Helen Keller owned a Pitbull. Teddy Roosevelt owned one. It was the poster dog in WWI. It's one of the older breeds, too. They have been around for hundreds of years, but only recent, late 20th century history has had real issues with attacks? I wonder why? No, I don't. It's obvious that people today, although technologically intelligent, are just plain dumb. We spend too much time busting our rears, working long hours to make ends meat. Therefore,the animals become "neglected" to a point. You work a long, stressful day...is taking your pooch to the park the first thing on your mind? People today are selfish. My dog is my daughter and I will never take her forgranted. As previously stated, Pits NEED love, attention, plenty of affection, exercise, and praise. They...as well as many dogs, will act up just to get attention. Pitbulls can become easily depressed and if you don't remind them of their good behavior and your love...they won't be the same animal until you do. And that's just most dogs, but I know how Bells gets if she thinks she's in trouble or I haven't had much time to snuggle with her. My boyfriend's Pit is the same. All they want to do is follow you everywhere and love :)

Helen Keller owned a Pitbull. Teddy Roosevelt owned one. It was the poster dog in WWI. It's one of the older breeds, too. They have been around for hundreds of years, but only recent, late 20th century history has had real issues with attacks? I wonder why? No, I don't. It's obvious that people today, although technologically intelligent, are just plain dumb. We spend too much time busting our rears, working long hours to make ends meat. Therefore,the animals become "neglected" to a point. You work a long, stressful day...is taking your pooch to the park the first thing on your mind? People today are selfish. My dog is my daughter and I will never take her forgranted. As previously stated, Pits NEED love, attention, plenty of affection, exercise, and praise. They...as well as many dogs, will act up just to get attention. Pitbulls can become easily depressed and if you don't remind them of their good behavior and your love...they won't be the same animal until you do. And that's just most dogs, but I know how Bells gets if she thinks she's in trouble or I haven't had much time to snuggle with her. My boyfriend's Pit is the same. All they want to do is follow you everywhere and love :)

Oh to 50something...an ankle biter dog WOULD go for the kill if they were large enough. They bite childrens' hands all the time and a friggen Chihuahua almost ripped through my achelies (sp?) tendon for NO reason. I was just walking down the sidewalk minding my own business. I reported it and the dog was found to be too vicious and was euthanized. I didn't like that, but it could've severely injured a child. So don't go defending ankle biters like they aren't; a menace to our society.

Oh to 50something...an ankle biter dog WOULD go for the kill if they were large enough. They bite childrens' hands all the time and a friggen Chihuahua almost ripped through my achelies (sp?) tendon for NO reason. I was just walking down the sidewalk minding my own business. I reported it and the dog was found to be too vicious and was euthanized. I didn't like that, but it could've severely injured a child. So don't go defending ankle biters like they aren't; a menace to our society.

And Jaloney, those "nice owners" whose dogs turn on them are full of poo! Who would admit they abused their animal? Uh, no one! Yes, being attacked by a Pitbull is often an ugly thing, but it's not the dog's fault it wasn't properly trained and/or socialized. Perhaps some of you should read about the great feats these dogs have done for us. They have served our country, assisted law enforcement, saved people's lives, and so on. And how come no one was afraid of Petey in The Little Rascals back in the day? But they're vicious towards children? It's crock and bs from the ill informed media. Once on the news, they had to correct a story the reported the day before because it wasn't a Pit, but a Bulldog that ripped up the face of an 8yr old boy. No one was afraid of them when they were used for bull baiting. That's because they were bred to be people friendly. Seriously you guys, how else would people have been able to handle them outside of the ring? The Pitbull was also America's frontier dog, protecting families and farms. What other breed could fight off and kill a Mountain Lion or Wolf? The Pitbull is one of our country's most historical and beloved dogs and one of the intelligent breeds in the world! Personally, I feel that ALL dog owners of ALL breeds should be required to take training. And not just to have a well behaved dog, but to understand how their minds work. A lot of the Michael Vick dogs are service and therapy dogs now. Pitbulls just want to be loved. They want to help people. I swear they are happiest when they know they've accomplished a great feat :) Owning a Pitbull WILL change your life for the better. I have yet to find a more loving, fun, and personable breed. Lots come close, but don't make the cut.

Do some research on the most popular therapy dogs. The Pitbull ranks top 5. Also, Pitbull attacks get reported...but the only dogs that have ever attacked me are Chihuahua's...but it's never reported because they can't do much damage. As far as mauling...that is any and all ill-trained terriers. They fight to the death. It IS the owners, not the animal. Unfortunately, from "backyard breeding" there are a number of ill-bred and inbred Pitbulls. That's never good for any breed of dog, cat, horse, rabbit...AND humans. We kill and attack each other more than all dog attacks combined, and yet we are hypocritical towards animals. I live in Delaware where the Pitbull is top 3 for the most popular breeds here. With the exception of the ghetto's near Philly, there's only been 1 attack in the last 2 years. The interesting thing there is that the owner didn't keep her animal up to date on it's rabies shots, and they later found it to have had rabies. I do also wanna clarify that I used to believe the stigma and thought Pitbulls were terrifying...Until I actually met one. I fell in love and never want to own any other breed. I have my Izabel and my boyfriend has a Pit as well...they share bones, play gently (as gentle as a large, high energy dog can be) with each other, but they know to be gentle around children...often naturally because they were bred to be so in tune with humans. I babysit 3yr old twins and they can be crazy, yanking on her, sitting on her, etc. It doesn't bother her because they are very tolerable, patient creatures. How many of you "haters" have actually owned a Pitbull? That's the only way to obtain REAL research! Anyone who owned one will tell you they are sweet, loving, lap dogs! And as with any breed of dog, they need a loving owner, socialization, and training. People also need to research the breed of dog they want to adopt. Pitbulls require tons of exercise and NEED a strong, emotional connection to their owners.

Here's something people don't know...in Denver, CO, the number one dog attacks were by LABS! Most pit attacks aren't by PURE bred pits, but mastiff mixes. People also do a lotta "backyard" breeding of them, only being concerned with size and current popular coats (ie: blue, fawn, and brindle). EVERY pit I have ever known is loving. They can be dog aggressive if not properly socialized. Most often that behavior is provoked by the other breed...usually staring, growling, or excessively barking. ANY breed can be aggressive! I have pit bull that is an AKC recognized therapy dog. When she was in training, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever was highly aggressive with very nice owners. Also, the Pit bull wasn't actually bred to fight. It was bred to be strong and agile, but also to be intelligent, "pleasers" to their owners. They are incredibly loyal and highly intelligent. Therefore, you train them to fight or be aggressive...they will be. You teach them to be good...they will be. Isabel (my Pit) and I only do therapy work in children's hospitals. My brother and his wife have a 3 month old and we nicknamed her Nana Bells because she keeps a watchful eye and sleeps next to her whenever I babysit. Infant mortality rates are common from any breed because their natural instinct is to "put something outta it's misery" when crying. Children are often attacked by dogs because they don't know the proper way to approach them. The stigma comes from the fact that if they do attack, their 1200lbs of pressure by square inch from a bite will easily F anyone up. But if we take note that there are over 78 million known Pits in the US alone, attacks are a very small number! Oh, another thing, I am interpreter for the deaf and one lady owns 7 different breeds, one a Pit. She says it's the only the recognizes she's deaf and doesn't bark to alert her, but instead finds her and takes her to the potential threat

The it's the owner not the breed mantra sounds logical but it's not. This repetitive slogan is illogical. Other dog breeds owned in much greater numbers have equal chances of getting neglectful and abusive owners, yet they adapt to human shortcomings and don't maul people or pets at anywhere near the rate that pitbulls do. Labs are routinely forgotten and chained in backyards and they are the most popular dog breed in America, Labs are not the top killers, pitbull are. Beagles are routinely penned up in backyards and ignored. They are given no human socialization but they do not pose any threat to humans when they get loose. Most dog bites are nothing more than a minor annoyance, as they rarely break the skin. This is why you don't hear about them on the news. If a normal dog is in a fight it will fight until the opponent submits and then stop. Pitbulls don't bite, They maul. They do not stop when the victim submits, they keep on mauling until the pet or human is left in parts. The other problem with pitbulls is that they are extremely strong, and were bred to have fewer pain receptors, and are able to keep breathing while attacking. This makes it extremely hard for people to stop a pitbull attack in progress. News stories are full of stories of strong men being mauled and three or more men being unable to get a pitbull to let go of its victim. Mortality, Maiming and Mauling by Vicious Dogs, Annals of Surgery, April 2011, is study of dog injuries in hospitals spanning the last 15 years. The study found that you have a more than 2500 times higher chance of dying if attacked by a pitbull. In addition it found that pitbulls caused the highest hospital charges, and the most deaths, dismemberments, permanent disability, and disfigurement of all breeds. The study also found that pitbulls attack children, and owners much more often than other breeds AND IT IS FAMILY LOVED AND UNABUSED PITBULLS THAT ARE MAULING PEOPLE. Despite be given all the love and care that other

Since my child was attacked by a pitt bull I have been doing alot of research on dog bites and attacks in general. Some of u need to do that before u talk about things u dont know about. My dogs are my family too.BUt it one of them even tried to bite someone I would be considering otherwise. It is proven that pitt bulls attack more than any otherdog. And whats worse is the attacks this year have been on older people or babies. Several infants were killed by there own household pets and the elderly were killed by neighbor dogs. Owners have to start taking responsiblily for there animals. But the problem with this is that most people cant even take care of there kids. Why would we think they wouldtake care of there animals? If banning pitt bulls is not what everyone wants then help come up with a way to control this problem..Because it is a problem.

I have done reasearch that tends to indicate that attacks by Pit Bulls, far out strip attacks by other breeds. Don't take my word for it,do your own reseach and you will arrive at the same conclusions as I have. I suggest you go to court and watch a jury when they are informed that this benign,loving house pet that just savaged a child is a "Pit Bull." Some insurance companies will revoke your coverage, if they find out you have a Pit Bull on your property. Better yet, ask a lawyer about your chances in court if your "Pit Bull" attacks someone. Why own a "Redneck status symbol" that will only ruin you in the blink of an eye? Think! Do you REALLY want to face a jury after your "Pit Bull" ravages a child?