Maybe you should read this....
Now you're probably wondering, what's the point to my story? Nothing, just sharing my experience with a pitbull... one that I would give my life for, and wish we had never put so much trust into one person, to give up something so precious. I truly wish I still had her, and would have seen through the young couple. She by far, was the sweetest, most intelligent dog I ever met. She did not have one mean bone in her body, but if someone threatened her, or the ones she loved, of course she would defend them/herself. Any dog would... even a GR would defend their family if left threatened.
Pit bulls are based solely on their raising and breeding. Breeders today that find the joy in breeding these dogs for money, are finding that these dogs are more popular if they are big, muscled, with huge heads and fierce looking. They don't bother to test for temperment. I would have to say, the only time I would EVER agree with dog fighting, was when it was first introduced. The 'dogmen' of the early years would treat these dogs with respect as if it were their own family member. They never beat these dogs, nor did they starve them or neglect them. They properly conditioned them, and loved them in their homes. Today, people put too much emphasis on making the dog mean so it will attack. These dogs were bred to hunt bore and wild hogs. They would bring them down for butchers and hunters. It was a sport for some time, and was soon outlawed, as being seen 'cruel' and 'inhumane', which is when dog fighting soon came in to play.
These dogs were bred with sound temperment, to be sure there were no defects in their genes, and they were healthy. Why were they bred to friendly you ask? Because a dog handler had to have been able to pull their dog off of the other when told to do so, without being bitten. If the dog bit its handler, the dog was immediately shot. Yes it sounds cruel, but was for the best of the breed and the dog. Would you want to live with a dog that has already once bit you under circumstances that it's supposed to trust you? I surely wouldn't and that's why these dogs were raised in their homes while not fighting, to be wonderful family dogs. They were raised to guard their farms and homes, and left for as watchers for their children. We all know now though that NO dog should be left unattended with a child. No matter the breed, it is just unsafe. I wouldn't even leave my child alone with someone who may seem nice and caring, but unless they were a family member, I would not leave my child with them.
I am not for dog fighting.... I am truly highly against it, especially with the way the people today handle it. They are cruel, inhumane idiots that shouldn't own a dog of any sort. THESE people are the ones that are breeding these dogs to be "killing machines". If one dog is bred to a highly aggressive dog... more than likely the pups will pick up on this temperment, and thus ruins a whole generation and many many years of careful precise breeding to make a sound stable dog, and will now take many years to undo.
They were bred from a bull dog that needed to be diverse in combination with being a guard and catch dog for farmers. Bulldogs and Terriers were the cross, and they were much different then, than they are of todays bully breeds. They were tall, with a smaller head, quick and alert.
They were never bred as killing machines, and in fact were never first entirely bred to be dog fighters. They were once used on farms... to protect the farmer of unrully bulls. They were taught to control the livestock if they got out of hand. They only LEARNED to be aggressive towards dogs, they passed this LEARNED temperment onto their pups. People misunderstood this trait and turned it into something disasterous that the breed was never meant to be used for. These dogs have now LEARNED a different way to act, and passed this LEARNED temperment onto their pups, and is slowly tearing apart their true breed.
Sorry for so long, but it ticks me off when there are people who call these dogs "killing machines". I'm more afraid of a Fox Terrier down my street than I would be of a wandering pit bull.
One thing a pitty will never let go of is your heart! They only exhibit what they have learned is 'acceptable' to another human being. They don't understand why people judge them as killers.... the HUMAN they were owned by turned them into killers, and the dog should not be blamed for it!
This was posted by somebody off of another board. I thought it was a good post. I had to chop it short though, so you missed the best part.
