why do pitbulls have such a bad rep?

Answer 1

Their bad rep comes from the thugs that own/fight them and do not properly take care of them.

Answer 2

I didn't watch the video, but don't really need to. Unfortunately, many pitbulls have attacked and done severe damage and even killed. They are very powerful dogs, and it takes just a few poorly bred and raised dogs to ruin it for the rest of them. Due to the damage they can do, any and all bites or attacks from pitbulls are widely reported on and televised. The ones that are living life at the end of a chain 24/7, neglected or abused seem to be the ones with the most issues (as would any other breed living a life like that). I do not have and have never had a pitbull, but have been around a several. The ones raised in the home as a family member are just as sweet as can be, and I've seen a few chained up that were a bit nasty tempered (can ya blame them). So I truly believe it is not so much the dog itself as those that own them and don't know how to properly raise, train and socialize them. You will probably never see a NEWS FLASH of "Jack Russell (or any small breed dog) disfigures 2 yr old child's face". But I have seen it happen (with a dachshund).

Answer 3

A lot of the wrong people who mean harm to others and such like to own pit bulls. They use them for fighting and to look tough. It is also because of this when a dog bites usually people say it was a pit bull when it really wasn't. That is why they are banned in a lot places. It is said that pit bulls are vicious mean animals so when something bad happens they get blamed even if it wasn't a pit bull who did anything. They can be aggressive, but in the right home they are very loving animals.

Answer 4

Pitbulls get such a bad rap because of irresponsible owners. While it is true that they were historically bred for fighting purposes (bull/bear baiting), most of the issues now stem from inexperienced and immature owners trying to exploit those traits for their personal gain. The pitbull's powerful build and historical reputation as a 'fighter' tends to draw a certain kind of owner that builds his self-esteem up at the expense of the dog. In that way, the owner obtains power through the viciousness of their dog. This is most clearly observable in the dog fighting rings where pitbulls are bred to be much larger than normal and are trained to kill. While that is the most extreme example it occurs in everyday society to a lesser degree. (i.e., even though all owners aren't training their dogs to fight, they are training them to look as mean as possible).

In conclusion, pitbulls may be naturally prone to be more aggressive than other dogs simply because of their breeding history. However, if you look at the overall bite statistics, most come from smaller dogs such as the chow. (its just that pitblls cause more damage because of their power). If they are trained correctly they can be one of the best, most loyal and protective breeds out there.

Answer 5

Pitbulls have such a bad rep because they are very strong muscular dogs and people train them to be mean. I always say that it isn't any breed of dog that is bad, but the owners. I have known pitbulls in my lifetime that wouldn't even kill a fly that they caught and were the sweetest animals possible. It really angers me when people say that pitbulls are mean. People are mean not animals. Animals only act the way that we train them to act.

Answer 6

Pitbulls were bred to be strong, brave, and tenacious with game. My father has one to move his cattle on a large farm and she is invaluable. She is a good house dog and understands the horses are not to be bothered. However, she will also rid the farm of cats, vermin, stray dogs, and trespassing people so he has got to be careful to put her up when he expects visitors.
If he lived in a suburban area the dog’s behavior would be a “bad rap” but on a working farm the same behavior is sought after. Unfortunately most pitbull owners do not live on a farm. Many have bought the breed for a very different reason (status symbols) and they encourage the dogs to use their working behaviors to negative ends.

Answer 7

Pit Bulls have such a bad rep because most of them are used in fighting. They are trained to fight and kill other dogs to get money for their owners. It's a sad situation. I love Pit Bulls though, they can be really great dogs if they are raised in the right home.

Answer 8

Cuz people see them as bad dogs!! There not! I love them!

What a horrible world we live in where the media is so one sided that they wont even acknoledge the many, many good things this breed, the PIT BULL, has done. No one has heard the story's of the pitbulls whom tirelessly searched ground zero of the world trade centers, or the dogs who searched for days after the tsunami's hit Asia. Instead we hear of a "pit bull mauling" but when u see the dog responsible, it is CLEAR that its not all pit. Did you know that pitbulls account for LESS THEN 1.83% of all fatal attacks???

~*~ Last November in FL, a pit saved a 7 year old boy from being mauled by 2 akitas. The pit belonged to the neighbor and instinctively knew what to do to stop the fight.

~*~In jan 04 in Alaska, a pit name Marley pulled his owners 6 year old out of their burning home. Lucky the dog was home.

~*~Again, in Holly Hill, FL, an elderly lady would not have found her way out of her burning home if it wasn't for her daughters pitbull tugging at her dress.

~*~One of the most amazing story I've read was of Weela, owned by Lori Watkins, who saved 30 people, 29 dogs and 13 horse's. When readers digest did an article on it, they refused to print that weela was a pitbull!

~*~*These dogs need our HELP, not our HATE!~*~*

Out of a hundred different breeds to bite a person, a pitbull was FOURTH on that list..... fourth from the BOTTOM!!!!!!!!! Labs and cockers were on top! The American Temperament Testing society gave pits a passing rate of 83.9% thats better then golden retrievers and beagle!!!!!!!!

Many people say pits make the best S+R dogs, they can be trained to seek out bombs, land mines, drugs, criminals, and even the dead. Kris Crawford's S+R pits have saved lost children and even located the unmarked graves of victims of the civil war! NASA requested her 3 pitbulls to assist in the recovery of the astronauts after the '03 shuttle disaster, her dogs were even involved in the Laci Peterson investigation!

Alaska's first certified hearing dog is a pitbull. I bet you didn't know Hellen Keller owned a pitbull! These dogs do things for our country too!! The number one customs dog in the US is a pit called Popsicle, found by a cop in a FREEZER during a drug raid, Popsicle was trained to be a drug dog and has been doing a great job ever since. Popsicle found 3,075 pounds of cocaine that could have crossed the border!

In the early 1900's Private John Robert found a pitbull puppy and brought it with him to France in the armed forces. The dog was named "stubby" and is now known as the most decorated war dog in US history. He single handedly captured a german spy and was awarded the title "sergeant" He served in 17 battles until nov 11, 1918, the day the war ended!

I give my best wishes to those who have fallen victim to breed specific legislation and the ignorance of others. Remember "Nothing is more terrible then ignorance in action"

Answer 9

Pit bulls have a natural tedency to be aggressive, it's just a trait. THEN people who train them to fight because of this natural tendency. I judge the deed not the breed, I'd personally never trust a pit bull around my kids, or anything, but that's not to say it's a bad breed, just the wrong types of people own them. There's plenty of pit bulls that are in very loving homes that are the most loving dogs, my neighbor has a bunch of them, and all of them are nice dogs. I think they get a bad rep because of their natural ability toward fighting and aggression and we have people that take advantage of this and teach these dogs to fight, it's a pop culture thing, I think it's SO wrong on so many levels!

Answer 10

It's all in the way there raised, a few years back I remember when German Shepperd's and Doberman Pincher's had a bad rap because they where used for guard dog's and police dog's and they scared people because they attacked and bigger dog's you can't throw of so easy if your being attacked. I personally believe it's all in the way there handled if there treated mean then there going to be mean.