Hello, Im doing a college paper on the misconception of pitbulls. I would love to hear the other side of the issue for a contrast. If anyone has an opinion on pitbulls that disagree with my statement of "I love pitbulls, they are great dogs and not all of them are agressive." It would be appreciated!:)

Sorry I can't disagree with you or offer you another point. Pitbulls are lovely animals!

Thank you for the response!! :) I agree... lovely animals!! Thank you again for writing!! :)

Not all pitbulls are aggressive but there is that outside chance that it will appear. Not picking on pitbulls but any dog - I mean any dog - can show aggression if they feel threatened. Some of the breeds get a reputation, such as the pitbull, because of history, news (as in Michael Vick), or selective breeding (when an owner specifically breeds fighters).

CNN just did an update of the dogs that were taken from Michael Vick. Some of those dogs will never be allowed out of the shelter they are in, due to their history of fighting. Some may never trust another human again. Some have extensive scarring from fights. There was one female dog whose teeth were all pulled out because she did not like the males she was bred with and would fight them. I am sure that is just a very tip of the iceberg.

For someone to say not all pitbulls are overtly aggressive is correct. Not all are - it takes a good upbringing, behavior management, patience, and love. Just remember all dogs do have it in them.

Thank you for your response! Its so hard doing this side of my paper, for I don't want to run into people who think all pits are bad, but I know they are out there. I love your response how it takes hard work, patience,and a good upbringing to raise ANY breed of animal... and especially a pitbull. I love my pitbull, he is such a good dog and my goodness... its taken A LOT of hard work... HOURS of training!! :) He's a great dog! Thank you again for your reply, its greatly appreciated!! :)

All dogs can be dangerous if they feel threatened, even dogs you know and trust. They are animals and react with baseline instincts when they perceive danger. Danger does not really have to exist but to them it could. I am now afraid of all dogs since I've been mauled by a German Shepard I knew for years and later by a Golden Retriever that I did not realize could be dangerous. The real problem is that people treat and think of their dogs a people when they are animals and survive on instinct.

I love dogs. I've had a lot of them and I see how impacted they are by environment, training, how they are treated, etc. Still there are breeds that I would not have in my family. Pittbulls and Rottweilers top my list. I also would not have an Alaskan Malmute or a border collie. Why?

Because you have to look at the breed and what has been bred in and out of it. Pits have been bread to fight, and their fighting characteristics have been enforced by irresponsible jerks who bred them not to minimize their worst attributes, but rather to magnify them. I would not have a Rottweiler for the same reason Malmutes? They are about as much wolf as dog, and I think are too wild for a family setting. If I lived in Alaska and had a sled for them to pull, I'd buy a dozen of them. If I had no children around, or elderly people and had time to totally focus on training intensively, I might rescue the traditionally "aggressive" breeds like pits.

It's not a hatred for the dog but a respect for the fact that all dogs bite in some situations. Even my babyish mini-dacshund who loves children will bite or snap if she's frightened. Not often but it's happened once or twice. Had she reacted the same way but been a pitt bull the results could have been devastating.

I think the breed should be saved but that it will take people like you to take an honest look at the situation, see the problems with the dogs and also continue to love them. Then maybe you can start encouraging responsible breeding, and responsible placement.
These are very powerful dogs and I think having them in a house with kids shows really poor judgement. Does it mean I think that the dogs are mean? No. I don't think animals in general are mean but it doesn't mean they are safe with my kids.

When you look at "do you like them or hate them" you get an interesting statistic. When you look at a the question of, "how can we work with this breed to fix damage that has been done, reduce the population, enforce laws against fighting them, and resce the dogs that have been abused" I think you end up wth a more productive dialogue, and it sounds like maybe projects like yours can start that. Oh - and why not the border collie? They are working dogs and the ones I've seen people try to domesticate in a family home... wow. They are really busy, barky, annoying. These dogs need a herd of sheep, or competition courses or something that they are supposed to do!

Before I give you an opinion I'm going to tell you a story I heard once;

A pitbull owner wrote a letter to a reputable dog trainer, the letter went like this;

Dear Sir,

I don't know what to do. I have a pitbull, he has been trained and he is a wonderful caring dog, I trust him with all my heart. I also have a 2 year old son, and I trust my dog to be alone with my child.

The other day my 2 year old and my dog were in the backyard together, I was looking out the kitchen window and I saw my 2 year old take his plastic toy bat and hit the dog over the head with it, to my horror I saw my beloved dog "bite" my child on the face, in fact he had my child's entire face in his mouth.

I ran outside, at which time the dog had released my child and I surveyed my child for damage. There were imprints were the dogs teeth had been, but none of the teeth had punctured the skin, no blood and no damage, in fact my 2 year old only cried until I picked him up.

My question is, do I have to put my dog to sleep because he is aggressive?

The trainer's response.

Dear irresponsible Pitbull owner,

You never, and I mean NEVER, leave a child alone with a dog, regardless of the breed. You were extremely lucky.

What should you do? Take your child and teach him that hitting a dog is never appropriate, and until he learns that, he will not be allowed to play with the dog.

Then, go to your dog, pat him on the head and tell him that he is good, because that dog showed a great deal of restraint, he could have torn your child apart, limb from limb.

Then find a new home for your pit, with someone who will respect their temperament and their power, you should not own a pit, get a poodle!

Moral; any dog can bite, if the owners aren't vigilant and caring and respectful of their power. Pitbulls, when they choose to attack, can do allot of damage, that is why they have the bad reputation that they do. But even a poodle can bite, there's just a bigger chance of walking away unscarred from a poodle.

Pitbulls should only be owned by childless people with the time, energy and resources to make sure that they are raising a sound animal. Pitbulls should be with people who respect their power and are aware of that power. That's my opinion.

Thank you for your response! I like that letter you found, and I hope that woman found a great home for their pit! I disagree that people with children automatically shouldn't own pits, I do think that time, A LOT OF TIME is needed and like you said w/ any breed, should be supervised. Thank you for your opinion! :)

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Originally Posted by dontknownuthin

Malmutes? They are about as much wolf as dog, and I think are too wild for a family setting.

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I had a Malamute/wolf mix. He weighed 120 pounds with blue eyes. He was the least aggressive dog you would ever want to see. I would trust a Malamute over a German Shepherd or Chihuahua, and definitely over a Pit Bull.

Zeke would allow kids to crawl all over him, and when he got tired of it, he would simply get up and move.

I agree with dontknownuthin's assessment. Pit Bull's have in fact been bred for aggression. Much like a Lab has been bred to enjoy the water. Not all Labs do enjoy it but the vast majority will. You can raise a pefectly healthy/happy Lab and never let it swim. You can also raise a perfectly docile and loveable pit. Both breeds have a propensity for the purpose in which they were bred though. Given that basis, why would someone want a dog that has been genetically manipulated for a purpose that they do not want the animal to exhibit? Can they make good loving pets? Absolutely!! Is there an underlying disposition that may be undesirable? Certainly. So, I'd personally much rather raise a Lab and run the risk of it swimming against my will than raise a Pit and have it attack an innocent person against my will.

Pitlover,
Not sure if you are already done with your paper,but since I found this thought I would link you in case you need some more information:)

Pit Bull Attacks: Dog Bite Law Center