hedge, its never the breeds fault.
from the time these dogs are pups they are beaten, chained, abused, fed gun powder, drugs, ect.
if these punks didn't have pits they would use whatever breed of dog they could get.
they get off on the brutality, violence, and money that goes along with dog fighting.
the pitbull is the innocent victim in all of this.
if you watch the beginning of the documentary you see how they are talking about how the pitbull used to be the top choice as a family pet.
how respected, trusted, and loved the breed was. to see the breed go from that to being public enemy number one today is really sick.
I'm probably going to catch hell for what I write in this post, but oh well.... The post above is a very good post. If you look back through American history, the "pit bull" helped forge the US. I have pictures of family members going across Ohio in a wagon with a "pitbull dog" beside the wagon in the early 1800's. They were a common media dog up through WWII, including the dog on "Our Gang"---the little rascals, the Sony records dog, and the pitbull that was featured on many posters during WWI and WWII.
Pits as a breed are large, powerful dogs. Its the owners that determine the behavior in these dogs---right now, my older female (a 68 lb APBT) is sitting on my wife, who's passed out asleep in our big chair in the living room, shaking because its thundering outside. Its kind of funny because my wife is snoring and the dog is jumping each time it thunders.
I've worked with literally 100's of pits---I used to run a rescue when I was in veterinary school that has placed dogs all over the US. In terms of human aggression, there was a very strong selection in pit fought dogs against human agression---historically, they were shot in the pit if they attacked a judge or handler. I don't condone dog fighting in any way and I've served as an "expert" witness to prosecute more than one individual involved with dog fighting. But it does play a role with this particular breed, and the only way to understand the breed is to acknowledge the history invovled with it. Its only been in the last 15 years or so that poor breeding has become an issue. I won't lie, I've seen a couple of very, very aggressive pitbulls, but in the case of those dogs, I know without a fact that the owners did everything they could to make these dogs as mean as hell in an attempt to have a "status symbol" ---including administering a plethora of drugs from LSD to methamphetamine to anabolic steroids. A pitbull on a permenant acid trip is not a fun dog.
Remember, pitbulls are a terrier--a group of breeds that have a stubborn tenaciousness to do what they think will make their owners happy. That is a huge, huge factor. I've also seen pits who have been horribly abused---burned, stabbed, tied up, starved, drugged, become some of the most devoted family pets you will ever see. Pits want their owners to be happy. If you love them, they will love you back with everything they've got. Yet because of their breed, these dogs can legally be taken from the people who are finally giving them a loving home and euthanized in some parts of the US. That to me is just pitiful.
The media likes to make a big deal out of pitbulls because it sells.... its that simple. Far more dog bites occur with smaller breed dogs---these bites aren't reported. You will never see a headline of a child getting bit in the face by a Lhasa apso, but it will be all over the media a pit so much as growls at a child.
The bottom line is dogs will be dogs. Its the owners who are ultimately responsible for their pets. Banning a breed or passing judgement against a breed---which seems to be the current mindset in America is not the answer. What will happen is the dog owners will find something "bigger", "meaner" and "tougher" to keep if they cant keep pitbulls.
