A Quest for Happiness: Truth about Pit Bulls

"It is true that Pit Bulls grab and hold on. But what they most often grab and refuse to let go of is your heart, not your arm."
Vicki Hearne

When most Americans think of a pit bull they think of vicious, baby eating dogs with horrible temperaments. Often they hear stories about small children getting mauled by these "vicious" creatures. However, this breed of dog is truly misunderstood. I would like to clear up a few common misconceptions

"Pit Bulls are mean, vicious and aggressive"- Pit bulls actually are not the most aggressive breed. According to the American Temperament Testing Association, American Pit Bulls have an 85.3% passing rate, compared to a passing rate of 81.9% for all breeds on average.You know those small little wiener dogs you love? The Daschund? Meet the most aggressive breed.

"They bite" - All dogs will bite you if irritated enough. However small dogs, like the Daschunds, are far more likely to bite you. Why? Because you look like a giant to them! They are much more vulnerable to you as opposed to a bigger dog (like a pit) and therefore are much more likely to bite you when they get scared.

"They attack people all the time"- No, They are on the news for attacking people all the time. Many dog attacks often don't get put into the news because they didn't cause a lot of damage. If your neighbors Chihuahua comes up and bites you, your probably not going to call the news station. Pit bull attacks are often reported simply for the fact that when pits DO decide to bite, they are a stronger build of dog and yes, they will do more damage.

If you pay attention to most of the new stories they are often about little kids being attacked. Think about it. How many little children have you seen run up to a strange dog, and tug on its ears, pry its mouth open and unknowingly hit the dog a little too hard. Most children are not aware of how to read a dogs body language and therefore egg the dog on until an unfortunate accident happens. Just a thought, where were these children's parents?

What you should know about pits before owning one- They may not be "human aggressive" but most pits do tend to be "dog aggressive". Simply meaning that they are more likely to get in a scuffle at the dog park. Also these dogs require a lot of love and affection. They are energetic and need to burn a lot of energy. Pit Bulls are not for everyone. However, they shouldn't be feared.

The point being, please put your pit bull myths aside. They are lovers, not fighters. To become more informed about pit bulls, I'll leave a few links at the bottom of the page. Feel free to leave any comments or questions!