Do YOU think Pit Bulls are dangerous?

Question

I don't. I personally think that the owners are the ones responsible for their behavior. I think the father of that 22-month-old that was killed was asking for it. I have friends that own some very lovable Pit Bulls, but that is only because the owners treat them properly. Now the state of Georgia is thinking (so I've heard,) about banning these wonderful dogs. They aren't anymore "dangerous" than a Chihuahua.

A 10 Lbs Pomeranian killed a baby a few years ago... Obviously a problem with that particular dog, not the breed. "The baby's uncle left the infant and the dog on a bed while the uncle prepared her bottle in the kitchen. Upon his return, the dog was mauling the baby, who died shortly afterwards. ("Baby Girl Killed by Family Dog," Los Angeles Times, Monday, October 9, 2000, Home Edition, Metro Section, Page B-5.)"

Answer 1

i think that its the oweners who make these kind of dogs or any dog for that matter mean are the ones who are dangerous.........just seen the answer about the dalmation who bit the guy WHY wait 3 days to put down a dog who you broke his ribs and poked his eyes out???? thats just cruel

Answer 2

I agree with you that it is all in how the dog is raised and treated by its owner. I think this is true with any breed of dog. Pit bulls have a bad rap from the get go. I think that the media has a lot to do with this. I honestly think that not just anyone should be able to own an animal. There are way too many stupid people out there that are not responsible enough to care for a pet. I volunteer at my local SPCA and see all breeds come through. The first dog that I handled was a pit bull mix. She was a wonderful dog. My cousin has a pit bull and she is a great dog. He gives her all kinds of love and attention and care. I think that if I were to own a pit bull I would want to get it as a puppy so that I could ensure that it has always been cared for and not ever mistreated. Again, I think this is because pit bulls are in the news all the time for a negative reason. I wouldn't rescue one as an adult because I currently have 3 dogs and they wouldn't adjust well. As far as that goes, I wouldn't feel right bringing any other breed in to my home with my dogs now either. I do feel that a pit bull can be way more dangerous than a smaller dog. They have a very strong and wide jaw. Any larger dog is going to have a higher chance of causing more damage than a tiny dog. I do believe that pit bulls deserve a fair chance just as other breeds.

Answer 3

I think the same as you. It is like every other dog if you treat them wrong they will lash out. But aggressiveness can be breed in to a dog also. I have owned pitbulls and I also have alot of friends who own pits and they are all lovable dogs. I have been bit before but it was by a chihuahua and my daughter has been bit by a poodle and almost bit by a pekines. All these dogs were suppose to have been nice friendly family dogs.
Pits are beautiful, lovable, and protective dogs. They have such a bad rep. because people only hear most of the bad things about the dogs themselves and not the owners who created these mean dogs.
My uncle has 5 pits and has owned many more and has never had a problem besides they all seem to think they are lap dogs.

So please to all you people who think they are horrible dogs give them a chance I garentee that if you are around one long enough you will fall in love.

Answer 4

Four factors:

1. Possibility of dangerous acts

2. Possibility of damage from dangerous acts

3. Possibility of redeeming acts.

4. Possibility of benefit from redeeming acts.

The possibility of danger with pit bulls is the unfortunate prevalence of owners that get these dogs for macho-agressive reasons. If not outright for fighting, some childish people want a tough impressive dog. This increases the possibility of a dangerous act.


Because of their muscular makeup the damage can be horrendous. Yes...they are more dangerous than a Chihuahua. (It would take a good day's work, and a friend, for a Chihuahua to kill someone.)

However, because of their high tolerance for pain, if properly trained, they can be great with small kids and be great protectors. (Much better than a Chihuahua.)

They can be just as good a watchdog as any other dog.(For noise and alarm Chihuahua's have no equal.)

I saw on Animal Planet once that agressive dogs were being saved by cutting off and capping their canine teeth. With out the sharp corner teeth, their mouths cannot grab flesh and rip it. (Slashing gives way to pinching, and seldom can break skin and cause bleeding). It seemed, however, such dogs got less agressive after the surgery.

Perhaps stringent laws to remove canines on dangerous dogs would be better. The dogs can live, and boys will have to find some other outlet for their machisimo.

Answer 5

This has been beaten to death over and over on this forum. But i'll bite again. As a responsible owner of 2 of these wonderful and noble dogs ,both females ,it's the media hype that people fall for and believe. Some people that's all they believe to be gospel is what they hear and see on the media.If you try to tell something else they are to closed minded to listen.Like I said i've owned these dogs for over 18 years ,5 dogs in total. No they are not dangerous with the right owners.The owners have to be willing to learn about these dogs ,breed traits ,genetic disposition to dog aggression , and so forth.To your comment about them not being any more dangerous then a Chihuahua ,well I have to disagree on one point. If a Pittie does bite ,the dog will do a heck of a lot more damage.

Answer 6

My brother had a Pit Bull that was treated like a regular dog. He was never trained to be mean or treated any different that our other dogs. He was very friendly with kids, too. But one day, out of the blue, when my brother bent down to pick up his water bowl, the Pit growled, showed his teeth and lunged for my brother's throat. We were all shocked because the dog had never shown any indication of being an aggressive dog.

As for a Chihuahua, my uncle had one that bit me every time I would visit!

Answer 7

Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say the father was "asking for it" but I agree with you to some extent. There are no bad breeds, just bad owners. Unfortunately, so many people either mistreat the pit bull, or are completely unaware of how to train and raise an aggressive breed dog.

Answer 8

I don't have any problems with Pits personally, tho I do agree with the statements about about the blood lines a Pit ay come from. Responsible breeders breed with good temperment in mind. If a Pit is bred from a line of dogs that were used for fighting, I feel there is going to be a higher risk that this particular dog could have temperment issues and the potential to be dangerous.

Honestly, I think this is why this poor breed is getting such a bad rep. People want them, and are not being selective about where the dog comes from and if it comes from a line of fighting dogs, the risk factor is higher for there to be issues down the line.

Answer 9

Dogs have IQ/EQ genes same as people, so some are by nature of a certain temperment but just like people it is all in how they are raised, trained and treated. You are right, pit bulls are no worse than guns, it's the nuts who use them to attack other people that need to be permanently locked up or done away with.

Answer 10

I think that MOST dogs have the ability to be violent and kill- it all depends on how they are trained for sure. If you lock your dog up and don't feed it and teach it violence, and make it walk around with a 15 lb chain around its neck to bulk it up- then HELL, of course it is going to be violent. If you encourage that behavior, if you reward that behavior, that is what they are going to think is ok. I think pit bulls are excellent dogs and VERY trainable to be the sweetest dogs, just as a lab is. I had a few friends that had Pits,and those dogs were very sweet, but I also had a few friends that had trained their dogs to kill- primarily for fighting. Those are the ones you want to beware of. Then again, i think that people should have dogs for companionship, not security! That is what ADT security alarms are for!!!

P.S.- they have that "lock jaw" feature that most dogs don't have, so once they bite, they don't let go- so this I think is part of the reason they are so commonly used for fighting

-EA

Answer 11

It doesn't matter the way that a animal is trained or treated their is something in their brain that triggers the wild dog inside of them
It is the same for all animals. Pit bulls can easily trigger that instinct. You just need to learn how to control the dog and make sure there is nothing that will provoke the animal.

-I doubt that the father of the 22 month old was asking for his child to be killed it was a mistake with horrifying consequnces. Who wouldn't leave a child with a family pet thinking that nothing horrible would happen? Shame on saying that he was asking for it