Why do so many people hate Pit Bulls?

Question

I have an English Staffordshire Terrier and everyone gets all paranoid when they see her... she is the sweetest, cutest dog in the world. I know many pits that are so sweet and playful. When I take my dog out to play with other dogs, she just runs around and plays nicely with all the other dogs. Other types of breeds are more vicious then she is. What gives?

Answer 1

lack of education, and over-exposure in the media are the two biggest problems. people only see this obviously strong (short smooth hair deliniating muscle tone) dog with a smile full of teeth (overlooking the smile and only seeing the teeth). then the media are partly to blame since you don't normally hear about the terrier than rips open the mailman's leg, you hear about the pittie that bit a child, because that's what sells newspapers and gets people to watch the news.

Answer 2

Ignorance. The media has been reporting about how vicious Pitts are for many years, and sadly the public has bought into the stereo type. We aren't told that Daschunds actually bite more people every year than Pitts and Rotts combined!
Also, there are many people out there who get not only Pitts but other large breed dogs and do not train them properly. They want them to be guard dogs and think that they have to make them aggressive for this. Another misconception I might add.
For anyone who knows anything about the breed, they know that they are actually very loving and loyal. They make great family pets if they are raised properly.
Many people still believe the myth that they have locking jaws, and neurologic problems that can cause them to turn on their owner at any minute. This is just untrue!
There have been numerous cases where the news media first reported and attack by a Pitt only to learn later that it was not a Pitt after all. Usually it is some sort of mixed breed with a Pitt look to it. Yet you never hear them come back and make a big issue out of the fact that they were wrong in their initial reports. It's just sad.
This breed has gotten an undeserved bad wrap. Even if a Pitt does attack someone, it is NOT the dogs fault. It is the fault of the irresponsible owner!
I've been a vet tech for years & years, and I have only ever had 1 aggressive Pitt come into our clinic. Not surprisingly, the owner was an idiot who only got the dog to guard his junk yard. The dog had never been to a vet before, and had never been neutered. He was left at the junk yard chained up and alone 99% of the time. The owner also admitted to "training" the dog to attack. SAD!

Blame the deed, not the breed!

Answer 3

I think it is because they have heard the bad about this breed and do not know any of the dogs themselves. All dogs, especially large dogs can do harm if they wanted to. Pit Bulls have been targeted in the last few years. Outlawed some places without a fair trail. Its a racist thing against a breed of dog. For 100 years Pit Bulls were believed to be one of the best dog breeds. It is a total shame that a few bad dogs can harm the entire breed. I love Pit Bulls, They're great.

Answer 4

Pit Bulls get a bad reputation because they are a powerful breed. A pit bull is no more likely to attack than any other breed of dog and most dog attacks are not done by pit bulls. When a pit bull does attack a person or a pet they can do a lot of damage because they are so powerful. A toy poodle can be just as or even more aggressive than a pit bull but they don't get as bad a reputation as a pit bull because they don't do as much damage to the victim. Pit bulls are not any more aggressive than other dogs if they are trained correctly by a person who knows how to handle a powerful dog breed. It's a shame that they get such a bad name. They are very good dogs when properly raised.

Answer 5

It's not realistic at all to generalize a breed. Pit Bulls (which is quite generic), are smart, affectionate and loyal. They can definitely be aggressive with other dogs, especially if they're not socialized early. Inbreeding for certain traits will lead to mental issues, that's a known fact. It's a terrier - they are fearless, tenacious and enjoy fighting. The human attacks aren't really supported by facts - I know mine wouldn't think about it. She is the boss of my 95# Weimaraner, but they clearly love each other. Speaking of Weimaraners, the last place I lived an 8 yr old kid was killed by one - mine wouldn't hurt a cat.

Answer 6

Because even though a tiny poodle or chihuahua may bite 100 people and be as nasty as cat poo it will never cause anyone's death. The pit bull rarely bites or shows aggression when raised like any other pet but if it does bite the amount of damage done usually is severe and causes a lot of attention to be focused on it. This causes more people to hear about the few pit bull bites than the hundreds of little dog bites that occur. Since they don't read about chihuahua bites in the paper they assume that pit bulls must be more vicious. They are wrong, of course, but you can't make the media report it any other way.

Answer 7

The media is partially to blame the history of the breed( as used in Dog fights is also an issue which the media has used to hype up the stories of pit bull attacks. the common person, who has limited experience with dogs and pits in general, believes what they read in the papers as truth.

another issue is that many dog trainers get a biased veiw of the pit breeds and thus add to the media hype about the breed.

Also many individuals who are looking for a feared breed to own for protection get these breeds and do not properly train them creating more news stories about pit attacks.

I always stress the issues with training all dogs for basic obedience with the assistance of a qualified trainer not just one which has alot of experience, as a good trainer as a good veterinarian will cut through the media hype and treat any dog with the respect which it deserves.

Thank you for another good testimony about a good Pit bull Breed.

Answer 8

I am scared of pitbulls for the safety of my little dog. I don't blame the dog AT ALL. I worry about pitbull becuase of the reputation of pit-bull owners. Pit-bulls have a bad rap because of irresponisble ownership. Granted by breed it is more aggressive but they, like you said, can be the absolute sweetest dogs with the proper home, exercise, training, and love. However, many people expecially in lower class area are attracted not only to the amazing look of pit bulls but their ability and danger. However these people hardly ever have the means to keep this dog. Most pitbull attacks are due to irresponsible owners. The dogs are trained to bark and fight. They are called names like Jaws and Killer, they are kept in urban areas with little room to run.
There are some great pitbulls out there but people involved in dog fighting and irresponsible owner are completely to blame for this breeds negative reputation.
Many breeds have aggresive tendancies, rotties, pits, dobermen, but dogs can only be vicious when it is allowed by an owner (or they are wild but that doesn't count since we are discussing pets)
Considering you know the breeds proper name, and you care for your dog and socialize her, I bet if more owners were like you, this reputation would be history.

Answer 9

I think it is because they get a bad rap for being vicious. They get more media than any other breed of dog. They sad thing is that all other dogs bite or attack others just as much except they don't make it ot the media. My sister has always had pitters and not one of them have ever been vicious. Just like any animal it is all in the way they are trained.

Answer 10

A dog is only as good as its owner trains it to be, and unfortunately there have been a great number of news stories in recent years of pit bulls with bad owners and what happens in those situations (typically someone gets mauled to death, not very pretty). The way to combat this is to promote more responsible pet ownership to end the violence that can ensue.

Answer 11

Perhaps the lineage of pit bulls in our town is more aggressive than others? or not the norm? I was in the vet's office to have stitches removed the other day..and a call came in about a sick pit bull..the vet's assistant told the caller that the doctor doesn't accept pit bull clients...So, then the vet came out to look at my dog, and the assistant told him about the caller..He said, I would like to help all dogs, but if it hadn't been for my steel toed boots, I would have lost my foot to the last pit bull I tried to help..So, never again.
Then, they got to talking about the Chihuahuas that had come in earlier in the day...3 Chihuahuas had been in their own yard, playing with children, when a pit bull climbed the fence and killed one and injured the other 2 , one of them died at the vet's..the 3rd one was still in ICU.

I have several local friends who have been attacked by their own pit bulls...None of them were bad owners..but the dogs just 'snapped' and attacked...so, I wonder...Could it be that our pit bulls are just worse than those in other areas? This is a very nice resort community.