The APBT has been plagued with negative publicity a lot recently. There are at least 25 other purebred dogs that can be misidentified as an APBT as well as many crosses/mixes that have similar characteristics. Few people are truly able to correctly identify this breed. In the midst of an attack, in a panic situation, if they see a dog with short hair, muscles, and a boxy head they think automatically "Pit Bull". Not always true but with the negativity surrounding the breed I can understand their reaction.
I am in no way saying that there are no attacks done by the APBT, just pointing out that "Pit Bull" is such a generic term that it can include many different breeds and crosses of dog.
There are other dogs that attack and if you google news with dog bite or dog attack in your search, you will find more than just the "Pit Bull" It's just that when people hear "Pit Bull" they want to read what happened. They actually seem to enjoy hearing bad things about these animals. It a name that sells and interests people whether it's positive or negative.
Now, in regards to the APBT's that do bite. When it comes to raising these dogs, it should be top priority to socialize well. They can be protective of their owners and territory and if not taught that all humans are acceptable, you have a possibly dangerous situation. If a dog is kept isolated from others, it learns to fear other humans as possible threats. If owners of these dogs don't raise them properly, as with any breed, they become a risk. It's just unfortunate that they are larger than a shih tzu so can cause more damage when they do bite. Side note, all those reports you read about PSI levels for dog bites are out of wack. All dogs fall within the same range of power, about 230 PSI. The APBT usually holds and shakes, while a lot of other breeds will bite, let go, bite, let go, etc. Each type of bite causes different kinds of damage.
Now, we all realize that bad owners who raise them to be aggressive need to be removed from the picture. That's a given. A lot of the attacks that you hear of are free roaming unaltered animals. Bad situation on all counts.
There is also the BYB's that are in it for the money, so temperament testing their dogs doesn't even come into the picture. This creates an instability in the breed that has proven to be dangerous to people and to the breed itself. It never used to be this way, they were known as nanny dogs and could be trusted implicitly. It's a sad state of affairs.
All in all, these dog are not for everyone. Unless you have a lot of experience with raising smart, strong willed dogs, and train diligently, you may be setting up our breed for extinction.
When the APBT became the new fad breed to own, it was only a matter of time until problems arose. It happened with GSD's, Rott's, Dobie's and I'm sure, other breeds as well. To me, proper education about the breed instead of emotional reactions to news stories will, in the end, save these fine animals from extinction. At least, I'm hoping it will. I have never owned a better breed of animal. If bred and raised properly, they make fantastic animals that I take great pride in owning. I love my dogs above and beyond all the bad press they get, and as many others who own them will say, there is no other breed that I will love as much.
No wonder the dog bit him, If I were a dog so would I. Now they are going to PTS the dog for defending herself.
