Surrounded by 8 pit pulls today, I barely escaped with my life

[OwnedByCats]

197. I get that people have a genuine fear

because of the negative coverage they get in the media. Some people even have a fear of all dogs, not just Pits. When I started hearing about pit bulls attacking people, I did not know what to think. I had known people with them and they were sweet. I remained somewhat neutral on the subject, still wondering if most deserved their reputation, though I suspected the problem pits were most likely abused and trained to fight or be aggressive. Then I ended up taking a job that would mean I would be exposed to all kinds of breeds and mixes. The pit bulls are some of the sweetest dogs I have been around. Sometimes they can get pretty excitable over the love and affection they are shown, but have all been good so far. Not a one out of the 80 or so I have worked with showed aggression. Quite a few of them were rescues before being adopted but were pretty well adjusted despite that and their adoptees absolutely adored them. I think they are pretty resilient in general. Then I got involved with pit bull rescue shelters and learned a lot. I was willing to investigate for myself rather than listen to just the negative stories., which many seem content to rely on to protect their image of what they think is an aggressive dog by nature.

Any dog can be dangerous in the wrong hands. My father as a child witnessed a collie (not his) who was a Lassie look alike tear his neighbor's child to pieces. At the time, the show "Lassie" was pretty popular. It seems unfathomable, but it happens.