Having untrained, stray pitsDogs running around can be a serious public health issue.

that is probably a bit more accurate. Breed shouldn't be the criteria.

I think the problem isn't that pitbulls or others of that ilk are more prone to attack. They're just better at it.

I think the problem isn't that pitbulls or others of that ilk are more prone to attack. They're just better at it.

(...) take a Pointer whose parents are good hunting dogs. Raise him for a year without ever letting him see a bird. Now put him in a field full of pheasants and see what he does. He'll point. (...) Try telling a hunter that he paid $10,000 for a finished field Pointer that had to be taught to point. He'll laugh at you. (...)

Now, virtually every Heeler heels, instinctively. If you tell an Aussie drover that his dog had to be taught to heel, he'll laugh at you too, mate. Like his Pointer counterpart, the Heeler displays a trait that is transmitted genetically. It requires no training or encouragement. To assert that Pit Bulls are only aggresive if you train them to attack contradicts the existence of every other behavior-specific breed on the planet.

For the last 25 years I have trained and rehabilitated Pit Bulls as a regular part of my business. I have found them to be bright, affectionate and loving. I've also seen what they can do to other dogs, livestock and people. They were bred to do one thing - attack with no reservations. Like a hand grenade, they are inert until you pull the pin. Once the pin is pulled, there is nothing you can do to stop the explosion. (...) they differ from grenades in one very important aspect - the dog controls the pin.

I think the problem isn't that pitbulls or others of that ilk are more prone to attack. They're just better at it.

I'm not a dog owner, but it seems like German Shepherds are the fricking perfect dog. Smart and trainable, but will go apeshit on anyone who threatens their family.

Homeowners' associations are pure evil.

I'm not a dog owner, but it seems like German Shepherds are the fricking perfect dog. Smart and trainable, but will go apeshit on anyone who threatens their family.

I've had my eye on the Bouvier de Flandres

Just subjectively, I really prefer rescue pits. Greyhounds are so, so thin, it unsettles me.

We were all fond of the dog. One day, it went berserk on some wild animal. I've never heard a sound like that. I wouldn't let anything that could do that near my kids.

Man, I've seen my cat -- my ten pound, domestic shorthair, lovemuffin kitty cat -- go the #### to town on a mouse. It wasn't much fun to witness. But here's the thing: animals are ANIMALS. All animals can attack, given the proper stimulus. And, most likely, all but the smallest of animals could probably wreck you in a one on one fight, given the proper stimulus.

I used to work where employees were allowed to bring dogs to work. We had a nice campus adjoining a nature reserve and many would let their dogs roam. One colleague had a pit bull. Like everyone notes, it was sweet, gentle, loving. It had cancer, and recovered. We were all fond of the dog. One day, it went berserk on some wild animal. I've never heard a sound like that. I wouldn't let anything that could do that near my kids.

#47: Nope, not suggesting that my cat is as dangerous as a pitty. But she's as likely to attack you. That is, not very, but there's a chance. And if the criterion for pet ownership is, as number #42 suggested, that our pets never do anything to another animal that makes us feel uncomfortable, then we'd better stick with obligate herbivores.