Oh i like that last one! May i add it to my list?

Not sure if this has been listed here but check out some statistics of dog attacks and see how many pitbulls are on the list. Why anyone would want one as a family pet is beyond me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States#Fatalities_reported_in_2013

In Australia foxes are vermin, along with rabbits, etc. ...all introduced species decimating native fauna.

Responsible cat owners [I'm one] ensure their animals are indoor only.  Ours have never been outdoors [other than in a carrier going to the vet].

Looking at those stats...Pitbulls should be declared vermin......preferably before they eradicate humanity....;p

People panic about all those deadly critters in Australia....[we have them all] but add up ALL resulting deaths for a decade and you wouldn't even come close to the kill-count of the 'family pet' pitbull in the US in one year!

You really would be safer with the world's deadliest snake [Inland Taipan] as a pet ....;p

I don't buy your argument. Whether it is human fault or pitbull fault the fact remains pitbulls have the worse reputation and if one was to chew my little girls face off I will still blame the breed. Get rid of the breed and you will still have incompetent people but without the animal responsible. No breed = less attacks, much less attacks.

I'd like to thank everybody for there advice, time, and warnings, Yesterday after work i took the dog back to the shelter. It was my ignorance in thinking i could help the dog in the first place that lead me to this situation and i really don't think it would be a good idea to continue that thought process as it could lead to far more horrible things.

I have learned a great deal in the process but the cost of learning what i have is high, it wasn't an easy choice or thing to do. We actually loved the dog a great deal. This is a lesson that will not go forgotten, but a mistake that will not be repeated.

You sometimes just don't know what you don't know till it's to late to change the course of actions. Owning a dog sounds easy enough, just feed them, play with them and walk them right? Ignorance isn't bliss when you understand how ignorant you've been, it's painful.

Although we believe we've made the right choice in what we've done, the shelter has said that they would keep the dog up for adoption for no fewer than 7 days before they euthanize him. But considering the dogs playful attitude and healthy appearance they believe somebody would pick him up before than.

I believe you have made the correct decision based on what you said your dog has done. A dog can be a wonderful companion for a family with lots of enjoyment and love. There was plenty of good things given here. Don't give up on wanting another dog and getting one when you feel the time is right for you and your family. If you decide to get another read about the different breeds and you will find many that are wonderful with children and everyone. 

Cat's have a much different memory than dogs. They have really permanent short term memory...especially when traumatized.

I'm genuinely sorry for you all...but, it wasn't a waste. The dog knew some love, and you all learned. 

Do yourself a favor...don't ask the shelter what happened. 

Go forward and learn.

We have another dog, we've had him for 6 years, hence the idea that getting another one wouldn't be that big of a deal. But i'm not wondering how we managed this dog and how i need to adjust things for him moving forward. Not to mention what i've taught my kids about having a dog. So there's a lot of opening changes that need to be made here. 

The breed isn’t the problem, seriously did you ever see a trained Russian Barsoi ? 
Just take a look at some videos these dogs are trained to kill wolfs having a dog trained the way as some idiots train their pets for fighting, you won’t be able to have your kids roaming around free. There are many breeds on the list of dangerous species but that list should include a portrait of the owner’s as well so you actually see the one responsible behind it.
Nevertheless you are correct it’s dangerous to have kids around such dogs, but it’s dangerous to have kids around dogs in general - that’s why i said a dog isn’t a toy.
Buying a dog so your kids have a buddy to play with is the most irresponsible thing to do, especially if you have no clue about the animal yourself
I have seen friends buy a dog Shepard and having their 4 year old kids (plural) play with them grabbing and pulling fur, jumping on the dog and even punching it throwing toys at him, while the parents laughed about it.
I was told to shut up and don´t say anything ( to not destroy the mood )… but after watching it for a while I had to
The most shocking part was when the mother said look how adorable they are playing together…
I told them that they shouldn’t blame the dog if something happens, after doing so they asked why.
I responded that a dog will take some of this shit, but will sooner or later defend himself if he gets annoyed and will snap or bite to show the kids that it hurts to have fur pulled or toys thrown in the face.
She said that won’t happen the dog can walk away if it gets too much...
If a dog is locked into a playroom with 2 kids ? 
(where the F should he go to ?)
well end of the story was the dog defended himself and bit the kid.
After that the dog was blamed... A dog can´t say stop it´s enough, he can growl and if that is ignored even a small dog can get aggressive 
 

benmanns we can debate this all day but we are not talking about a trained dog to attack. I very much doubt that the majority of the pitbull attacks in the statistics were a result of owners that trained them to attack and I even doubt that the majority of owners of those dogs were incompetent. They probably simply got a pitbull and the pitbull eventually did its thing. Why? because it is in their dna and not something necessarily brought on as a result of training or incompetent pet owners. Yes a little dog can become aggressive as all dogs can but as far as I am concerned it is still all about numbers.

Lets be clear though, if someone wants to chain a pitbull up on a remote piece of property to protect their fenced in salvage yard with sings visibly posted then that is far different then bringing them into a home with small children, that is what the majority of this debate is about, pitbulls as pets around children.

I love dogs.  Have had at least one continuously for 40 years.  Have bred them, shown them, learned a lot about them, have 3 now, including an 11-year old GSD.

Pit bull is not a breed I would trust, kids or no kids.  The daughter of a close friend of mine has a pit bull, was tuxed out & in line as a groomsman at her wedding. Has been a sweet dog.  So far.

However, they can become totally unpredictable as they get old.  She now has a 4-month old.  I'm very nervous.

Not anecdotal stories, or newspaper stories, but valid studies.

A number of people have stated this -- the challenge extends to you all.

I'm open minded and willing/able to be convinced.

Us humans are interesting creatures.  We tend to believe we're logical and that our beliefs are based up evidence.  However, we tend to have a belief then avoid/discount contrary evidence while focusing on confirming evidence.  We're all subject to this, even those who attempt to be unbiased.

Consider your above link JuniorCrooks.  Some see that and see confirmation of your belief.  Others can look at that same link and see quotes like:

-"The list is not meant to be exhaustive nor conclusive."

-"The first epidemiological study of dog-bite fatalities in the United States was conducted by an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1977.^[5] The study reported that all but one of the cases involved male dogs. The breeds reported in these incidents were St. Bernard, German Shepherd, Dachshund, Basenji, Collie, Husky, and Great Dane."

Note that pits aren't mentioned there.

-"In contrast to the time period covered by the CDC study, which found pit bulls and Rottweilers to be the most commonly involved breed in such attacks during that time period, this study found no fatal pit bull attacks at all in the US during its time period, and only one Rottweiler attack."

-"However, by far the most common specific single breed involved in fatal attacks (16) was the German Shepherd Dog..."

-"This list is not meant to be exhaustive"

-"This list is not meant to be conclusive"

The link can be used to validate both sides of this debate, and people being people tend to see in it what they already believe.

If this link is what you base your "...because it is in their dna..." quote then please to show where your link says that as I can't find it in there.

Ignoring the dog's owner is like ignoring the driver when assessing what cars are 'pedestrian killers'.

Generally, our human tendency is to first have an unsupported belief then finding evidence to confirm it, is harmless as the consequences are often not that important.  But in this situation people are using this to advocate the killing of a living creature (cause that's what happens to unwanted dogs most of the time).  Killing, not 'putting to sleep' or 'euthanizing' -- killing a living creature.

Those advocating this need to be darn sure of their facts.

If a dog is truly dangerous then that's necessary, but if it isn't...

A wise man years ago talked about judging by the content of one's character, not the color of one's skin.

Judge dogs by the content of their behavior, not the color of their breed.

Again, I'm willing to be educated/convinced.  Please do so.

And Merry Christmas to all!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States#Fatalities_reported_in_2013 

Simple stats.  All you do is add them up.

Sadly [and I'm not being facetious] we're not allowed to destroy BOTH ends of the equation....the dog who kills AND its owner.

If we could....there'd be a sudden reduction in pit ownership AND a reduction in attacks/deaths too....;p

BTW....I'd spend FAR MORE time and effort defending the life of a White Pointer...or pretty well EVERY species NOT 'created/invented' for man's titillation.

And...again....pitbulls kill more people than ALL the deadly [natural] species in Australia do put together....and we have them ALL.

Thank you Jafo.

Nick I am not going to get in a debate about this with you, I have much better things to do at this time of year. What I will do is take back my statement (The six word sentence) about dna that you wanted to focus on and reiterate that to me it is still about numbers and common sense.

I can come up with stuff like this all day, it is plastered on the internet. You can argue with the numbers if you want and defend pitbulls as it is your right to do so. I will never own one period.

not only that, they are also much more likely to kill adults than other breeds; in fact, they kill more adults than children - especially adults in their prime, which you'd expect to be able to fend off attacks:

(and if you're a man, you want to be especially careful of pit bulls, although maybe this is because men are more likely to have such dogs, but I'd also think they would be able to fight them off better)
ETA: According to the same site the about cites came from (DogsBite.org), the historyof pit bulls likely is the main reason for them being so overrepresented in fatality statistics; maybe not so much temperament, but they were bred to have especially strong jaws, meaning bites are worse:

Some people have made claims -- claims with serious implications -- and said claims need to be backed up to be taken seriously.

It doesn't just affect pit bull owners, but owners of dog breeds that are supposedly 'safe' -- these owners need to not become complacent because their dog's breed isn't 'dangerous'.

Jafo you say add up the stats -- you must have to back up your belief, right?  So what are they?  You did make the claim that I'm asking to be backed up. What years are you including/excluding?

I've stated I'm open minded on this, I haven't taken a side and I'm not defending anything (except the principle that serious claims need commensurately serious proof).

JuniorCrooks you mention pit bulls being bred for certain physical traits, but this thread has been talking about aggression -- a behavior. 

Where does it say pits are more aggressive by genetics as people here have claimed?

I respect the beliefs of everyone here, and a child's/person's safety always comes first, regardless of breed/species/etc.  I'm curious as to the basis of said beliefs.

Certain people believe some computer games cause aggressive/violent behavior.  News accounts sensationalize reports of aggressive gamers, uninformed people see the reports and tend to believe them, then they tend to focus on reports that buttress their beliefs and ignore reports that conflict.  This sort of thing occurs with dog attacks too -- 'if it bleeds it leads' is a news mantra.  This doesn't mean the reports are inaccurate or untrue, but it does mean said reports need to be considered carefully.

Again, Merry Christmas to All!

JuniorCrooks you mention pit bulls being bred for certain physical traits, but this thread has been talking about aggression -- a behavior. 

That was just in the body of the stats I gave, I did not say that and further more I have no more to say seeing that I do not feel the need to prove those stats wrong or right. There are many of which I posted. Enough said. 

All dogs have the potential to be aggressive and to harm people, even those 'close' to them.  But training has a huge impact on the risk of aggression being manifested.  Correct training, less risk, but risk is never zero.

Once had a male bloodhound we raised from a puppy (owned his mother) who was a very sweet dog.  We trained him for the show ring and he did very well.  Was a point away from his championship when he became aggressive toward me out of the blue one day.  He was nutless the next, and, fortunately, that took the aggression out of him (not a reliable method, just happened to work for him).  He was a docile, lovable galoot the rest of his 9 years.  Just one example.

We currently have an 11 year old GSD who was skittish around and wanted to 'herd' small children when he was young.  We raised & trained him to be a service animal but he flunked out at the 11th hour for being too easily distracted to safely guide a blind person.  We had first option and took him back as a pet.  By age 3 he was very comfortable around small children, would even let us take him in to a grade school classroom and let 25 little kids crawl all over him.  GSD's have the capacity to serve as either attack/guard/police dogs or service animals, entirely depending on their training - the foundation we raised for got their breeding stock from Czechoslovakia, same stock that was used for border guard dogs there.

Pick any year you want that equates with actual pitbull ownership.

Pit dogs is a fairly recent brutalistic 'sport'...so the animals bred for it won't necessarily date back to the dark ages....and nor will stats.

I can't be bothered educating you by listing the stats....look for them yourself.....it's called being a grown-up.

You 'must' be a pit owner...good luck to you....just don't have any kids....and expect them to grow old unscathed.

If people spent the same amount of  febrile 'angst' on something worthwhile...like...oh, I don't know....maybe the slaughtering of Whales by the Japanese....THEN the world might be a better place.

Who gives a toss about some inbred killing-machine-called-pet?

Whilst wringing hands in all sorts of 'horror' at the notion of culling such a mutt....take a nanosecond to think of the children [and adults] killed and maimed by some selfish egocentric animal owner.

+1.  I wouldn't say it as evangelical as Jafo (bless his heart  ), but he's essentially right.

I have pitbulls.  They were rescues and we brought a trainer in to help train the dogs and more importantly, us.  Even after a significant investment in the dog's well being, if one was to snap at a child, I'd take it out back and put a bullet in it's head.  Sure, I'd feel bad, but I think about how I'd feel if one of my dogs kills a child.

Many dogs might attack, but pitbulls are know to maim and kill.  The reputation might not be fully deserved, but there's enough truth to it to give pause when picking out a family pet.  Sure, chihuahuas bite more people than pit bulls.  I've been bitten a number of times by the little ugly freaks of nature.  They can't do much damage.  I still have all of my fingers and most of the skin that they came with.

Please think twice before getting a pit bull.  If you have children, then don't even think about it.