I believe dogs are individuals and that nurture is much stronger than nature. I've known pitbulls who are the sweetest, dumbest goofballs, and rotties who will rest all their weight on you if given a pet because that's how they melt with love. I've met kind German Shepherds and mean viscious ones. I'll always approach a new strange dog with respect and the back of my hand for sniffs, but I've had too many people react in fear to our boxers with fear to take that seriously. They might love you to death if you're a foot and half tall by accident.

And I will never ever ever own a dog, because I believe that they need a lot of attention and love as pack animals, which I can't give. Even at my parents, where the dog gets the run of an entire state park, he still needs interaction that even they, with my mother retired, can't give. Also, dogs smell funny.

Anyone know where my husband is? Anyone?

No, he doesn't have a cell phone.

Ah, he just called. 8PM, and he's been at work since 5AM.

And I will never ever ever own a dog, because I believe that they need a lot of attention and love as pack animals, which I can't give.

Agreeing with this. I love dogs, but I don't have the spoons.

Wow, Dana. That's a hell of a day!

I am a bad bad person for giggling at a few of those dog incidents. But dang, some were just sad and tragic on both ends--mostly the ones that didn't actually involve bites, but dragging on a leash, or tripping over the dog, or "overenthusiastically greeting an elderly man and knocking him down" or whatever.

My awesome dog walker/trainer says that a lot of the problem is really physical - that the (real) pit bulls are just so supremely strong that if anything goes wrong, the damage they can do extremely swiftly can be very severe. And the unpredictability of it, as well (due in part to docked tails), makes it difficult.

And no, when it comes to breeding, nurture is definitely not stronger than nature. I am not an alarmist, and I know some sweet pits, but just remember how often you've read the stories about the child or person who was mauled where the owner says, "the dog was always so gentle. We can't believe this happened!"

Also, another thing about that article - it's specifically about severe attacks that lead to death/maiming, not just bites. Iirc, small dogs bite way more often than large dogs, but the damage isn't as severe due to physicality of the dogs.

Isn't the Little Rascals' dog a pit?

There was a time when Pitts were known as "nanny dogs".

Randomly, the other day I followed some chain of links or other and ended up at the most staggeringly irresponsible children's book ever, Smooch your Pooch. Full of (seriously meant) advice guaranteed to cause injury to both child and dog! [link]

I can't look at the dog list. I've always had dogs, and mostly large dogs. Zoe freaks people out sometimes because she is so big and people are sometimes afraid of dobermans. But she is a gentle soul, as was my last doby. I've given up on going to the dog park closest to my house because there are a few bad apples and the fighting upsets me.

I am not an alarmist, and I know some sweet pits, but just remember how often you've read the stories about the child or person who was mauled where the owner says, "the dog was always so gentle. We can't believe this happened!"

Of course they say that, though.

I bet there are cases when it's very believable that the dog didn't show any aggression before.