Let me put it this way, since this has actually happened. My leashed dogs didn't make the news. Either time.
Nobody would ever be able to say the same if a toddler ran up to someone's leashed manbiting Pit Bull and ended up in the hospital. That would be a headline, period.
Where I live, a dog who kills another dog is legally considered a dangerous dog, just like a dog who attacks a person.
Maybe it didn't make the headlines but it definitely affects the breed negatively in SOME way. It is not just a neutral thing that happened.
I am extremely wary of pit bulls these days for this very reason. I have personally seen too many maul another dog, heard 'responsible pit owners' talk about their dogs killing other dogs, and had too many friends whose dogs were attacked by pit bulls and injured through no fault of their own. My trainer's dog was the most recent case- attacked at a dog show while in the hotel on a leash. They were simply walking out their door and the dog started mauling him. My cousin's pit killed a golden a few years ago. I watched a pit take off half a mastiff's ear and they had to choke him off. Both dogs in that instance were leashed. I know several owners on forums who have admitted their dogs have killed other dogs (and almost with a badge of honor- well my dog is SUPER DA but he's so great with people!). And I could go on. And on.
That kind of stuff definitely has shaped my feelings towards the breed and the way the owners seem to be failing to manage that DA... I have known other dog breeds where individuals have injured/fought with other dogs, but not to the same extent. The end result is that I don't really trust the breed at all. I am so much more aware when around a pit bull and so much more cautious than with most other breeds. It has zip to do with media perception and everything to do with how many bad experiences I've had.
Personally, I would MUCH rather deal with a dog with a somewhat spooky temperament than one who was 'stable with people' that's instincts were to kill other dogs. I'm not sure I'd call that a 'stable dog'. I don't think stability simply has to do with how the dog reacts towards people. A dog that goes off the hilt at another dog for simply being? Not on the top of my list when it comes to stability and safety.
And I hear other people with the same thoughts too, it's not just me. My trainer won't go anywhere without mace and a cattle prod now.
I totally agree with this. It seems pretty silly to suggest that a pit bull killing another dog doesn't further harm the breed's image. Actually if anything, most of the public doesn't view dog aggression and human aggression separately, so the reaction to a pit bull killing another dog would likely be along the "OMG next time it could be a child!" than "well at least it's only dog aggressive". Also, whenever there is a dogfight, there is a risk of people being badly bitten trying to break it up.
Yes dog aggression is part of the breed and that is a big part of what makes them so problematic for pet owners IMO. The average owner has a hard time managing serious dog or human aggression.
I do think prey issues with small dogs is a bit different. It is a lot easier to manage anyway, since the issue tends to specifically involve the prey driven dog running loose with small dogs.
But again, this dog doesn't have a history of unprovoked bites? The dog seems to have some body/restraint issues and possible response to punishment/restraint (being "shown" his urine accident) but if I get bitten by a dog once for grabbing its collar, then I grab its collar again later without working on touch sensitivity or being reached for... that isn't an unprovoked bite, surely?
Sounds about right to me.
To expand on this and the thought of different traits in different breeds, point being that people should be extra cautious with their pets around APBTs, and any other high prey drive breed (DA is partially a modified/intensified form of the same prey drive all terriers possess). In much the same way that people should be extra cautious about approaching a breed like a Fila improperly, because a degree of HA is commonplace in the breed. People should not have to be cautious around APBTs in that way, and so it's not "the same" as DA in the breed, just as an APBT level of DA (or even sighthound level prey drive) in a Golden Retriever would be completely unacceptable.
It may be unacceptable in terms of proper temperament for the breed but that has more to do with making breeding choices than ownership choices. A Golden willing to attack and kill other dogs doesn't require any different handling or management than a pit bull willing to do the same and both would be equally dangerous to other people's dogs.