spinoff: Pit Bulls

im surprised how many ppl are afraid of Pit Bulls.

i have met tons and they are by far one of my favorite types of dogs. they are the most loving creatures. ive never met one i didnt like or one that scared me.


same goes for Rotties, Dobermans, etc



its weird to me how the media portrays these dogs as "mean". i am no fool and i know tons are raised to fight, but that is a small portion of them.

i think that if they hear of a pit bull attack or rottie attack it will DEF make the news, while if a lab or golden makes an attack they wouldnt be as quick to broadcast it.


just my opinions. lets discuss

and if youre afraid of certain breeds? these or others please share.
and why not others breeds

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

as ive said in another post the only dogs that scare me is Golden Retrievers

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

well the problem is with pits is that there has been sooooo much crazy inbreeding
the dog has LOCK JAW
and thye are known to be on the AGGRESSIVE side

yes i am sure there are plenty of great Pits....

but the likelihood of something bad happening with that kind of dog or a Persa Canario...

YOU ARE DEAD...

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

I grew up with a dobie and she was the sweetest dog you could ever imagine a complete mush! My uncle had a rottie who was so gentle with my grandmother who was in a wheelchair. But I will admit that I am intimidated by pit bulls. Like Red said the jaw thing scares me and how so many have been bred to fight that it's in their breeding now.I know it depends on their training and up bringing but IMHO I would:

1) be more hesitant to get one with a child in the house

2) as with all dogs I am weary when approaching an unfamiliar dog but I am especially weary approaching a pit bull

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

I'm not afraid of any breed of dog as a rule. The only time I was ever afraid of a dog was the pit bull a friend of ours "found" on his delivery route. Their vet she was obviously raised as a breeder. Eventually this initially sweet tempered dog became aggressive to the point where people didn't bother coming over to their house. When their Pitt attacked their other dog, they had to get rid of her.

I agree with Red, when dogs are breed to be vicious & aggressive, it is in their nature that eventually they will attack.

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

I am not afraid of any breed of dog - I have been in fear when a dog has gone after me, but have never been bit - Thank God.
I have friend who have had pit's and they were the most loving, sweet dogs imaginable.
I also had two dobermans in my life and again the most lovable babies you could imagine - totally not aggressive.
We have a Weimeraner now and she is actually the most aggressive dog I have ever had(she's never bit anyone, but she does bark and/or growl at strangers)
That all being said - I have had dogs come after me of any and all breeds and depending on how they are coming after me dictates wether I am afraid or not. Also, some breeds just lend themselves to fear. wether it be from media or television it just is that way. Pitbulls, due to overbreeding and dogfighting, are now known as aggressive dogs. There is nothing we can do about it. Even if you get a pit, that doesn't mean the rest of the world is going to think all pits are nice, people who are ignorant will just think your pit is nice and the rest are aggressive. Nothing you can do about it.

Gerty getting off soapbox now to walk her dog

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

both of my dogs are part pit and they are great dogs...very smart and loyal

Pits get a bad name b/c people don't know how to train them...or rather they train them to be killers

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

i'm terribly scared of big dogs.....

pitbulls, rottweilers, anything big!!!

a cute doggie (the kind from the show fraser) down the block from me got bit by a LOOSE pitbull....i'm on the search for the owner-cuz i think its HORRIBLE that this dog got bit

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

i have 2 pitts next to me, the female can be a little crazy with the male but never horrible enough to scare me... i grew up with a rottie , who wass a show dog, trained in everyway possible,even attack, but only when given the comand.... i hate when people use history to be affraid of a dog, if the dog is not trained right and taken care of properly then if you see it you should report it, those are the dogs that attack. jmho

eta: i have been bit by a shizue(sp) 3 differant times, i stay far away from them now, but i am not terrified of them, just like people sometime you just can't get along

Message edited 9/18/2006 8:00:22 AM.

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

I have an American Bulldog and many times she is mistaken for a pitbull. I have had mothers grab their children as I walked by with my dog. The bully breeds in general are discriminated against. I've experienced it first hand, it's sad.....this is why I took Dukes story so personal. I am an absolute dog lover but there is a German Shepard around the corner that is so aggressive he scares me, and that takes alot! Usually the bigger the dog the more I love them Any dog big or small raised the wrong way can do significant damage.

Message edited 9/18/2006 10:30:54 AM.

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

Pit bulls scare the crap outta me. So do rottweilers, but to a lesser degree.

In general though, I love dogs.

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

I had a Rottie - sweetest dog in the world...

It's nature vs. nurture to some degree. Some breeds have it in them to be aggressive attackers. If they are raised right, however, that side may not reveal itself. Unfortunately, I am leery of some breeds because I don't trust the owner, not the dog.

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

My really good friend has a pit and he is a complete mush. That said- I am always wary around ANY big dogs I don't know. I have to admit though- pits in general have a scary look to me. Their heads are HUGE, the barrel chest. Jackson (my friend's dog) is a big baby, but he LOOKS so tough, and OMG- he is STRONG. One time at the dog park, I watched a man swing Jackson around from a rope/chew toy thing. He wasn't swinging lightly either- all four paws were off the ground- for a long time. Apparently it's his favorite thing to do- but it goes to show how STRONG those jaws are. If I didn't know Jackson-I'd probably steer clear.....

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

I think it is the way people raise pits and rotties that is the problem. I understand people being afraid of these types of dogs. I know a few people who have put bulls and all but one of them are very sweet dogs. The other one is a different story and I am scared to death of him. My DH's family had a rottweiler and he was the sweetest dog, he was very gentle and loved to cuddle. I was afraid of him when I first met him but then he grew on me. He was raised to know that he was NOT the boss and it worked well. People need to be trained on how to raise these types of dogs, IMHO

I would never judge anyone for being afraid of anything, that is not my place.

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

I wanted a rottie still love them (although I love my Rudy dog) You have to remember that a lot of people have these types of dogs and RAISE them to be agressive. They can be trained to be agressive it's their nature.

In Miami it's illegal to own a pit bull.

Why do you think that lots of people have them at junkyards and places like that as protection (I think thats disgusting BTW)


You can't say that "i can't believe people are scared of them" We can't say "I can't believe you are scared of Goldens"

Message edited 9/18/2006 1:21:04 PM.

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

I am the biggest dog lover but yes I am certainly afraid of certain breeds... I am afraid of Rottie's, pit bulls and germen Shepard's... I think that by nature these dogs are more aggressive and I am very cautious of them (I was somewhat attacked by all these breeds which I am sure has to do with my fear of them)

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

I think certain breeds have earned a bad rep for a reason. Whether it's because of bad owners/trainers/breeders, it's no less true. It's more than one or a couple of bad apples. Pitbulls ARE aggressive.

I've only met one in my life (that I actually got close enough to to pet) and she was sweet as can be, yet I would never trust that breed of dog.

Unfortunately for me, most of the pitbulls I've grown up around were ill-bred, poorly trained (if at all) or worse, trained for fighting and to be aggressive so that is how I know them.

It's a known fact that some breeds are more aggressive than others. Of course training and raising plays a huge part in how that dog ultimately behaves, but you cannot deny that some breeds of dogs are more aggressive than others.

So I think it's fine if I'm a little cautious, afraid of, or intimidated around a breed of dog known to be aggressive, especially when I have no clue how that particular dog was raised and who their owner is.

Another breed that I am wary of is Chow Chows. We've had at least three within my extended family (I myself owned a Chow mix at one time) and they have all bit. All three had to be put down because of that.

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

I was MAULED as a child by a Doberman NAMED SHADOW.. I still have scars but they have faded over the years .. SO by instinct Or post traumatic stress I WILL never EVER go near one of those sucka s again ... ......

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

I grew up with Dobies all my life, so I'm not afraid of them. Pit bulls have a bad name for themselves but I found a pit mixed dog and brought it home for my dh...who turned out to be the sweetest dog ever. I am afraid of BIG dogs...like Akitas. I was attacked by one, so that's why I'm afraid of them.

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

Am I afraid of Pit Bulls? No.

Would I own one? No. The reason being just because of their genetics and what they were and are bred for. Big difference between a Pit Bull's bite and a Labrador's bite.

Actually, the nastiest dog I know and the one most likely to take a bite is my parents' Yorkshire Terrier! If that dog senses any fear...he'll come after ya'.


All dogs are capable of biting, but my DH and I would rather have one that isn't predisposed genetically to have agressive behaviors or the physical build to do serious damage.

Message edited 9/18/2006 9:39:18 AM.

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

Re: spinoff: Pit Bulls

I am scared of Pits, Rotties and Chows.

I never approach ANY of those dogs and I've had many a bad experience with Rotties (going to a friend's house and when I go off to use the restroom the dog won't let me out of the bathroom & growls at me).

Unfortunately for the dog- there are just too many out there that aren't trained or bred well- and I just don't want to take a chance.