I don't understand what the fuss is about. I was brought up in the country around farms where dogs were rarely ever leashed or chained up. I was rarely ever scared of a dog and I didn't even know what a breed was, other than a Chihuahua till I was in my late teens. Twenty years later I have lived all around the world and met many dogs of many breeds. I have met several pit bulls over the years and at one time fed into the propaganda that they were dangerous. I grew up, learned and saw for myself that a dog acts in accordance to how they are trained no matter what the breed. My semi absent grandfather had a Chihuahua that was one of the few dogs that ever frightened me, she would try to bite anyone that got near him and he taunted it to. I have found smaller dogs are more likely to bite than larger ones and even that has to do with what the owner has taught them. I now live with a pit bull and am happy to see others at the dog park and pet stores.
My pit bull is the sweetest dog I have ever met. She is the only animal I have ever met that I can take something out of her mouth with no trouble at all. She releases the bone and looks at me like "why did you take that from me mom." Then she goes to do something else. She sleeps at night between me and my fiance underneath the covers. She has lots of allergies and I have to check her ears and face to clean her wounds from scratching and though she doesn't like it, she lets me. She greets me at the door everyday with love, licking my face. If I cry or get upset she comes to me, licks my face and sits on my lap to make me feel better. Every pit bull I have met has been the sweetest dog I have ever met. I am not stupid I know that there are pit bulls that are nasty and mean, but I am also aware that there are many other dogs out there that are nasty and mean. They are this way cause they have been taught to be this way. I have an Aussie mix as well and she is more liable to bite someone she finds a threat than my pit.
People like Michael Vic who raise dogs to fight, could very well have raised any other bread to do the same thing. He tied them up just far enough away from one another to taunt each other. He used many methods to taunt and teach them to be malicious. Many of those dogs can never be released due to what he did to them, but then again look humans who were abuse in there young life. There are many people suffering from PPSD that have turned out well, from rehabilitation while others have ended up in a life of crime unable to get over what has happened to them. Any other animal will respond in the same manner to abuse. My Aussie was abused and if I barely raise my voice she runs to her cage house and lays down in fear. On another hand if a strange man comes near me or shows up unexpected she acts as though she might rip his head off, but once I show her its ok she stands back while my pit bull just wants to lick everyone. My pit bull came to us as a puppy so all she knows is us, while my Aussie was different, but my point here is how an abused animal can act. My Aussie gets upset but men in hats cause of who abused her, much like abused humans may act towards someone who looks like their abuser. I got lucky with my Aussie, she has learned that she is safe with us and obeys well. We even take her backpacking and she never leaves our side, even without a leash, the pit will run ahead a bit but never get out of sight or she comes back. Many people tell us that there is no way their dog would be that good in the woods. They know who loves and feeds them, thats why they act like they do.
The problem is not breads, the problem as with many problems in this world is negative behaviour is contagious. No matter if it is toward humans or animals, if we mistreat others or animals they will most likely mistreat others. If we want our animals to change we need to change.
