What makes pit bulls mean

Mickey was facing euthanasia for mauling 4-year-old Kevin Vincente so badly that he cracked his jaw, eye socket and cheekbone. Kevin is facing months of reconstructive surgery, but more people were concerned with saving the dog than helping the boy. Between and , there are only two recorded instances of shelter dogs killing humans.

From to , there were three fatal attacks involving shelter dogs one pit bull, one breed similar to a pit bull, and one Doberman. But from to , there have been 35 shelter dogs who fatally attacked humans. All but 11 were pit bulls. Supporters say pit bulls are getting a bad rap. But there is a growing backlash against the idea that pit bulls are more violent than other dogs.

Why do pointing dogs point? Pit bulls are especially popular in Louisiana and Mississippi, and many of the volunteers responding to Hurricane Katrina found themselves saving stranded dogs.

Most of the pit bulls they saved had been kept inside and behaved well around the rescuers, Clifton said, because they knew their survival depended on it. Clifton said that many of the volunteers, who had very little experience with dog rescue, became attached to the breed and involved in pit-bull advocacy. That movement helped encourage more people to adopt pit bulls as lack of sterilization caused the population to grow. Often times, this can lead to aggression issues no matter how much you socialize your dog.

We have also seen Pit Bulls behave great with other dogs for years and then suddenly turn. We have destroyed this breed. Many of my clients who are Pit Bull owners have to sign up for our boot camp to get control of their dog and maintain the training so they can take their dogs for walks in public, however, many are still unable to turn them loose to play with dogs.

This breed is also in trouble because they require an experienced pet owner but often are adopted out to people who have no clue what they have.

This can be dangerous and continues to hurt the reputation of the Pit Bull. When Pit Bulls do attack, it typically results in major injury and sometimes death so the main stream media pounces on the opportunity to make headlines. I am referring to criminals, drug dealers, and gang members using these dogs as a symbol of toughness. This is why there is such variation in behavior between individual dogs, even when they are of the same breed and bred for the same purpose.

Because of the impact of experience, the pit bull specifically bred for generations to be aggressive may not fight with dogs and the Labrador retriever bred to be a service dog may be aggressive toward people. Early positive experiences, most notably socialization, are considered key in preventing aggressive tendencies in dogs.

Puppies that learn how to interact, play and communicate with both people and members of their own and other species are less likely to show aggressive behavior as adults. Unfortunately, pit bull type dogs that find themselves in these conditions may be at greater risk for developing aggressive behavior. But because these factors are ones that can be controlled by better educated owners, it is possible to reduce these risks, not just in pit bulls but in dogs of all breeds.

The reality is that dogs of many breeds can be selectively bred or trained to develop aggressive traits. Therefore the responsible ownership of any dog requires a commitment to proper socialization, humane training and conscientious supervision.

Despite our best efforts, there will always be dogs of various breeds that are simply too dangerous to live safely in society. Laws that ban particular breeds of dogs do not achieve these aims and instead create the illusion, but not the reality, of enhanced public safety. Notably, there are no statewide laws that discriminate based on dog breed, and 18 states have taken the proactive step of expressly banning laws that single out particular breeds for disparate legal treatment.

Even the White House has weighed in against laws that target specific breeds. All dogs, including pit bulls, are individuals.