It IS a problem -but the solution is not racial profiling of a breed, but the prosecution of dog fighters who train these animals for sport.
At the turn of the century, Pit Bulls were very popular (remember the little rascals dog - Petey I think) as family dogs. They were not known for human aggression at all. Fast forward to today; why are the Pits in peril? The lowlife thug scum that trains them to kill and gets “shown the money” to do so. Do a little research people beyond the daily rags. Freepers, of all people, know “news” is not necessarily “truth.”
They were not known for human aggression at all?
What are you smoking?
Based on pretty much any history of Pit Bulls that I’ve read, to believe what you just claimed, I’d have to believe that Pit Bulls were incredibly violent and aggressive toward people for much of their history, then during “the turn of the century” period you refer to, they weren’t known for being aggressive toward people, then later in the century began killing people at a rate several times higher than the rate of any other dog breed. And mauling people at a far higher rate than that.
And then I’d have to believe that just cracking down on dog fighters would solve the problem.
Logic isn’t your strong suit, mom.
From my copy of The Complete Dog Book page 264:
“Anyone who has read about the sport of ‘bull baiting’ must have been conscious of its extreme cruelty. From this we can gather that the original Bulldog had to be a very ferocious animal. Beauty and symmetry of form were in no way desirable, the appearance of the dog counting for nothing. The extraordinary courage possessed by these dogs is hardly believable. Bred from a long line of fighting ancestors, they grew to be so savage, so courageous as to be almost insensitive to pain. Such was the Bulldog of British sporting days.”