What has been your experience with Pit bulls?

Question

I have heard both sides of the story...one being that pit bulls are dangerous, and the other about how it depends on the owner and how the dog was raised. If you ever owned, currently own, or know someone who has owned pit bulls, what do you think about them?

Answer 1

I LOVE THEM! I own two rescued ones right now! I adopted them when they were around 2-5yrs old. they are very sweet and love everyone. There temperaments also depend on the parents and if they have been inbreed and how they were raised. I didnt know how they were raised before adopting them and they are wonderful pets!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwI_qlq5vHs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJueekvhRDI&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBus4GGsyb4&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdY9Z5ub9xw&mode=related&search=

http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/item.php?item=376

http://www.badrap.org/rescue/breed.cfm

Answer 2

I own one and many of my neighbors own this breed and all the ones I know are well cared for and great dogs! A Pit Bull, like any powerful breed of dog, can be dangerous if the owner is neglectful or abusive. Also, like any breed of dog, there are individual dogs with a screw loose, but the Pit Bull is the dog for the decade which is focused on for reporting any bite or incident possible, even to the extent that some reports are downright FALSE and a block headed dog is labeled "Pit Bull" when there is not even a bully breed in the dog!
Here's a site to check out with stories you don't hear on the news:
http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/pospress.php
I own a pit bull that was a rescue, a two and a half week old pup that was being "gotten rid of" and would have been taken to the ASPCA in my city where because of the breed, she would have been immediately euthanized.
I have learned that this breed is probably one of the easiest to train, and most eager to please their owner.
Some Pit Bulls of reknown:
"Petey" of "The Little Rascals", "Sue" the "Crocodile Hunter's" dog, A guide dog for Helen Keller, "Popsicle" the rescued and rehabbed dog.
This is a very loyal and loving breed.

Answer 3

Ive raised pit bulls since i was 13 im 30 now i love them their the most well rounded dog around they can do everything except talk and some come close my favorites are the blue pits their beautiful my crop of pits were squashed due to hurricane katrina but ill make a come back their mis understood they are aggressive but are easy to train its not the dogs who should be punished its the owner so thats my take long live the pit bulls and no ive never pulled a michael vick.

Answer 4

I have always had great experiences with Pitbulls. Some of the most gentle dogs I have ever met have been pitbulls.
Any dog can be aggressive if not socialized and handled correctly, and recently a lot of morons have gotten a hold of this breed and given them a horrible name.
It happened years ago with Dobermans, where they were the "bad ***" dog of choice and got a very bad reputation, but Dobies are about the sweetest dogs around.
Unfortunatley, people are prejudice against pitbulls, but they don't stop to think about how they themselves would act if they were beaten, starved, and taught to be vicious. You can't expect an animal that has been treated like that to not act aggressively.
Even small, seemingly harmless dogs bite. Biting is not breed specific and people need to realize that not all pitbulls have been raised to be this way.

Another thought to remember is that yes, many pitbulls have bitten people, but when you consider the amount of pitbulls in the country, it is a small percentage that has shown any aggression at all. My guess is that for every problem pitbull, there are probably 1,000 sweet ones that suffer undue prejudice because of the few bad apples.

Answer 5

I have known a lot of people who owned pit bulls and have even worked a one that was rescued and they are very lovable dogs but a lot of people get them for guard dogs and train them to attack which is completely irresponsible. The average person doesn't know how to properly care for and handler a pit bull and therefore does not raise the dog responsibly and potentially creates a dog that if not controled is dangerous. It is in how you raise them. They are very loving dogs by nature but they are a large dog and even jumping up to lick someone can hurt someone.

Answer 6

I've loved pit bulls ever since i can remember they are just so pretty. My dad has one and she is just the sweetest well behaved dog. She listens well and she just had a litter of puppies and she hasn't snapped at anyone for playing with them or anything.
A friend of my boyfriends also had 3 pit bulls he said they were very well behaved until the owners would tell them to "Git Em" and they listened.
so i really think its how you train the dog and its definatly what the owner does that changes how the dog acts.
But dangerous shouldn't ever be pinned on one breed trust me i've seen little bitty dogs try to take off fingers also!

Answer 7

I had a neighbor who had a pit bull and she was the sweetest dog I've ever seen, until he got a new job and stopped paying as much attention to her. Then she got meaner. Not nasty mean, but just more wary of humans, I think. It was a sad thing to see. But for the most part, if a pit bull is treated right and raised right, it will be a wonderful dog.

Answer 8

I've met a few people competing with Bully breeds in Agility and Flyball. I love to see Pits especially doing dog sports because once again it shows that these are dogs that can be trained to do very complex behaviors, and it shows that they love to have fun with their people.
I hate to see any breed of dog that's been abused and exploited. I am on the fence as far as whether these dogs can be rehabilitated, which is sad to say. But if a particular dog has been bred for generations to be aggressive, that leaves a MUCH smaller margin of error for people. One mis-step, and that dog will be much less forgiving than another who does not come from a line of purposely-bred aggressive dogs.
I am not saying that all pit bulls must be banned, nor am I saying that all pits are unpredictable. I am very sorry that a group of irresponsible and ignorant people are ruining dogs as quickly as they can.

Answer 9

i have always had good experiences with them.
it's the owners not the dog itself that makes it bad.
if the dog is treated properly and cared for it is not likely to just attack for no reason.
every dog breed can be agressive if neglected or abused.
i had a byfrnd that was attacted by a golden retriever when he was a child.
when i lived in ny a kid was attacked by the family st bernard. when they autopsied the dog they found a pencil stuck in his ear- they asked the other brother about it- the kid who was attacked had stuck it in the ear and the dog got his payback
it frosts me that just bcse it's a pit ppl act like the dog is automaticaly agressive and want it taken away or shot
we get calls at 911 all the time, oh i don't know if it's agressive it's a pit just send someone to get it.

they were breed to fight bulls and they do have alot of the instinct left in them. but if raised properly they are loving famiy pets who will love you back and protect you.
if abused, any dog, will turn eventualy and be agressive and dangerous

Answer 10

I have a friend with a pure bred pit who is very sweet. My aunt had two pits, who were also very sweet. I now own an American Staffordshire/Rotti mix, and he is great. I have 3 kids, and they have lots of friends over, and he is great with everyone. I do encounter the occasional person who will pull their child away when walking by, but thay are just uninformed. But regardless of breed, my kids were taught you NEVER approach a strange dog. It's just common sense, don't you think? So I guess to answer your question, I like a WELL TRAINED Pit!

Answer 11

Pit bulls are honestly super family individuals canine and you'd be suprised at how dependable they're to there family individuals. it is in case you circulate with the aid of a breeder and get a canine that has been temperment examined. you assert you have a dalmation/boxer mixture. i could be extra worried personaly over a dalmation mixture than a pit bull. Dalmations are no longer a sturdy breed with babies. 2 canine is likewise alot to shield with a sparkling toddler.