[ClearBlueSky]

I disagree. Nowdays-not 'back when'-it is the breed.The owners/breeders did it by breeding FOR agressiveness but NOW it is the breed. It's ruined. Because the majority of dogs/puppies available to the everyday person are the result of backyard breeders, NOT professional breeders who breed for good temperament. All the puppies bred by dogfighters go somewhere, the biggest meanest are bred for $$,the most aggressive kept for fighting and the rest go to the general public; to be bred again. Temperament is inherited and a fighting dog can sire many litters of puppies in one year. No one knows if the pup they buy from a friend has a killer in its pedigree-and for some that is the very reason they are wanted. It's Doggie roulette.Is the pitbull you get one of the small percentage with a gentle pedigree or one of the majority being bred by dog fighters? You find out when it 'snaps' and attacks.

[ek_hornbeck]

I don’t deny that there are major innate temperamental differences among dog breeds. Just as some are bred for intelligence or trainability, others like pitbulls have been bred to be aggressive. However, if properly trained and disciplined, a pitbull need not be a danger to people. The problem is that moronic thugs who can’t even control their own behavior, much less a dog’s, tend to be the ones who own pitbulls these days.

[ek_hornbeck]

Additionally, a lot of the problems that you bring up can be avoided if responsible owners would buy their pitbulls from breeders who have known pedigrees for the dogs. If you get rescues at the local dog shelter who have lived in the junkyard (or worse) for generations and have been (consciously or not) selected for feral behavior, you’re likely to wind up with a more inherently vicious dog.

[Norski]

“Is the pitbull you get one of the small percentage with a gentle pedigree or one of the majority being bred by dog fighters? You find out when it ‘snaps’ and attacks.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Five more just “snapped”.

http://6abc.com/toddler-dies-vicious-dog-attack-in-port-richmond/3863385/