5. Pit Bulls are naturally aggressive. I volunteer at an animal shelter, so I can tell you firsthand as someone who regularly works with Pit Bulls that this is not true. I’ve met many Pits that were quite friendly and loved to play with people. Most Pit Bulls are friendly, intelligent, and energetic. Some people use these dogs for fighting or bait, and they are aggressive when finally rescued. Most Pit Bulls are not like that.
4. Pit Bulls are not ideal family dogs, and are not good with children. This ties back into #5. People who believe the latter also assume that Pits cannot coexist peacefully with children. In England, Pits used to be known as “Nanny Dogs” because they were so good with children.
3. Pit Bulls have a stronger bite than any other dog breed. Our dear friend Science comes to put this myth to rest. Scientists compared the strength of bites from three dogs- a Pit Bull, a Rottweiler, and a German Shepherd. The Pit Bull bite actually registered as the weakest bite of the three dogs.
2. Pit Bulls are more prone to aggressive behavior than other breeds. Once again, scientists debunk this fallacy. They studied which breeds were most likely to display aggressive behavior. Believe it or not, Pit Bulls actually came in at the lower end of the spectrum. At the higher end, we saw other breeds that are not normally associated with aggression- including Chihuahuas, Dachshunds, Beagles, and Chow Chows.
1. Pit Bulls’ brains explode in their heads, causing them to go insane and attack humans. This myth dates back to the 1960s, and was originally exclusive to Dobermans. Here’s how the tale went: Doberman brains exploded inside their skulls, resulting in the demented animal attacking someone. Eventually, when Pit Bulls attained their status of infamy, we pointed fingers at exploding brains. A dog’s brain might swell and put pressure on the skull, but it’s not possible for dog brains to actually “explode.” Even if it were, a dog with an exploding brain would not be capable of attacking a person.
It’s worth pointing out that some of us find great use out of Pit Bulls. In fact, some of the Pits rescued from Michael Vick’s dog fighting ring eventually became therapy dogs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGajvqmxVRA
Untame Saluki 