Pit Bull and Pit Bull mixes are ticking time bombs. It is in their DNA to be aggressive.
Lets take this arguement step by step. 1) Dogsbite.org was created by a women that was bitten by a pit bull type dog. Rather than looking at the circumstances surrounding the incident, (her story has changed and been refuted by evidence in the case), she focuses on the breed rather than the real problem. You should research her background, you will find she is not a trustworty source nor is she an expert on dog behavior. 2)Your research centers around her website, which takes stories straight from the media and is not corrected after a proper investigation of each incident is completed. Some of the stories indicate the wrong dogs entirely and others have no evidence the dog is anything but a mixed breed dog (what is a pit bull? Any dog between 25 and 85 pounds with short hair risks being labeled a pit bull). While most are muscular, I have come across many in my volunteer work that are not. For the real incident reports look at National Canine Research Council which does a full report each year after a full investigation. 3) There is no research indicating a common gene that predertimines aggression. However, they did find that dogs with high drives ( including border collies) that were not exercised in a safe and healthy way could begin to show aggression. 4) Human aggression and Canine aggression are different, although anyone stepping in on a dog attack is at risk of injury if they do not know the proper way to stop the fight. Most people don't. 5) They have never been able to determine what actually happened with the pit bull advocate story you are talking about. There were no witnesses and no indication why one of the dogs bit her other than she may have fallen off a ladder. The other dog was not involved in the incident. 6) Hundreds have died through history, perhaps, but more die per year from 5 gallon buckets of water, cribs and falling coconuts. Statistical fact. 7) The large majority of pit bull type dogs live in average homes and are not breed or trained for aggression or dog fighting. Any large dog breed for these is a safety hazard. 8) The history of the "pit bull" is misrepresented., but beyond that, pit bull type dogs were not only breed for fighting, most through history were ranch dogs and family dogs. 9) Despite what an uneducated or irresponsible owner may tell you after an incident, pit bulls do not just snap, they show signals just like other dogs. 11) Words do not heal gaping wounds created by any breed of dog. 12) It is not just like Border Collies or Greyhounds. First of all, Border Collies and Greyhounds are specific breeds created for one main purpose. Second, their behavior does not go against their canine nature. Dogs are social animals, first living in packs then with humans. I am not putting my head in the sand. I have done my research through experts on dog behavior and have had my own experiences as a volunteer. All dog owners need to handle their dogs responsibly and educate themselves.
People will offer a thousand excuses as to why it would never be their dog because of how it is raised but there are certain inherent problems with pit bulls that make them a problem. The first, and most prevalent problem, is over breeding and poor breeding. Pit bulls are very strong, have a very high pain tolerance, that combined with poor breeding, the fact that they are territorial, animal aggressive, not terribly smart compared to other breeds with their capabilities and they can be skittish is a recipe for disaster as the numbers prove. I have loved pit bulls but I would not own one. I own a dangerous breed, we own German Shepherds, but there are smarter breeds to choose for families than the pit bull.
So, I didn't ask either parent if it was okay.
Would you let your 8 year old daughter wear these shoes? (pic)