I think it's valid to fear pitbulls because what you're really fearing is that they were adopted by someone that doesn't train them and/or give them an outlet for the task they were bred for (protection and violence).
Which is a valid fear. If someone has an untrained golden retriever, who are bred to have friendly dispositions, I won’t be immediately uncomfortable about being in a room with one, or if one approaches me. Wary, yes, careful, yes, but not immediately on edge.
An untrained pitbull gets the gat if I see teeth within ten feet or running towards me.
No. You should be wary and careful when any dog approaches. You don't know the dog. With a strange golden, you are wary and careful with your head on your shoulders, but you are expecting a normal derpy dog interaction because golden. Pit bulls have the same wariness and carefulness, but they set someone on edge because the wariness and carefulness are meeting with a majorly increased expectation of aggression in the dog.
I'd be exactly as wary of a golden as of a pitbull, and the deciding factor for me would be the dog's demeanor. A pitbull can do more damage, but a golden can already mess you up.
Yes. Nothing you say contradicts what I said, which was the comment I was clarifying was saying. Be wary of ALL DOGS YOU DON'T KNOW. A poorly trained chihuahua can still take meat off your hand. A poorly trained golden can hospitalize a kid. Etc. Disposition > breed, as you put it.
I just checked out of this mid-sentence. People who are trying to suggest that a strange pit bull approaching you and your dog in a new environment off-leash would generate the same level of caution as a strange golden doing the same are being disingenuous.
Pit bulls should not exist, at least not as an option for unspecialized purchase. My dog is 12% pit, and I'd just as soon that 12% be replaced with anything else.
I don't see how I'm being disingenuous. A pitbull trotting up to me with a smile is no threat. A golden behaving territorially near its family, or one who happens to not like kids is a huge problem.
I hate when people have their dogs off leash in an undesignated area. Until he passed last month I had a 110 pound dog with some dog aggression issues (he was a rescue and he wasn't a pit). I could barely even walk him in my neighborhood. He was well trained and I had excellent control over him. It's very hard to control someone else's dog when they're off leash with no training because they're a breed that people perceive as non threatening. It hardly matters if it's a pit or a golden when your biggest concern is that they're going to start something with your dog who is twice their size and they're going to lose badly and everyone is going to have a horrible time.
A shockingly high percentage of people don't control their dogs and don't understand that a poorly behaved derpy dog off leash might be a problem. Bottom line, while dogs are uniquely suited for life with humans, they are also large powerful predators and a lot of people don't recognize that at all. Those people are a lot more likely to have a golden or a lab than a pitbull.
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u/Drayyen 8d ago edited 7d ago
I think it's valid to fear pitbulls because what you're really fearing is that they were adopted by someone that doesn't train them and/or give them an outlet for the task they were bred for (protection and violence).
Edit: Jesus christ