Why are people so quick to judge pitbulls in the uk?

Question

I really get pi**ed off when small minded people call pitbulls evil, nasty, and everything else, I can assure you I have two and I have two kids and you will never get a better dog, they are loyal, loving dogs who only want attention, stop believing every thing you see in the papers, its proven that collies and retreivers attack children way more than pits, a recent study has proved pitbulls are the most stable dogs around kids and totally believe it! Im no chav or an idiot who fights my dogs, I love animals and pitbulls are like any other breed its how you bring them up, its sick what these dogs are classed as because of stupid shallow minded people, i know chavs give them a bad name but dont blame the dog, and by the way the most my pitbulls would do to anyone or any animal is lick you and want cuddles, there even scared of my jack russell for god sake!

Oh yeah and people who judge read up on breed first, these dogs are no good as gaurd dogs because they love humans so much, they love kids, they maybe dont like some dogs but my jack russell hates every dog!

there great with my kids, and why is it when i see dogs in the kennels it says "doesnt like children" on there information cards and guess what there not pitbulls, there collies, gsd, labs etc

Im always around when my kids are with dogs, my kids dress up the dogs , cuddle them, kiss them and respect them, the dogs adore my kids, just like any other breed when they are brought up with children.

Answer 1

The same reason people assume Staffies and Bull Terriers and American Bulldogs are evil.Oh and Akita's, and Dobies and Rotties etc-bad media coverage.

If 1 of these breeds of dogs attacks someone it's all over the national press.However if a Labrador does no-one hears about it.Most people assume Labradors never bite but in fact more people are bitten by them each year in the UK than any of the breeds I mentioned above.

It is true that because the breeds I listed at the top were bred for fighting or guarding that when they do attack they tend to carry on until physically stopped rather than just biting once and letting go like some dogs do.However apart from the few dogs who have mental health problems the only times a dog is likely to be dangerous is if it has not been properly trained and socialised-and that's not the dogs fault it's the owners.

The big problem is that idiot chavs buy these breeds and train them to be fierce for fighting and as a status thing,this adds to the bad reputation as these are the dogs who tend to attack kids in all the media stories.

The media headlines should read 'chavs are evil' not 'pit bulls are evil' though.

Answer 2

The Pitbull is a Banned Breed in this Country and therefore any you do see are not likely to have been bred by a responsible breeder! They are the product of back yard breeding and the breeders are doing it just to make money! A great deal as Illegal dogs are sold on the Black Market! Most of the dogs would be from dogs bred to fight and whether you like it or not aggression is passed down to pups! Health of the breeding pair is also not an issue for those that breed them and to compare these dogs with a Well bred American dog is obviously not fair. Neither is it fair to say we are all too quick to judge the Pitbull, it's the type of owner we judge. They are criminals after all. There are other similar breeds they could keep but they don't want them, they want an illegal fighting dog and they train them to be aggressive. Normally a dog of the breed wouldn't be aggressive to people but these dogs aren't socialised as pups. Too much risk of someone reporting them I suppose! Anyone who knows anything about dogs knows that what a dog is bred for and how it is raised from a puppy and the training it receives makes the difference and that there is no 'bad' breed just 'bad' owners! Sorry but the majority of Pit owners in the UK are the very people who shouldn't even have a stuffed toy dog in my opinion!
Why not ask them why they don't care that it is the poor dog that takes the blame?
As the owner of a breed that is also given a 'bad' reputation I know how angry it can make someone!
However as a responsible dog owner I know that what you say is rubbish! It shows you have little knowledge of a dog's natural behaviour too. No dog is ever 100% safe being left with a child or even a strange adult! You cannot guarantee that the human won't make a mistake and do something the dog would misinterpret as a threat, or even accidently hurt your dog. I'm certain too that if I as a total stranger 'invaded' your dog's territory without invite your dog would not be wanting to lick me and have a cuddle. That would be totally against the instinct of any dog! If I was lucky it being a Pit bull it would bark like crazy to warn me to stay away and to alert it's fellow pack members that there was someone there! If I was unlucky or pushed it too far, it would be brave enough to attack! It would not be the dog at fault though! It would still be me as the human! When-ever a dog bites it's usually Human Ignorance.

Answer 3

i always say that it is not the dog that is bad but the owner and the ones who breed nasty dogs, the reason why we do not approve of pit bulls in Britain is because of the mindless people who own them, they were ( and still are :( ) used for fighting, and because of irresponsible owners, were let to roam resulting in a lot of dog attacks by pitbulls, it is sad that a lovely dog like this has been banned and it really is not the breeds fault, but people have to be protected and the main pitbulls that were in Britain were trained to be nasty, it is unfortunate that the fighting pitbulls have been taken underground and are still bred and fought, all the ban has done is put the dogs in dirty dark places where the dogs are not looked after properly, yes it is sad but you are right it is annoying and the dog should not be punished it is only doing what it has been trained for, it was a way to sort out the problem of the dog fights, i agree with you that it is the fault of stupid people who have ruined the breed over here, i have seen have lovely pitbulls can be but only on the telly it is a shame i would have to go to another country to see wonderful family pitbulls, and they say we are a nation of animal lovers, we can't be if we allow this horrible sport to be part of our country, i agree it is how you bring a dog up and it is not owners like you we are mad at it is the ones who put their dogs through horrendous training then watch with pleasure while their dog is ripped apart, i hope this helps in some way, and lets you know that not every english person judges a breed on the newspapers, it is the owners who should be put down not the dog, you know your dogs better than anyone else and that is all that matters, ignore anyone who bad mouths your babies as long as you are responsible that is all that matters, best of luck, big hugs for you and your dogs.

Answer 4

For all of those people who think pitbulls are evil do you really even know anything at all about the breed. Pitbulls are the most abused dog breed out there and they have a much better temperment than dogs such as the Golden Retreiver according the American Temperment Testing Society who has tested over 600 pit bulls!
Let me ask you this if a person tied you to a tree, beat you, stabbed you, starved you, electricuted you, and then forced you to fight other dogs, would you be a happy go lucky little dog? These dogs in a normal state have never shown aggression towards humans. Unfortunately they are severely abused and neglected in most cases and the wrong people want to own them for the wrong reasons. These are the so called "mean pit bulls" that you hear about. Why aren't their stricter punishments for people who are doing this to this dog breed?

Secondly, any dog breed can be mean or aggressive if they aren't domesticated and trained properly. ONCE AGAIN, ANY UNTRAINED ANIMAL WILL ACT LIKE A WILD ANIMAL. Believe it or not if you get a dog you actually have work with it, exercise it and train it! Which unfortuantely for pit bulls most of their owners don't do this.

Thirdly, the main reason pit bulls have such a bad rap is because any dog that ever does anything wrong is reported in the media as a pit bull, even if its a lab. They then print a tiny little sentence on page 30 in the paper 2 weeks later to correct their mistake. There are many, many well documented cases of this. Not any muscular dog is a pit bull, you pit bull opposers out there should take this little quiz, I bet not one of you will pass. http://www.understand-a-bull.com/Findthebull/findpitbull_v3.html There have been documented cases of when Pomeranians, labs and many other dog breeds have attacked people, even killed children and it was entirely the owners fault, so why is it always pit bulls fault when they do something?

Do some research people, learn about the breed and how they are abused and then tell me that pit bulls are evil.

- EDIT -

Big Kisses you are right, American Pit Bull Terriers were specifically bred BY HUMANS to fight bulls. Not people! Then people started abusing and killing them and forceing them to fight other dogs, its not the dogs fault! You have no reason to be scared of the breed today, you should be scared if they have a psycho for a owner though as with any dog breed.

http://dogs.about.com/cs/breedprofiles/a/pitbull_history.htm
Part One: History
Complete text copyright ©Marji Beach.

The modern American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) can trace its roots back to England and the early 19th century. Crosses between “bully” type dogs and terriers eventually produced the modern APBT. Although not recognized as a “breed” and much smaller than the modern APBT, the early “bulldogs” were used as working dogs, controlling unruly bulls for butchers as well as farmers.

These “bulldogs” resembled, phenotypically, the modern APBT but were considerably smaller, weighing in at 15-30lbs. The courage and tenacity that made these dogs good at corralling dangerous bulls made them great at the blood sport of bull baiting.

The year 1835 saw the end of deadly bull baiting (countless thousands of dogs lost their lives to this “sport”) and the emergence of an even more sinister blood sport - dog fighting.

To understand the American Pit Bull Terrier, it is imperative to understand the breed’s fighting origins.

The lower class had used blood sports as an outlet for their frustration and aggression towards the monarchy - pit fighting was, in essence, an outcry and an outlet for that aggression.

A quality that was never bred into them was human aggression. Human “aggressive” (aggression may not be the most appropriate term, it is more likely that these dogs simply had a lower bite threshold) dogs were undesirable as these dogs required extensive handling prior and during their fights - most of theses dogs were also family pets so no human “aggression” was ever tolerated.

Answer 5

I couldn't agree with you more! It's not just in the U.K.though, it's everywhere. The U.S. has many new laws regarding what they call "dangerous dog laws"..mostly referring to Pit Bulls. I am a owner of 3 myself and have only had Pits my entire life. Unfortunately, no matter how much information you try to educate these "Pit haters" with, there ignorance overrules any, positives,and they become blinded by the media and the excitement they have tried to create.
I have tried for quite a few years to explain, by facts, how great these dogs are, and how the negative attention brought to these dogs, just comes from people's stupidity. People are idiots though, and want to believe lies, and unfortunately, there unwilling to open up there minds, to any other possibilities. I have begun to feel sorry for these people, and how ignorant and clueless they look to everyone around them. We can only give fact after fact, again and again, and show the world by example, what there missing out on, by deeming this breed mean and, against the law to own. I hope and pray that with time, and education, and first hand experience, these narrow-minded people of the world, will enlighten themselves to the reality of the "REAL" Pit Bull, and there real demeanor. Something must be done, before it's too late, and the lies, and hate become more widespread.

Answer 6

It's not just in the UK, but in many other countries. A number of breeds unfortunately have had their moment (rotts, german shepards, doberman's) receiving negative media attention over the past few decades. What is most concerning is the breed-specific legislation passed to ban the so-called bully breeds in cities and countries around the world. This type of legislation doesn't and won't stop the problem of backyard breeding, dog-fighting, and it won't take care of the problem of attacks happening. It's simply a band-aid. In the US, the Michael Vic conviction (among other cases) has brought light to the scary facts about dog-fighting happening around the world, including the UK but there remains a lot of work to do on this issue. My question is how do we shift the stereotypical image of the "pit-bull" (read up on the breeds that fall under this term) away from that which is portrayed in the media (including hip hop and rap) as being a tough, ego-boosting status symbol?

Answer 7

I love the breed, any dog can bite and pitbulls get the brunt of the blame, most of the people who wrote horrible negative answer to your question do not no the breed. www.pbrc.net is a great website that will tell you all there is 2 no about the breed.
when i child has been killed by a dog it is the owners fault and the dog has probably been abused in some way and not been socialised correctly, these dogs are so eager to please their owner they will pretty much do anything the owner trains him 2 do, and if that means fight thats what it will do. its all about the owner not the breed

Answer 8

Because people are uneducated, ignorant, and they believe anything the media tells them. It is a very unfortunate situation...and now it is starting to take place all over the US too...

Pit bulls can be great dogs, but people don't know that because all they ever hear is "PIT BULL ATTACKS FOUR YEAR OLD!"...even though the dog was really a lab mix that looked kinda-sorta like a pit so the news decided to call it a pit bull, knowing that they would get a better reaction if it said pit bull.

People are scared of what they don't know, and people who have never met a pit bull are the ones who are the most scared of them. Pit bulls are great dogs who often end up with horrible owners. I believe it is 100% how the dog is raised.

And I agree with you, it pisses me off too when people are so narrow minded as to assume that all pit bulls are nasty, evil, children killers.

http://www.understand-a-bull.com/PitbullInformation/Urbanlegends.htm

http://dontbullymybreed.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuQ7RmMWWu0


http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=666115646

GET EDUCATED.

Answer 9

I have always said that if someone were to break into my home, my dogs would roll over expecting belly rubs. Pits are fantastic dogs....in the right hands. But the media, and the dog-fighting macho subculture they appeal to gives them a bad name. Most of the pittie haters have never read about or researched the breed, and make their judgements based on the things they see on the news. The only thing we pit bull owners can do is train our dogs to be outstanding citizens, and let them serve as examples of the true temperment of the breed. My dogs go everywhere with me, and people are suprised to find that they are not ruthless bloodthirsty killers. If I change one mind, I'm satisfied. We can't just tell people they're great dogs....we have to show them.

EDIT: In addition, these dogs are not for everyone. Owners have to be capable of handling a strong dominant dog, and must be prepared to handle the breed specific needs that the dog has. Owners need to be prepared to handle animal agressive behavior should it arise ( Human agression is NOT the same as animal agression and is NOT a trait of this breed) and be vigilant about training. I believe there should be regulations in place for anyone wishing to own a large, powerful, dominant dog.

Answer 10

I have 2 different opinions in this....

1) I have no problem with pit bulls. I believe there are no bad breeds, just bad breeders and owners. Pit bulls can make great pets, therapy dogs, etc. and I am totally opposed to BSL. (BSL = bull sh*t legislation!) Most people hate pits because of the crap in the media.

2) The problem in the UK is that pit bulls are illegal. My problem is not with pits in general - just in the UK. By definition, anyone breeding pit bulls in the UK is a criminal!

A "good" or "responsible" breeder does not breed illegal dogs, no matter how nice they may be.
That means that pit bulls in th UK are ONLY bred by back-yard breeders - either by people who want them because they look "hard", to protect them because they are criminals, or specifically for dog fighting.
They deliberately breed aggressive dogs, abuse their dogs and encourage aggression in the pups. They would never implement a proper breeding programme or health testing. The puppies from these people don't stand much of a chance = benig badly bred, badly raised, badly socialised, badly trained etc. They are then sold onto other criminals who know they are pits, or irresponsible idiots who don't know any better.

Then, when these poor, abused animals bite - the media jumps on the fact that they were pit bulls. They conveniantly ignore all the neglect, abuse, crap breeding, bad owners etc. This makes normal people hate pit bulls even more, and makes them more appealing to the thugs and dog-fighters. Its a vicious circle.