What Does Everyone Have Against Pit Bulls?

Recently, I got caught up in an argument on a forum regarding Pit Bulls and their behavior. I am using this post today to vent some of my frustration and anger, and I am hoping you can help me understand where the bad feelings towards Pit Bulls started and why they continue to this day. I want to open people's eyes and change feelings about Pit Bulls!

Let me first start by telling you what started the whole thing. There was a post made by someone with the title "Pit Bulls do turn on you and this time I have proof". It piqued my interest and so I read her entry. Basically, she was at a vet's office and saw a mother come in with her 4 year old son - he had been attacked by their Pit Bull. The mother said the boy was just playing with his toys and the dog "just snapped" - that she had never before shown any signs of aggression. The person who wrote the post believes it is the breed of the dog that was to blame, and has nothing to do with how the dog was raised.

Being a lover of all animals, this post deeply troubled me. I just couldn't understand how one incident got this person to be completely against Pit Bulls.....it just made no sense and I had to reply and stick up for the badly publicized Pit Bull.

The following was my reply to her post:

I don't understand how some people can say how the dog was raised has nothing to do with how it acts. If a Chihuahua were to attack a child, that doesn't get nearly the publicity if a Pit Bull were to attack. It depends on the household, and how the dog is treated in the family. Some dogs have a dominant personality and always want to be the "pack leader". This goes back to ancient times when dogs were not domesticated and lived in packs.

It is possible that in the case of the four year old boy getting attacked by the Pit Bull, that the dog saw the little boy as lower in the chain so to speak. When you own a dog knowing that it has a dominant personality, you have to make sure that you are able to properly train the dog to follow your command at all times. If you slack at all, or spoil the dog in any way, they will see themselves as being dominant over you. When this happens, the risk for an attack or bite increases - dogs cannot speak, so if they see behavior that they do not agree with, or do not think is good for the "pack" they will correct you by barking or biting.

I just hope that people can open their eyes and understand that not all Pit Bulls are a ticking time bomb, just waiting to attack. The best example I can come up with is Cesar Millan better known as "The Dog Whisperer" - he has many Pit Bulls most of whom have been rehabilitated. If you have ill feelings towards Pit Bulls, or you think that all of them will attack at some point, watch an episode of his show, or even better: read his book! Knowledge is power, and before you rush to judgment about a specific breed, take time to do your research.