That dog is not a pure APBT. It's an immitation cross by shady breeders. They are supposed to be lean and athletic. Their chest should never look like that. That thing looks strong as hell, but it does not look very agile or athletic, which is one of the fundamental requirements for the breed. My guess is the dog in this picture is going to be quite prone to health problems such as hip dysplasia. I guess it has a look thugs like, but it's a poor excuse for an ABPT or Am. Staff. This brings up another frustration of mine about this issue. Many dogs called a "pitbull" aren't actually APBTs at all. For example, the presa canarios that killed Diane Whipple in San Francisco a few years ago was often called a "pitbull" in the news. Also, these backyard breed low quality dogs like the one pictured is also called a pitbull. Mutts and crosses are also given that label all the time, especially if they are involved in any sort of attack. So to clarify, the dogs I'd defending are the real deal, not these things.
American Pit Bull terrier. You were probably thinking about a bulldog. Of course you would be the type of person to rip the legs off of one of these.
you ever tried to kill a roach?? No, a pit bull probly couldn't function without his head, but I bet no amount of throwing around would hurt it.
@AKS There's been a lot of crappy breeding of German Shepherds in recent years too. A lot of them have horrible health problems and bad temperaments. If I were getting one today, I'd probably go with a Shiloh Shepherd. Shilohs are supposed to be much closer to the original shepherds that became popular during the world wars.
I've been hearing that awhile and hoped that it wasn't true. I had a German Shepherd Dog/ Doberman mix for almost 17 years as a kid and am very fond of that breed. Shady breeders have been creating shoddy immitation breeds of the ABPT, mostly for looks at the cost of the athleticism and agility that makes the APBT such a versatile and capable breed. This dog for example seemed to be a star at pretty much any type of dog sport: http://www.workingpitbull.com/New%20Site%202005/dread.htm This is exceedingly rare. Usually you have a breed or a few breeds possessing specific traits that allow them to that totally dominate single types of competitions, but they would have no chance at other sports. APBTs (not the immitations) have the combination of intelligence, agility, and power to do just about anything you want to train them to do.
pitbulls Another clear example of the impeccable accuracy and honesty of mainstream media's depiction of the American Pitbull Terrier. The woman in the video is lucky to have even survived. Before: After: It's clear that if you make one false move, they can "just snap" and lock their jaws onto your throat with the slightest provocation the first chance they get.
Re: pitbulls This is how well-socialized APBT's tend to act. It's a domesticated dog, not a crocodile. This dog came in diseased and near death, and it's as friendly as can be now. BTW, the guy who rescues these dogs is pretty amazing. I've watched several of his videos.
Re: pitbulls I never said pitbulls couldn't be friendly. In fact, you just illustrated one of the most frightening things about this breed. They can go from loving and affectionate one moment, to trying to rip your throat out the next, often with no warning. It's just part of their nature. They were bred to be a living weapon in the dog fighting ring. That being said, it's great that he was rescued, and I think pitbulls are fine with a certain kind of strong, experienced owner. But I wouldn't want them around other dogs or children, and your average dog owner probably shouldn't own one. The last time I was at the dog park, I saw a German Shepherd puppy wearing a kevlar protective collar. I asked her owner what it was for, and he said to protect her from attack by pitbulls. Pitbulls were (rightfully) banned in Miami after one tore the head off a smaller dog at a dog park. Scumbags still have them though.
Re: pitbulls First, I referred to the image portrayed by the media, not you, although you apparently agree with them to some extent. I'd agree that if someone doesn't know how to take care of or control a dog, he or she shouldn't have a dog. You're conflating dog aggression and human aggression. Even a dog subjected to dog fighting (which I loathe) would not be aggressive towards people. Aggression towards people should not exist in bully breeds. If it does, it's been taught or there's something wrong with the dog and it needs to be put down. Dog aggression is something that either appears or does not appear as the dog reaches maturity. It's difficulty to know until that point. There is indeed a problem with dog aggression with some APBTs as they reach maturity. Socialization and training are very important. Some dogs need to be kept away from other dogs, although that's hardly something unique to the APBT. It is more of an issue than many breeds, however. But as far as having an unstable temper outside of possible dog aggression, the temperaments of dog breeds are regularly analyzed by the American Temperament Test Society, and the data do not suggest what is portrayed by the mainstream media. LABRADOR RETRIEVER 92.0% AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER 86.8% AMERICAN BULLDOG 85.9% GOLDEN RETRIEVER 85.2% GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG 84.8% ROTTWEILER 84.1% YORKSHIRE TERRIER 82.9% BORDER COLLIE 81.5% CARDIGAN WELSH CORGI 80.0% PEMBROKE WELSH CORGI 78.7% DOBERMAN PINSCHER 78.5% BICHON FRISE 76.7% POMERANIAN 76.5% CHOW CHOW 71.4% CHIHUAHUA 69.8% Of dogs tested with a decent sample size, the APBT and bully relative American Bulldog score very high in pass rate. It's actually the ankle biters that tend to have the least stable temperaments in my experience. I think if you ask vets or animal shelter workers, who spend time with hundreds upon hundreds of dogs, you'll tend to find a very similar sentiment.
Re: pitbulls It's odd that corgis have such a poor rating. I have a guess though about why that might be. Corgis have a very unique play style. It's rougher than most other dogs, but they aren't being aggressive. I wonder if that was mistaken for aggression on the test. They also have a tendency to see other dog breeds as cattle and try to herd them. This especially becomes a thing when large groups of corgis get together. Anything that's not a corgi gets herded into a corner. But corgis are harmless. They aren't going to rip someone's arm off.
For the record, I find Chow Chows to be the common breed I that I tend to be most cautious around. I've almost been bitten more than once. They can be very temperamental. I have had contact with plenty of powerful breeds, including Rottweilers, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, American Bulldogs, German Shepherd Dogs, Bull Terriers, Bullmastiffs, Akitas, Mastiffs, Doberman Pinschers, and others, and it's the Chow Chow that makes me the most nervous. I also saw a pretty horrendous incident of an Alaskan Malamute ripping open the belly of a friend's Beagle in my yard as a teenager, but I'd seen that dog before and it had never shown any aggression towards people. The owner who let that dog roam the neighborhood should have been neutered. I would also add that I would not go anywhere near a property that had a Cane Corso or Neapolitan Mastiff, huge, protective Italian dogs, unless I knew the owner and the dog well.
I think I've brought that up before, minus the graphs. Pitbulls account for more fatalities than all other breeds combined. Other dog breeds may bite more frequently, but when pitbulls do bite, they tend to kill.