I want to know your opinions on pit bulls. Pit bulls are a group of dog breeds characterized by broad facial structure and exceptionally strong jaws and aggressive behaviour. Pit bulls were bred to be fighting dogs -- that is, to kill. When blood sports became illegal in the United States, they were used mainly for hunting -- again, for killing. Today, they are still popular to have as pets, despite case after case of these dogs killing or greatly injuring humans, usually small children. Some people have been lobbying to have pit bulls banned to have as pets and have met fierce opposition from people saying that while pit bulls are capable of harming humans, most of them are just as friendly as any other dog and the blame should instead be going to the owners who have not trained their dogs properly. Which side are you on?

Here are some points:
-Several studies on dog-related fatalities have attributed between 40-60% to pit bull type dogs.
-Another study found that 94% of attacks on children were unprovoked (the average for all breeds being around 40%)
-The term "pit bull" is very broad and can refer to multiple breeds based on largely physiological traits which may behave differently.

Of course, there is way more information to be found. Let me know what you think!

I have a friend who has a pit bull mixed with something else (can't remember what) and she is the nicest dog in the world.

I think it is 75% the owner and 25% the dog. You can breed a lot of kinds of dogs to be violent and aggressive just as easily as you can a pit bull. Certain breeds are simply more prone to it. Doesn't change the fact that some people are going to train dogs to fight or be guard dogs. The dog is the property of the owner so the behavior of the dog is the owners responsibility to maintain.

I dont like pitbulls, in general i am not a dog fan. (no need to shout at me or saying this) i king of think pitbulls are ugly. The dogs i like are the small cuties and labradors and retrievers.

Pitbulls are sweet animals overall, if treated with love and affection. The main problem with any dog, or pet in general is the owners. Sadly a lot of Pitbull owners purchase their dogs to be more mean, when in reality they aren't any more mean than a lot of mid size or large dogs.

I've owned 2 pitbulls in my lifetime, one as a kid which I grew up with and one as an adult which passed away a couple years ago.

Pitbulls, like any dog, are only as mean as you treat them/raise them. They are also very loyal and affectionate like any other dog.

jasonZed : This makes no sense. By your own admission, pitbulls are more dangerous because they are raised to be violent. So clearly they are filling a need or want in society; it's the people who are responsible for dangerous dogs. If you eliminate the pitbulls, some other breed, or breeds, will have to take its place, and then you'll no doubt make a new thread on the dangers of "rottweilers", or "chihuahuas", or something.

Traduweise : You're putting words in my mouth. I did say that the training plays a role, but there is something in their nature that makes them aggressive and deadly that other dogs do not have. Otherwise, they would not fill the role they do. I was trying to stay neutral on the subject (I don't really have that philosophy on guns, e.g.) to encourage more debate but I ended up taking a side (whoops). That's why my last post does not really agree with itself.

Perhaps the fight to save lives won't end after pit bulls are banned, and another breed will take its place. The next one will be safer than pit bulls by a significant amount considering the proportions of fatalities attributed to these dogs. There are lives to be saved here no matter the cause of the dogs' behaviors. I don't understand why I am meeting such opposition. 

If there are no guns, then there is no gun violence. Regardless of your opinions on gun control, that is an undeniable fact. Maybe some crazy people will start using knives instead, but there will still be less violence on the whole.

Now replace "gun" with "pit bull" and "knives" with another dog breed,

jasonZed : What words did I put in your mouth? If you think pit bull violence has to do with their "nature", then prove it. And what does this have to do with gun control? Did you start a thread on pit bulls or guns?

It's all on how you raise/treat the animal. I had a Pit Rowt mix and he was a great dog great with children and babies. I never did like that stereotype that they are just mean dogs.Yes they can be aggressive dogs but so can my little shiz-tu I have now if that is how I raised them to be

Pitbulls are not mean, they are raised bad, it's basically racism to say all pitbulls are mean, just towards another species. Pitbulls are perfectly harmless if treated well and trained correctly like any other dog.

Pitbulls are 50% of dog-related fatalities and 50% of dog bites. The species was created for dog fighting. They were bred to be aggressive. They were bred to kill things. Labradors were bred to fetch sailors that fell overboard in icy waters. To say the two have the same natural temperament is crazy.

Pitbulls need smart owners because of their higher likelihood for aggressive behavior. If raised right, they are not a problem. However, it is easier for an owner to screw up and not know that he's encouraging his pit to bite than it is for an owner to screw up and cause his Labrador to bite. An abused Lab hides depressed in a corner and wonders what they did wrong. An abused pit bites the s*** out of people, and only occasionally the owner.

An overbred dog usually has a poor temperment BUT pitbulls have been altered greatly through inbreeding. A show on TV had old photos of dogs before humans really got into the inbreeding. Many dog species we know now looked completely different a hundred years ago and the pitbull is one of them.

Humans have inbred pitbulls to be very aggressive and very tough and that's why pitbulls are not really family dogs. Sure, not all are bad but an owner has to be very good to teach and control a dog like that and incidents can still happen even with a ton of training.

Pitbull lover hate me now. Pitbulls should not be owned by anyone other than an authorized, licensed person. Go to a class and pay $1000. Then pay a fee every year to renew it. Per dog. And all pitbulls must be insured. I've known nice pitbulls with good owners. But they are overshadowed by the bad. To me, a pitbull is far more dangerous than a gun. Guns don't kill on their own. You cannot ignore the data on this one. Even if your heart is in the right place. And it's not racism against an animal. That's absurd. It's an animal. It has a right to not be treated with cruelty. It doesn't have a right to complain about being chained and eat table scraps from a bowl.

I have a neutral attitude towards EVERY breeds of dogs. Including pitbulls. I do not know whether geeogree's assessment is correct but I do believe that a dog's attitude is reflective of the master's attitude toward it. Unlike cats, dogs' "natural" instincts seem to be far gone and they can learn to correct bad attitudes. 

No matter how much I spray her for climbing on the table, my cat just will NOT stop the attitude. In fact she KNOWS it is bad and runs away when I go downstairs to see what the ruckus is about (she usually drops something, sometimes even plants). I highly doubt that would happen with a dog.

I am against ANY type of restrictions to restrict ANY kind of pet. "At first they came for the pitbulls..."  would be very appropriate here. As with any situation, it is the master's responsibility to look after their pet's behaviors, but also for parents to look after their children. They should always be taught to be careful around dogs since their behaviors can be unpredictable; they are not toys.

NameEntry : Interesting. It IS true that excessive inbreeding causes all sorts of problems. It makes for weaker creatures since genetic failures become more prevalent. Can you think of any studies on the subject?

Ferdinand : Unfortunately, it is exactly the same kind of faulty reasoning so-called gun sense people use. Yes, pitbulls are "autonomous" beings; however I am sure you can raise them right so their risk for aggresivity is lower.

janus : Like you can keep a gun locked up? I don't want to compare apples and oranges. Pitbulls were bred to fight and bite animals in the face and neck. That's a fact. Yes, a responsible owner can learn to handle one. And yes, an irresponsible owner can create a threat to a community. That's why I suggested training and monitoring for any perspective owners. That would also be an acceptable route to follow in regards to gun safety.

I think that pit bulls have that reputation because of their built- people use them for that purpose people teach them to be that way. To me is just people taking advantage of this breed's structure and built to carry out their own malice. There are really nice pit bulls that I have seeing so to me is just what they are taught to be.