90 lbs pitbulls? That's a pretty damned big pitbull. I've got an American Bully that is a "pitbull", but is bred as a family pet and not to have any of the alleged aggression, etc, but they are stockier and way more muscular. He's a real beefcake but only weighs 65. A 90 lbs pitbull is a very large animal. American bullies come in different sizes from the micros all the way to XXLs...mine is a standard/classic. I wasn't there, but I'll defer to your eye witness that they actually were pitbulls.

I find it somewhat funny that OP has Jack Russell terriers because pitbull...terriers...had the terrier blood to make them aggressive for bullbaiting, etc. It's the little terrier in them that made them ferocious.

Regardless of the breed, dogs should not be roaming the streets.

I'll stand by my little guy and defend him as a gentle and misunderstood beast. Everywhere we go, he's the hit of the party once people get over their stereotypes.

I was once guilty of judging a dog by the way it's head looked. That is, until I really got to know one and it caused me to buy mine. I'll never get a different type of dog. It's got the most personality, is the most loving and loyal thing I've ever owned other than my first cat. Man...I loved that cat.

"All of your breeding examples are using the false assumption that there are breeders who are actively breeding pitbulls to select for non-aggressive behavior which they are not"

This is true of backyard breeders, trash breeders, junkyard dog and fighting dog breeders, but not many reputable registered dog breeders that aren't pet-mills, but are interested in the quality of the breed.

Yes, they breed for a physical standard. They also MUST breed for a temperamental standard, a standard of behavior, for example, in AKC, and there are ways to determine this in breed confirmation and other breed specific tests. I'll also note that in ALL AKC events, a single aggressive attack or biting incident of one dog on another dog or person gets the offending dog a LIFETIME ban on ALL events. Trust me, the people that show are pretty damn careful about the behavior and temperament of their dogs.

Unfortunately, there are a LOT of pit bull breeders that scrounge up a couple of pet class intact dogs from the sleazy questionable breeders or pet mills and don't AT ALL consider temperament and behavior of the pair, and there are a few AKC breeders so obsessed with physical conformity that they ignore temperamental problems. Those people can keep swapping and breeding dogs prolifically until they outnumber selective carefully bred dogs, so that it is very difficult to rid the genetic population of questionably or badly bred dogs.

The genetics exist to breed perfectly amenable pit bull dogs, but a large majority of breeders have to cooperate in doing so even when it means ignoring physically ideal dogs with less than ideal behavior and temperament. It could be done in a few generations. But I don't know how you get the necessary level of cooperation...

Agree with a lot of your sentiments. I am a major admitted hypocrite, I really love and appreciate my Pit rescue, but am still real leery of others. Agree with what you say about the sizes, my girl is a fairly stout Pit, and she is right at 60, but can out fart 800 pound wildebeest. Most pits I have seen are around the 50 to 70 pound range. Bigger ones are rare and the exception.

The only thing I will add to the oft repeated debates on the Pit subject which I believe plays into, and may be a part of the possible cause of, the oft perceived belief that Pits are aggressive is that Pits are very people oriented dogs, I believe that is also been bred into them.

When I rescued this Pit I have, and I did not not really want her by any means, my long time Aggie vet told me straight away that his experience with Pits was that they were people centric dogs, they love being around people. They are not hunters, cowdogs, pointers, or other breeds. They like and want to be with people and serve people.

Lots and lots of Pits are pipi extenders for wanna be bad asses who shouldn't own a stuffed animal, much less a dog, and even more so less a dog like a Pit. They get chained up, put outside in a weed covered yard, never walked, socialized, or exercised and treated crappily. But yet they remain Pits and are capable of great destruction. I would bet, and maybe I am wrong but I don't think so, that a large percentage of these "killer" Pits come from an origin of neglect and being ignored.

My Pit is a great dog, except for the gas situation, and she is by far the neediest dog I have ever had in terms of needing and wanting human attention and interaction. Exactly like my vet told me. Luckily we can give it to her and she is very happy and easy going.

Knowing that there are Pits out there that are neglected and raised poorly does concern me.

On a different vein, Jack Russel Terrorists are something else, God made them that size for a reason. Most of those dogs are about 20 pounds removed from being like those little raptor critters in Jurrasic Park. They are WFO all the time. Incredible dogs, lots of attention required.

Thank for posting the criminal law link.....but jesus christ what a ****ed up unamerican moronic commie dumbass ****hole we live in.

Happened to me in Austin 10 years ago. Walking my blood hound and a pit busted thru an old fence and ran at us. I yelled and he stopped at the first charge. Second charge he didn't stop and lunged at my dog. Before he got to him I kicked the dog so hard he went back 5 or so feet hurt and ran back into his yard. A couple of guys drinking beer in another yard said they never knew a pit was back there. I called the police about a loose pit and the next week there was a new fence.

This my my experience too. I had a pit/bmc mix and he was about 70lbs.

From the day i got him he was all licks and tail wags. Never met a stranger. If I locked him in the backyard he broke the fence a few times but I'd find him at one of neighbors house and they said he'd just came over to hang out.

Dog aggressive - yes, only if we were around and especially on a leash but I could settle him down with my voice alone.

One of the many things I loved about him is that he instantly adopted my 40lb female bmc as his. Quite a few times on walks we had dogs in our old neighborhood roaming the streets and there were a few aggressive ones that would try to sneak attack my female but Wyatt would step in front and they'd either stop in their tracks or I'd let him go and he'd stop them. My dads 120lb and 90 lb labs snapped at her once. He sent the male hollering and didn't allow either of them near her the rest of the day.

That dog was was the best and I miss him quite a bit.

I agree, they absolutely are people dogs.