[RedMonqey]

One should never trust any breed of dog with a baby without direct supervision.

Exactly.

I agreed with the people who say it isn't the dogs' fault completely and the owners made them "mean." However some breeds are more prone to aggression and having the overpowering neck and maw muscles makes pit-bulls more dangerous than a smaller but more aggressive, territorial breeds.

Dogs are pack animals and sometimes when a child is added to a family the dynamics of the pack is disrupted. A child's natural playful antics may be interpreted by the dog as a challenge to HIS rank of the pack and the dog bites the child to regain his status in the pack. The bigger the dog, the more serious the wound.

To prevent this the strong pack leader(owner) must assert his status, particular around their child, to send a signal to the dog that this baby is to be protected, not challenged as if it was just another dog.

And some breeds are bred to be aggressive. The smell, taste of blood excites them and they simply go out of control.

And pit bulls are one of those breeds.

No to outlawing them but no to having them around small children.

[Mjaye]

Couldn’t have said it better. I’m not saying Pit Bulls should be outlawed. As evidenced by Cesar Millan’s show, “The Dog Whisperer”, almost any breed of dog can be allowed to be aggressive by clueless owners. And he uses a “calm and submissive” Pit Bull to help resocialize dogs of all breeds. Responsible dog ownership is the key, but the stats still show that Pit Bulls inflict the most damage when not trained properly. And the ones I encountered didn’t flinch when sprayed with OC spray while being aggressive, which was disconcerting.