re: A cop helps out a pit bull

a lot of dogs are aggressive. Pits, German Shepherds (who get a pass usually cause they do police and military shite), rottweilers, etc. know what to do with that aggression when they perceive a threat.

I don't blame the dogs, but they are aggressive and need to be handled in a responsible way. I actually think their loyalty, ability to protect, and aggression in certain situations is pretty amazing and I wouldn't change that about my dog (german shepherd) even if I could. However, I don't let my dog stay at other people houses when I am out of town, I also don't let him play with small children when I am not around - he wouldn't hurt them badly, but when small kids start screaming in a high pitched voice and running and jumping around he will run and bark at them and try to herd them to get them to calm down. Which is pretty awesome because I really don't like kids anyway.

Anyway the point is that it isn't a bad breed, but a lot of the above breeds are aggressive and fiercely protective dogs and those factors must be taken into account in every situation. I don't think they should be outlawed but irresponsible handling of these animals should be punished.

Also when other dogs are around changes the way he interacts. An example is a friend of mine has a little pound dog he got who is very aggressive towards strangers - running up and barking at anyone who comes up, but he doesn't actually have the capability or temperment to stop an intruder. When I bring my dog over there and someone new comes over the little dog runs over and starts barking and all that, my dog follows him sees how he is reacting and decides that means this new person is a threat. (cause the pound dog is older and was around when my dog was a pup, my huge shepherd still defers to him). Pack mentality can be very dangerous with big, powerful dogs.