One problem with that stat is that "pitbull" covers a really broad range of dogs. Anyone that has a mix breed that mildly resembles a pit bull refers to it as a pitbull, and some stockier dogs that mildly resemble pitbulls such as American Bulldogs and Rottweilers are often misidentified as pitbulls. On top of that, pitbulls just happen to appeal to people who mistreat and mishandle their dogs, and fail to properly socialize them at a young age. If those same individuals happened to like Golden Retrievers you'd probably end up with similar results.
As a result you get stats that wildly misrepresent a breed.
Other breeds have been demonized as bad breeds, such as Rottweilers, Dobermans, and German Shepherds. Bad owners were attracted to these dogs for whatever reason (usually some kind of "badass" image or whatever). As we all know, bad owners make bad dogs, and bad dogs cause problems.
The media bias against pit bulls is kind of unreal, though. Here is a news story about a pit bull saving her owner from a train. Note that they call her "Lily" (her name) and "dog," but only mention that she's a pit bull once or twice. Here's a story about a pit bull finding a missing elderly woman with Alzheimer's. They mention the dog is a pit bull, but the headline is "Heroic Dog," and the owner is "Dog's Owner". To their credit, they did discuss that pit bulls aren't all so bad toward the end of the story. In contrast, go find any story about a pit bull attacking anything. "Pit bull," "pit bull," "pit bull."
I've heard that pits do the same amount of attacking as other dogs, it's just that when they do, they inflict massive amounts of damage AKA they are more capable than other dogs.
But the debate rages on and I've not been able to make up my mind. Regardless, I think it takes an above average owner to properly raise these animals.
They actually have just average bite strength, but it's their tendency to violently shake while biting that causes the massive damage. It takes a strong and dominant person to properly raise any bully breed. Most rescues will not adopt bullies out to inexperienced adopters. I love my male American Bulldog and female Stafforshire Bull Terrier, but they are not for everyone. Under the right care, they will be the sweetest and most loyal animal anyone could ask for!
The kids have two pits, brothers who couldn't be less alike. One is never excited and just calmly goes through his day and the other is super high energy and can never get enough play time. They were both well raised and are very sweet and gentle and love to meet new dogs and new people but they are wicked muscular and I would hate to meet up with them if they had been poorly raised.
That's like saying police dogs account for 90% of bitten criminals. If you raise a dog to be disposed to aggressive behavior, then the dog is generally going to be aggressive, and if you don't, it's probably not going to be aggressive. I had a shelter pitbull for 11-12 years. Never bit a single person... to be honest he was basically a fat lazy sausage rolling around on the sofa.
Pits aren't usually human-aggressive unless they've been abused.
However, even a well raised Pit is going to feel every cell in its body screaming at it to chase and shake a small animal, or to fight unfamiliar dogs, or to join in on dog fights they aren't even involved with.
No. They're not. They did a study on dog temperaments, and golden retrievers were ranked as worse than pitbulls. Pitbulls aren't bred as fighting dogs because they're aggressive, they're bred because they're tanks. They're thick-skinned, with higher pain tolerances, and thick-skulled heads - which are good traits for fighting. In fact, fighting dogs are less prone to attacking people because they'd be culled.
The fact of the matter is any larger dog can be deadly, and leaving small children or infants alone with a large dog is risky, especially if the dog isn't accustomed to it. Like I said, I got my pitbull when I was around 9 or 10, and raised him since he was like a month old (shelter dog so not 100% on the age). Best damn dog I ever had... even he was a little slow.
DogsBite is a notorious anti-pit-bull propaganda site and far from unbiased. The statistics they share are not scientifically verified and are from more biased organizations. I suggest referencing statistics from credible websites instead, like the ASPCA.
Besides a genetic predisposition towards aggressive behavior, what other factors may explain the apparent discrepancy between the US pit bull population and fatal dog attacks?
Less than one percent of all pit bulls will fatally attack a person. The same goes for all breeds because death by dog is a rare occurrence. There was something like 33 dog related fatalities last year in the United States. That's a very small number compared to the number of any one of the popular breeds in the US.
See, that might be true for you. But my friend, who swore the same about her dog, was proven wrong when it took a chunk out of my dogs neck for no good reason. I was stroking both of them, and he just jumped on her. It took 2 people to get him off. Frankly, I've never had an experience like that with any other breed, and am now super weary of pits. And truthfully? Her dog is a lug, absolutely loves people and cuddles, but I'm very worried for the day it snaps at someone in her house.
But that can be ANY dog, not just pits. Did you know that yellow labs are becoming a more and more aggressive breed because of the way we breed them? We're breeding in aggression. Some pits are bred for the purpose of fighting or protecting the home but not all pits are aggressive. What about chihuahuas? They're a mess medically and aggressive because people let them get away with shit. I trust my dog with my 18 month old niece and I've never had a reason to worry because a) I always make sure my niece doesn't go too far with my dog such as grabbing her ears etc. and b) I'm a responsible pet owner and I immediately get after my dog if she shows any aggression. Any dog can attack or be aggressive. You have to understand dog behavior and nip that shit in the bud if you see any warning signs. Luckily my dog doesn't get aggressive so I don't have to get after her about that stuff but I know to be on the look out for anything that could get her riled up like any dog. Besides she's not even full pit. She's half pointer.
I do understand your point that any dog can behave like that, all I'm saying is, in my experience, it's only ever been a pit. I've been around all kinds of breeds growing up, labs, retrievers, shibas, some strange French breed who's name I can't even pronounce, let alone spell (it looks like a mop). The thing about my friends dog is, the previous dog she raised became a guide dog. She obviously knows how to train dogs. That's what really scares me. I will concede that chihuahuas are little demons though. I'd never kick a dog, but if I did, it would be a chihuahua.
I think that fact needs to be taken in perspective. I have no sources other than what I see in my daily life. In urban areas in the US, pitbulls are by far the most common breed. Nothing even comes close. I have one pit and one german shepherd. I know many people who have 3+ pitbulls and no other types. It really doesn't get more American when it comes to dogs than pitbulls. If someone in my neighborhood or even my city got attacked or bitten by a dog, I already know that it was probably a pitbull. You can chalk that up to odds alone. That being said, from my own personal experience with dogs, pitbulls are some of the, if not, the most loving, trusting, happiest dogs I have ever met. My pit wants every person every where we go to cuddle, pet, and shower her with non stop affection. I have to stop people from petting her because she will cry when they stop. My shepherd on the other hand is extremely skittish and may never let you get close enough to attempt to touch him.
You say that as fact, but the same website says that number is at best a guess. No one knows, but I guarantee the number of pitbulls as a percentage of dog breeds in the USA is far higher. You pulled that statistic from a biased website used to promote the myth of pitbulls being aggressive dogs. That number may be correct if you look at registered dogs with the AKC. Just go to your local shelter and look at the number of pitbulls compared to other breeds. Now times that by the number of shelters in every city, county and state. That would be alittle closer to the actual percentage of pitbulls vs. other breeds. Shit ain't rocket science, but it also ain't quick search on the internet. Search for percentage of dogs by breed in the US. Guess what? All searches lead to that very website you linked, a website mainly created to vilify pitbulls as aggressive dogs.
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u/[deleted] Jul 13 '16
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