Why do people fear pit bulls?

Question

The dogs aren't the ones to fear it's their owners, that's why they get are getting banned from certain states all over the U.S.!

i have one and he barely has a brain cell in his head and he's hilarious! you would never beleive that he could be fierce! Then one of my best friends fears him because of his looks! don't we do the same to people? The only reason these dogs are attacking people because they are provoked or trained to doing so!

Answer 1

Because what people hear on the news is very very powerful.

People fear crackheads and middle easterners (at one point in U.S.) too, but the reality is the same as with pit bulls.

It is the media that drives people into a frenzy.
These peopel that fall for it are just useless sheep.

Answer 2

The media has projected an image that pit bulls are psychotic people biters. This couldnt be further from the truth. As an experienced handler and breeder of American Pit Bull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terriers, I have observed these dogs to be the most outgoing eager to please and social (with People) breed than most other types of dogs I have been around (over the years many).
The media has used the theory that if it bleeds it leads, and in the case of dog attacks they mostly misidentify the responcible dog as a pit bull. Look back at the fatal dog attack in San Fransisco a few years ago, for weeks thedogs in question were called pit bulls, until they were finaly properly identified as Pressa Caineros.
The bottom line is that any dog, regardless of the breed, if abused and mistreated by its owner, will become aggresively antisocial. The ultimate responcibility falls on the owner and not the poor dog.
Statisticaly speaking, pits are 1of the safest breeds to be around, there are more Labradour , Golden Retriever, German Shephard and Chihuahua atacks in this country than there are pit bull attacks anualy.
The only thing about pits is they do(like most terrier types)
have an extremely high prey drive and love to chase and sometimes kill small animals, they are also agressive toward strange dogs( due to the breeds fight) history. However even a novice handler can ween those traits out. The key is lots of socializing when the dog is a pup.
Pit Bulls are not a breed for just anybody, because these dogs can be somewhat stubborn you have to be a firm confident handler or the dog will just walk all over you.
P.S.
Although pits are not naturally people aggresive they are extremely loyal and fierce protectors, they will defend thier family to the death. So they are protective, but not psychotic.

Answer 3

LOL no brain cells! LOL

Yes, mostly, Pits have gotten a bad rap from adverse training. Obviously, as with any breed, there are a few nasty dogs that don't need help from humans to be that way, they're the "mentals" -- a poor mix of genes.

The thing with Pits and others of that ilk is they are bred with extremely strong jaws. So, for whatever reason a Pit does bite, it's deep and they either bite in multiples or just plain will not let go until skin, muscle, or limb give way.

Here's an article from a tragic attack that occurred here in 2004. The dogs' pack instincts kicked in.
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Answer 4

Pit Bulls are wonderful dogs if properly socialized and taken care of. Being a terrier they are very territorial, protective and independant dogs. We hear a lot about Pit attacks even though the statistics are different. There are more dog attacks caused by other breeds but the ones caused by a Pit are far more severe.
They are strong and affectionate dogs, easy to train. Dogs trained for fighting will not attack a human, they are trained to kill dogs, they love and blindly obey humans.
Dogs that attack are those which are neglected and not socialized properly, kept in the back yard for protection and praised for barking at strangers. In their minds they are just doing their job and what is expected of them, when they break out their territory just becomes bigger.........
I feel it is not the Pit Bull that should be banned, it is the puppy mill that produces the dogs and sells them without educating the new puppy owner about the breed.
People are right to fear them; they are big and very powerfull and can cause a lot of damage if they decide to attack

Answer 5

The easy answer is that people fear pitbulls because of their strength. They can do a whole lot of damage if they decide that they want to go after someone.

The hard part is getting people to realize that even tho they are a strong dog, they are still a dog like all the others, and if bred properly, raised properly and trained, socialized and controlled, they are just like all the other breeds.
It's the people who do the wrong things that ruin it for the breed in general.

Once the pitbulls are gone, the fearful people will turn their sights onto another breed until it's gone too. Slowly they will try to get rid of all breeds of dogs that are higher than your ankle.

That's why, IF people really love their pitbulls, like I love the Doberman, they will spend their time socializing, training and showing the fearful people that their dogs are just as nice as other dogs and can be a good member of the community. Make sure that they don't fit into the ' Pitbull profile ' and don't teaching them to be mean, allow them to roam off lead, and be seen out there walking their dogs just like everyone else with other breeds of dogs do.

Sort of a public image campaign... People who love them, make sure you aren't helping to destroy the breed with your behaviour!

Answer 6

People fear these dogs because of their reputation and history. These dogs have traditionally been used in wild hog hunting, and are also called "hog dogs". Wild hogs can be vicious creatures, thus the need for a dog that can keep the prey cornered until the kill can be made.

Not all pit bulls are vicious. You're absolutely correct in that the owner is the one to fear. It's usually about how an animal is raised that is an indicator of its temperament, being it a poodle or a pit bull.

I owned a beautiful red-nosed female bulldog that was one of the best dogs I ever had. She was born about 5 months after my twins. She was raised as an inside pet, and grew up with my twins. She was very protective of them, played with them, never bit anyone, ever. She sat still and allowed my daughter to put ponytail holders on her ears, and bonnets on her head til a few weeks before she died. We laid her to rest last October, just a few months shy of 14 years old.

RIP Goldie

Answer 7

because on TV and in the news people never hear anything good about them. It is always a story involving vicious pit bulls attacking a child or something. It is the Media that is influencing people to think that way. If you are constantly bombarded with horror stories about a particular thing, you will learn to fear that thing. It doesn't have to be a dog, it could be a tornado or contaminated food or something.

There are dog savvy people and then there are average people. It is usually the normal people who become afraid of pit bulls.

Answer 8

I agree with you 100% I also have a pit bull. She is the biggest sweetheart. She has never showed any kind of signs of aggression. My parents have hated pit bulls forever. They told me that if I ever got a pit bull they wouldn't come visit my house. Well, after they met my pit bull they changed their minds. The first day I brought my dog over to meet my mom, Cadence was sitting in her lap giving her kisses on her cheek, and my mom loved it!! Cadence has changed many people's minds about pit bulls. But Cadence has been well socialized and well trained. And she gets plenty of exercise every day so there is no pent up frustration. The pit bulls that you hear about attacking people are dogs that were either trained to be aggressive, or they were abused, or they were neglected. People will either neglect them, leaving them out in the yard all day with no human or dog contact. Or they neglect their behavior, ignoring any signs of aggression. That is when you hear people say "my pit bull bit the neighbor, she has never bit anyone before, this was so unexpected!" It is usually because the dog has shown other signs of aggression like food aggression, aggression over toys, other dogs, overly protective of their house. When owners ignore these kinds of things they are creating a more and more aggressive dog. And with these things, ANY dog breed can become aggressive, AND dangerous! I was attacked by a GOLDEN RETRIEVER! who left scars on my face. I was NOT expecting it because the golden is America's most beloved dog breed. But this owner didn't give this dog any training or socialization, and she neglected the fact the he was aggressive. After he attacked me she said that he has done that before. This is a bad owner for allowing this to go on, not a bad dog.

And I think people stereotype pit bulls as aggressive dogs because the only stories they hear about pit bulls are bad. The news doesn't show the stories of the thousands of loving pit bulls there are. They only show the ones that they know will get viewers. And many of the "Pit Bull Attacks" you hear about weren't pit bulls at all!! When people get attacked by a dog, they a lot of times just say it was a pit bull, because that is what they expect, even if it was a lab, a bulldog, a mastiff, a mixed breed, or Even a cocker spaniel!! My friend Val's neighbor reported a pit bull attack to the police when Val's dog bit her. Val has labs, a pit bull, and a cocker spaniel. The cocker spaniel is the dog who bit the neighbor. But she reported it as the pit bull. I think she was trying to get more attention, and get more when it went to court. I'm sure there are other people out there who do this, that is why reports of pit bull attacks are so scewed.

I just want to add ONE more thing. If you do some research on pit bulls and their history you will find out that 1. They don't have 'locking jaws' and 2. They were specifically bred to be NON aggressive toward humans! People who breed these dogs to fight Other Dogs didn't want to get bit if they had to break the dogs up. And while some pit bulls who are bred by Terrible people who want to fight these dogs, can have dog aggression tendancies. Anyone who owns a pit bull should do research on the breed first and know about this. They should get their dog from a reputable breeder. But because I rescued my pit bull, I had NO idea about her history, or her breeder. So I had to work extra hard in socialization and training. Well, it payed off because my dog loves ALL other dogs, and my two kitties are her best friends. She is even scared of my brother's dachshund (who truly is a mean dog) because Sadie bit my dog on the nose. Cadence didn't try to bite back, she backed away from this little 8 pound terror, and now refuses to get close to her. So pit bulls can be Great dogs if in the right hands. And they can be dangerous weapons if in the wrong hands. It is ALL about how they are raised, and how well their owners have trained them, and can control them.

Answer 9

I believe the fear is a valid one. Not all pitbulls but the ones that turn on people. It isn't always the owners who instigate these dogs. It's in their genes because they were bred that way. It's not just the dogs who were mistreated. You can read in the paper or see on the news almost daily of pit bulls that have attacked and killed children or adults and the owner will say they are suprised because it's a family dog that never had problems. Or a dog that gets along with children at home but will attack other dogs or children without provocation when they escape their own yard. Pit Bulls can be dangerous dogs. The fear is valid.

Answer 10

Maybe that's true but they have the biggest track record. They are extremely aggressive and whats more scary then them is the fact that they are also growing in popularity which also means there are more and more inexperienced people getting into the fab and don't know how to train or even deal with a aggressive dog and things get out of hand; people get hurt. The more people get hurt the bigger the reputation. hence, people are scared of them. I will tell you this though...you are more likely to be shredded by a pit bull then a golden retriever. More people have died from dog bite related fatalities from Pit Bulls than from Wolf Hybrids!! You should check out this site it has a few tables you should look at its interesting.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/dogbreeds.pdf