Staffordshire Terriers (pitbulls)

[TxRedMan]

For those of you that don't know, a pitbull's breed name is Staffordshire Bull Terrier. If you ever want to fool your landlord put 'staffordshire terrier' on your lease if you own one and you'll see a nod instead of a scowl that you'd receive if you put 'pit bull'.

wiki

Before I owned a dog (who is now 5 months old) I had been around a few pit bulls. One of them was the sweetest dogs I'd ever been around. His owner was in his early 20's and wasn't aggressive with him, cared for him, and he was always around many people so he was very social. At first I was concerned because of their reputation, but when 'King' rolled over on to his back for a belly rub it was clear this dog was not anything like I had heard described.

I've since been around several pit bulls, and the conclusion I have reached is that they are a sweet dog by nature, confident, and loving. I've been around many breeds of dogs, and I've seen other breeds that are much more dangerous to people in my opinion. Some poodles, for instance, are actually extremely territorial and uber-aggressive. Shetland Sheep Dogs can be very one-person oriented and snap/bite strangers. German Sheperds are often good family dogs but can be taught to be very aggressive and dangerous guard dogs.

A few minutes ago I was walking my dog by the lake. It's a nice day and there were a lot of people at the lake, including a guy who had three pit bulls on chains at a picnic table. They saw my Golden Retriever and started barking and lunging. The owner made no attmeps to calm his dogs and the children nearby were obviously scared of these animals. I assume these are the pit bulls that pose a threat to people, especially young children- many of whom have been killed by this breed.

Californian's (some) have proposed a ban of these animals altogether. I believe that would at some point include euthanizing current house hold pets.

I suppose the point of this thread is, what can be done about this? I don't believe the animal is the problem. I think the problem is uncontrolled breeding by poor owners and idiots/thugs raising these dogs to be aggressive and unstable menaces.

As much as I love animals, especially dogs, and my opinion on this particular breed, I found myself pissed off and a little frightened at the prospect of defending myself and my dog if those three pit bulls had become unchained today.

Thoughts?