They are no more dangerous than any other breed,
BSL is unfair and does not work,i would like to see it scraped and harsher penalties for irresponsible owners.
We can not judge a whole breed on the actions of one dog and it's irresponsible owner.

Pitbulls in some parts of the US are used as PAT search and rescue,sniffer dogs etc....

In the right hands they are gentle loving loyal family pets.

They are victims of hyped up media and press.

Pit Bulls are no more dangerous than any other breed people make them dangerous. I do belive though they are the kind of dog that needs a special kind of owner rather than any Joe Bloggs down the road having one who knows nothing about the breed.

IMO - they are as dangerous as any other dog in the wrong hands - but i do think like i have said before they have the breeding of fighting dogs - MY OPINION SO DONT SLATE ME FOR IT

Nobody is slating you,but the fact remains that Pit Bulls are NO MORE dangerous than ANY other dog.As Sal says BSL is just plain stupid and does absolutely nothing to deter the morons that do teach these clever dogs to bite.But any dog can be trained to be a man biter.Just because a Pit bull was and unfortunately still are used to fight doesn't mean that all of them will bite or attack.We need to target the scum that are fighting them and not the breed itself.

I do not believe Pit Bulls are dangerous.

I used to work at a veterinary hospital and would see tons of pits come in. They would come in for vaccs, surgeries, boarding, or even just a nice bath. They were all very sweet, loving dogs that just wanted some love and attention. I was more than happy to give them what they wanted.

My dad had a full blooded pit once. He is 48 years old and says that that Pit Bull was the best dog he had ever owned or see combined. The poor thing ended up being hit by a car, ending its life too early. I don't remember the dog, I don't even think I was born. But that was probably the only time my dad ever cried out of a broken heart.

I agree with everything that has been said about Pits being what they are made out to be. I also agree with the fact that they would afflict much more damage than the average dog, but that's only if the Pit actually bites. It's not going to hurt anyone by rolling around on its back in the spring sunlight in the backyard. =) I believe they are beautiful, wonderful dogs who deserve a better reputation that what they currently have.

But, I do have a major respect for the power that they do have in those mighty muscles and jaws.

A dog is only as dangerous as the handler allows or encourages the dog to be [ incuding managing / rehabbing dogs with issues caused prior to ownership ], regardless of breed.

I did know one Pit very well many years ago [ long before the DDA list ]. He was soppy and sweet natured, always giving the ` pleeeeeze cuddle me` eyes, and the cuddles given to him were always received with a happy wag. Despite his obvious physical strength he was very gentle indeed, beautifully socialised, without a bad bone in his toward other dogs, cats, adults and very small children alike. He was what I would consider `typical` of his breed, loyal, very people friendly, confident in himself but without an ounce of pushyness.
If I were assessing him for temperament today, as a rescue say, I would have no qualms whatsoever in classing him as child safe with the same proviso as with *any* dog of any breed or mix that the parents not allow their children to torment him and all the other simple commonsense child / dog things pertinant to any dog. I would though say that certainly in his case a child would have to do a heck of a lot to him to get even a flicker of a negative reaction.
That was partly down to breed trait of being so people friendly anyway, physical strength / build which meant he had a pretty high pain threshold generally speaking, along with his amazing patience and stoic nature which was much to do with him being brought up so well and him having a naturally very sunny temperament anyway.
If all Pits were brought up like he was, then they would be the least likely candidates for when the DDA list came about. I can think of many little dogs which were far more dangerous than he was.

What makes them dangerous is not their born temperament any more than any other dog [ and theirs toward people are considerably better than many `softer` breeds imo ], its their sheer strength and power which means a potentially very bad bite and their pain threshold means they would often take more damage in a fight than other breeds so would/do keep going to defend themselves even when very badly damaged. To be in such situations however are not down to the dogs but the handlers.

So no, I do not believe Pits are a `dangerous breed` in themselves, they are the victims of human greed and cruelty in the way they have been and sometimes continue to be used, and are clearly made into weapon in the hands of the criminal elements and wannabe `hard men` who feel the need to have a `hard` dog in the same way as some men are seen as having a certain part of anatomy envy which they try to make up for by driving flashy cars.

I agree with what has already been said, pitbulls are no more dangerous than any other dog in the wrong hands, my OH used to own one and he was lovely, never hurt anyone or anything. Cant say it enough PUNISH THE DEED NOT THE BREED!

I have to say yes, in the wrong hands, or when they go wrong, Pit Bulls are incredibly dangerous. Their very design, very high pain threshold, powerful jaws, no quitting nature makes them lethal among the average dog. Im NOT slamming the breed, but taking the breed as it is and what it is.
Dawn.

That's very true Dawn but i can also think of other breeds that this would apply to that are not listed on the DDA.

I definatley don't think they should be banned! I have done a fair bit of research into them over the last few months and i think they are the most amazing breed! i have the pleasure of knowing someone who owns one which is a lovely dog.
Just wanted to add this link for people to have a look at!
http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/pospress.php

just wondering why there is 252 views but only 19 replies? there must be some people who are against this breed! just want to hear they're reasons? i'm interested in why people would be against them!