Disproving Myths About the Pit Bull
Nowadays, people who want to appear “tough” often go out and buy Pit Bulls. This in itself isn’t too bad—but then they teach them to behave aggressively towards people and animals…which eventually leads to their bad reputation.
Isn't it true that pit bulls account for more dog attacks than any other dog breed?
No! This is one of the most common perceptions about the pit bull, and it is a myth. The truth is that pits are no more dangerous than the next breed of dog--actually, it is just as dangerous as the Number One family dog of 2012, the Labrador Retriever. In fact, pits match Labradors in size and strength, yet outdid them in temperament--so who's to say that Labradors are actually the more dangerous dog?
The media often portrays faux statistics or "selectively" reports dog attacks--meaning that they often select the attacks that involve pit bulls to show on the nightly news because they make the biggest splash! This leads to many peoples' (mislead) notion that pit bulls account for over 50% of dog attacks and bites in the country.
The media often portrays faux statistics or "selectively" reports dog attacks--meaning that they often select the attacks that involve pit bulls to show on the nightly news because they make the biggest splash! This leads to many peoples' (mislead) notion that pit bulls account for over 50% of dog attacks and bites in the country.
Doesn't the pit bull have "locking jaws"?
No, pit bulls do not have locking jaws; in fact, they were originally bred to catch and HOLD hunted animals WITHOUT KILLING THEM, so if their jaws locked, they couldn't have managed it. It was only later that they became popular dogfighting dogs.
Don't pit bulls kill everything they can find before eventually turning on their owners? Isn't it DANGEROUS to have pit bulls around children? Won't they kill children? Aren't pit bulls just killing machines in disguise?
No, pit bulls, in fact, are very loyal, non-vicious dogs. They were often known as "nanny dogs", because of their loyalty to the children of their house. In fact, in one temperament test in 2002, pit bulls ranked in the 82nd percentile, amazingly high for any dog. They were placed above Golden Retrievers and Labradors, common family dogs.
In fact, when pit bulls were bred as fighting dogs and used to fight bulls (and sometimes other dogs) in rings, it was extremely dangerous for the dogs' owners to separate the dogs during a fight if the need occurred. So they bred in the traits of undying loyalty and adaptibility. Therefore, these fighting dogs would never potentially hurt their owners if they knew what they were doing.
The dogs had to be handled before the fights, and were often kept as family pets when they were not fighting. Therefore, they had to be safe around children, as the owners and handlers of these dogs often had children. Unless mistreated, pit bulls will ferociously PROTECT the children of their household. In fact, pit bulls are quite like Nanna, the Old English Sheepdog from the Disney classic movie "Peter Pan". They often sit by the childrens' beds or by their desks, watching over them.
Obviously, the pit bulls we know today were bred to fight with other dogs. This does mean they are prone to attacking other animals, but numerous studies have proven that with proper socialization, these dogs can be as friendly and sociable as any other dog.
In fact, when pit bulls were bred as fighting dogs and used to fight bulls (and sometimes other dogs) in rings, it was extremely dangerous for the dogs' owners to separate the dogs during a fight if the need occurred. So they bred in the traits of undying loyalty and adaptibility. Therefore, these fighting dogs would never potentially hurt their owners if they knew what they were doing.
The dogs had to be handled before the fights, and were often kept as family pets when they were not fighting. Therefore, they had to be safe around children, as the owners and handlers of these dogs often had children. Unless mistreated, pit bulls will ferociously PROTECT the children of their household. In fact, pit bulls are quite like Nanna, the Old English Sheepdog from the Disney classic movie "Peter Pan". They often sit by the childrens' beds or by their desks, watching over them.
Obviously, the pit bulls we know today were bred to fight with other dogs. This does mean they are prone to attacking other animals, but numerous studies have proven that with proper socialization, these dogs can be as friendly and sociable as any other dog.