wow, a little disagreement, huh? well, seeing as i started this thread, let me set the record straight. as it's been said before, pit bulls are not the breed for everyone. they are a breed that should be treated with great respect. when trained correctly from a young age, they can be absolutely wonderful dogs, very loyal & protective of their family. however, most pit bulls are dog aggressive. i'm not saying all of them. i know plenty of pits that aren't, but it's a thing to consider when you're getting one. they are very strong-willed & determined breeds, so training that aggression out of them can be tricky, & some of them do revert back to it.
on the note of pit bulls attacking people, i have also had a bad experience with one. i was in a bad neighborhood & a pit bull came out of nowhere & took hold of my pants leg & started jerking its head back & forth. i was terrified because i was only about 8 or 9 at the time. eventually the owners called the dog off. i realized that they had been standing there the whole time laughing at me! i soon realized that it wasn't the dog's fault at all. it was the stupid ignorant humans who didn't train him, & then let him out into the front yard without a leash.
the fear against pit bulls is sad. i own a 110-pound pit bull mix. he is dog aggressive, but he gets along great with our 3 other dogs. i taught him how to walk nicely by my side when he was a puppy, so he never pulls. he gets a little on-edge when he sees a dog, but he never ever pulls me. so, anyway...he's very friendly to people. he does get a little timid at times, but if you just respect his space, he won't bother you. so, one day, we had the front door open, but the screen door was shut, but someone didn't latch it, so if you just leaned on it, it would open. my dog was out by the door, & a woman with a baby in a stroller walked by. suddenly, he jumped on the door, opened it, & ran outside, & can you believe what that woman did??? she ran from him & left her baby!!! i'm fairly sure that my dog wouldn't have hurt her, but seriously?? leave your baby?? the fear is ridiculous!
i am determined to change the rep of pit bulls!!!!!!