The average pitty is actually pretty friendly and faithful. The fighting dogs are bred from mentally ill dogs with a lot of mastiff in the mix and all their worst behaviors are encouraged by their owners. So yeah, those are not safe for families and weak minds; they shouldn’t be available for adoption.
Most people do not know how to interpret dog behavior. We have a female Staffy mix (classic pitty, 65lb) with lots of fear-anxiety, she’s on Prozac. When the fur on her back starts to rise you need to be super chill and calming. The dog was abused by little kids when she was a puppy. Beyond a shadow of a doubt she’s not safe for children and strange dogs. OTOH she (and our big greyhound) chased a big bobcat off last night, the cat was in our yard stalking the neighbors’ corgi (they let it out by itself, bad move). Our dog plays basketball with the neighbor’s teen boys (on the leash), they had no trouble with her. She likes drunk people who are calm and will fall asleep on them. The most important thing is that she obeys basic commands even when she’s having a meltdown. Otherwise I wouldn’t have her.
Thanks for confirming my opinion about pit bulls. They can be ok but there is a lot lower threshold for going crazy. Mostly they’re ok until they’re not.