Why are Pit Bull's painted as mindless killers?

Question

I'm the proud parent of an Amstaff (also known as Amercain Pit Bull). My baby is gentel, sweet, well-behaved, and smart. He helped my babysitt my 7 month old nephew and even was a comforting shoulder to cry on after my husband left.
Three months ago he was RAN OVER/MURDERED by a Kansas State Trooper by my home. The police said that he was a danger and that was the only way to get him. I'm calling all pet parents to stand up for this injustice. PUNISH THE DEED NOT THE BREED!!!

Answer 1

I once owned a Pit Bull as well. He was one of the most gentle dogs that I have ever owned (although hardheaded). It's all in the way that they are trained. They are easily trained as fighting or attack dogs, and have tremendous strength and toughness. But they are not necessarily an evil breed of dog. There have been reports of them attacking small children, but that is true of a lot of breeds.

Answer 2

They may not ALL be mindless killers, but they do paint themselves that way...

Here in S.A., a little girl was mauled to death while trying to help the neighbor's pit bull ( a dog she had helped many times before when it got caught in the fence).

Recently (again in S.A.) an elderly man was ASLEEP in his bed, when his niece's 2 pit bulls attacked him and dragged his body all over the house... the poor man died a few days later, due to the wounds.

I have a friend who has a sweet, fat, old pit bull. She (the dog, not the friend) loves to be scratched on her fat belly. No doubt some pitbulls are sweet animals... but it is just plain foolish to deny that some breeds do, indeed, have aggressive temperaments and they need to be watched. The sweet, fat, old pit I mentioned hates to have her ears touched.

Guess what. I leave her ears alone!

**EDIT** Your dog should NOT have been out in the road near your home... the fact that he was run over, is proof that he was unleashed and, and therefore, out of your control. Don't you get it? Your pit may love you, but he is not friendly with the entire neighborhood. Should he choose to attack a child, an elderly person, or another animal, there will be no rescuing that victim. Your dog was not murdered. You were a tremendously irresponsible owner. If you loved your dog as much as you say you do, you would have had him on a leash or in your yard.

Answer 3

Dogs are trained to be mean, they are not just mean on their own most of the time. I have a pit mix and he is as sweet as can be. He has never hurt anyone and is very good with all people including children. I totally agree to punish the deed not the breed. People are so ridiculous when they say a dog is mean just because of their breed. Punish the people that make them mean.

Answer 4

My friend's pit bull is 13 years old. He is and always has been a sweet, loving, loyal dog. Unfortunately, There are sickos out there who breed these dogs for fighting. Those dogs, even if raised lovingly, can have a short fuse. This is why pitbulls have been given a bad name.

No one has the right to run over a dog, even a pit bull. This sounds like animal cruelty to me. Have you contacted any of the animal rights organizations about this officer's behavior? Forget the humane society--if they're like the one in San Mateo, CA, they'd agree with the officer. They even refused to let me adopt a pitbull puppy, and killed it instead.

Now, to be fair to the officer regarding his opinion that the dog was a danger, he is right. Any dog on the loose is a danger. The dog is possibly a traffic hazard, may be rabid, may be vicious; the officer has no way of knowing. Nevertheless, that does not excuse his knee jerk reaction to your pitbull, and it especially does not entitle him to kill your dog by running him over. 40 years ago I saw a dog run over by a bus. That horrific memory is still with me. I hope no children saw your dog being killed.

Answer 5

Too many people have misused this breed. I believe any dog can be a good pet, if you train it properly. I love how Cesar Milan on the Dog Whisperer brings a Pit Bull with him to show people how well behaved the breed can be.

Answer 6

well, it's tricky. pit bulls are fighting dogs. it's in their blood. no matter how gentle they are to the family, there are several cases where they just turn on someone and attack.
was your dog actively attacking the trooper? cause it sounds like the cop just assumed and took charge. (actually, sounds like the cop didn't even get out of his car) which is horrible. i love dogs, so i can understand how upset you are. but it also sounds like your dog wasn't on a leash at the time he was hit.
like i said, i love love looove dogs, but if i saw a bit bull off a leash, i'd be concerned because they are generally agressive dogs (and banned in some states). i'd say to take the cop to court, but if your dog was loose, you'll have more problems with the court than the cop will.

Answer 7

You can take a tiger into your home and love it like a dog, but once day it will bite you. Pit bulls were bred and raised as fighting dogs and they have the body structure to prove it. They are built like a tank with short legs and a solid, muscular body to stay low to the ground and agile in a fight. They also have locking jaws- when they bite something, their jaw can lock, making them unable to let go of the grip even if they wanted to. They are beautiful animals, but they can be very very dangerous. They are illegal in some states, and in others, they must be registered. I am sorry someone ran over your dog that you loved so much. No one deserves that!

Answer 8

That's because there are a bunch of morons that raise them to fight, or for attacking people. Had a Pit Bull a long time ago, and she was one of the best dog's I ever had. Sorry to hear about you're loss.

Answer 9

All breeds of dogs have certain defining characteristics. Pit bulls were bred to fight and kill. That trait can come out at any time. That's why the dogs who attack and kill people are always described by their owners as sweet and lovable. You never know what will trigger an attack, pit bulls are unpredictable, unreliable, mean and stupid - a potentially deadly combination.

Answer 10

Those that knock pit bulls are usually the ones that never had one so they should shut up. The breed is not the problem, its the morons that take them and make them fight. Pit bulls are animal agressive, not people agressive, and i've seen chihuahuas that i am more afraid of than pits. My pit is a great big ol' softie.