Should Pit Bulls be Considered Dangerous or Not?
What is the first breed you think of when you hear about a dog attack? My guess is it is probably a pit bull. The media has led you to believe that pit bulls are a dangerous breed of dog. Pit bulls were bred to be big, powerful dogs, so they make an easy target for the media to get some attention. Pit bulls are like any other breed they were bred to do something although they aren't the only breed that attacks people there is a lot of good truth behind the breed.
Pit bulls are known to be one of the most dangerous dog breeds, but they aren't the only dogs attacking people. A thirteen month old German Shepherd attacked her owner, Iona Manson, who was thirteen years old. She received fifty stitches with two hours of facial reconstructive surgery. May I remind you that this was a thirteen month old German Shephard, not a full grown adult. Iona's mother stated: "He just flipped, even afterwards when we put him in a cage he growled and barked angrily every time one of us went near him, something had changed in his mind." Another vicious attack was on a two year old boy named Joshua, who was attacked by his grandpa's collie and recieved 200 stitches. As was reported by the family of the baby "Joshua was playing with the dog when it jumped and bit his face. His father and everyone went running to chase the away the animal from the child." Lisa, Joshua's mom stated: "if they are not well educated, any animal can be dangerous."
For generations, if you had children and wanted to keep them safe while you worked around the house or land, you wanted a Pit Bull. The dog was most reliable of any breed with children and adults. For the reason Pit Bulls were used to protect the family and the children the media changed it around and made them seem vicious and aggressive because they would scare people to protect the family. If they were to put on the front page "Lhasa Apso Bites Man" they wouldn't sell many papers; so instead the media seeks out a more demon like animal. There has been a line of different breeds the media has attacked, before Pit Bulls it was Rottweilers, before Rottweilers it was Dobermans, and before them German Shephards and so on. Pit bulls were originally bred to do bull baiting. Bull baiting is when a dog grabs a bull by the nose and doesn't let go so that the person castrating a bull doesn't get hurt. Although people later on turned into more of a sport; which they placed the dog in a pit with a bull and they would fight. Which is where the name Pit Bull comes from.
Like anyother breed Pit Bulls go through a temperament test. This test is put on breeds to see how their temperament is with people. The results showed the percentage of each breed that passed the test. Pit Bulls were rated at the top of the list for passing the test, they passed it more than Chihuahhuas, Poodles, Beagles, Collies and even Golden Retrievers. The test consists of random actions that could occur on a day to day basis such as: feeding, taking away food, opening an umbrella, coming near another dog, petting, playing with toys, loud noises and for some cases children. So who are they really? Pit Bulls were originally bred for looking big, muscular and scary. Although they are like any other breed, they have their upsides and their downsides. Pit Bulls require a lot more attention and training than other breeds because of their power potential. Just like any other breed they can be used for destructive purposes or what they were really used for: a loving family pet that barks at the door when someone comes to visit and cuddles with the kids at night.
So before I finish this up I want you to consider that Pit Bulls are just another dog breed. Their past makes them a perfect target for media which may make you believe that they are aggressive attack dogs. When the truth is they were used for to protect and watch over the children but strong enough to hold back a bull for their owner. Just like Cesar Millan said: "There is no such thing as a problem breed. However, there is no shortage of 'problem owners'...."