I'm a dog lover too but I've also seen first hand what a Pit Bull can do in a matter of seconds when one attacked my dog and myself.  As always the dog owner for months prior stated "ohhh, my dog would never hurt anyone."  7 out of 10 times that may be true but you just never know if you have one of those 3.  This is kind of a simplistic view but if you had a pet lion, would people still say "it's not the animal, it's how it was treated."?
Instincts rule any animal.