saw the jungle or anything like that, but one day, they snap, their instincts take over.  This is my fear.  I LOVE dogs, but obviously I would NEVER risk my children.  I have seen many pitts in loving homes and they have been great.....I just worry about the one day that may come.  I am having a GIANT mental struggle over this, so I am turning to owners....people who live with these dogs and can give me facts.  Thanks for listening to my problem and offering any facts you may have.  God bless.

I have rescued 54 pitbulls now over the last 8 years.  Most of these have been dogs that were forced to fight, beaten, burned, nailed to trees, and neglected.  Not a single one has ever shown any agression towards me or my children, who were infants during some rescues, and are 4 and 5 now.  The BSL is rediculous, and says a lot about the ignorance of our nation.  Every single person WITHOUT FAIL that I have heard say that Pit Bulls bite harder, do more damage, should be put down, have never done ANY research of their own to back it up.  There is nothing to back up those arguments.  I love the Pit Bull, and I spread the word daily in school and everywhere that I go that they are loving and incredible family dogs.

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