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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]NP here.  Can someone explain to me why there seems to be a lobby behind this breed to encourage people to give them a chance and adopt them from shelters?  Is it the shelters wanting to home dogs regardless of whether they're appropriate for the people or not?  I'm so sick of people acting like there's no risk associated with owning this breed.  [/quote]

Have you ever known a pittie? They are incredibly loyal, gentle, goofy dogs. That a few of them are bred and trained to violence doesn't negate the fact that the overwhelming majority of them make great pets. Like any breed, ANY BREED, they must be properly trained and socialized. I'm sick of people acting like they don't have to train their dogs, taking them everywhere like fscking accessories, and then blaming the breed when there are problems. There are no bad dogs. There are irresponsible owners (ignorantly or intentionally).

Another point: for those who are new to dogs, the "scary dogs" right now are "pit bulls" (which are not a breed; it's an umbrella label applied to 5 distinct breeds, and knowing the difference explains a lot about why shelters adopt out "pit bulls", most of which are staffies or apbts, and not XL bully type dogs like the ones usually found in hysteria clickbait not-news). A decade or so ago, it was Rottweilers, which are capable of just as much damage as pit bulls, especially when similarly trained for violence and poorly handled. Before that, Dobermans. Before that, GSDs. Probably something else before that; I'm not old enough to remember. The hysteria comes in waves, and when you recognize that pattern, you become better at sorting the stupidity from any actual facts.

There are too many dogs in general, but most importantly: there are too many stupid people irresponsibly owning and breeding dogs. There's the risk: humans. Smarter people can be educated. Stupid people make threads like this one, dumping their blanket judgments and regurgitated fearmongering out into the world, helping no one (and looking idiotic in the process).[/quote]

Yes, I have known "Pitties", and they are a dangerous breed that for some reason has a whole lobby out there trying to convince first time dog owners that they make a perfect family pet.  My neighbors golden retriever was attacked completely unprovoked while in a nearby park by two "Potties" and nearly lost his life.  Look at all the other stories in the news.  Most dog attacks (not all, but a disproportionate amount of them) involve a pit or pit mix.  This is factual, not fear mongering.  Go ahead and own your precious angel "Pittie", but you dog will always present a greater risk to yourself and other than countless other breeds.[/quote]

It's not actually factual at all, or you'd have facts to cite, and you don't. It's hyperbole and not-news nonsense you bought into and are now regurgitating. Nobody on this whole thread has brought facts to support this goofy-ass theory; you're all drinking the kool-aid.

I've been bitten by several breeds in my decades of dog training. Not once by any of the 5 breeds that get lumped under "pit bull".

But you have "facts" somewhere, yeah? Let's see them. (preparing for onslaught of clickbait nonsense, ignoring all the articles about other breeds biting because those don't support this tired narrative).

People who hate an entire breed (5 breeds) of dogs are biased. People who justify their hatred with clickbait and propaganda are biased idiots

At least you're usually easy to spot...

[/quote]

Here are the facts, no hyperbole:

Some pit bulls are great, perfectly safe dogs. Pit bulls can be friendly, loyal, and well-behaved, if properly trained and cared for.

However, pit bulls breeds have been historically been bred for fighting and aggression. The modern pit bull is the result of breeding an English bull-baiting dog (a dog bred specifically to bite and hold large animals like bulls and bears around their heads) with terrier breeds that are energetic and tenacious. The result is a mid-size dog with a strong jaw and possible predisposition for aggression, biting, and tenacity (willingness to maintain aggression even when faced with face). I say possibility because genetic predisposition is complicated. Scientifically they say they can't identify genetic predispositions in dogs. But most dog trainers and breeders have seen how personality traits can be passed down, just not 100% consistently. There is likely something about genetics here we don't understand.

However, it's undeniable that certain breeds have predispositions that are fairly consistent across the breed. In fact, even pit bull defenders will argue that pit bulls are particularly friendly and loyal. How can a breed be considered genetically disposed to friendliness and loyalty but NOT predisposed to aggression and tenacity when there is a documented history of the breed being bred specifically for the latter traits?

Anyway, since a lot of pits are mixed breed and a lot of breeding is by happenstance, it's not like every single pit bull is the result of careful breeding for aggression and tenacity. But some are. This is one problem with pits -- there are so many of them, and so many mixes, that it is hard to know what you are getting with a pit. But it is undeniable that the breed was originally developed specifically for biting, aggression and tenacity.

Which brings me to another issue with pit bulls. Regardless of whether pits have been bred for fighting (and they have) it is undeniable that they have traditionally been used for fighting. The American Pit Bull Terrier was developed specifically as a fighting dog and has always (and still is) the most common dog used in dog fighting (now illegal in all states but it still goes on). One problem with fighting dogs (and a major reason pits are overpopulated in the US) is that people intentionally leave fighting dogs "intact" in order to increase aggression and manipulate them. Because fighting dogs are so often not fixed, they are overbred. Some of this breeding is accidental ("backyard breeding") and simply due to negligence. Some of this breeding is intentional and for profit as people raising pits to fight will breed them specifically to produce more fighting dogs. The result is that pits produce far more offspring than other dog breeds.

Another issue with pits being used in fighting is that it leads to more pits being abandoned than other breeds. Dog fighting is illegal, so people who engage in it will sometimes "dump" their dogs to avoid getting caught. Or they get caught and their dogs are seized by police. Or these dogs wind up with family members, neighbors, and friends. All of this contributes to more homeless pit bulls which, combined with all the excess breeding of pits who go unfixed for fighting, is what leads to shelters where every single dog is a pit or pit mix. It is the pit bull's identity and history as a fighting dog that leads directly to overpopulation of the breed particularly in the shelter population.

You can adopt pits from shelters and wind up with a great dog. Especially if you put the time and energy into training the dog, and especially if you choose the dog for their disposition and suitability to your household. Many pit mixes can be great and take on the traits of their mixed breeds. And even pit bulls bred for fighting have positive traits, including good recall and sociability, since someone who is fighting dogs wants their dogs to fight in the ring but not attack their handler.

However.

A lot of pits in shelters have been abused and neglected. Because pits are attractive to unscrupulous owners who will engage in dog fighting or simply use the dog as an aggressive attack or security dog, you have an outsized number of pits in shelters with problem behaviors who should not be anywhere near children, other dogs, or most adults. You should exercise a LOT of caution when adopting pits and pit mixes, and pay attention to the size (and potential size) of the dog, your own ability to exercise control over the dog, what is known of the dog's history, etc. It is also an unfortunate truth that because of the overpopulation of pits in shelters and the pit's earned reputation as a dog used for fighting and aggression, it can be harder for shelters to unload pits on adoptive families. This can lead to a hard sell from shelters about the virtues of pits. Again, a pit can be a good dog. But you should be aware going in that a lot of shelter workers will downplay the potential negatives of pits and totally disregard what is known of the breed as a fighting dog in order to induce you to adopt one of the many pits in the shelter. I would be wary of any pitches that claim pits are actually *better* than other breeds, that actually pits are perfect family dogs or "great with kids." This is true of *specific* pits. It is not true of all pits and personally if I had small children in my house I would avoid pits because I think the risk is too great. I would consider adopting a pit if I had no kids and then plan to socialize and train the dog before having kids (but keeping in mind that if the dog ever showed signs of aggression, I would need to rehome him, which is true of any dog you plan on having in a household with children -- protect your kids).

This is the fair and balanced understanding of pits. Of course some pits can be great dogs -- that true of literally any breed including breeds like Dobermans and Rottweilers who have also been long bread for power and aggression. But just as you might think twice about adopting a Doberman if you have a baby at home, you should do the same with pits. And you have to be more cautious with pits because of the overbreeding that makes them so prevalent and because shelters are so often trying to combat the dog's history in order to get the large numbers of abandoned and homeless pits adopted into homes.

Also: FIX YOUR DOGS. [/quote]

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