Why do Pit Bulls have such a bad rap?

because of so called people that have fighting rings. it isnt the dogs fault but they get the bad name. I had a doberman for almost 12 years and you wouldnt believe how people would be afraid of him till they seen he was nothing but a big baby just like my son has a rott and she is a baby. I woild trust dogs alot more then I would some people especially now days. oh and my youngest son has 2 pitbulls and they are the sweetiest things and very pertective of my grand kids.Any dog is mmean if it is abused or trained to be and only ignerant people do that. Right now iI have 4 dogs 2 jack russell min pin, 1 min pin and my 8 month old german shepard black lab mixed and they are all 4 babies and spoiled rotten. Stupid people is the reason for so many dogs getting bad rateings. They are the ones that should be punished. Sorry but this is a very touchie subject to me and every time I hear about dog fighting rings I could scream. A few years ago there was one down the road from us and we didnt know it till we seen all the cop cars there one night when we was coming home and at the time we had 2 dobermans and we stoped and asked one policeman what was going on and he said a dog fight ring all I could say is you gotta be kidding. How can people be so mean and rotten to teach dogs to fight

Sometimes reality isn't what we would like it to be. Any dog can be made to be mean, BUT there really is a reason that the idiots that want a mean dog pick the breeds that they do.Just like an Aussie is predisposed to herd animals around making it easier to train one to be a stock dog, Pitts are predisposed to fight making it easier to train one to be mean.Yes it IS the person doing the training that is at fault, but it would be foolish to not recognize why they chose the dog they did to make mean.editThat list of 75 breeds is a joke!As an example, a Blue Heeler and an Australian Cattle Dog are the SAME dog!There are duplications all through that list indicating that whoever made up that list has no idea about what they are talking about.

I've asked the same question so many times. But alas, not only do pit bulls just have a bad rap, even some shelters have a pit bull policy where they euthanize one as soon as it is abandoned there. Pretty nuts.Pit bulls have the bad rap because they are being bred to be aggressive. In other dog breeds, aggressiveness was bred OUT of them.Also, it's just ignorance. A pit bull isn't pretty or cute to them and they automatically think it's a devil dog. They see more pit bulls on the news attacking children and families, but would it be reported on the news if a standard poodle attacked someone? People don't realize that standard poodles are bred as guard dogs. They can be pretty vicious.The baseline is this. It's not the dog that's the problem. It's the people that raise pit bulls to fight, abuse them, or don't train them or socialize them at all.Pit bulls are less likely to attack a cat than breeds that are bred for hunts small mammals. It's really just not fair.I'm actually going to be a veterinarian at an animal shelter once I get out of school. This idiocy with dogs in this society will stop once everyone is educated. Keep questioning and others may join you.

pitbulls have a bad rap because people are stupid and would rather listen to what the news has to say. i own two pitbulls and they are purfect angels. keep in mind that the link is about a pitbull attack but it was never written that these dogs were beaten by both the owners and the kids.read this http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/man-punishes-dog-by-drilling-hole-in-his-head

They did a study. From 1982 to 2006, Pits accounted for 65% of all fatal dog attacks. They kill about 18-20 people a year here in the US. There are several towns in America that have this policy as well as 11 other countries.

As the number of Pit Bull owners has increased so has the amount of not only support for our breed but BSL has spread as well. There is a very real reason behind this and it isn't just the media. It is dog bite statistics. Sadly, several studies show that Pit Bull type dogs are responsible for over half of dog bite fatalities. As much as most of us fight BSL, we need to also be fighting irresponsible ownership and teaching not only children but the general public about dog safety. Here is a link to a detailed dog bite statistics site.http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.htmlOn the listed link you will find many other links that will show you studies and answers in detail. On the above listed link you will also find this posted in one of the sections-*****"The deadliest dogsMerritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, has conducted an unusually detailed study of dog bites from 1982 to the present. (Clifton, Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to November 13, 2006; click here to read it.) The Clifton study show the number of serious canine-inflicted injuries by breed. The author's observations about the breeds and generally how to deal with the dangerous dog problem are enlightening. According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks that were included in the study, 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings. In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question. Clifton states: If almost any other dog has a bad moment, someone may get bitten, but will not be maimed for life or killed, and the actuarial risk is accordingly reasonable. If a pit bull terrier or a Rottweiler has a bad moment, often someone is maimed or killed--and that has now created off-the-chart actuarial risk, for which the dogs as well as their victims are paying the price. Clifton's opinions are as interesting as his statistics. For example, he says, "Pit bulls and Rottweilers are accordingly dogs who not only must be handled with special precautions, but also must be regulated with special requirements appropriate to the risk they may pose to the public and other animals, if they are to be kept at all."***** If you are truely fighting BSL than you are also aware that to fight BSL you will need to educate the unknowing. Below I have posted some excellent links that can help you do this. Please don't just sit back and read this information get out and make a difference. We are not only fighting BSL but we are fighting to get the number of dog attacks and the number of irresponsible owners seriously reduced if we have any hope of saving our breed. http://www.pbrc.net/flyers.htmlhttp://www.akc.org/public_education/kids_corner/kidscorner.cfmhttp://www.akc.org/public_education/resources.cfm?page=4http://www.akc.org/public_education/educators_youth_groups.cfm