This was posted by a good friend on another forum with permission to crosspost anywhere, so I thought it might be nice to plunk it here, too. It might even deserve sticky status, who knows:
People who SHOULD NOT own a pit bull:
--Stupid people. If you are asking yourself right now if you are one of the "stupid people" then you probably are. These dogs are VERY SMART. Mine has learned to open many of the doors in my house, her crate, the shutters, and even the slats of the shutters. Last week I caught her with a Sudoku puzzle.
--Lazy people. These dogs need to be active-mentally and physically. They also need to be TRAINED and CONTAINED. This is worth repeating. Again, they NEED to be TRAINED and CONTAINED. If you are too lazy to make sure that you dog is trained in proper manners, has been highly socialized as a puppy, stays ON LEASH in public, and to build a proper fence if you have a yard then leave our breed the hell alone. Also know this: your pit bull will be held to a higher standard of behavior than other dogs of its size simply because it is a pit bull. This may not be fair, but it is reality. If this is not a reality that you can deal with, do not get a pit bull.
--People the are uncomfortable with prey driven dog or dog that may be aggressive to other dogs as an adult. Many, many pit bulls have a high prey drive. This is something that you can manage and control, but you cannot "train it out." Many, many, many pit bulls develop some level of combativeness towards other dogs as they mature. Socialization does help a bit, and teaching proper manners makes a HUGE difference in managing the issue, but ultimately you will just have to accept that your pit bull SHOULD NOT be going to dog parks, should NOT be left loose with other dogs unattended, etc. If this is NOT something that you are willing to deal with (and by deal with I mean not only manage but for God's sake keep your dog out of situations where it could hurt another dog), THIS IS *NOT* THE BREED FOR YOU! If dealing with high prey drive and dog aggression make you feel icky inside, forget you ever heard the term "pit bull" and get youself a golden retriever.
--People who do not believe in neutering/spaying their dogs. 1 in 600 pit bulls gets a home. The shelters are full of them. If you consider your dog's balls to be an extension of your own manhood, you need a good, sound, a$$ kicking, not a dog (this goes triple for those hoping to make a quick buck on pit bull puppies). If you are one of those "Oh, she is such a good dog that I have to breed her," people, please go find another breed to ruin (and not labs). Just like everyone thinks that their kid is the greatest, everyone thinks that their dog is "special." It's great that you love your dog, but he/she is no more special than the thousands and thousands of other dogs dying in shelters every year. Get over it.
--People who are Sensitive. If you are easily offended, this is NOT, I repeat, NOT the breed for you. It helps if you already have very low expectations for the rest of humanity--this will soften the blow. People will tell you that your dog is going to "turn on" you. People (even other "dog lovers") will tell you that your dog deserves to be dead. People will look at your dog like he/she is a monster. People will look at your dog like he/she is trash, and that you are trash for owning such a dog. Simply because of the breed that you own people will imply that you are everything from a drug dealer to a dog fighter. Oh yeah, and as an added bonus be prepared to have all the other sins of pretty much every irresponsible pit bull owner cast upon you as if it is somehow your fault that some yahoo in a town 600 miles away let his pit bull run loose and attack someone's dog. This is frequently done, even among other dog lovers. Be prepared.
--People not willing to cull human aggressive dogs. Pit bulls should NOT EVER be aggressive towards humans. Those that are should, IMHO and the opinion of many others, be euth'ed. Yes, this is harsh. Yes, this is sad. However, when you decide to own this breed the actions of YOUR dog affect not only you, but thousands and thousands of pit bulls and their owners. If this is not a responsibility you are willing to should, then do not get a pit bull.
--People who do not like hassle. You are going to have to learn to be politically involved in your community/state to keep local officials trying to make a name for themselves from taking away your right to own your pit bull. You may have to pay higher licensing fees, etc. You will also likely catch hell from your homeowners insurance provider. Be prepared to do research and likely switch companies. If you rent, you will have to do LOTS and LOTS of searching, begging, convincing, etc to find a landlord willing to allow you to have a pit bull. If all this sounds like too much work, find another breed.
--People trying to appear "tough." Crappy cars/trucks with spinners, ginormous rims, obnoxious sound systems, oversized spoilers, fake testicles hanging from the hitch, flames painted down the sides, naked woman window stickers, and chrome tail pipes the size of coffee cans achieve much the same effect without the hassle of a dog. You may also want to consider numerous tattoos of dead things and naked women. Wearing ones hat sideways and hanging ones pants off ones butt also does the trick. All of these things are cheaper and easier than owning a dog and the rest of us don't have to shoulder the effect of the mistakes you will surely make with a dog that you will only value for the "street cred" it provides.
--Criminals. Please do not use pit bulls to guard your crack houses, meth labs, ***** houses, etc. Why (aside from the obvious of course)? Well, first of all, most are crappy guard dogs. They might *look* scarey, but many of them will not actually back that up. While those that don't know the breed might think twice, those that do (like myself) could waltz right in past the dog, and walk out with as much crack as we want. What drug dealer has time for that? Also, pit bulls as drug house guards are *so* ten years ago. What's the alternative? Wild hogs. Sure they may *seem* dangerous, but that's what you want, right? They are extremely territorial and will pretty much attack anyone who comes onto your property. As an added bonus they will eat anything, and I do mean *anything,* if you get my drift. See, everybody wins--you don't get your drugs stolen, a wild pig now has a yard that I'm *sure* is full of trash to root around in, and you leave MY BREED alone.
--People offended by any of the above. This probably means that you fit into one or more of these categories, and therefore should NOT, own a pit bull.
People who SHOULD NOT own a pit bull:
--Stupid people. If you are asking yourself right now if you are one of the "stupid people" then you probably are. These dogs are VERY SMART. Mine has learned to open many of the doors in my house, her crate, the shutters, and even the slats of the shutters. Last week I caught her with a Sudoku puzzle.
--Lazy people. These dogs need to be active-mentally and physically. They also need to be TRAINED and CONTAINED. This is worth repeating. Again, they NEED to be TRAINED and CONTAINED. If you are too lazy to make sure that you dog is trained in proper manners, has been highly socialized as a puppy, stays ON LEASH in public, and to build a proper fence if you have a yard then leave our breed the hell alone. Also know this: your pit bull will be held to a higher standard of behavior than other dogs of its size simply because it is a pit bull. This may not be fair, but it is reality. If this is not a reality that you can deal with, do not get a pit bull.
--People the are uncomfortable with prey driven dog or dog that may be aggressive to other dogs as an adult. Many, many pit bulls have a high prey drive. This is something that you can manage and control, but you cannot "train it out." Many, many, many pit bulls develop some level of combativeness towards other dogs as they mature. Socialization does help a bit, and teaching proper manners makes a HUGE difference in managing the issue, but ultimately you will just have to accept that your pit bull SHOULD NOT be going to dog parks, should NOT be left loose with other dogs unattended, etc. If this is NOT something that you are willing to deal with (and by deal with I mean not only manage but for God's sake keep your dog out of situations where it could hurt another dog), THIS IS *NOT* THE BREED FOR YOU! If dealing with high prey drive and dog aggression make you feel icky inside, forget you ever heard the term "pit bull" and get youself a golden retriever.
--People who do not believe in neutering/spaying their dogs. 1 in 600 pit bulls gets a home. The shelters are full of them. If you consider your dog's balls to be an extension of your own manhood, you need a good, sound, a$$ kicking, not a dog (this goes triple for those hoping to make a quick buck on pit bull puppies). If you are one of those "Oh, she is such a good dog that I have to breed her," people, please go find another breed to ruin (and not labs). Just like everyone thinks that their kid is the greatest, everyone thinks that their dog is "special." It's great that you love your dog, but he/she is no more special than the thousands and thousands of other dogs dying in shelters every year. Get over it.
--People who are Sensitive. If you are easily offended, this is NOT, I repeat, NOT the breed for you. It helps if you already have very low expectations for the rest of humanity--this will soften the blow. People will tell you that your dog is going to "turn on" you. People (even other "dog lovers") will tell you that your dog deserves to be dead. People will look at your dog like he/she is a monster. People will look at your dog like he/she is trash, and that you are trash for owning such a dog. Simply because of the breed that you own people will imply that you are everything from a drug dealer to a dog fighter. Oh yeah, and as an added bonus be prepared to have all the other sins of pretty much every irresponsible pit bull owner cast upon you as if it is somehow your fault that some yahoo in a town 600 miles away let his pit bull run loose and attack someone's dog. This is frequently done, even among other dog lovers. Be prepared.
--People not willing to cull human aggressive dogs. Pit bulls should NOT EVER be aggressive towards humans. Those that are should, IMHO and the opinion of many others, be euth'ed. Yes, this is harsh. Yes, this is sad. However, when you decide to own this breed the actions of YOUR dog affect not only you, but thousands and thousands of pit bulls and their owners. If this is not a responsibility you are willing to should, then do not get a pit bull.
--People who do not like hassle. You are going to have to learn to be politically involved in your community/state to keep local officials trying to make a name for themselves from taking away your right to own your pit bull. You may have to pay higher licensing fees, etc. You will also likely catch hell from your homeowners insurance provider. Be prepared to do research and likely switch companies. If you rent, you will have to do LOTS and LOTS of searching, begging, convincing, etc to find a landlord willing to allow you to have a pit bull. If all this sounds like too much work, find another breed.
--People trying to appear "tough." Crappy cars/trucks with spinners, ginormous rims, obnoxious sound systems, oversized spoilers, fake testicles hanging from the hitch, flames painted down the sides, naked woman window stickers, and chrome tail pipes the size of coffee cans achieve much the same effect without the hassle of a dog. You may also want to consider numerous tattoos of dead things and naked women. Wearing ones hat sideways and hanging ones pants off ones butt also does the trick. All of these things are cheaper and easier than owning a dog and the rest of us don't have to shoulder the effect of the mistakes you will surely make with a dog that you will only value for the "street cred" it provides.
--Criminals. Please do not use pit bulls to guard your crack houses, meth labs, ***** houses, etc. Why (aside from the obvious of course)? Well, first of all, most are crappy guard dogs. They might *look* scarey, but many of them will not actually back that up. While those that don't know the breed might think twice, those that do (like myself) could waltz right in past the dog, and walk out with as much crack as we want. What drug dealer has time for that? Also, pit bulls as drug house guards are *so* ten years ago. What's the alternative? Wild hogs. Sure they may *seem* dangerous, but that's what you want, right? They are extremely territorial and will pretty much attack anyone who comes onto your property. As an added bonus they will eat anything, and I do mean *anything,* if you get my drift. See, everybody wins--you don't get your drugs stolen, a wild pig now has a yard that I'm *sure* is full of trash to root around in, and you leave MY BREED alone.
--People offended by any of the above. This probably means that you fit into one or more of these categories, and therefore should NOT, own a pit bull.
