According to the American Canine Temperament Testing Association, 82.5%of the American Pit Bull Terriers that took the temperament test passed, compared to a 77% passing rate for all breeds on average. In the test a dog is placed in a series of confrontational situations. The first sign of aggression or panic is a failure of the test. Pit Bulls have achieved the fourth highest passing rate of all 122 breeds tested. Click here to view an article on the new Alabama Supreme Court's ruling that there is no genetic evidence that one breed of dog is more dangerous than another.


A study by the National Canine Research Council reveals biased reporting by the media, its devastating consequences for dogs and the toll it takes on public safety.

Consider how the media reported four incidents that happened between August 18th and August 21st:

August 18, 2007 - A Labrador mix attacked a 70-year-old man sending him to the hospital in critical condition. Police officers arrived at the scene and the dog was shot after charging the officers. This incident was reported in one article and only in the local paper.

August 19, 2007 - A 16-month old child received fatal head and neck injuries after being attacked by a mixed breed dog. This attack was reported two times by the local paper only.

August 20, 2007 - A 6-year-old boy was hospitalized after having his ear torn off and receiving severe bites to the head by a medium-sized mixed breed dog. This attack was reported in one article and only in the local paper.

August 21, 2007 - A 59-year-old woman was attacked in her home by two Pit bulls and was hospitalized with severe injuries.

This attack was reported in over two hundred and thirty articles in national and international newspapers, as well as major television news networks, including CNN, MSNBC and FOX.

"Clearly a fatal dog attack by an unremarkable breed is not as newsworthy as a non-fatal attack by a Pit bull" says Karen Delise, researcher for the National Canine Research Council.

People routinely cite media coverage as “proof” that pit bulls are more dangerous than other dogs. Costly and ineffective public policy decisions are being made on the basis of such "proof". While this biased reporting is not only lethal to an entire population of dogs; sensationalized media coverage endangers the public by misleading them about the real factors in canine aggression.


http://www.thetruthaboutpitbulls.com/index.php




I've owned several pit bull an American Staffordshires over the years an I've never had one that was aggressive but overly affectionate.

I have a pit bull mix...she was another one of my rescue dogs...most people are scared of her...but she is as sweet as she can be...

Its not the dog that is dangerous,it depends on who the owner is.

I am not really know sure who the first owner was...she wound up at my cousins house...and he already has hunting dogs...a bunch of hunting dogs...so I took her in...I assume she is pit bull mix...for that is what she looks like...I could be wrong..

My problem with Pit Bulls are in the state of Florida if you own a pit, rott or german shepard they will not write you homeowners insurance or you pay big $$$$$$ for it. Accidents happen and to own a dog and not be insured for it just bites me in the azz.....So if your not insured for liability on any animal YOU SHOULD NOT OWN IT!!!!!!

Any pet can snap, after all they are just animals............

the best dog i EVER had was a pit...

yes, he was animal aggressive, but he never showed hostility to people. i remember a teenager attacking me...and my dog literally flew over the couch and flattened him. didn't bite, didn't growl, just pinned him to the ground.

that pup thought he was a lap-dog...slept with his head on my pillow and his leg over the top of me...could jump an eight-foot fence. once he jumped OVER a car that almost hit him.

he was half catahoula, and his irises were half blue, half silver.

he would lie down on the floor between my baby and my guests...he acted like they were HIS kids, heh.

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pits have a bad rep, but they are amazingly intelligent animals that are fiercely loyal and affectionate. i have noticed an increase in dominant behavior in the males toward other animals, but i've never seen it toward people. terriers are the evil ones, heh.

My personal opinion is this, all animals have the potential to be harmful and to turn on people. Some breeds are more apt to do so, pit bulls being one of them. In almost every news story of a pit biting someone, you hear from the owner that they were the sweetest dog ever, UNTIL. They are, of course, not the only breed that can have a tendency to be temperamental. We had a chow growing up that was the sweetest dog, except she did not like little kids. We always had to lock her up when my cousins came over, as she got nervous and would bite.

Do I think these animals should be banned, no, of course not. But, I think that with certain breeds comes extra responsibility and if you aren't able or willing to provide that, you shouldn't have that breed. I think that as a responsible pet owner, of any animal, you have to be conscious of this, know your animal very well, and take the proper precautions. Many pet owners are incredibly irresponsible.

I have seen pits turn on people at least 5 times, and each time the owner said they were harmless.

I'm not a dog owner but i do like dogs (as long as they don't belong to me). When I was 7 I was attacked by a black lab, had to get the rabies shots and everything. For a long time I was terrified of dogs. Now I am ok around dogs just don't want to own any.

All animals can be dangerous regardless of who the owners is. Look at Sigfried and roy, they owner that tiger for many many years and it was always good and sweet....then it decided roy would make a good lunch.

My brother owned a chow....they got rid of it fast when it suddenly attacked their daughter for no reason. The dog was raised in a loving home.

On the other side, when I was little we had a german shephard named Boots. he was very protective of me, to the point that he was killed when he pushed me out of the way of a car and the car hit him instead.

I had a cat named casper that wouldnt let anyone near me lol. He was very protective of his human. I had to put him to sleep a couple of years ago because he got very sick. I still miss him :(

Anyways my point is, even in a good loving home , they are still animals. As far as they are concerned we don't own them, they own us.

all animalls can flip, yes. but pitbulls are enginered to rip brick walls apart, so i think owners should be checked out
they are lovely dogs but i wouldnt put any trust onto them... and to me thats just commen sence
reddbeans, you wouldnt leve your lovely dog in a room with kids would you?

i have personal experiences with pits. a friend of mine had a pit that never showed any agression and while she was showing attention to a child, the pit locked onto my friends arm and by the time it was all said and done she sufferred a partial amputation. my daughter has a pit, which is a sweetheart, but my yorkie, who is agressive, have gotten into it twice....which is amazing that there was a second time. the pit's jaw locked around the yorkie and was tossing him in the air like he was a rag doll. so, in both cases, what appeared to be non-agressive dogs were provoked by something, and it wasn't agression that became dangerous, it was their instinctual nature in battle.

i truly adore both of these dogs, my friend's had to be put down, they are beautiful animals but i am finding it very hard to look at them as a trustworthy pet.

quote
"Anyways my point is, even in a good loving home , they are still animals. As far as they are concerned we don't own them, they own us."


not true, if you have a dog then you have to be the pack leader, hense, "oh he was a loverly dog i dont understand why he ate your son"

this pic my daughter took...makes your 'they own us' point! her dog is on the right.

Pit bulls are good dogs. It's just that many people got them for the wrong reasons and did not properly train them. They did lead all breeds in dog bites for a couple of years in a row, much as Rottweilers did before, much as Dobermans did before that...jmo

I can't speak to the percentages as far as which dogs are more inclined to become agressive, however it's a fact that a pit bull has tremendous jaw strength and is very ferocious in its attack. When a pit bull does attack, it can do far more damage than most other breeds.

The way a pit bull attacks can be likened to a shark attack.... it bites deep, holds on, and shakes its victim, causing deep muscle and tissue tearing.

This potential, combined with the fact that many people, intentionally or unintentionally, foster the visciousness in this and other breeds, is the reason these dogs are perceived harshly and are sometimes banned.

Agreed, it is why they were the main dogs involved in dog fighting, thus breeding a culture that misused the breed (Michael Vick) and got all the bad publicity. I do not care for the breed myself, but a friend of mine had one and it is a good dog. So I have been enlightened. Our local dog pound is full of pit bull purebreds and half breeds.

I cant get homeowners insurance on my house if I own one. If you own one you should have to carry liability on it! How many of you that own one do?

Does usin a 160lb st.bernard as a babysitter while I take a shower count? I've owned many different breeds of dogs in my 42 yrs. I've never had one turn on me or my children. I'm not sayin it couldn't happen. However, I raise my dogs from an early age to be very tolerant of children an I'm extremely picky when it comes to choosin from a litter. There are things u can look for when choosin a puppy that can help to show u aggression. Watch enough Animal Cops while they're testin the dogs an u'll know what to look for.

Any dog is capable of turnin aggressive. I personally feel that pits have gotten an unfair rep due to media coverage an the cruel so called sport of dog fightin.

as we have had a lets say difference of opinions, i want to say i play devils advocate, surely you wouldnt leave any animal unsupervised with children? as you surely cant TRUST an ANIMAL as they are all capable of harm whenever they choose, trained or not

Chloe, a 160lbs of pure luv, I could leave her alone with my son an never have to worry. Couldn't trust her with a pack of hot dogs though. LOL




Sasha, the yellow one was a pit. She always shared her food bowl with my youngest.