Overcoming The Reputation – Photos of Pit Bulls and Children
The media has done Pit Bulls and other Bully breeds a huge disservice. Almost every decade a new breed is vilified by the media- in the past it has been Doberman Pinschers, Rottweilers and German Shepherds. The reality is, with the development of new forms of media – reporters search for the most sensational stories – and now there are more ways to broadcast these to the public (even if they aren’t the most accurate accounts). This isn’t to say that all individual examples of Bull breeds are stable – on the contrary- when these dogs fall into the wrong hands and are bred to perpetuate the “macho” image, you can end up with a dangerous animal. These dogs are very strong and breeding unstable dogs to unstable dogs makes…more unstable dogs! However this can happen with ANY breed!
As a general rule, Pit Bulls are *not* human aggressive! The breed was bred for dog fighting thus human aggression was a huge personality fault! These dogs needed to be able to be separated easily and handled in situations of extreme stress; this led to a dog that is loving and affectionate to humans – almost to a fault. In many situations this wonderful breed puts up with horrific amounts of abuse and still will not defend itself against its aggressors.
As the owner of a 7 year old Pit Bull rescue, I can say that she is one of the most trustworthy dogs I have ever seen with children. She is gentle to a fault (even when kids get a little rough), knows instinctively not to jump, and will wait patiently for treats without grabbing from little hands. Often she is approached in the park by a child who runs up and goes in for a hug around the neck. A few minutes later the smiling parent asks “What kind of dog is that?” – I answer – “A Pit Bull.” A look of shock crosses their face. Sometimes they grab their kids away. Other times they ask questions. I usually just puzzle over the irony. This is the same dog you were taking such delight in your child bonding with just moments before.
Enjoy these photos of Pits and their kids and try to judge every dog as an individual.
Photo by [chrispessôa]
Photo by PaisleyPitbull
Photo by alyssa p.
Photo by (¯`·._)caralynnie
Photo by Clover_1
Photo by wormwould
Photo by g_off252
Photo by rescuepitbulls
Photo by Clover_1
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February 2nd, 2009 at 12:24 pm
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March 23rd, 2009 at 7:01 am
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May 14th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
these pictures are amazing! im the proud owner of a pit bull & he is great with my 1 year old nephew!! i understand that they look scary, but he’s the sweetest dog who loves children & doesnt mind strangers….as long as you let him smell you!
May 26th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
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June 15th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I totally agree. We adopted a pit bull mix by accident (we were told by the shelter he was boxer and pointer) but he has turned out to be the best dog we have ever owned. Better than any of our labradors (just as friendly and gentle with kids, but much smarter). We have five children and he is wondeful with them. Not an agressive or mean bone in his body.If someone had told us before we adopted him that he was a pitbull mix, we never would have taken him. We are now thankful for what we didn’t know.
June 16th, 2009 at 7:01 am
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July 29th, 2009 at 8:01 am
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August 7th, 2009 at 11:13 am
I’m 4 mnths pregnant & I have a 2 yr old pit. She is a great dog but jealous and wants constant attention. She just recently attacked a kitten that I got and I’m worried how she will be around my newborn. She is GREAT with my 5 year old nephew and they love each other. Should I be worried that she may get jealous of the baby and become aggressive or could it just be a thing towards cats? The pics are adorable and make me think she might be okay with the baby…Any advice?
March 15th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
I’m worried that the Pit bull needs a specific type of owner…these pet dogs, no matter how ‘supportive’ nevertheless have teeth, are still animals not having moral ideas and when they DO bite, won’t allow go. As in all animals…some tend to be a lot more suseptable to instinctual behavior and time and time once again, this breed tends to perform just that.
March 16th, 2010 at 1:09 am
Pits are a wonderful breed with children, hence why they call them the nanny dog in England.
Statistically, they are not more likely to “not let go” and they do not have “locking jaws”. The media portrays them as such but most dog attacks are from dogs in general, not a specific breed. Most bites are dogs who arent neutered (unneutered dogs are 2.5 times more likely to bite) and arent socialized (which is why anti tethering laws cut down on dog bites more than breed specific laws). Other breeds though, dont get the negative media attention like pits do, so people are unaware of how many dog bites happen per year/day by other breeds of all different sizes, from chihuahuas to labs.
Check out atts.org to see stats showing pits, when temperament testing nationally, have higher temp test ratings then labs and golden retrievers. They are, however, terriers, and terriers whether Jack Russell terriers, Yorkshire terriers, or pit bull terriers, tend to have a prey drive towards small animals like cats, rabbits, and squirrels. They also tend to do better, for this reason, as only dogs or with one dog of the opposite sex, which is why we dont recommend them in multiple dog situations like dog parks or doggie daycares. Animal aggression and human aggression are two different genetic traits, so a dog that shows aggression towards a kitten is not automatically going to show aggression towards a child.
For more info, check out http://www.dontbullymybreed.org or email dontbullymybreed@aol.com with questions
March 17th, 2010 at 7:02 am
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