i've met many of these typey dogs as i work in rescue and unfortunately have to hand them over to the council for destruction,never once have i met a bad one altho im sure there are dangerous one's out there, not just pitbulls tho

Having owned a pure bred a.p.b.t.many years ago i can give a sample in what you are dealing with.I think they are a good breed in the right hands but it only takes a second for them too turn,even the best of best can turn.I got my bitch off a mate.He sold her to me when she was 4 months old,why,because she wouldnt fight.I took her on.I had to do alot of training with her.They can be very stubborn.She was the perfect pet but even she could have her bad days.To me they can be a time bomb waiting to go off.Years ago i would fight and argue over her,i saw no wrong in her.But i must state these dogs are not for everyone,they are good as companians,guard dogs,very athletic not the type of dog you dont exercise.They can also get very excited when they can not get at anything,say a stranger is passing and starts to goud them they will turn on another dog that is with them only because they cant get at what they want.I was lucky mine was a good pet but still had faults.My saying is in the wrong hands they are very dangerous,in the right hands they can still have a bad day.I hope this makes sense.I would be glad to answer any questions which could explain this demon breed.NOT SO THEY CAN BE AS FRIENDLY AS ANY BULL BREED.

Exactly. In the 1970's the dangerous dogs were the GSD's, int the 1980's it was the dobermann's, in the 1990's it was the Rottweiler and now its the Pitbulls.

I don't have any personal experience in handling this breed but DO NOTbelieve they should be a banned breed, nor should any other. There are enough examples out there of how wonderfull this breed is to the hyperinflated news articles which vilify the breed I would also like to refer you to this link for further reference http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/pospress.php.

Point made. Thanks for your time.

i wouldnt ban them,all dogs are dangerous.But the pitbull needs owners that know what there taking on.

It seems this topic is debated all over the world, and as usual there are passionate opinions either side of the fence. As a "Pitt Bull" owner for the last eight years I have developed strong opinions myself.
Q: Are Pitt Bulls dangerous?
A: As with many things in life, the answer is not black or white. There is no denying that they can be dangerous, but it's unfair to single them out as the breed to be afraid of.
The main cause of the APBT's bad reputation is due to the oxygen thieves who exploit this breed's strength and loyalty for their own selfish reasons. The other problem is the ambiguity over what an APBT is. Some APBT's are on the smaller side, very lean and athletic looking. Others are on the larger side, stocky and muscular. Various colours acceptable, as well as pink or black nose. And it seems the media will call any cross breed a "Pitt Bull".
On the other hand there are a lot of breeders who are improving the breed by only breeding dogs of good temperament and only selling pups to approved homes. Like a lot of other strong breeds the APBT needs a healthy home with responsible owners.
In our home our Pitty is a big part of the family, he looks over my daughters like a big brother should, and is very protective. When the girls go to bed he sleeps under their window, in any weather, so I had to move his kennel there. This breed is "restricted" in Australia but the laws are vague, if they become a banned breed it would be an injustice. I prefer to see people who abuse animals face harsher penalties than they do now.

No, I do not think that Pit bulls are any more dangerous than other breeds but, due to the fact so many are born to mothers who have been raised to fight, they learn the bad traits from their mothers right from puppyhood. This in turn leads to an increased chance of agression from the new generation of pit bulls. I believe it is man who has caused this breed to earn its misunderstood reputation.

Heidi

they have the potential to be dangerous like most dogs - what is dangerous are there are no laws in place to make a real effort to sort the wheat from the chav(sic) with regards to the people that own them.
Sure like any bull breed they may have the potential to not suffer fools gladly with regards to other dogs, but i dont think they pose any more threat than any other breed.

Sorry I haven't had a chance to read this whole thread yet, but will do so just as soon as I get time.

I wanted to say that my view is that pit bulls can most definitely be dangerous. I saw a programme tonight where two pit bulls attacked a large German Shepherd and threw it around like it was nothing It was shocking and upsetting - particularly as the attack was totally unprovoked.

So far I think I have only ever met two pit bull types and they were pups, but already showed the signs of aggression towards my dog.

As with any dog, I think the type of owner can make a large difference to the type of temperament a dog has. However, pit bulls have been bred for centuries to fight/maim and kill other dogs and therefore I believe most APBTs will show some form of aggression towards other dogs. I am also in no doubt that this aggression can be directed towards people with a little nurturing and training.

I hasten to add that I don't blame the dogs, but their breeding, training and the type of owner who is attracted to such a dog.

I however don't believe that an outright ban will work, as clearly there are still APBTs being used as weapons in the underworld in this country.

As others have already said, all dogs can turn and show aggression, but I believe that due to the APBTs make up, strength and power of jaw that this makes it more dangerous than many other breed of dog.

brilliant post

i totalyl agree - you have written it far beter than i could ever!

if pitbulls are no more dangerous than other BREEDS then why do dog fighters choose them?

there are bigger BREEDS, faster BREEDS, smarter BREEDS but then thats not what they are looking for.

the pitbull as a BREED ticks all the boxes they are looking for IT IS NOT JUST SPECIFIC DOGS

all they do is exploit what is already there