Why are people lableing pitbulls as nasty dogs!?

Question

i have been reading news and some yahoo answers, and people lableing pitbulls and other pitbull types, and also some other breeds, i own a staffordshire bull terrier, 7month old great with kids a very loveing dog never bite anyone as of yet and very loyal and very loveable its the people that own the dog that make it a nasty dog my dog it self is very loveable and cute and my lil angel and id trust her with kids of any age i have nephews ages 3months - 5 years old neices between 3-8 years old she plays with them all lays near the babys lets us know if theres a problem by barking i believe its the onwer not the breed of dog i just think people make it sound like bit bull types and other breeds are just nasty straight from birth which is not the case as alot of people know please leave your opinions all ops are welcome

Answer 1

I was walking down the beach with my 8 month old chocolate labrador when he was attacked by a staffordshire bull terrier for no reason what soever but for a very kind passer by my dog would be dead now , and all he got was verbal abuse from the inconsiderate owner because he told him he should have it on a lead . That could have been a child the dog attacked i certainly would,nt trust a staff with any child because the one that attacked my dog was 12 months old and he said the same he could,nt understand why he done it he was so soft.

Answer 2

I think pit bulls and pit bull types get a bad rep because they were bred as fighting dogs and so can be extremly dangerous. A pit bull can break your arm or leg easily with a single bite, they have incredibly strong jaws. A big part of the problem is the owners - it doesn't take much to turn one of these dogs into an uncontrolled dangerous animal, and although all dogs have the potential to cause damage, fighting breeds are more prone to it and need carefull handling, but at the same time dogs such as staffies make wonderful pets, IF they are treated right, with firm love - the same goes for rottwielers and dobermans. I've met rotties who were the biggest softies in the world, but because they had an owner who let them know their place in the peking order, but gave them plently of love and affection anyway. I think the recent outcry has been because of a few high profile cases recently, people should also be aware that pit bull terriers are illegal in the UK and in lots of other places as well because when they do turn nasty they can do so much damage very quickly.

There is a lot in the headlines about kids being attacked by dogs at the moment, including the girl killed by a pit bull. People are blaming the dog, but in that case, and usually in other cases as well, it was the owners fault. That dog had been aggressive before to a point where the owner had been warned and he still felt it safe to have a small child near the dog!

Answer 3

Owners are what make a dog, loving, caring safe surroundings is what a dog of any breed need.How ever because of the pit bull and other bull breeds history as fighting dogs people do just get them for that and they give the breeds the bad name.

I Have two Staffordshire Bull Terriers both 17 months. I love my Staffs very much and am in the middle of writing a report on why they make good pets( for college).
I also have a daughter of 9 and my OH son who is 5 comes at week ends.

I would not leave them with my Staff's not because I don't trust the dogs but just because never say never any think could spook the dogs or the children.

A staffordshire bull terrier is a strong dog and cold do damage, you should never leave your children and your Staff's or other breeds alone. Better safe than sorry be responsible for your breed and your children.

Children do pull and poke and can be nasty little gits when they want to so always be aware. Also if your dog wants to be alone and is not given the chance to go to their bed they may snap.

Answer 4

A Pitbull and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier are actually very different although they are related.

As you are probably aware a Staffie is basically a tongue wrapped up in soppy fur.
A Pitbull was specifically bred for aggression.
Pitbulls are in the Dangerous Dogs Breeds List and as such are banned in the UK.
I would trust virtually any Staffie as long as I knew it a little.
I would trust ANY Pitbull - to bite the cr*p out of anyone it took a dislike to.

What you have to remember is that the publics reaction to dogs after what happened to that poor little girl, is a knee jerk reaction.
It happens after every biting and death incident.
ANY dog has the capability to 'turn' and bite not only the hand that feeds it but also any other hand that comes near.

The mindset of the owner IS very important I agree but could a loving home really alter the breeding of many generations?

The Pitbull in question has been proven to come from fighting stock. Would you let a little girl play around a dog that you either knew came from fighters or possibly even knew WAS a fighting dog?

Every dog has 3 responses open to it through instinct

1/- Fear - it will hide its head and pretend the problem isn't there.

2/- Flight - it will run away from what it perceives as a problem

3/- Fight - it will attack the problem to remove and control it.

An even tempered dog will choose either 1 or 2.
An aggressive dog will choose number 3 most times but a fighter will choose it EVERY time, and will react far worse because of its bred abilities and training.

ps I happen to have owned Staffies and would recommend that breed to ANYONE as a loving family pet.

psps ANYONE WHO ADVOCATES, ENCOURAGES AND PARTICIPATES IN DOG FIGHTING, LIKE THE PREVIOUS ANSWERER, IS NOT ONLY AN IDIOT BUT ALSO A CRIMINAL WITH NO REGARD FOR LIFE IN ANY FORM AND SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO EITHER OWN ANIMALS OR RAISE CHILDREN. Want to know why? Read the obituaries for a certain little girl and see the attitude of the uncle who still shows no remorse that HIS fighting dog did the deed!

Answer 5

Staffordshire bull terrier is NOT a Pitbull Terrier. The Pitbull's have been banned as they are an aggressive dog, people who already owned a dog when the ban came in were allowed to keep the dog as long as it did not show any aggression at that point in time - providing they were castrated and walked on a muzzle and lead at all times.
By the Pitbull type dog they relate to pitbull crossbreeds - not Staffordshire Bull Terriers or English Bull Terriers or any Bull Terrier other than the Pitbull for that matter!!
The crossbreeds may be a staffy cross pitbull which someone has deliberately bred or any other dog crossed with a pitbull but not a purebred staffy. Staffordshire Bull Terriers are great with people - the people that consider them dangerous do not understand the difference between the breeds and are ignorant.

Answer 6

"Pit Bulls attack more people than any other breed." Bite statistics actually show otherwise. More popular breeds that are generally considered to be "nice dogs" top the majority of lists. It may seem to the general public who is constantly bombarded with disturbing reports on Pit Bull attacks that this is the only breed that harms humans with any great regularity. However, the fact remains that Pit Bulls are hot news items. Dogs of all breeds and mixes bite and attack people all the time, but it is mainly the Pit Bull bites that get sensationalized. A report about the local Golden Retriever that attacks and maims a child isn't considered newsworthy. No one wants to believe that any dogs--even the fuzzy, cute, popular ones--are capable of biting. It's much easier to blow up and sensationalize a story about a vicious dog when it's a member of a breed who's reputation preceeds it. Pit Bulls are already considered the demons. All the reporters have to do is stand in front of the camera, look horrified, and say, "A Pit Bull did it".

Answer 7

Well basically because they are! I own one of those 'dangerous' breeds myself so I think I have a right to say so!! I have a staffordshire as well, "Harley". I have had Harley for just over 5 years (he turned 5 Christmas Day just gone) and I trust him completely, with my children, with friends children. Admittedly, Harls is a bit of a dumbarse, but he's a great dog!

I take Harley to the beach quite often, and people are really quite terrified when they see him. He has a big boofy head and built like a brick s h i t house, and he looks like he would rip your arm off, but he wouldn't hurt a fly! It's only after talking to people, and they tell me themselves that they have heard terrible things about his breed, that they realise that it isn't always true. When they watch Harley play with his friends, who are also male staffys, they are simply amazed that their not ripping each others throats apart. Again, it's because of the way the dogs have been raised.

Unfortunately, it's every time that these breeds (pitt bulls, staffys, etc ) do something wrong that we hear about it! I firmly believe it is how the dog is raised that has a lot to do with it too. But some dog breeds do have a vicious streak in them, and no matter how well you train them and raise them, they can still turn to their natural instincts.

I actually know chihuahuas who are more likely to rip your arm off than my dog!!

Answer 8

People who don't know very much about dogs are fearful of my Staffie. She is the baby of our family and like you say is very loyal, happy, loving and I know I can trust her - but never do. At the end of the day they are a dog and unpredictable. All dogs can be taught to be nasty, fight etc; THERE ARE NOT NASTY DOGS - JUST NASTY OWNERS! The ringleaders of the dogfighting ring are the ones who need to be put down. The problem with the larger, stronger breeds are just that they are large and strong and difficult to control if attacking and also they can lock their jaw. My Staffie is 10 and I have only praise for the breed and so do other people I come into contact with who have owned them.

Answer 9

In my opinion, pits are not all that bad. It does have a lot to do with their breeding and how the owner raises the the pet. I have had many pits in my life. I was scared at first when I became a owner of a pit, because of all the talk, and was scared. I learned from my first experience that pits are not as aggressive as thought. My pit was a female, turned out to be very loving, great with my children as well as others. She got along with hamsters, and other dogs. She was a fighter, only in the square, but outside that she was a wonderful dog, and other than the fact that pit puppies that followed after her death (natural, not by fighting) were all well tempered. They can look intimidating, and yes you should always be careful and read into the breeds before getting a pet. But like the saying goes, if it has teeth it will bite. That goes for many species of animals.

Answer 10

Because it would be rude to say that the owner is an idiot and should not be permitted to own anything! The breed is an agressive one, and there is not a person out there that does not know this. They get these dogs, for whatever reason and fail to learn how to train it or have it trained thinking it will be ok or just not thinking at all. I am a firm believer the owner should be held 100% responsible for everything their animals do. So if their Pit kills then the owner should be charged with Involuntary manslaughter, or murder 1 if he had the dog attack someone.