My brother had a pit bull. It was the sweetest, most even-tempered dog ever.
Right up to the time it attacked his daughter.
You can't blame the dog. A pit bull is what it is. And what it is, is a dog bred to be aggressive; bull-baiting and dog fighting primarily, with a powerful bite strength of 235 psi. But when they bite they don't just bite. They tear. They hang on and rip. That is why a pit bull attack can be the most damaging of any dog, even dogs twice it's size.
Statistics bear out the danger of this breed. In the time-period 2005 - 2017, dog attacks killed 433 Americans. 284 of these deaths were by pit bulls. Rottweilers came in at #2, responsible for 10.4% of the deaths. That is two-thirds of all deaths from dog attacks in America--by a breed that numbers-wise makes up barely 6% of the canine population in this country (International Dog Day 2020 website). Pit bulls lead heavily in the number of reported attacks as well, with 3,397 attacks in the time-period compared to 535 by rottweilers.
Not all pit bulls are dangerous. But far too many times, a trusted family pet turns killer, with the most unsettling statistic being that fully 25% of pit bull fatalities are of children 0-2. My niece was lucky: her father was in the house at the time, interrupted the attack and the pit bull met it's maker a few minutes later courtesy of a .357 magnum bullet to the head. But not all children are so lucky.
Many countries ban pit bulls totally. In America a lot of home insurers won't insure your home if you own a pit bull.
Maybe it's time we looked at banning them too.
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