Poll of the Day > Why do people go to such lengths to defend pit bulls?

(+) Yeah! (+)

They aren't even cute.
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No idea but they are so dangerous just like any large dog breed. When they attack they shoot to kill. Rarely bite and release from pit bulls on my experience at work.
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My cousin had a baby one, kept him good and when it was only a 1-2 months old it attacked two other full grown dogs, a couple mutts but at least medium sized, and killed them. They had to put him down. They strong as fuck.
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Pit bulls are adorable, dammit.

People defend them because they're not all vicious. Some of the sweetest, smartest, most gentle dogs I've ever met were pitbulls. I blame the parents most of the time. :P
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Moonjay posted...

Pit bulls are adorable, dammit.

People defend them because they're not all vicious. Some of the sweetest, smartest, most gentle dogs I've ever met were pitbulls. I blame the parents most of the time. :P

Anyone with common sense understands that pitbulls aren't necessarily more vicious than any other breed. To the contrary, there are a lot of breeds with a higher instance of biting than a pitbull. The issue is that no one cares if a chihuahua bites 100 different people because outside of rare bites it's not going to injure you to any significant degree. With dogs like pitbulls, dobermans, rottweilers, etc... their bites have a huge impact because of strength and some of them do not bite and release. Pitbulls also have bad pack mentality so if there is more than one they will all attack. And they attack to kill. And sometimes you can't get them to release their jaws until the dog is dead or injured. That's a huge deal. Any dog breed is unpredictable and can bite at any time no matter how nice and calm it is.
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because people go to such lengths to attack pit bulls
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All I know is that one of the best dogs I helped take care of was a pit bull.
Other dogs were defenitly intimidated by him but he was really gentle. Always hungry, but gentle.
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Jen0125 posted...

Moonjay posted...

Pit bulls are adorable, dammit.

People defend them because they're not all vicious. Some of the sweetest, smartest, most gentle dogs I've ever met were pitbulls. I blame the parents most of the time. :P

Anyone with common sense understands that pitbulls aren't necessarily more vicious than any other breed. To the contrary, there are a lot of breeds with a higher instance of biting than a pitbull. The issue is that no one cares if a chihuahua bites 100 different people because outside of rare bites it's not going to injure you to any significant degree. With dogs like pitbulls, dobermans, rottweilers, etc... their bites have a huge impact because of strength and some of them do not bite and release. Pitbulls also have bad pack mentality so if there is more than one they will all attack. And they attack to kill. And sometimes you can't get them to release their jaws until the dog is dead or injured. That's a huge deal. Any dog breed is unpredictable and can bite at any time no matter how nice and calm it is.

Yep, pit bulls are definitely dangerous, like all big dog breeds. I love them but I would never own one because fuck the liability risk.

I love rottweilers too.
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Muffinz0rz posted...

because people go to such lengths to attack pit bulls

i would never attack a pitt bull, though. i don't want to get killed, ok?
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Moonjay posted...

Yep, pit bulls are definitely dangerous, like all big dog breeds. I love them but I would never own one because fuck the liability risk.

I love rottweilers too.

Even really docile great danes can be devastating if they bite. That's just a risk of owning a large dog.
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it's the owner, not the dog's fault.

as a kid there was a neighbor with a pitbull. the only way he hurt you was when his tail smacked you while wagging (it wagged all the time).

as an adult i have been attacked by a pitbull, thankfully the skin wasn't broken on my arm, and my shoe took care of any more attempts at biting.

with a good owner a dog will be good. (obviously this doesn't count for rabies/attacking the dog/dogs pack)
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Jen0125 posted...

No idea but they are so dangerous just like any large dog breed. When they attack they shoot to kill. Rarely bite and release from pit bulls on my experience at work.

Pit Bulls are extra dangerous because they were specifically bred to fight in dog fights, hence their name.

That's not to say Pit Bulls can't be good pets, but they often require more work than other breeds by their owners, work not everyone has the time or willingness to contribute.
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DarkKirby2500 posted...

Pit Bulls are extra dangerous because they were specifically bred to fight in dog fights, hence their name.

Um, no. Pitbulls originally were bred to be protective family dogs. They used to be called "nanny dogs." The fact that they are so strong led them to be bred larger and stronger because people wanted to take advantage of that negatively.
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Bad dog owners tend to be drawn to pit bulls precisely because of their badass reputation, which goes on to hurt pit bulls' reputation even more when they attack. That being said, in the other direction, when people go off the "it's just as bad as racism!" deep end, you're not doing pit bulls any favors, either.
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Jen0125 posted...

DarkKirby2500 posted...

Pit Bulls are extra dangerous because they were specifically bred to fight in dog fights, hence their name.

Um, no. Pitbulls originally were bred to be protective family dogs. They used to be called "nanny dogs." The fact that they are so strong led them to be bred larger and stronger because people wanted to take advantage of that negatively.

Hmm. On Dog Whisperer, he said Pit Bulls were for dog fighting, which they were bred for and used for, but looking it up on sites now it says their name actually derives from when they used Pit Bulls to fight Bulls (as in male cows) for entertainment.

Although both of these activities take place in a pit.

This "nanny dog" thing apparently came after blood sports with dogs were both outlawed and dropped in popularity, but it's apparently being argued to be a myth.

https://barkpost.com/pit-bulls-history-of-americas-dog/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_bull
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Never believe anything the fucking Dog Whisperer says.
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Jen0125 posted...

DarkKirby2500 posted...

Pit Bulls are extra dangerous because they were specifically bred to fight in dog fights, hence their name.

Um, no. Pitbulls originally were bred to be protective family dogs. They used to be called "nanny dogs." The fact that they are so strong led them to be bred larger and stronger because people wanted to take advantage of that negatively.

Much as I love pit types that's a total myth with nothing to support it. No dogs (including any of the pit type terrier breeds) are nanny dogs. None are bred for it and no animals should be left with children unsupervised

They were and have been bred for dog aggression

Dog aggression isn't the same as human aggression
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people will go to such lengths to defend whatever dog they have and the pit bulls get into trouble the most

Doctor Foxx posted...

Much as I love pit types that's a total myth with nothing to support it. No dogs (including any of the pit type terrier breeds) are nanny dogs. None are bred for it and no animals should be left with children unsupervised

They were and have been bred for dog aggression

Dog aggression isn't the same as human aggression

I've read several websites that talk about the nanny dog theory but I can't attest to how factual they are. I would defer to you as someone knowledgeable about dog breeds.

I only know about general dog behaviors from my job.

And of course children shouldn't be left unsupervised with an animal. I don't take the phrase "nanny" to literally mean the dog is babysitting.
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quigonzel posted...

Remember when it was Dobermans we were supposed to be afraid of? Before that it was Rottweilers and German Shepherds.

It's not like those dogs can't kill you just a easily as they could have before. I'd still say that you should watch out for those dogs, German Shepards are fucking strong.
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People commonly misidentify dogs as pit bulls. pit bull isn't a breed. There are the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Most people cannot tell them apart, or mixes, and call any blocky-headed short coated dog a pit bull. So they are overidentified in attacks they don't necessarily commit.

These breeds have been maligned for ages, even before Michael Vick and his dog fighting ring. Vick's dogs completely changed animal rescue and people worked hard to give these breeds a better image and combat common myths like "pitbulls have lockjaw" or "pitbulls are aggressive to humans." It also absolutely exploded the population of mixed breed dogs people label as pits. And fueled myths like the nanny dog.

ALL dogs can bite. These large fighting breeds can do substantially more damage than other smaller breeds. They are bred to be more covert in their body language before striking. People largely are ignorant of dog body language at the best of times and provoke most attacks. This is a goddamn terrible recipe for people that believe the nanny dog myth and leave their kids alone with dogs.

Decades ago it was the Rottweiler, or the German Shepherd, or the Husky, or the Doberman... so-called pit dogs are the current popular dangerous dog. When you are the most popular large dog like that which isn't something bred into a kind stupor like Labs, you will get bites. When people can't identify the breed(s) reliably, more will be lumped in.
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Doctor Foxx posted...

People commonly misidentify dogs as pit bulls. pit bull isn't a breed.

I've heard this a lot, and I don't get this argument. Dog breeds are like words. They're essentially a human-created concept. If a word has a generally agreed-upon definition, then for most practical (informal) purposes, it's as good as a real word even if Oxford hasn't officially recognized it as an official word. Similarly, if a dog has a generally agreed-upon breed, then for most practical purposes, it's a real breed even if the Official Dog People Association Or Whatever hasn't officially classified it as a breed.
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Golden Road posted...

Doctor Foxx posted...

People commonly misidentify dogs as pit bulls. pit bull isn't a breed.

I've heard this a lot, and I don't get this argument. Dog breeds are like words. They're essentially a human-created concept. If a word has a generally agreed-upon definition, then for most practical (informal) purposes, it's as good as a real word even if Oxford hasn't officially recognized it as an official word. Similarly, if a dog has a generally agreed-upon breed, then for most practical purposes, it's a real breed even if the Official Dog People Association Or Whatever hasn't officially classified it as a breed.

Ok but the way it's used is honestly just "blocky headed short coated dog" and you may not believe how bad the average person is at identifying dogs. It's bad.

It would be like calling all dogs with long snouts and upright ears House Shepherds. and using all of the bite stats for a dog of that description added together, while blaming one breed that isn't really a breed. Just because they look alike. Which makes the stats ridiculous.

There are DNA tests for dog lineage and if a dog has any of those pit breeds they can be identified
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Because nobody wants to admit that their pet could easily become a killer.

quigonzel posted...

Remember when it was Dobermans we were supposed to be afraid of? Before that it was Rottweilers and German Shepherds.

Usually those warnings came with a "they're almost as bad as pit bulls!" though >_>

Doctor Foxx posted...

ALL dogs can bite. These large fighting breeds can do substantially more damage than other smaller breeds. They are bred to be more covert in their body language before striking. People largely are ignorant of dog body language at the best of times and provoke most attacks. This is a goddamn terrible recipe for people that believe the nanny dog myth and leave their kids alone with dogs.

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Because its not a problem with the breed, but the assholes and ignoramus dipshits, who breed and abuse them to be mean, tough dogs.

They have suffered the same ills and wrongs by human hands as the bulldog, german shephard, rottweiler, doberman and many other "tough" breeds.

They deserve to be protected, responsibly bred and treated with kindness just as much as any other dog.
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Zeus posted...

Usually those warnings came with a "they're almost as bad as pit bulls!" though >_>

I'd never heard mention of pit bull until the 2000s

And I was mauled on 2 separate occasions by 2 different Rottweilers, bit badly once by a GSD

It's always the popular breeds
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DarkKirby2500 posted...

Jen0125 posted...

No idea but they are so dangerous just like any large dog breed. When they attack they shoot to kill. Rarely bite and release from pit bulls on my experience at work.

Pit Bulls are extra dangerous because they were specifically bred to fight in dog fights, hence their name.

That's not to say Pit Bulls can't be good pets, but they often require more work than other breeds by their owners, work not everyone has the time or willingness to contribute.

So were bull dogs and chow chows. And the public eventually settled down on those.
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Lil_Bit83 posted...

DarkKirby2500 posted...

Jen0125 posted...

No idea but they are so dangerous just like any large dog breed. When they attack they shoot to kill. Rarely bite and release from pit bulls on my experience at work.

Pit Bulls are extra dangerous because they were specifically bred to fight in dog fights, hence their name.

That's not to say Pit Bulls can't be good pets, but they often require more work than other breeds by their owners, work not everyone has the time or willingness to contribute.

So were bull dogs and chow chows dummy.

In the care of the average pet owner chows are terribly aggressive dogs that have no business being around children

It's not wrong to say any of those breeds are ones that need more care or work
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Lil_Bit83 posted...

So were bull dogs and chow chows. And the public eventually settled down on those.

chows are one of the most aggressive dog breeds >_>
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I've had two in the past and currently have another. All three were extremely sweet, friendly, incredibly smart, loyal, and have never been aggressive. They're wonderful dogs, but sadly people abuse their loyalty and strength.
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Doctor Foxx posted...

Zeus posted...

Usually those warnings came with a "they're almost as bad as pit bulls!" though >_>

I'd never heard mention of pit bull until the 2000s

And I was mauled on 2 separate occasions by 2 different Rottweilers, bit badly once by a GSD

It's always the popular breeds

I've been hearing shit about pit bulls since the 80s. And do you mean you hadn't heard the term at all? Because one of the characters on Tiny Toons was a pit bull and I imagine you're around the age group to have watched that.

Otherwise, sorry to hear that. I guess dogs *really* don't like foxxes >_>
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Pit bulls are the most violent breed of domestic dog, which wouldn't be a terrible problem if it weren't for the fact that many people who own them are absolute shit excuses of human beings.

With a good owner, pit bulls can be a great, gentle pet. I have long held the belief that in order to own a pit bull, an owner must pass a licensing course.
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faramir77 posted...

Pit bulls are the most violent breed of domestic dog

this isn't true
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faramir77 posted...

With a good owner, pit bulls can be a great, gentle pet. I have long held the belief that in order to own a pit bull, an owner must pass a licensing course.

Well, we already require it for crocodiles, so why not pit bulls? =p
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Zeus posted...

Doctor Foxx posted...

Zeus posted...

Usually those warnings came with a "they're almost as bad as pit bulls!" though >_>

I'd never heard mention of pit bull until the 2000s

And I was mauled on 2 separate occasions by 2 different Rottweilers, bit badly once by a GSD

It's always the popular breeds

I've been hearing shit about pit bulls since the 80s. And do you mean you hadn't heard the term at all? Because one of the characters on Tiny Toons was a pit bull and I imagine you're around the age group to have watched that.

Otherwise, sorry to hear that. I guess dogs *really* don't like foxxes >_>

Nah I'd heard of bulldogs. Bull terrier. Not pitbull. I did see Tiny Toons, don't really recall that character but he looks like a bull terrier. Same dog as Don Cherry. Those I had seen. People did not call them pitbulls.

The APBT and staffie trend didn't start up here until much more recently.

I've worked with many pit mixes now. Most were animal aggressive. Some extremely so. None showed human aggression, and some also failed at showing when their limits were getting pushed. Still results in bad things.
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Doctor Foxx posted...

Nah I'd heard of bulldogs. Bull terrier. Not pitbull. I did see Tiny Toons, don't really recall that character but he looks like a bull terrier. Same dog as Don Cherry. Those I had seen. People did not call them pitbulls.

His name was literally Arnold the Pit Bull, though... How could you say that people weren't using the term when a cartoon character had it right in his name?

http://tinytoons.wikia.com/wiki/Arnold_the_Pit_Bull
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Cats are better cus all they kill are mice, birds, and squirrels

Jen0125 posted...

faramir77 posted...

Pit bulls are the most violent breed of domestic dog

this isn't true

Pit bull owners are the most violent breed of domestic dog owner, though.
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Zeus posted...

Doctor Foxx posted...

Nah I'd heard of bulldogs. Bull terrier. Not pitbull. I did see Tiny Toons, don't really recall that character but he looks like a bull terrier. Same dog as Don Cherry. Those I had seen. People did not call them pitbulls.

His name was literally Arnold the Pit Bull, though... How could you say that people weren't using the term when a cartoon character had it right in his name?

http://tinytoons.wikia.com/wiki/Arnold_the_Pit_Bull

I understand the character has that name and he had that cheap Austrian accent iirc.

People did not use pit bull as a blanket term to refer to bully type breeds here, not until more recently. Those weren't dogs people had warnings about. They were also not popular breeds here. They have shitty coats and don't thrive up this far. Bull terriers had some popularity and wide recognition care of Don Cherry and Blue.

Arnold looks like a bull terrier, not APBT or american bully imo
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I love the "There is no bad dogs there's just bad owners" argument.

Like dog's don't have their own personalities, some are just assholes like people.
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Jen0125 posted...

No idea but they are so dangerous just like any large dog breed. When they attack they shoot to kill. Rarely bite and release from pit bulls on my experience at work.

That's why you need to have your own pit bull, to kill the other one! If everybody had a pit bull, nobody would get bitten! ;)
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my buddy has a pit bull, and it's the nicest most dumbest idiot i'd ever met

i don't want it around my son.
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TheCyborgNinja posted...

Jen0125 posted...

No idea but they are so dangerous just like any large dog breed. When they attack they shoot to kill. Rarely bite and release from pit bulls on my experience at work.

That's why you need to have your own pit bull, to kill the other one! If everybody had a pit bull, nobody would get bitten! ;)

But that only works if yours is higher level than theirs. It's so much work to level up your own killer dog.
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gravy posted...

Cats are better cus all they kill are mice, birds, and squirrels

My dogs are like that, too...

VeeVees posted...

TheCyborgNinja posted...

Jen0125 posted...

No idea but they are so dangerous just like any large dog breed. When they attack they shoot to kill. Rarely bite and release from pit bulls on my experience at work.

That's why you need to have your own pit bull, to kill the other one! If everybody had a pit bull, nobody would get bitten! ;)

But that only works if yours is higher level than theirs. It's so much work to level up your own killer dog.

You have to go out grinding all the time...
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Zeus posted...

Doctor Foxx posted...

Zeus posted...

Usually those warnings came with a "they're almost as bad as pit bulls!" though >_>

I'd never heard mention of pit bull until the 2000s

And I was mauled on 2 separate occasions by 2 different Rottweilers, bit badly once by a GSD

It's always the popular breeds

I've been hearing shit about pit bulls since the 80s. And do you mean you hadn't heard the term at all? Because one of the characters on Tiny Toons was a pit bull and I imagine you're around the age group to have watched that.

Otherwise, sorry to hear that. I guess dogs *really* don't like foxxes >_>

todd and copper...
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Because they own and love one.

Krazy_Kirby posted...

todd and copper...

tbh, The Fox and the Hound was one of my favorite Disney movies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGI-GbVBhqA
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Second_Chances posted...

people will go to such lengths to defend whatever dog they have and the pit bulls get into trouble the most

And there are more black people than other ethnicities in most US prisons, therefore black people are clearly more disposed to commit crimes.

Statistics are a bitch, son. They don't always mean what you think they mean.



darcandkharg31 posted...

I love the "There is no bad dogs there's just bad owners" argument.

Like dogs don't have their own personalities, some are just assholes like people.

To be fair, the usual implication there is that if you own a breed of dog that is potentially dangerous (which, to be honest, is most breeds - any breed can be vicious, and anything over small/medium size could theoretically kill a human), then it's your responsibility to train that dog to overcome its negative potential. If you see your dog is aggressive, you need to either find ways to train it to be less aggressive, or keep it away from situations where it might become uncontrollably aggressive and hurt someone. If you have a larger breed of dog with the physical strength to maul a human, it's on you to make sure its personality is such that it never WOULD.

If you just throw your dog in the yard and ignore it 90% of the time, and it starts to develop antisocial or aggressive behaviors, and you do absolutely nothing to address them (while still leaving the dog in areas where it CAN potentially attack strangers), then you ARE a shitty owner. Unless you're specifically training it to be an attack guard dog, in which case you sort of created the situation yourself entirely.

Because honestly, for most dogs (even the "problem" breeds), if you're a proactive owner and actually care for the animal rather than just using it as a leftover food disposal, an occasional emotional crutch, or as a crime deterrent you barely pay attention to, almost any aggression or bad behavior issue CAN be fixed. And if you can't meet the minimum level of effort to actually socialize your animal, you probably shouldn't have one in the first place (a standard I would say should absolutely apply to having children as well).

The "bad owners" argument also usually goes hand-in-hand with the idea that dog owners should be legally liable for actions committed by their dogs - so, for instance, if your dog winds up mauling your neighbors' kid, you can potentially be prosecuted for assault (or even negligent manslaughter if someone dies) yourself. With the logic being that if people might actually have to suffer negative consequences for their failure to socialize their dogs (or for actively making them more aggressive for guard or fighting purposes), they might actually develop something resembling a sense of responsibility and take better care of their animals and keep them away from dangerous situations entirely.


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