Pitbulls Used to Be Considered the Perfect "Nanny Dogs" for Children --

[laundry_queen]

17. That may have been true then

if the article is accurate, but because of the popularity of the breed amongst those with less scruples, the careful breeding that may have been in place back then no longer exists. Careful breeders will not breed aggressive dogs. Criminals who want psycho fighting dogs will. Therein lies the problem. I'm sure 99% of pit bulls are awesome. My neighbors had 2, and they were so sweet. They were very friendly and loved a good scratch behind the ear, and would head butt you if you let up too soon and darn near knock you over. It's because of that inherent strength that when that 1% goes bad you usually hear about it.

I've seen aggressive little dogs attack people, and what you usually get is laughter (which totally pisses me off - that behavior should never be tolerated) from the owners because rarely does anyone get hurt, but when a pit bull type does it can inflict severe damage. And that's why you hear about it more. I'm certain a pure bred pit bull from a reputable breeder is probably no more aggressive than any other dog...probably less so.

I'm not sure if I'd go so far as to let a dog (of any breed) nanny my child, although my mom has stories of their farm dog staying beside her brother when he ran off at the age of 2 into the forest and it took them 6 hours to find him...the dog patiently right by his side. I bet back then, on a farm, the dog WAS the essential nanny.