NEW pics added:       ApPics last added: August 5, 2009

Pit bull debate continues
Pit bull owners say the breed itself is not to blame, but rather it is the owner's responsibility to train and control the dogs. Neglected pit bulls, or dogs trained to be aggressive that have not been spayed or neutered, are the problem, according to members of the Indy Pit Crew, a group promoting responsible ownership. They insist the aggressive animals can be perfectly friendly and even used as rescue dogs. Recent attacks highlighted in the media, they say, are not representative of the breed as a whole. Most animal experts -- like San Francisco Department of Animal Care & Control Director Carl Friedman -- believe there's no proof that pit bulls are more inherently aggressive than other breeds. However, when they do attack, they are capable of doing tremendous damage. Bred to take down bulls 10 times their size, their strength and tenacity honed as illegal sport-fighting animals, pit bulls are the cheap protection of choice for drug dealers, criminals, pimps and those simply wanting a macho status symbol.

Pit Bulls: Dilemma and Debate
Pit bulls are indeed “remarkable creatures” with impressive physical traits, Pacelle said, but they didn’t attract much attention during his childhood. Back then, the dogs most feared were Dobermans and German shepherds.

Man's Best Defense - 2005
"These are not normal dogs," says Tyler Eison, gazing reverently at a litter of seven-week-old pit bull puppies. "I like having very vicious, angry dogs. I'm going to teach them not to like other dogs. I'm going to agitate them, make them aggressive. That way when it's about business, they are going to be serious."

Canadian Free Press - 9/2004
What makes pit bulls stand out from other breeds is that once they sink their teeth into something, it is practically impossible to force them to let go of their pray. Their jaws are locked.

Pit bulls in doghouse again - August 23, 2003
"People have to be responsible for their own actions," he said. "As well as the actions of their dog."

FAILING THE AMERICAN PITBULL TERRIER

"Where there is vilification, we should teach compassion. Where there are scare tactics, we should preach temperance. Where there are lies, we should speak the truth. Otherwise, the animal welfare movement will have failed the Pit Bull completely."

Denver Impounds, Euthanizes 3 Pit Bulls Daily - 7/2005
"Some dog owners are now in a panic and are sending their pets elsewhere or hiding them. At least 260 pit bulls have been destroyed by the city of Denver since the ban was enforced, the station reported."

Pit Bulls - Companions or Killers? -
"The Humane Society of Huron Valley in Ann Arbor adopts out pit bulls but only after they undergo a nationally recognized temperament test that involves aggravating the dog, hugging it, pinching it and monitoring its reaction to other dogs in social situations.
Dogs that fail the test are put down."

Pit Bull Attacks Prompt Richland Code Review
As for pit bulls, they are the most abused breed of dog

Pit Bulls: Dilemma and Debate
“I will confess that this is one of the issues that I personally struggle with, more than just about any other animal issue,” Pacelle said.

Dog in Goat Killing was Part Pit Bull
Everybody thinks they look like pit bulls ... but they're not

Peta's Position on Pit Bull Bans
PETA supports legislation that bans the breeding of pit bulls, just as we support any spay/neuter legislation as the most effective way to combat the tragic companion animal overpopulation problem.

Scared of Pit Bulls? You’d Better Be!
Brian C. Anderson
Some pit-bull owners train their animals to fight by having them lock their jaws on rubber swings in children's playgrounds, which very quickly destroys the swings."

Pit bulls are genetically programmed to kill
"With or without responsible owners, the fact remains that pit bulls (and American bulldogs, a cross between pit bulls and bull terriers) are unpredictably dangerous, and the key word here is unpredictable. These breeds are ticking time bombs!"