I have had dogs my entire life. I have also had over 30 breeds of dogs in my home over the last three years being a dog sitter.
I am not naive enough to say that dog breeds like pit bulls, Rottweilers, German shepherds and bull mastiff’s aren’t the most “deadly” dogs based on dog attack recorded statistics. I’m in no way in denial of the “reality” put upon them.
However, the reason for those statistics is because those breeds are specifically largemouth animals. The ramifications of their attacks are more severe due to the size of their teeth and their powerful mouths. For all the breed haters in the world, I will give you that…. sort of. Debate way..
What I will not give you, is the satisfaction of pretending like those large breed dogs are the most vicious or the most likely to bite.
While statistics will tell you that large breed dogs are more likely to kill a person… those same statistics…of how many bites per year, recorded by dog breed, shows a much different picture.
Breeds such Chihuahua, Bulldog, Australian Shepherd, Cocker spaniel, muts/mixed breeds and most any terrier breeds are more likely to bite a person.
The reason that these dog bites aren’t more “glorified” in the public spectrum is because they are smaller dogs and their bites are less likely to be fatal.
But bites are bites!
I am a firm believer that a dog’s demeanor is the direct result of its upbringing. Much like people. I have seen many more gentle giants in comparison to defensive little angry dogs with Napoleon complexes over the years.
I have been more personally terrified by dogs that weigh less than 20 pounds then I have ever been of dogs that weighed more than my 11-year-old child.
The reality is, any dog will bite you. Dogs have triggers just like people do. They are based on situational circumstances and historical complexes. What they do to us, is a direct result of what we have done to them….like I said, not too different than people.
almost Any “vicious” dog can be reformed to a gentle and loving soul. The likelihood of any dog of biting someone isn’t influenced in any way by their shape, size or breed.
While most ignorant people will argue that breeds like pit bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, or mastiffs are “bred to kill”… that may have been true 50 years ago, but with decades of the diminishment of breeding purely for dogfighting, that is no longer a valid argument.
Dogs are just dogs. Descendants of their breed. Born with an untarnished soul and an obedient heart. A newborn pitbull is no different than a newborn Chihuahua, other than physical perimeters.
So when you get a dog, don’t assume that you have them “all figured out” based on their breed or their size. Evaluate them by their circumstance, your ability to monitor them and give them the love, training, discipline, attention and limitations that they need to become a positive asset to your family.
Call me prejudice if you will, but I am much more comfortable cuddled up next to a pack of pit bulls that I am to a pack of Chihuahuas.
So don’t put my dog in a box. She is no longer a victim of her history, she’s a result of our love and affection, our commitment to understanding her rocky past and her will to overcome it…and your judgement.
Dogs only know that they should protect the ones that love them, feed them and give them a reason to defend them.
I sleep good at night knowing that if someone wanted to come into my house and hurt me or my child, this “scary pit” might deter them a little, because they don’t know any better.
Because these “bad” breeds go 💯 for the people that love them. Keep safe the people that keep them safe.
Even if in reality, they are still scared of their own shadow. 
Great Imperfections 