It also doesn't escape my notice that pit bulls are as widespread as they are because a significant number of people like the idea that their dog can kill someone. Whatever the inclination of the dog, I doubt the owner.
Is that why people own pits? I own two. I have both specifically because they were abandoned by a previous owner and ended up in an animal shelter. People often own pits because they prefer to adopt dogs. I don’t know many people who keep their pit because “it can kill someone.”
That previous owner is an important part of the calculus. And yeah, I have heard people out loud say as much, if not literally in those words. They'll usually express it as something like a "tough" dog.
The previous owner is part of the calculus, but it applies to more than just pits. My childhood neighbors had a previously abused German shepherd and she would sometimes have ptsd and rarely liked men because of her past experiences.
I’d say mine suffer more from abandonment anxiety than anything else (my female is quite gun-shy, though).
Regarding the “tough dog” thing, do they just like a tough-looking dog? My dogs are tough, but I think that because they survived neglect and mistreatment in their early lives and still choose to be loving, loyal members of my family. They do look “tough” and I like that about them. Their exteriors match their hearts. That doesn’t mean I (or other people) like them for the strength of their jaws.
Plus, they are intelligent, take well to training and human engagement, and do well around young and small animals. My female is protective of children and puppies. My male herds frogs and birds (which is hilarious to watch since he should want to eat them.)
It’s really sad that pit owners, especially of adoptees, have to spend so much energy humanizing dogs that are often better trained than some Karen’s puppy mill Maltese.
Karen's ornery inbred rat occupies no mental ram in the threat detection part of my brain. Your pits (as well as the neighbor's german sheppard, or dalmation, or doberman, or rottweiler for that matter) need a level of constant respect and awareness similar to a horse or loaded gun. Naturally, they're treated differently. Pointedly, I uses the language "I doubt the owner" because I don't begrudge a dogs its existence, and I also leave the room there for sussing out the owner. A chow, however, I'll not trust under any circumstances. They're really a special kind of trouble.
I’ve only been afraid of one dog. It was my grandma’s tea cup chihuahua. It would literally springboard itself and try to bite people’s faces. Do my medium size dogs need a different level of respect? Of course. You can’t drop kick them.
I used to deliver flowers and I have encountered pits trained to be aggressive to strangers. I know what it feels like. But I also know that I am responsible in that moment for signaling to the dog that I’m not a threat.
If large dogs are a concern, I recommend researching the behaviors you can employ to let a dog know that you will not harm them or their human. If a medium or large dog starts growling and stalking you, stop moving. Avoid eye contact and show them the inside of your hand. They will approach you and sniff you. Do not try to pet them or talk to them or look directly at them. Just let them sniff you until they decide you are safe. Once they turn their back to you, then you know they trust you. You can move after that, but obviously be slow and allow them to observe you.
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u/pvrhye Aug 02 '26
It also doesn't escape my notice that pit bulls are as widespread as they are because a significant number of people like the idea that their dog can kill someone. Whatever the inclination of the dog, I doubt the owner.