[Pairadocs]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

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.

You said what is usually left unsaid ! I am sure there are many many "sweet" pit bulls and others, mastiff perhaps ? But you said it all, they are what they are, not the best breed for domestic pets, but many will disagree and never have a problem. It reminds me of the tragic Siegfried & Roy horror... after all those years of domestic breeding of their own line of while tigers, their pets living exactly like human children in their home, and then...... as you said... and THEN..... nature.