How was the neighbourhood to know that that dog was friendly? They were looking out for their family. Dogs in general (not just pitbulls) can be vicious as I know Ive been mauled almost to death by one 'friendly' dog I'd known quite well. Lucky the doc was friendly but it was the right thing to do to call authorities. A child could have been mauled worst case scenario. People need to understand this is why people are terrified of the stereotypical pitbull.
there's 'rational fear' and then there's 'irrational hysteria'. An officer shot a pitbull simply because it barked at him AFTER his partner had already petted the dog while they were approaching the property (the wrong house might I add). Everybody should have a rational fear or wariness of dogs- even my west highland terrier could maul a child, I feel comfortable that he wouldn't but of course- strangers probably don't. Pit bulls of course do have a reputation, but it's caused by breeders and owners generally- not the dogs themselves. They have been bred as fighting and security dogs- people buy them so they can look tough with their scary dog, however when raised properly, these dogs have an excellent reputation as being gentle and friendly with children and infants. What bothers people here is the focus on the breed. People need to realise ALL dogs are dangerous- a Labrador is just as capable of snapping suddenly and attacking you as a pit bull.
What bothers me here is not so much the fear of the dog- but the fear of the breed. Pit bulls seem to have two portrayals in media- Flesh-hungry rabid beasts, and perfect babysitters. People get so shocked when it's in the news that a terrier has mauled a child or a Labrador has bitten somebody- ALL dogs are dangerous. My gran owns a female, 10 year old spaniel- notoriously friendly dogs with very little record of attacks. But I don't trust her with children at all- she's a nervous animal and I know that if a child persistently 'chased her' or made a lot of noise, she'd probably go for them out of panic. It's not always the breed- sometimes it's just the dog. There are pit bulls that are lovely with children, who will let them pet them and pull their ears and prod them with the utmost patience- while this spaniel will growl and crouch the moment a stranger puts a hand towards her.
Yes I agree every dog has a potential to cause serious harm. Take my dog for example i have two great pyrenees they are about 80+ pounds of beast and they are the most loving thing on the planet but ive seen them get really protective of my family
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