Children Need Pit Bulls: A Picture Book

[DirkGently]

63. You can breed for temperament. You can't ensure temperament by

targeting an existing breed. In other words, when people talk about taking measures to protect from savage pit bull attacks, it's the "savage," not the "pit bull" that's the problem.

Many varieties of domestic dog have been bred for some type of aggressive tendencies -- towards prey animals, towards other dogs, or towards people, either in general, or in specific situations. Depending on the specific dog, its individual temperament both inherent and socialized, and its physical attributes, you can end up with an animal that is dangerous in different ways.

A relative has a pit-bull / Labrador mix rescued from a shelter. One of the supposedly biased-against "black dogs." Scary pit almond-shaped eyes, huge pit skull and shoulder musculature, terrifying bass "big dog" bark. From behind the front windows, this dog appears to be Satan incarnate. No problems with unwanted solicitors at the door. It also has the wacky, butt-wiggling, tail-slapping, shin-snuggling Lab personality. A complete goofball who, on first meeting, literally tries to put his 60-pound bulk in your lap and lick you to death. Not a dangerous animal in general. Not dangerous to visitors to the house. Not dangerous to strangers on a walk. But it's not around children often, so it would still be wise to keep, say, a toddler at a distance.

On the other hand, a childhood friend was scarred for life, physically and emotionally, by a neighbor's full-blooded Labrador retriever. With no supposed history of aggression, it bit a child full-force on the face and caused serious harm.

Point being, dogs are individuals. Yes, you can make them nasty, and big, nasty dogs are a danger to the community. There is also a complicated criss-crossing of bred-for traits that can make one dog crazy for chasing squirrels, another one determined to fight any dog it meets, and another think that a small human is food.

Take all the supposed "pit bulls" out of the world tomorrow, and the next day a child will be mauled by a Mastiff or an Australian Shepherd or an Akita mix or a poorly-socialized Lab. It's never as simple as what the dog looks like or what people decide to call it.