Reply #23: What exactly is a "pit bull-type"?

[ET Awful]

Any dog with broad shoulders and a big head?

Any dog you deem to look like a "pit"?

How exactly does a dog qualify as "pit bull-type"?

Are you basing that on DNA? Looks? Circumference at the chest?

Or is a "pit bull-type" any dog that someone chooses to call a "pit bull" because they think any big, scary dog must be a "pit bull"?

Pitbull terriers, Staffordshire terriers, and other so-called "Pit bull-type" breeds have consistently scored above average in temperament tests. See: http://www.atts.org/stats1.html

Notice that (for example), out of over 700 pitbull terriers given a standardized temperament test, there was an 86% pass rate. As a comparison, out of over 800 collies tested, there was only a 79.7% pass rate.

For over 1,500 Doberman Pinschers tested, there was a 77.6% pass rate.

Great Danes - 79.6%

Dachsunds (standard smooth-haired) - 68.8%

Cairn Terriers - 73.5%

I think it's appalling that people who consider themselves to be liberal or progressive question everything the media tells them when it comes to elections, terrorism, war, politics, etc. and claim to be perfectly willing to think for themselves toss all that aside to leap abuse on a single breed of dog or even multiple breeds that look similar for whatever reason (such as the inane "pit bull-type" nonsense). How engaging in profiling based on "type" is any different than profiling based on color of skin escapes me.

Little tip: the behavior of a few does not condemn the entirety. That's true whether you're discussing religion, ethnicity, race, or even when you're discussing breed.