My wife and I both have experience with this breed, her as a lifelong dog groomer and me as a kennel worker when we were kids. They can be some very sweet animals and aren't naturally aggressive toward people, the owners even stay in the ring with their animals as they fight.

An animal aggressive toward people was probably abused by them, the other likely cause being inbred or poorly bred and just for the ring. Shepards and Dobermans went through a rough time period too due to poor breeding. Well bred and well treated (pit) Bull Terriers are sweet animals.

amen, know many many pits that are nothing but love....

Remember "Petey" from the "Our Gang Comedies?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_the_Pup

More pit bulls in the arts:
Black Cat White Cat
http://www.videosift.com/video/Pitbull-terrier-scene-Emir-Kusturicas-Black-Cat-White-Cat
Amores Perros
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245712/

Fact is that pit bulls are a dog breed selectively bred for strength characteristics.

we like strong lovey dogs

Pit bulls are worthless, I'm all for banning them in the entire US (some places have already done so).

What are they good for? Running with a brick tied to them around the neighborhood? Killing innocent bystanders? Providing "sport" for idiots like Michael Vick?

And don't give me that "oh, some of them are sweet and wonderful animals" crap, so are tigers and bears at the zoo until they decide to attack their trainers...

Some places have already done so? Last I heard something like 80 communities in the US had passed resolutions to impeach Bush, you following the crowd there too?

I won't try to convince you they can't be a problem, any animal or person can be in the right conditions. It isn't the breeds fault that some found them good for fighting and the aggressive ones violate breed standards, they don't represent them.

Here is the description of the breed according to the AKC, if that's not what they act like then blame it on poor breeding and owners who shouldn't be allowed around animals. Sweet disposition and amenable to discipline isn't just a claim by fans, it's the breed standard.

https://www.akc.org/breeds/bull_terrier/index.cfm

Perhaps a link to the breed in question would serve your point better.

A pit-bull and a bull terrier are not the same dog the last I checked...

Actually they are. There is no such breed as a "pit bull", the Bull Terrier was called that because they were used for pit fighting. It's also called the Pit Bull Terrier. Pit bull for short or slang. Here it is from bulldogbreeds.com

http://www.bulldogbreeds.com/americanpitbullterrier.html

As I said in my first post my wife is a dog groomer and I used to work with them when I was a kid but there was no money or future in it for me, didn't stop the love of animals though. Vet tech trained and the whole nine yards.

There is some disagreement on if the Staffordshire Terrier should be included as well, they are dual registered in some places over it.

Damn, you've got a point Bill Took the time to check myself and found this in wiki of all places.

"Although the name causes confusion, Bull Terriers are not directly related to American Pit Bull Terriers. Both breeds do, however, descend from the same ancestors."

Been a long time since I was a kid, 44 now, I guess I forgot that distinction and my wife had already gone to bed by the time it came up. She questioned it so got me to check. That still leaves us with a similar description from the bulldogbreeds page for the pit bull terrier, "Known for their intelligence and loyalty American Pit Bull Terriers make excellent, loving and protective companions despite the unfair press they receive".


Sorry for the confusion.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

Amores Perros was a great movie. [that's all I've got]

drattus, are you saying any breed can be made as aggressive and therefore APBT areno more dangerous than, say, labradors or St. Bernards?

HorsSujet, not exactly. Dobermans and German Shepards went through a similar time as well, back in the 60's German Shepards couldn't keep up with their popularity so were inbred by unethical breeders and over the years they developed some problems and developed a bad reputation for a time. Years later it was the Doberman, if a movie wanted to show a "scary" dog it was that.

Today it seems to be more the Rottweiler and pit bull type, it's just the fashion of the moment. It's a problem of two things the way I see it, bad breeding and bad press ruining an otherwise decent breed. Idiots who want a "tough" dog gravitate toward this one these days and are ruining this breed instead of another, odds are eventually the fashions will change and they'll go ruin yet another as we try to recover this one like we did the dobie and shepard.

My wife points out to me that dogs she's seen abused tend to go one of two ways. They either turn into defensive biters or nervous pissers. If you beat a Sheltie you'll probably get a scared dog that pees when it sees you, beat a Shepard, Doberman, Rottweiler or pit bull and things might not work out as well. When due to abuse or poor breeding a problem does happen a "pit bull" attack is big news we'll hear about, one from most other breeds more likely a back page story if one at all. It's just the current fashion.

It isn't that they can't be a problem, just that things aren't always what they seem. It's a decent breed that's had a run of bad luck, and not of their own fault.

This applies universally. It always depends on the owner.

I was bit by a stumpy little rat dog when I was little. Fat little bastard.

Not a big fan of pit bulls. Don't really see their appeal, beyond the 'my dog could beat up your dog' thing. Goes along with 'my truck can run over your truck', 'my car is faster than your car', and 'my bike is louder than your bike'.

"Pit Bulls are one of the ONLY breeds to be specifically bred to be NON human aggressive?" hmmmmMMMM?

So most dogs were NOT bred to be less aggressive towards humans?

Pit Bulls often fight with their owners in the ring. They can be aggressive toward other dogs and need proper training and socialization when young to avoid it but from what I understand yes, they were specifically bred to be non-aggressive toward humans just for that reason and I can't think of another offhand which was bred with that in mind. To avoid the human even when in a fight.

Some breeds were bred to be aggressive, as military or guard dogs. The Chow probably the earliest bred by the Mongols as a hunting and guard dog, that's the breed my wife and I both are most wary of. They don't show a lot of expression so a bite can be unexpected even if you're used to animals. Bird dogs and such tend to be pretty peaceful. Used to have an Irish Setter I was nuts about.

Spaniels can turn into some seriously vicious beasts if you don't keep up with their socialization.

With bulls, when it comes down to it the base opinion you get from people with negative views on the dogs is that their anatomy (jaws) are better suited for mangling you good. Basically stating that they would rather get attacked by a spaniel than a bull. This never sat well with me because you can use that same critera, slightly modified, to wipe out breeds by the score. If we're not carefull all we'll be left with are little yappy shit dogs and Beagles. (though once the first dog bone shortage hits the market we might have to do away with even the beagles)

Also, most of the people I've seen in various discussions online about these dogs - such a hot topic as of late unfortunately, which is funny because it was rotties that had this kind of press when I was a kid - the people that are against their breeding typically are not dog owners. I'm not saying that of everyone with this opinion, but it usually appears true for the loudest and most repetitive.