Every story has two sides but my personal experiences tell me that Octobergirl is closer to the real truth. Here’s why.
In my 46 years I have never owned a pit. However, I have known enough extended family, friends and neighbors who owned them to be able to make a reasonable assessment of why the breed is favored in my little part of the country.
In every case, my extended family, friends and neighbors purchased the breed for use as a hog dog or for personal protection as opposed to their “sweet” personality.
Bottom line: aggressive/protective behavior was the primary requirement.
As a six year old riding my bicycle home from school a neighborhood pit (hog dog) got out of his pen and chased me about a 200 yards before biting me. I am convinced that my ability to remain on my bicycle and the dog being exhausted from the sprint kept me from being mauled that day. The owner was smart enough to gather up the dog and kill him before my dad got home.
Years later, my five year old son was mauled by two pits who got out of a fenced yard and chased him down in our subdivision. He was playing with friends in an adjacent yard when the dogs got out and attacked him. Only the quick thinking of a neighbor saved my son’s life that day. Eyewitnesses said the dogs’ owner sat on the porch and watched the attack without taking any action.
My son was hospitalized for 8 days and endured 3 surgeries. He will require additional reconstructive surgery after he finishes growing. On the bright side a few months later he became the richest kid in his 1st grade class.
As for the dogs? They were quarantined by the county and observed for rabies symptoms before being destroyed 10 days later.
In recent years I have been approached by a couple of well-meaning neighbors informing me of their intent to purchase a pit as a family pet. I thanked them for their consideration and told them of my experiences with the breed.
I finished by politely but firmly telling them that if they purchased the dog and it ever got out of the fenced yard or even growled in the direction of me or any other kid within my eyesight I would immediately execute the dog with a 12 gauge shotgun, no questions asked.
In each case the neighbor made the responsible decision not to purchase the dog after deciding he could not guarantee the protection of himself, other neighbors and his dog.
BTW, both of my dog bite experiences resulted from irresponsible owners. If you want to own a pit then do whatever is necessary to protect your dog beforehand. If you fail in this endeavor then you won’t be able to protect your dog from people like me afterwards.
). Anyway, it had little effect on him - he is after all bred to have a high tolerance to physical pain.