My dog was recently attacked by a pitbull terrier Do you think that pitbulls are instinctivly aggressive?

They do tend to be aggressive towards smaller animals. But they are NOT bred to be aggressive toward people at all. I would have handled things the same way you did, and I would have made the owner of the Pit pay for all of the vet bills. They also should have been fined by the city for not having the dog on a leash, as that is illegal. Was your dog on a leash? That would make some difference in the eyes of the law, the responsibility would then be place on both parties. Most likely you would then have to split the vet bills since you were both at fault. Please don't blame all Pits for what this one did. It has an extremely irresponsible owner! This was not the dogs fault at all, it was just doing what comes naturally. I have a Pit and 2 Rotts who are the sweetest dogs ever, my Golden Retriever is the one I have to worry about biting someone. Regardless of that fact, NONE of my dogs are ever allowed outside alone, even in my own yard. I never take them off leash at the park or anywhere else, and I never allow strangers to pet them. If you own a large breed dog you are responsible for the dogs well being and safety, as well as the safety of everyone that the dogs come into contact with. The owner of this dog should be punished! I'm sorry your dog was attacked and I hope that it will be okay.

the dog could have felt threatend or been mistreated thast why it may have attacked yes you did do the right thing i hope the dog is ok but at least the owners are willing to pay the vet bill you usually dont find that not saying thast its ok or anything good wishes and luck to your dog

No they are not born mean. Some of u are crazy. Im sorry. As with any dog of any breed they all have the ability to be aggressive. Depending on how they were trained & or treated. Just like human beings. People please do some research on pit bulls & other breed of dogs. Oh & yes the owner of the dog should still be held accountable

WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!THIS IS WHY so many pits are abused from puupyhood people think they need to be muzzled so they can protect themselves.The human is what makes the dog If u abuse it, beat it starve it, and all around torture it it will be aggressiveIf u keep it in a kennel 24/7 abuse it, neglect it, put it in a ring and tarin it to be a killer have it brutally attacked while trying to protect itself just for entertainment and monetray gain it will be aggressive.BUT if u nurture ut, care for it, love it, play with it, take very good care of it, praise it, repect it, give it kisses, feed it, bathe it, and get preety much be a slave to your dog, and socialize it.It WILL love you to death and be friendly to ANYONE!!!!!! Saying they are aggressive by nature is a detah penalty from people giving them bad rap and raising them to be aggressive that is why even when puppies and brought 2 shelters and seem the sweetest things indiots no RETARTEd peopl kill them put them to sleep immediately and burn their bodies or dump them in a hole and leave them to rot. !!!!!

Some of these answers are really dumb. "Pit bulls" which isnt even their correct name were not bred to fight other dogs. Their orginal purpose was "hog dogs". They were bred for hunting. They are not instinctly aggressive towards people. They will however show dominance over other dogs. If they feel them, their pups or owner is in danger they will protect. Ive had my pit 2 years and she is a baby. Ive only seen her attack twice. Once was a pig and the other was a male dog who jumped the fence to get to her litter. They are sweet animals and with proper training can be the best pet you ever owned.You did the right thing though. Some owners are not responible people and will train their dogs to attack anything. Its not the dogs fault but by calling animal control you have protected someone who may fall victim to this abused animals wrath. I cant stand to see pits that are abused and hurt by their owners. There isnt any bad dogs just bad owners.

No they are not. I have a Pit Bull and he is the biggest baby alive. I got him for my dying brother and then adopted him when my brother passed away. I have a young Lab who was brought into the Pit Bulls home with no problems. Trust me my Lab terrorizes him day and night and the Pit Bull loves him. They chew on the same bones, eat from the same bowls and groom each other every day. I constantly have friend's dogs in and out of my home with no problems. I got the Pit from a shady breeder but he has never ever shown any aggression toward anything. You did the right thing you have to protect your dog and you. Its the other dog's owner that is at fault. If the Pit has been raised wrong or improperly socialized he probally has problems. Dogs are a product of their owners. And I can tell you stories of several dog attacks that did not involve a Pit Bull. Stay on top of the situation and make sure the other dog is controlled at all times, if not report the owner again, it will be for your safety your dogs and believe it or not the Pit Bulls too.

You don't mention if they are two males or two females? I do think they are instinctively aggressive and is up to the owner to socialize them from the get-go and have the animal know that the owner always has the upper hand - but still remains loving. This applies particularly to the males. They should always be on a leash when outdoors and muzzled if there is any question of aggression. They're great dogs (we have three) but because they originally had fighting bred into them, they need more attention than the average dog.

Yes, I would never in my life own one. I have known many who owned pitbulls and treated them really well they were nice when pups but as soon as they grew up they were a whole diffrent dog, they would attack other dogs even people!

First off...I'm glad your dog is O.K. Now, I must say there are NO BAD DOGS ONLY BAD OWNERS! Yes pitts are scary, yes they can draw blood, and yes they have killed however that can be said about many breeds. Facts state that more people are bitten by Collies than Pitts and Rotts. The dog will attack again, especially if it bit its own handler, whether it be human or dog because that was how he was trained probably or just wasn't trained at all. You did the right thing. Officials should be made aware before anyone else is harmed. If it were me I would have done the same thing.Again I'm sorry this happened to you but don't judge the entire breed. The owners are to blame.

Pitbull is the most emotianally stable dog of all, so the answer is Pitbull is not an agresive dog by nature, it's ussually trained.But in this case, probabbly because they're the same sex.The age of your dog (6 months) is the time to enter te 1'st puberty (she will get her 1'st period) and probably the pitbull smells it and attack her because instinctively she take her as a rival, more over if this is the mating season (or close to).If the pitbull is not trained as a fighter, then she just want to show who is the boss, but their size differents make it fatalThe pitts will probably attack again, even toward human.this is depend on the pitt's master, he must teach/train the Bull not to attack human.But she still potentially attack another bitch, since it's natural to put a rival on their knees

In recent years, pit bulls have gained more than just a foothold in the public awareness. Unscrupulous breeding and negative media attention have resulted in many apartment complexes, neighborhoods and even counties imposing bans on the breed, citing them as "inherently dangerous" to the public. But did you know that pit bulls, despite the fact that they were originally bred to fight with each other, were also bred to be trustworthy and friendly to people? These dogs actually earned the nickname "nursemaid's dog," because they were so reliable with young children. Today, however, the breed often attracts the worst kind of dog owners--those who are only interested in them for fighting or protection. It's a shame what has happened to this loyal and affectionate breed-but as the pit bull population has increased so rapidly, shelters are now struggling to deal with an overflow of image-plagued, hard-to-place dogs. And despite its illegality, people are still training and breeding pit bulls to participate in dog fights in cities and towns across the country.It is the owners that make this an aggressive breed. Yes you did the right thing. Any breed no matter what once it attacks or bites another animal or human it needs to be known to the county in case another incident occurs.