It's the owners of them that are the issue.

I think they're banned here now, and a lot have been put down.

A pit bull with a good owner isn't a problem.
It's when scroats and the great unwashed get them and ruin them that problems start.

^^This

Yes and no.
The vast majority of dogs in shelters are either Pit Bulls or Rottweilers. Why? Because they have behaved badly in the past.
If they were model pets never having any issues, e.g. aggressive behavior towards strangers or other animals, they would not be surrendered to a shelter.
There are a few no-kill shelters in populated areas of the country. But they do not accept Pit Bulls or mixed breed with Pit Bull in them. Again, why? Because no one will adopt them and they have to be given to another entity that most likely will euthanize them.

Think wisely. Are you willing to spend the time and money to properly train a dog? No excuses if that answer is maybe.

Its actually a lot more complicated than that. Owners have a lot to do with the behaviour of the dog but there is many different causes of behaviour, genetics and medical issues have their part to play.

I would say do your research! talk to people with the breed, spend time with the breed. choose your dog carefully, make sure that the breeders are reputable and the mother and father are a good temperament. and definitely do not own that breed if you still think alphas and pack leaders are a thing.

I think, with a good handler, they can be good pets.

Smaller dogs actually bite more, but of course, its all about the damage the bite inflicts. Small dogs don't do much damage.

Im thinking about getting a belgian mallinios, which some refer to as a malligator. theyre a tough breed to handle, and if not handled correctly can be extremely aggressive towards everything. but with a sound temprament and good handling, theyre excellent dogs.

And just an after though, in the UK, it seems to be stafforshire bull terriers which do most of the killing, but they're an extremely popular breed and an excellent family dog.

I have met many supposedy viscious breeds where the dog has been brought up properly and i have never seen an issues. on the flip side i have seen many usually dosile breeds that have had viscious streaks in a particular dog..again because of how they were raised. My parents used to own a kennel so ive seen some dogs that also do fit the stereotypes but hey they gotta come from somewhere. there is some argument for genetics in that if the puppy did have particularly aggressive parents then they may be more inclined to be that way however as with most things like this the environment is usually the more important factor. also interstingly jack russels which people people think of as small an cute are one of the more common breeds to cause injuries to children as they get super grumpy when theyre old.

Regardless of their owners, they have a genetic disposition toward aggression. They can and do turn on their owners with no prior warning. They are biological time bombs. Kind of like a cocked pistol with a mind of its own.

Pit bulls can make fine pets if treated correctly ... but as a bread they have a lot of medical issues ... mainly legs and can end up costing a lot in vet bills .... I know a breeder that know has stopped ********breeding pit bulls not because of the reputation of the breed but of the medical problems they face..

Something to consider when choosing a breed of dog as a pet.

No

From what I've read, pitbulls are far more likely to be animal aggressive than people aggressive. Definitely an impressive looking dog, but subject to media induced fears and resultant BSL. The latter could be troublesome since, in some jurisdictions, it's illegal to own one. One of the reasons you see a lot of them at the pound is, yet again, because of BSL. They are very popular dogs and people realize, after acquiring one, that the extra restrictions take the shine off real quick.
Another reason there are so many is because of dog fighting. Personally, I'd rather see people who engage in any part of said endeavor shot in the back of the head.. but that's just me. Often, they will just dump bait dogs and overbred mothers and let them fend for themselves.

I wouldn't get one.

If I was gonna get a dog and I knew how to train it properly I wouldn't have a problem with getting a pit bull

I prefer little white balls of fluff/fur. 😉

Ask DocteurRalph to show you his twig and berries...

^^
Lmfao!! Soco that's terrible 😂
No offence,Ralphy but I think I'll stick to my cute little doggy.😉

I would have said LittleNick but his hair has not turned 50 shades of gray yet.

From CBS news:

"GOOCHLAND, VA. -- Authorities have revealed gruesome details about the death of a 22-year-old woman who was mauled by her pit bulls in Virginia. Goochland County Sheriff James Agnew said deputies found Bethany Lynn Stephens' dogs, which each weighed more than 100 pounds, eating her rib cage when they located her body Thursday in a wooded area of Glen Allen."

Again--these dogs are unpredictable and dangerous. It does not matter if they are raised in a good home--they have genes that preprogram them to attack. The dog itself probably doesn't know when it's going to attack--it just does. Aggression and violence and a killing instinct is hardwired into its brain. Nothing will change that.

I'd sooner have a pet chimp and hand it a pistol than to have a pit bull.

I love my pit mix, she is so smart and just the best girl in the world!

Lions and tigers can be good pets too, if properly trained. Pit bulls have been selectively bred for at least 500 years to fight bears and bulls and other dogs. The meanest ones with the killer instinct were the best and fathered lots and lots of dogs just like themselves.

Then in the 1800's people started thinking that watching animals kill each other wasn't a nice thing to do so they started outlawing the practice. Suddenly here were all these killer dogs that couldn't do what they were meant to do and they became pets. Every once in a while one of these dogs reverts back to it's natural state of being and kills someone or something and everyone blames it on the owner... right.

All you have to do is look at animal death statistics and it will paint a pretty clear picture of the problem with pit bulls.

United States dog bite statistics...
In 2013 32 people were killed by dogs. 25 of them involved pit bulls.
In 2014 42 people were killed by dogs. 27 of them involved pit bulls.
In 2015 34 people were killed by dogs. 28 of them involved pit bulls.
In 2016 31 people were killed by dogs. 22 of them involved pit bulls.

Every year pit bulls are responsible for about 80% of the deaths by dog bite and they are only about 6% of the population. Sure it's a long shot that your pit bull is going to kill little Timmy, but do you really want to take the chance?

If you go and look at people who are mauled by dogs but not killed it's really scary. Once they get a hold of you those jaws are not letting go. They're really good at holding on to something once they get it in their mouth. That's what they excel at, that's what they were bred to do. And maybe other dogs bite more people, but when one of these dogs bites you it's the real thing. It's the Great White Shark of dogs...

110%

Stats defy this twosocks.
It would be nice if the opposite were true.
But all you need to do is visit any shelter. Over 50% of the dogs housed there are either Pit bull or mixed breed with Pit.

Go on.... Try it!

I don't see any reason to take a chance on a pit bull. Why would you want to be one of those people who, after their pit bull mauls a friend or kills a child, says, "Oh, my goodness! He was such a good dog! He never did anything like this before!"

They are genetically hardwired to be aggressive. And a pit bull may, indeed, be "sweet" until that defining moment when something inexplicably triggers that genetic programming, and the pit bull launches into a murderous attack.

There are many dog breeds out there known for their gentle disposition, such as Golden Retrievers. They make great companions. Pit bulls are mostly associated with crack houses and ghettos.

One of my neighbors back in the States has two pit bulls. They got out one day, and another neighbor was ready to shoot them. They've been kept in a screened-in porch since then. I wouldn't shoot them just for getting out--but if they did anything threatening, I'd take them down in a heartbeat. I'm not the kind of person who sees someone being attacked, then runs into the house to call 911--I believe in direct action whenever lives are threatened!

How many pitts have you owned?

In the 12-year period of 2005 through 2016, canines killed 392 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 65% (254) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. Just the facts,nothing but the facts...

There are people in this world who are deniers--I am reminded of the Treadaway idiot who denied that grizzly bears were dangerous, and took his fiancee with him to live among the bears in Alaska's Denali Park. The bears killed and ate them. Some people are not willing to accept facts where animals are concerned, and think they will prove everyone else wrong. They think they have some special power over animals. As children, they were on a steady diet of Disney movies. These are the people who own pit bulls, and always act shocked and surprised after their dogs rip into some innocent person. The statistics and accounts of pit bull attacks are out there for everyone to see, but these narcissistic pit bull owners think they know better than everyone else.

Correlation isn’t causation.

Bad people have a tendency of choosing pit bulls the same way old ladies choose poodles. “Tough” people choose a “tough” dog, then suck at raising it so it gets vicious.

When I’m using the word tough in this post, I refer to thug-type people who think they need to prove they’re bad in order to validate themselves. These are generally the same people who may have a tendency of being involved in a mugging, robbery, or are generally just mean or abusive people and aren't afraid to show that to the world.

If an old lady got a pit bull, it likely wouldn’t be problematic. If a “tough” guy got a poodle, and raised it by yelling at it and smacking it every time it misstepped, it would probably grow to be vicious.

Just because bad owners choose pit bulls doesn’t make them bad dogs.

Sure, genes DO play a roll in that, and because of their strength- I wouldn’t recommend a pit bull for a first-time dog owner. Like any other breed, pit bulls need a lot of care and attention. Unfortunately most dogs/pets are neglected after the first exciting period (6 months to a year?) is over.

I wonder how many people are killed by humans each year? I’ll bet it’s many times higher than the number of people killed by pit bulls. But we still let people roam the streets without leashes. Why?

Because groups should not be judged for the actions of an individual.

With a pit bull, genetic programming is the thing. Dogs act on impulses. They do not reason out consequences. You can provide a pit with a great environment and still end up with a bloody mauling or killing.

With so many better breeds out there for a pet at home, why take such a risk? The risk-benefit ratio doesn't work in your favor with a pit. And you could end up losing your home and life savings in a lawsuit, plus face criminal charges as well.

Bottom line: too dangerous and not worth the risk!

Genetically, pitbulls are potentially ANIMAL aggressive, not people aggressive. There's a difference, though some people choose not to acknowledge it.

It also has a lot to do with the way they are built. They have an extreme amount of jaw pressure, one of the top 5 for dogs. So that means when they do bite they can really hold on and can crunch bones and do serious damage. If your neighbor has a chihuahua that nips people's ankles it's a real pain in the butt, but you won't be reading about it in the paper. It just doesn't do any damage. When one pit bull bites someone all of a sudden it is a big deal because someone ends up in the hospital and it gets reported to the police and suddenly everyone is involved. One bite means a lot of bad press, whereas a little dog can bite people all the time and nobody cares.

Here's another story of a person killed by pit bulls: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/12/24/vicious-ch...

From the story:

"A woman was killed and her husband seriously injured after a vicious mauling by two pit bulls on Christmas Eve in a Kentucky coal town.

"Two Bell County deputies responded to the scene Sunday morning in Arjay and discovered the woman and her husband “had been savagely attacked” by two pit bulls, the sheriff's department said in a statement. Investigators said the husband managed to shoot the dogs afterwards, killing one of them.

"The Bell County Coroner's Office said the woman who was killed was Lorraine Brock Saylor, 66 . . . The sheriff's department said a caller had reported his brother and sister-in-law were attacked by two of their neighbor’s dogs, WLEX-TV reported . . . Lorraine Saylor was declared dead at the scene. Her husband was hospitalized, the station reported.

“The husband suffered wounds as well, but was able to shoot both dogs, killing one while the other ran off,” the department said."

One other thing I didn't mention before about pit bulls: a LOT of homeowners' and renters' policies specifically exclude any liability from the actions of dogs like pit bulls.

So, here's what's going to go down in that Kentucky town: (1) the owners of those dogs are going to be criminally charged; and (2) the husband is going to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the owners of the dogs. I guarantee you it will wipe them out financially for the rest of their lives. They will lose their home, their savings and 99% of future income. They will have massive legal bills. Most likely, they will be hit for punitive damages for harboring such dangerous animals. I expect the judgment against them to be well over $3 million. Their homeowner's policy will most likely not cover this kind of liability.

There is something in legal parlance known as STRICT LIABILITY. Let's say you were using explosives, and injuries resulted. You could show that you took every precaution in the book to avoid injuring anyone, but that won't help you. STRICT LIABILITY means that you are responsible for any damage or injuries resulting from inherently dangerous activities such as using explosives--or harboring a wild animal. Now, if someone harbors a vicious breed of dog, such as a pit bull, and it gets out and maims or kills someone, strict liability could come into play. Why? Because keeping a vicious breed of dog--like keeping a Bengal tiger--is something so inherently dangerous that terrible things could happen regardless of the precautions taken.

So . . . if you really want a pit bull, you'd better be independently wealthy, or have gold-plated liability insurance, or both. And then be prepared to still lose it all.

Good choice!

Here's a great article on dog breeds that are uninsurable (meaning that if you have one of these, most insurance companies won't insure you):
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-cor...

Here's an excerpt fro the article: "The dog breeds which can be found on these lists seem to be drawn from a series of research studies such as one commissioned by the U.S. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control that was published in 2000. It looked at the statistics on fatal dog bites (click here to read more about this). However, it seems as though any dog bite incident that receives wide media coverage can also land a dog breed on such a list. Thus the Presa Canario was a dog breed that few people had heard of prior to the media coverage of a 2001 incident in San Francisco. The media luridly described how a woman was viciously mauled to death by two of these big dogs in the hallway of her apartment building. As a result the owner of these dogs is now serving a sentence of 15 years to life in prison. Although the Presa Canario remains a quite rare breed in North America, it now seems to appear on every prohibited dog breed list issued by the insurance companies."

Now, think about that: a dog owner is SERVING a 15-year prison sentence!

Another couple was successfully sued for $2.2 million as a result of their dogs attacking someone--but their homeowner's liability was only for $100,000. They lost their home and are now in massive debt. You cannot discharge a court judgment through bankruptcy, either!

Hope this helps . . . just trying to point out if you own a pit bull, the risks outweigh any possible benefits!

I saw that article in the paper about the dogs in Kentucky yesterday. Turns out the owner of the dogs was in jail already for assault and something else. Kind of goes back to the whole bad people owning bad ***ass dogs thing. And the pack mentality I mentioned too. That's really sad, poor lady killed in her own back yard...

My son has an even darker outlook on things than I do, when I was reading the story to him he was like "oh the owner was in jail, well no wonder that happened. The dogs gotta eat".

Some drug dealers used to have the vocal cords of their pit bulls, Dobermans and Rottweilers severed, so the dogs couldn't bark. They wanted the dogs to approach any intruders silently--giving them no warning so they could escape.

It really, really bothers me when neighbors have those pit bulls. They get them for protection, not realizing that the dogs are a greater threat to their safety than the likelihood an intruder might harm them. There are people living in my "stateside neighborhood" who have them. Those dogs are quite adept at escaping pens and yards, and they will often come into other people's yards and attack them with no provocation whatsoever. Then the owners say, "Oh, I just cannot believe Buster killed that poor child! He was always sooooo sweet!" When I hear pit bulls owners say things like that, it makes me want to take a baseball bat to them.

I don't worry about them except to just be prepared. If any of them ever attack any neighbors, I will ask my wife to call 911 so they can pick up the perforated pits. I am not sure of the proper etiquette in these situations--should I bill the owners for the cost of the ammunition used? ;-)

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/2...

Move!

Yup. There's no way that girl could control that dog if he wanted to eat you alive.

I was going to say that someone needs to have a talk with this neighbour; however, too many people who own these dogs just won't listen. Or they listen, but they dismiss what you have to say. It's obvious that if this dog really wants to attack another animal or a person, the owner is powerless to stop it. If you have one of these things coming at you, you need options. Running probably won't help--it may further trigger the predatory instinct, and the dog can probably outrun you. You might be able to climb on top of something, or go up a tree--but again, you'd need to be fast, and have enough distance between you and the dog to give you time to climb. Hopefully, you could make it back into your house or your car, but not practical if the dog is really close. Pepper spray COULD work, if the wind wasn't blowing for all it's worth and it's of sufficiently high concentration to discourage the dog. Of course, if you turned the dog with pepper spray, the stupid owner would simply berate you and insist the dog only wanted to be petted, or some tripe like that. Best option, if you are able to use this one, is to shoot the dog, making sure that there is no "collateral damage." The owner will scream and cry and call you all kinds of names, but (1) the pit bull won't be around to attack you any more, and (2) you will have escaped either being killed or spending hours in the ER getting stitched up. Watch her go and get another one the same day!

I am reminded of my adventure widely known as "The Hound of the Baskervilles," when I used my trusty Webley to dispatch that murderous mastiff!

Sharks on a leash.

Don't get me wrong I love animals(particularly dogs) However, I would not trust these breeds as far as I could spit.

If I recall correctly, the "common law" concerning strict liability got its start when an English lord brought a Bengal tiger back to England after a tour of duty in India. Now, the lord took all reasonable precautions: double enclosures, strong locks, dig proof perimeter fences, etc., etc. But since you can't totally predict what a stupid person will do, sure enough--a servant in charge of feeding the tiger got distracted and left two gates unlatched. The tiger got out and munched on some of the local townspeople, who were quite understandably upset. The lord protested that he took every conceivable precaution. But a court ruled that taking a wild animal, particularly an apex predator, out of its native habitat and keeping it in an artificial environment, where if the animal escaped it could wreak havoc and even death, was an inherently dangerous activity. If fact, it was so inherently dangerous, the court ruled, that if anything happened the owner should be held liable regardless of the precautions taken. The same law of strict liability also pertains to explosives: no matter what precautions you may have taken, if something goes wrong and someone is injured or killed, you are held liable no matter what. I think the same legal concepts should be applied to owning a pit bull or similar breed--if ANYTHING goes wrong, the owner is liable, regardless of what precautions may have been taken, because owning such an animal is so inherently dangerous.

http://www.ntd.tv/2017/12/27/man-whose-wife-of-...

Now for the icing on the cake--the owner of the pit bulls who killed the woman in Kentucky is a jailbird. He most likely has no assets, so is more or less "judgment proof" where a wrongful death lawsuit is concerned. The best that can be hoped for is a prison term for the miscreant who was keeping these dogs.

Of course, slapping the guy in prison won't bring back the woman who was killed, or assuage the grief of her husband. Pit bull owners will continue to deny that their dogs can suddenly and viciously attack people--and the toll of maimings and killings will climb.

I still want to say that their fine if bread, raised, trained and treated well.

If they are bred, raised, trained and treated well, they tend to eat their owners last.

That's kinda what I'd want in my dog

Some here might wish to be reincarnated as one of your dogs. ;-)

Hahaha love it

ANOTHER pit bull attack (from CBSNews.com):

FALMOUTH, Mass. -- Authorities say a 1-year-old girl has life-threatening injuries after she was attacked by the family dog, CBS Boston reports. Falmouth police said the girl was playing in the kitchen with her father nearby Sunday morning when the pit bull terrier attacked and bit her in the face.

Her father was unable to separate the dog from the child, police said. He grabbed a pistol but when he realized it was unloaded he picked up a knife and stabbed the pit bull . . .

. . . The family has owned the pit bull for five years and it has no known history of violence or aggression, according to a preliminary police investigation.

The attack appeared to be unprovoked . . .

I can just imagine that little girl, when she is five or six, asking, "Mommy, Daddy, how come I have these ugly scars on my face when other kids don't?"

To be fair, a lot of dog attacks on children are because they are not being supervised or the supervising adult is unable to read the signs of an impending aggressive attack. And there will always be signs before hand.

Personally I'm starting to wonder if the breed should continue to exist since they are such a hair trigger dog, and the working purpose is no longer necessary in this world.

As long as there is a market and breeders willing to feed it for thousands and thousand of dollars for every pup bred it will continue.
And 90% of the puppies purchased will end up in either a shelter or someone that will use it to make money in fighting clubs. Many of these clubs are linked to Columbian drug cartels.

I am rethinking things a bit . . . I might just send a gift pit bull to Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey!

Oprah has 2 Chow Chows already.

Good. The pit bulls can have them as appetizers first.

[http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/packs-of-chi...]

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/2...

If a pit bull could chuck wood...
Oh f**k ------ He can!

This is a brand new post on one of the Facebook groups I follow. This is a licensed dog trainer talking about an Italian Mastiff, similar to a PB.

"I need help! I am a previous dog trainer and trained this big guy a little over a year ago. When I got him he was very timid of men and had some issues with the male owner. Since they have been fine but he is still very timid of new people, especially men. He has nipped before but just recently reacted to the new baby that is in the home that was born a few months back. When he has bonded he is EXTREMELY loyal and a lover. If I had the room and didn’t have another dog I would take him in a heartbeat. I just pet sit for him not long ago and we cuddled on the couch and played in the backyard all weekend. I DO NOT WANT TO SEE THIS BABY PUT DOWN!! His aggression is out of fear but he is very smart and is naturally a lover. They have had him since he was a puppy and his owner Dalaina who I am friends with is completely torn to pieces. If they take him to a shelter they will put him down. Please please save this baby!! He needs to be in a home alone with no other animals or kids. HE IS TRAINED. Knows many commands, smart, loves to cuddle and play. Kratos doesn’t deserve to die, I am in tears writing this. I will personally do whatever I do to acclimate him to his new home is some amazing soul out there can take him!!"

I take it that Kratos is not particularly fond of the new baby, and that leaving him alone with an infant for "just a minute" could have tragic consequences.

There's probably some places for him--but not within a light year of any kids.

It might have helped if the training he got started when as a puppy. Just guessing from the post, however, I don't think that was the case. Something happened early to make him fearful of males.

Unfortunately there is no such thing as a licensed dog trainer, the industry is completely unregulated and there is no standard that anyone needs to reach to qualify.