But what makes Pitbulls dangerous?

Unless you are a drug dealer, a gangster, or live in a very high crime area (or are in law enforcement) I can almost guarantee you that you have never encountered a Pitbull that had been bred to be aggressive.  You may very well have met an aggressive Pitbull.  Just as you most likely have encountered an aggressive Labrador Retriever, Terrier, or Mutt.  These dogs have not been bred to be aggressive.  They are aggressive due to lack of socialization, lack of leadership and training, health problems, etc.  Unfortunately dogs of all breeds can have these types of issues and if not addressed those dogs can be dangerous.

I recently had a conversation with a friend who said “Yes, but I have personal experience!  My friend had a Pitbull and it was very friendly until it was in her car.  If you walked up to the car while the dog was in it he went crazy!”.

I asked my friend if he had ever seen any other dog act this way.  He said yes.  I asked what breed of dog those others were.  He said “All different breeds…but this one was a Pitbull!”  Sigh.

I believe very strongly that the problem with Pitbulls is not actually because of Pitbulls.  It is because of three things…

1.  Pitbulls are the “tough” breed of the times.  In the 70′s it was the Doberman Pinscher.  You never heard of Pitbull problems in the 80′s.  It was the German Shepherd then.  In the 90′s, the Rottweiler.  Today the Pitbull is the dog of choice for rap stars, gang members, and drug dealers.  Not to mention people like Michael Vick who raise dogs to fight.  Unfortunately outlawing Pitbulls will not stop the problem.

As a matter of fact there is a city here in Massachusetts that has a reputation for being a “tough” area.  There was an incredibly large number of Pitbulls registered in the city.  The city enforced a ban on the breed within city limits.  In a very short time the was a huge surge of Rottweilers registered in the city. Clearly banning the breed isn’t going to solve the problem.

2.  Irresponsible dog owners.  The vast number of Pitbull attacks are from dogs who were running at large, running in packs, or not secured with appropriate fencing.  Many of attacks can be traced to dogs that were tied out on a chain. Socializing, training, walking, and leadership are vital requirements for all dogs.  Without the benefit of having these needs met most dogs, regardless of breed, will develop behavioral problems.

No dog just “turns bad” out of the blue.  The only exception would be in cases of serious health problems or pain.  Behavioral issues develop over time and it’s up to the owners to address issues before they become a problem.

Pitbull owners need to become ambassadors for their breed and be sure that their dogs are trained, socialized, properly cared for, and under control at all times.  People laugh at a barking and growling chihuahua.  When your Pitbull is not under control it perpetuates the myths that people have about these dogs.  One aggressive Pitbull causes thousands of others to lose their lives.

3. The media.  I believe that defamation charges should be brought against many in the media.  Whenever there is a serious dog attack the media jumps on board.  More often then not they share incorrect information and propaganda.  If the dog was a mix breed they  will often report the dog as a Pitbull, even though there is absolutely no proof of that.

There was a terribly tragic case recently in South Carolina.  A 2 month old child was killed by the family dog. At this time the case is still under investigation.  Here is a picture of the family dog in question.  Clearly a Golden Retriever mix.

Here is the picture that the media ran in it’s article.  Notice that it states a “file photo”.  Of course the file photo is of a Pit Bull.  Do you think that the people reading this article would assume that the dog in question was a Pit Bull?

This is a terrible tragedy.  There were a number of factors that contributed to this event and it could have been avoided.  The dog was new to the family by only a couple of weeks.  The dog was left alone with the baby unsupervised.  Just tragic…

However, although the media portrayed the dog as a Pit Bull, the dog was clearly not a Pit Bull.  The media seems to enjoy feeding the unfounded fears of the general public.

Pitbulls are the most victimized breed of dog.  By educating the public, the media, and the dogs hopefully the Pitbull won’t be extinguished and we just move on and try to ban the next “tough” dog.

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