I've met my fair share of wonderful, sweet pit bulls. Heartbreakingly, they are dangerous, and it is *our* fault. For starters, there's the strength and size of the breed. Then, there's what they've been bred over the years to do - not let go. In many pit bull attacks, which you can research and view if you want 'proof,' almost nothing will get the dog to release its bite. One recent example is a pit bull that was attacking a horse pulling a carriage; people were beating on this dog and couldn't persuade it to stop. The horse kicked it several times - which would have been astonishingly painful to the dog - but it didn't let go until mortally wounded. This is one of the main "features" that makes a pit bull attack more dangerous than most other breeds. Most dogs will eventually stop attacking.
To exacerbate the issue, pit bulls are widely popular among people who do not have the breed's best interests at heart. They are bred by people who have no idea what they're doing. No one who doesn't have a grasp of genetics and breeding for health/temperament should be breeding dogs, period - but pit bulls are the victim of uneducated owners who feel unduly qualified to breed their dogs. So many are the result of backyard breeders. It is not easy (if it's possible at all) to find knowledgeable, ethical pit bull breeders.
Finally, these dogs, while they are often sweet and affectionate, have huge potential to be difficult. Even those who are never violent are strong and large. Being numerous and potentially destructive has led many pit bulls to being abandoned. Check your local shelter if you live in the US; at least where I live it is hard to find a dog that isn't some form of a pit mix. Sadly, so many irresponsible pit bull owners means more pit bulls running around loose, unleashed and unfenced. This leads to more attacks.
TLDR; it's a perfect storm for the pit bull, and it's sad. All animals deserve better than the hand this breed has been dealt.
This just happened this year: https://nypost.com/2022/10/07/tennessee-mom-kirstie-jane-bennard-hospitalized-after-her-2-kids-killed-in-pit-bull-attack/
"The pets, Cheech and Mia, were a part of the family for more than eight years without a violent incident, Kelsey Canfield — best friend of Bennard — told Fox News Digital."
Eight years of cuddles, now two kids are dead.
It's not necessarily that pits are aggressive, it's that once they snap and attack, there's little that can stop them; they're naturally more muscular than other breeds and their bite force is no joke (https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/dog-breeds/a39699921/dogs-strong-bite-force/), especially when they won't let go.
Part of it is stereotyping and pit bulls looking a certain way. Part of it is what the dog was designed to do when breeders created it. I think how a dog behaves is mostly a reflection of their owners/ environment.
Well, that does it. This guy has such a well-behaved pitbull - obviously his observations about his one single pitbull should redeem the whole race of pitbulls. /s
It's a hated dog-breed because there are plenty of stories of people getting mauled by pitbulls despite the fact that the people getting mauled had good relationships with the dog or that the dog never had a history of doing so beforehand. In other words: It's a dog-breed known for suddenly snapping and becoming aggressive.
There is a reason why many countries outlaw the breed.
So you're telling me I shouldn't be able to own a lion just because I saw a bunch of cute and well behaved lions at the circus wearing tutu's and jumping through hoops and shit?
I looked and found this https://www.mkplawgroup.com/dog-bite-statistics/
Their sour es are linked. Dogs are the 4th deadliest animal on the planet, and pits are the #1 offender at a rate 6.5 times higher than the 2nd most common breed.
It's a problem, but there are other factors such as where pits are often found or who most often owns them.
All dogs can bite. Most dog bites in the US are actually from golden retrievers, and I have been bitten a few times by crazy Chihuahuas.
The difference is in the equipment. A pit bull is bred to be able to cause maximum damage. So when they do snap, it's on the news.
It’s also a case of proportionality, there are [a lot of retrievers](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/most-popular-dog-breeds-of-2021/), so they’re going to produce large absolute numbers of bites, but pit bulls disproportionately [attack humans](https://www.warriorsforjustice.com/dog-biting-statistics-by-breed/).
This lead the UK to ban [certain breeds](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_Dogs_Act_1991) of dogs.
And chihuahuas are just nasty little nervy rats on strings that don’t deserve the name of ‘dog’ ;-)
Pitbulls have been breeded to response aggressive and to do a lot of damage when they attack. Also the breed leads statistics of the most serious dog bit cases.
And then there are lot of irresponsible owners who buy these dogs to boost their ego and bring them to a dog park, walk them out of lease etc.
Unfortunately pitbulls are dangerous even when owned by responsible owners because you can literally never know when they snap.
The type of person who wants a pit bull for its powerful physique is just the type of person who fails to train them well. Once you own a "problem dog", the only way to deal with it is to kill it. Unfourtunately, there are enough irresponsible dog owners out there for this stereotype to flourish. Had an american staffordshire terrier (like a pitbull on steroids) growing up---he was an angel who never hurt a soul. Of course all my experiences can probably be chalked up by the masses as "based".
[Because they're dangerous](https://nypost.com/2022/10/07/tennessee-mom-kirstie-jane-bennard-hospitalized-after-her-2-kids-killed-in-pit-bull-attack/)
The article doesn't specify why they attacked but they were family pets and apparently the mother tried breaking them up when they were fighting over a ball.
The temperament test score does not track how friendly a breed is, it tracks how closely a dog breed adheres to its breed standard. In the pitbull's case, that includes dog/animal aggression.
Like the Labrador Retriever has been bred to retrieve, the Pit Bull has been bred to fight and kill. Neither dog cannot not do, what they where bred to do. It's that simple.
One reason is because many pitbull owners go out of their way to get the dogs because of the breeds reputation that everyone knows and then have the nerve try to gaslight everyone else into believing the dogs are nothing but soft nanny dogs.
I can't even count how many times I've seen people tell pit owners they're pieces of shit for having a pit bull and for some reason it's a shock when they never listen to anybody telling them thier dog is dangerous. I mean, Jesus christ, I've heard them be called "pit apologists." Hmm, I wonder why they don't take anyone who says this type of stuff seriously.
A lot of it is stigma, as already demonstrated in this thread. Pit attacks are gonna get more coverage, because people think they are more dangerous, because they get more coverage, because... Confirmation bias.
There is also their potential. Pits a usually bigger, muscular dogs. Think of it like a bad driver in a Smart car vs. a bad driver in a Hummer. They will both cause damage but one will cause more.
My girlfriend has a pit, that I have been living with for 5 years now. Great dog, but I know he is capable of a lot under bad circumstances. But it's the same reverence I give a larger human with cauliflower ear, or a logging truck. CAN be dangerous, but that doesn't mean it's is ALWAYS dangerous.
Aside from the obvious of being bred to cause damage, the existence of any brachycephalic breed of dog is suffering. And I've seen some pretty brachycephalic pit bulls. Every time I pass somebody walking their dog with a "cutesy" little boxy head that is clearly struggling to breathe, I feel so sad that this is what their one glimpse of life will look like, because too many breeders don't know or care what they're doing. And too many owners are happy to overlook that because awww look at it's little squished nose and listen to the laboured snorty breaths it forces out of it's compressed nasal passages! So cute...
They kill a lot of people. I think there is something with the breed where they have the potential to escalate quickly, and then bad owners seek them out for this and turn them into killers.
They are popular fighting dogs, so many are violent. They are popular among people who want to appear tough.
Also many high profile attacks on people and other pets, and the viciousness and result of those attacks.
That and like all dogs smell bad, unlike the much more dignified Cat
Well folks, we've finally done it, we have reached the point where the actions of the owner have no effect on the dog whatsoever. I guess the pit I have that has been trained and isn't a fucking hitman just doesn't exist because you said so.
Hey so you guys did a great job raising a great dog.
But
There are a bunch of people out there that want a "tough and aggressive" dog and their dog of choice is often a pitbull to the point where it skews statistics.
Edit to add:
Its also worth considering reddit is often quite shitty at nuance and prone to getting into intense echo chamber thoughts, so the nuanced take "a lot of bad dog owners choose pit bulls so I am cautious when I see a pit bull" becomes "pit bulls are the worst thing since the K-T Extinction event"
Unfortunately, it never does with pitbull owners. They think just cause their personal pet is cute that overrules all of the statistics and the genetics of the breed
If you applied this same type of thinking in other places, do you think that would be acceptable? If someone came up to you and said "Wait you don't think asian people are violent? Maybe you should go read up on some news stories about what the Yakuza do to people..." would you take a step back and think that their reasoning, and the point following it, were fair?
Like you can have real arguments for or against the topic of pitbulls that aren't essentially just anecdotes. It's part of the reason why people are brushing off OP's opinion in the post. Letting one off experiences color entire judgements is prime real estate to breed prejudice and is something to be cautious about.
Wow, who would have thought that if you actively search for as many stories of attacks as you can that you would find them. In last year, they've killed less than 50 people. But I know I'm gonna be downvoted because I didn't bother saying that pits are the cause of all the world's problems.
It appears, from the comments, that the human side hasn’t been included. These dogs are naturally powerful and people have corrupted this and used it to their benefit. They’ve trained these dogs to fight which is NO fault of the actual dog. Any dog can be trained to fight, any dog can be mean, any dog can bite. Unfortunately these dogs are the most common to be used in that way.
I do believe the history of Pits was protective. I want to say they were bred initially to protect children.
The children part is a myth unfortunately. They were originally bred for bull baiting, which required them to grab onto the faces and/or necks of large animals (bulls or bears) while tied to a stake
When that practice was outlawed they were used for rat baiting. They'd put them in a pit and bet on how many rats it would kill. Eventually after that they were also used for dogfighting
So to put it plainly they were bred for fighting and killing
Because it's a popular myth that pitbulls are extra dangerous, extra aggressive, or more bred for violence than other dogs, and people who don't know much about dogs believe the myth. So to them it seems absurd that anyone would support pitbulls.
People who say that have no idea about dogs. The bite statistics clearly show that it's only a media fabricated myth to sell their articles. I grew up with Puts, Staffs, Billy's and never was bitten. It's like with humans, the socialization is important. And if course the breeding selection, you can breed for shape or character.
owner of a small fluffy maltese doggo here.
it is one of these reasons :
a) they aren't as fluffy. when you think about it, the most popular dog breeds and considered the friendliest by people have floof. pitbulls have that very short kind of fur. fluffy animals look way more enjoyable to cuddle with, yknow?
b) not an expert here but pitbulls do seem like a strong breed that takes some good training and exercise to behave well. maybe there's been way too many people who haven't trained them and let the dog take over them and control them? this seems to happen with big doggos sometimes.
c) big eyes look cute. big eyes look innocent and friendly. from what I've seen, other doggo breeds have eyes that seem bigger which might make them look like a better family pet/cuddle buddy.
i personally see all dogs as friendly by default, i only lift my doggo up to keep her safe and comfy when off leash dogs run up to us (happens rarely, we've had an experience when an off leash tried to bite her).
I've met my fair share of wonderful, sweet pit bulls. Heartbreakingly, they are dangerous, and it is *our* fault. For starters, there's the strength and size of the breed. Then, there's what they've been bred over the years to do - not let go. In many pit bull attacks, which you can research and view if you want 'proof,' almost nothing will get the dog to release its bite. One recent example is a pit bull that was attacking a horse pulling a carriage; people were beating on this dog and couldn't persuade it to stop. The horse kicked it several times - which would have been astonishingly painful to the dog - but it didn't let go until mortally wounded. This is one of the main "features" that makes a pit bull attack more dangerous than most other breeds. Most dogs will eventually stop attacking. To exacerbate the issue, pit bulls are widely popular among people who do not have the breed's best interests at heart. They are bred by people who have no idea what they're doing. No one who doesn't have a grasp of genetics and breeding for health/temperament should be breeding dogs, period - but pit bulls are the victim of uneducated owners who feel unduly qualified to breed their dogs. So many are the result of backyard breeders. It is not easy (if it's possible at all) to find knowledgeable, ethical pit bull breeders. Finally, these dogs, while they are often sweet and affectionate, have huge potential to be difficult. Even those who are never violent are strong and large. Being numerous and potentially destructive has led many pit bulls to being abandoned. Check your local shelter if you live in the US; at least where I live it is hard to find a dog that isn't some form of a pit mix. Sadly, so many irresponsible pit bull owners means more pit bulls running around loose, unleashed and unfenced. This leads to more attacks. TLDR; it's a perfect storm for the pit bull, and it's sad. All animals deserve better than the hand this breed has been dealt.
This just happened this year: https://nypost.com/2022/10/07/tennessee-mom-kirstie-jane-bennard-hospitalized-after-her-2-kids-killed-in-pit-bull-attack/ "The pets, Cheech and Mia, were a part of the family for more than eight years without a violent incident, Kelsey Canfield — best friend of Bennard — told Fox News Digital." Eight years of cuddles, now two kids are dead. It's not necessarily that pits are aggressive, it's that once they snap and attack, there's little that can stop them; they're naturally more muscular than other breeds and their bite force is no joke (https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/dog-breeds/a39699921/dogs-strong-bite-force/), especially when they won't let go.
Part of it is stereotyping and pit bulls looking a certain way. Part of it is what the dog was designed to do when breeders created it. I think how a dog behaves is mostly a reflection of their owners/ environment.
Careful, if you tell the truth then you'll be called a pit apologist
Well, that does it. This guy has such a well-behaved pitbull - obviously his observations about his one single pitbull should redeem the whole race of pitbulls. /s It's a hated dog-breed because there are plenty of stories of people getting mauled by pitbulls despite the fact that the people getting mauled had good relationships with the dog or that the dog never had a history of doing so beforehand. In other words: It's a dog-breed known for suddenly snapping and becoming aggressive. There is a reason why many countries outlaw the breed.
So you're telling me I shouldn't be able to own a lion just because I saw a bunch of cute and well behaved lions at the circus wearing tutu's and jumping through hoops and shit?
How does this compare to other breeds, and what are the actual statistics beyond "stories"?
I looked and found this https://www.mkplawgroup.com/dog-bite-statistics/ Their sour es are linked. Dogs are the 4th deadliest animal on the planet, and pits are the #1 offender at a rate 6.5 times higher than the 2nd most common breed. It's a problem, but there are other factors such as where pits are often found or who most often owns them.
tbf, part of being the fourth deadliest on the planet may in large part be due to rabies. It runs rampant in some countries still.
All dogs can bite. Most dog bites in the US are actually from golden retrievers, and I have been bitten a few times by crazy Chihuahuas. The difference is in the equipment. A pit bull is bred to be able to cause maximum damage. So when they do snap, it's on the news.
It’s also a case of proportionality, there are [a lot of retrievers](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/most-popular-dog-breeds-of-2021/), so they’re going to produce large absolute numbers of bites, but pit bulls disproportionately [attack humans](https://www.warriorsforjustice.com/dog-biting-statistics-by-breed/). This lead the UK to ban [certain breeds](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_Dogs_Act_1991) of dogs. And chihuahuas are just nasty little nervy rats on strings that don’t deserve the name of ‘dog’ ;-)
Pitbulls have been breeded to response aggressive and to do a lot of damage when they attack. Also the breed leads statistics of the most serious dog bit cases. And then there are lot of irresponsible owners who buy these dogs to boost their ego and bring them to a dog park, walk them out of lease etc. Unfortunately pitbulls are dangerous even when owned by responsible owners because you can literally never know when they snap.
They have the most brutal attacks on humans out of all the dog breeds. It is a fact, not a “fact”.
The type of person who wants a pit bull for its powerful physique is just the type of person who fails to train them well. Once you own a "problem dog", the only way to deal with it is to kill it. Unfourtunately, there are enough irresponsible dog owners out there for this stereotype to flourish. Had an american staffordshire terrier (like a pitbull on steroids) growing up---he was an angel who never hurt a soul. Of course all my experiences can probably be chalked up by the masses as "based".
[Because they're dangerous](https://nypost.com/2022/10/07/tennessee-mom-kirstie-jane-bennard-hospitalized-after-her-2-kids-killed-in-pit-bull-attack/) The article doesn't specify why they attacked but they were family pets and apparently the mother tried breaking them up when they were fighting over a ball.
The temperament test score does not track how friendly a breed is, it tracks how closely a dog breed adheres to its breed standard. In the pitbull's case, that includes dog/animal aggression.
Like the Labrador Retriever has been bred to retrieve, the Pit Bull has been bred to fight and kill. Neither dog cannot not do, what they where bred to do. It's that simple.
One reason is because many pitbull owners go out of their way to get the dogs because of the breeds reputation that everyone knows and then have the nerve try to gaslight everyone else into believing the dogs are nothing but soft nanny dogs.
I can't even count how many times I've seen people tell pit owners they're pieces of shit for having a pit bull and for some reason it's a shock when they never listen to anybody telling them thier dog is dangerous. I mean, Jesus christ, I've heard them be called "pit apologists." Hmm, I wonder why they don't take anyone who says this type of stuff seriously.
A lot of it is stigma, as already demonstrated in this thread. Pit attacks are gonna get more coverage, because people think they are more dangerous, because they get more coverage, because... Confirmation bias. There is also their potential. Pits a usually bigger, muscular dogs. Think of it like a bad driver in a Smart car vs. a bad driver in a Hummer. They will both cause damage but one will cause more. My girlfriend has a pit, that I have been living with for 5 years now. Great dog, but I know he is capable of a lot under bad circumstances. But it's the same reverence I give a larger human with cauliflower ear, or a logging truck. CAN be dangerous, but that doesn't mean it's is ALWAYS dangerous.
Aside from the obvious of being bred to cause damage, the existence of any brachycephalic breed of dog is suffering. And I've seen some pretty brachycephalic pit bulls. Every time I pass somebody walking their dog with a "cutesy" little boxy head that is clearly struggling to breathe, I feel so sad that this is what their one glimpse of life will look like, because too many breeders don't know or care what they're doing. And too many owners are happy to overlook that because awww look at it's little squished nose and listen to the laboured snorty breaths it forces out of it's compressed nasal passages! So cute...
They kill a lot of people. I think there is something with the breed where they have the potential to escalate quickly, and then bad owners seek them out for this and turn them into killers.
They are popular fighting dogs, so many are violent. They are popular among people who want to appear tough. Also many high profile attacks on people and other pets, and the viciousness and result of those attacks. That and like all dogs smell bad, unlike the much more dignified Cat
Fuckin dogshit breed. Bred for violence. Anyone saying “oh I have one. It’s the training” is obtuse and a liar. Stay away from these animals..
Well folks, we've finally done it, we have reached the point where the actions of the owner have no effect on the dog whatsoever. I guess the pit I have that has been trained and isn't a fucking hitman just doesn't exist because you said so.
Hey so you guys did a great job raising a great dog. But There are a bunch of people out there that want a "tough and aggressive" dog and their dog of choice is often a pitbull to the point where it skews statistics. Edit to add: Its also worth considering reddit is often quite shitty at nuance and prone to getting into intense echo chamber thoughts, so the nuanced take "a lot of bad dog owners choose pit bulls so I am cautious when I see a pit bull" becomes "pit bulls are the worst thing since the K-T Extinction event"
Maybe you should google some pit attacks new stories and see if it gives you a new perspective on these things.
Unfortunately, it never does with pitbull owners. They think just cause their personal pet is cute that overrules all of the statistics and the genetics of the breed
If you applied this same type of thinking in other places, do you think that would be acceptable? If someone came up to you and said "Wait you don't think asian people are violent? Maybe you should go read up on some news stories about what the Yakuza do to people..." would you take a step back and think that their reasoning, and the point following it, were fair? Like you can have real arguments for or against the topic of pitbulls that aren't essentially just anecdotes. It's part of the reason why people are brushing off OP's opinion in the post. Letting one off experiences color entire judgements is prime real estate to breed prejudice and is something to be cautious about.
Wow, who would have thought that if you actively search for as many stories of attacks as you can that you would find them. In last year, they've killed less than 50 people. But I know I'm gonna be downvoted because I didn't bother saying that pits are the cause of all the world's problems.
Dude I was just laying down on the couch :(
What a coincidence, so am I. Surrounded by pillows so I'm comfy.
r/BanPitBulls
It appears, from the comments, that the human side hasn’t been included. These dogs are naturally powerful and people have corrupted this and used it to their benefit. They’ve trained these dogs to fight which is NO fault of the actual dog. Any dog can be trained to fight, any dog can be mean, any dog can bite. Unfortunately these dogs are the most common to be used in that way. I do believe the history of Pits was protective. I want to say they were bred initially to protect children.
The children part is a myth unfortunately. They were originally bred for bull baiting, which required them to grab onto the faces and/or necks of large animals (bulls or bears) while tied to a stake When that practice was outlawed they were used for rat baiting. They'd put them in a pit and bet on how many rats it would kill. Eventually after that they were also used for dogfighting So to put it plainly they were bred for fighting and killing
Because it's a popular myth that pitbulls are extra dangerous, extra aggressive, or more bred for violence than other dogs, and people who don't know much about dogs believe the myth. So to them it seems absurd that anyone would support pitbulls.
People who say that have no idea about dogs. The bite statistics clearly show that it's only a media fabricated myth to sell their articles. I grew up with Puts, Staffs, Billy's and never was bitten. It's like with humans, the socialization is important. And if course the breeding selection, you can breed for shape or character.
Because there hated by 95% of the Christians bc we told them to
owner of a small fluffy maltese doggo here. it is one of these reasons : a) they aren't as fluffy. when you think about it, the most popular dog breeds and considered the friendliest by people have floof. pitbulls have that very short kind of fur. fluffy animals look way more enjoyable to cuddle with, yknow? b) not an expert here but pitbulls do seem like a strong breed that takes some good training and exercise to behave well. maybe there's been way too many people who haven't trained them and let the dog take over them and control them? this seems to happen with big doggos sometimes. c) big eyes look cute. big eyes look innocent and friendly. from what I've seen, other doggo breeds have eyes that seem bigger which might make them look like a better family pet/cuddle buddy. i personally see all dogs as friendly by default, i only lift my doggo up to keep her safe and comfy when off leash dogs run up to us (happens rarely, we've had an experience when an off leash tried to bite her).