Wait, hear me out! This is not about bashing the breed, but rather about thanking you all for stopping me from making a mistake that might have put myself AND a pit in harm's way.
As someone who moves in rescue circles, I've heard so many times things like 'it's the deed, not the breed!' I heard this not just about human aggression (which I know and recognize is NOT normal for this breed at all), but also about prey drive and even dog aggression. That if you raised the dog 'right', they would never want to have a go at a strange dog or chase down a cat.
I did research on my own and discovered that DA is an expected trait for pits, but it wasn't until I lurked on this forum for years now that I really understood what that *meant*. I've always wanted multiple dogs, and I don't want the responsibility of rotating and crating, especially with the knowledge that a mistake could mean injury or death to one of my pets. Even if I did, I live with an elderly parent who would almost $#@!uredly slip up at some point. And while I knew I should never take a pit to a dog park, I didn't think about what could happen if I walked down the street and dropped the lead or accidentally left a door open. I also have cats, including two that are blind, and plan to have small animals like rabbits and ferrets at some future point. While I know I'll have to be careful to supervise ANY dog around small critters, I also now understand that pits can be very set on getting to 'prey' animals if they have a strong drive, and can be powerful enough to break out of crates or into cages.
Long story short, it made me decide that I would not be a good owner for a pit and that I need a breed that is lower maintenance in terms of managing them around other dogs and animals. That absolutely doesn't mean I think they're bad dogs! I can appreciate how great they would be for an owner who likes doing a lot of physical activities like hiking or for someone who has the time and patience to manage one with strong DA or prey drive. I've met so many great pits (and so many *$#@!* dogs of other breeds) and I've done my share of campaigning against BSL when they tried to p$#@! it in my community (with success, actually!)
I'm posting this because I want you all to know that you're doing a good thing by educating people about ALL of the traits of the breed and you should keep fighting the good fight. I hear way, way too many people say that pits are right for every household and that genetics don't play a role. I always try to explain that if we expect a border collie to want to herd without being trained, it shouldn't be a surprise if a pit bull wants to fight. It's genetics, plain and simple, and it doesn't make them demons...just a breed, that like ALL breeds, has been bred for certain traits. Telling people that pit bulls alone of all breeds don't come with any innate traits does the dogs and their potential owners a huge disservice.
So again, thank you!
As someone who moves in rescue circles, I've heard so many times things like 'it's the deed, not the breed!' I heard this not just about human aggression (which I know and recognize is NOT normal for this breed at all), but also about prey drive and even dog aggression. That if you raised the dog 'right', they would never want to have a go at a strange dog or chase down a cat.
I did research on my own and discovered that DA is an expected trait for pits, but it wasn't until I lurked on this forum for years now that I really understood what that *meant*. I've always wanted multiple dogs, and I don't want the responsibility of rotating and crating, especially with the knowledge that a mistake could mean injury or death to one of my pets. Even if I did, I live with an elderly parent who would almost $#@!uredly slip up at some point. And while I knew I should never take a pit to a dog park, I didn't think about what could happen if I walked down the street and dropped the lead or accidentally left a door open. I also have cats, including two that are blind, and plan to have small animals like rabbits and ferrets at some future point. While I know I'll have to be careful to supervise ANY dog around small critters, I also now understand that pits can be very set on getting to 'prey' animals if they have a strong drive, and can be powerful enough to break out of crates or into cages.
Long story short, it made me decide that I would not be a good owner for a pit and that I need a breed that is lower maintenance in terms of managing them around other dogs and animals. That absolutely doesn't mean I think they're bad dogs! I can appreciate how great they would be for an owner who likes doing a lot of physical activities like hiking or for someone who has the time and patience to manage one with strong DA or prey drive. I've met so many great pits (and so many *$#@!* dogs of other breeds) and I've done my share of campaigning against BSL when they tried to p$#@! it in my community (with success, actually!)
I'm posting this because I want you all to know that you're doing a good thing by educating people about ALL of the traits of the breed and you should keep fighting the good fight. I hear way, way too many people say that pits are right for every household and that genetics don't play a role. I always try to explain that if we expect a border collie to want to herd without being trained, it shouldn't be a surprise if a pit bull wants to fight. It's genetics, plain and simple, and it doesn't make them demons...just a breed, that like ALL breeds, has been bred for certain traits. Telling people that pit bulls alone of all breeds don't come with any innate traits does the dogs and their potential owners a huge disservice.
So again, thank you!
Thanks to this forum, I'd decided NOT to get a pit bull
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