if the title of this thread read:

ARE DOGS DANGEROUS ?

I beleive that many people would respond in the same way to what they have:
YES IN THE WRONG HANDS - ALWAYS
They can be made into weapons very easily.

Bull breeds are more of a threat as they are stronger, have a larger "bite" and can do more serious damage than a smaller less powerful dog.

I write Bull breeds and not just specifically Pit bulls very deliberately. I only beleive that these dogs are dangerous due to the nature in which they are used, illegaly bred in this country and used for illegal purposes such as dog fighting.

But let us not forget what we are discussing - most people in this country will have a negative reaction to a pitbull - firstly because they are a banned breed, so should not be here, and secondly because few of us will ever be likely to meet a well bred socialised one for exactly the same reason.

I truly believe in the right hands they can be lovely family pets just like staffies and many other bull breeds. However in the wrong hands just like any other dog they can be lethal.

Anyone in this country who owns a pitbull less than 16 yrs old are idiotic - and in most cases are owning that dog for the wrong reason. However that doesnt mean that the Pitbull itself is anymore dangerous - just the fools that own them.

My staffie probably has the same capacity to serioously injure than a pitbull - strong jaw, very muscular etc etc - he wouldnt though as he is a gentle beast when it comes to people. That is through socialisation and a love of humans.


If for arguments sake i had a pitbull in the same scenario as bruno I would feel the same way.

i will hate to see staffies go the same way as pits though and the amount of staffies in rescue centres all over this country makes me glad that pits are illegal here as we would have exactly the same scenario with them as we do with staffies - idiots wanting them for the wrong reasons and then getting rid when the going gets tough.

I just wanted to say, that I think it's unfair to say that all people owning a pitbull nowadays are irresponsible or the 'wrong sort' of owners. Yes, they may be owners who haven't researched their breeds, or dogs very well, but I honestly believe that there are a lot of people out there, that have taken on pit bulls and pit bull crosses and have them as pets, not as a status symbol, but purely because when they spoke to friends and family about getting a pup, people pointed them towards local, byb and they ended up with a dog that they didn't even know was banned. Think about it, the DDA hasn't been high profile throughout the 16 years...
It's unfair to say all those people are irresponsible because i'm guessing many love their dogs and are responsible.

But is it not irresponsible to take on a dog without first researching the breed?
And is it not irresponsible to take an illegal dog, knowing that it could be taken from you and destroyed?
I've no doubt at all that some of these owners love their dogs... but they could just as easy have loved a dog of any breed..

I'm not disagreeing with you Ian, in an ideal world everyone would throroughly research before getting a dog, but sadly most people don't, that doesn't mean they are bad owners though, it just means they want a dog, have no idea how to get one, and ask around. Yes, they should research, but they don't. By not researching some people have ended up with a pit bull or pit bull cross, I don't think that means we should judge them and call them irresponsible owners,they have just done what oh so many people do and get a pup through word of mouth. I just don't think we should be consigning them to the 'terrible,irresponsible owners' heap for that.

Not suggesting they are "terrible" people... and not suggesting that we should take them out back and beat them with a stick either... but regardless to whether it's done in ignorance or not.. they simply are "IRRESPONSIBLE" if they take on a banned dog and/or a dog they have no knowledge of or done no research into... and when something terrible happens should we sit back and say "awww wasn't her fault, she's/he's not a terrible person, she/he just didn't know... poor thing"

I'm just saying, if someone decides to get a dog, asks around, are told of a local litter and are told by the byb that they are great with kids blah blah blah...it's a tad harsh of us to call them irresponsible, naive yes, irresponsible suggests they were procative in it...

how many people take on crossbreeds, with no real idea of what is in them??? Is that irresponsible? You can't research the breed if you haven't got a clue what it is....

I think most people would agree that the proper procedure to get a pup/dog would be to research not only the breed but also the breeder... I know what your saying and yes it happens and it's not neccissarily completely their fault but it's still irresponsible IMO and I doubt very much that ignorance would stand up as a very strong case in court... However... I think we've drifted off-topic a little so I shall bow out now

I have not met a pitbull but feel as other do, they are no worse than any other breed, unless bred for fighting which can make them have a dangerous personality, then other breeds could also be used so does not seem fiar to ban only Pitbulls, its the owners who need chained up!! (ones who let them fight I mean sorry) Here we have some terrier crosses which are very viscious, made so deliberately and some lurchers which are so pretty but being trained to kill cats daily here dangerous for children to touch too! so dubious as to whether pitbulls a really dangerous breed. I remember Rottweilers being classed as that many years ago and when we went to buy a Cairn terrier from a top breeder in Scotland she insisted we meet her Rotty and stroke hi and so on, all of the family, it was a test to see if we withdrew from it and therefore were not fit to own any type of dog! we passed, it was a real softy, anyway good thread,

Personally if you take on a Pit Bull these YOU ARE THE ONE who is risking there lives. I could never do it, as much as i adore and love and respect the American Pit Bull Terrier, while they are banned i would not take one on as i could never go through that where the dog could be taken away from me for no reason. Then if and ever the DDA is lifted then I believe for the breed to be able to develop and gain the public back only selective owners who really are aware of everything about the Pit Bull should be able to have them. Its time for a new way as the DDA is not working what so ever

Have to say, 75% of dogs I meet are rescues.... :smt002 But I also appreciate what you're saying, in an ideal world everyone would research breeders and breed....