I'd like to start of by saying
flyndog...I'm very sorry that you simply aren't educated on the breed at all...you know nothing about pit bulls..and I mean nothing...from the looks of it, you watch too much T.V...with all my heart..I honestly feel very sorry for you and hope that one day you'll snap the hell out of it!
facez of death.. if you want to get a pit bull..reconsider..to be honest..they are not the best breed for first time dog owners..and if you have no previous knowledge or experience with the breed...then seriously look into getting another dog first..unless you're willing to do research for at least a few months...these dogs are abused, exploited, and constantly mistreated and misunderstood. If you want a pit, you're gonna have to deal with everything that goes along with the breed..including constant stereotypical comments from people, the fact that your dog could very well be dog aggressive...the fact that stupid people will ask whether you'd like to fight or breed your dog...the fact that if some other dog attacks yours, you WILL be the one that gets blamed...etc..etc..etc.
Most of the owners that have pit bulls are irresponsible and know nothing about the breed or how to raise them properly. If you want a pit bull, or any other dog for that matter (which like I said I would recommend first), then you're best off with either a shelter or a breeder. With a shelter, you could very well find a wonderful dog in need of a good home...with a breeder, you'll have more background info on the dog you're interested in. HOWEVER, with that being said...just because they're breeders, and just because they have papers for their dogs, it doesn't mean that they're any good. Watch out for backyard breeders..... if you're going to start looking for one, I suggest watching out for these good signs....and not just one of them...ALL of them and MORE:
1) Make sure the breeder asks and is more suspicious of you than you are of them. A good breeder will want the best home for their pups. THEY ASK ALOT OF QUESTIONS BECAUSE THEY CARE..if they don't, then don't bother.
2) Make sure the pups are going home when they are AT LEAST 8 weeks of age. Anything before that is unnacceptable with a responsible breeder.
3) How often are they breeding their dogs? I would say a somewhat reasonable number of times would be once every two years AT THE MOST...make sure you didn't come to a puppy mill!
4) Are they able to provide you with complete health documentations on both parents? They should be able to!
5) Are they allowing you to take a look at the conditions the dogs are in, their home, to meet the parents of the pups? Reputable breeders will actually encourage this.
6) Are they performing home checks on you without appointment? Dropping by and asking to see your home? That's a good thing.
7) Do they have a lengthy contract for you to sign that ensures you will spay/neuter your pup and will pay the consequences in court if there is an accidental breeding or if the owner finds out that the pup is being abused in any way? Does the contract state that if by any circumstances you cannot keep the animal at any point in time, you MUST return it to the breeder where it will be properly rehomed..and if not, you WILL pay the consequences in court? All of these points should be brought up by a good breeder.
8) Are the dogs temperment tested? Do they have bloodline information for you to look at? Are they willing to give you all the information you need about care/ownership/the breeds history and characteristics, etc?
With this being said, I still urge you to do a heck of alot of research on the breed since they require an educated and dedicated owner. At this point in time, the breed is in a very delicate situation, where BSL is springing up all over the fricken place...and any negative incident that could be avoided takes place that involves these dogs....(usually because of irresponsible breeders and owners), the pit bulls reputation is only damaged that much more. Please do alot of research and if you can, I would suggest adopting another dog from the shelter that needs a home until you can familiarize yourself with the breed. If you are extremely keen on pits, then try to foster a few from a shelter and see what you think. That will prepare you more for what you're about to deal with. They are awesome dogs, just not for everyone.
If you want more information, maybe some of these sites will help you a bit more:
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/index.cfm
http://www.dogwatch.net/strategy.html
http://www.forpitssake.org/
http://www.pbrc.net/faq.html
http://www.loveabull.org/
http://www.realpitbull.com/abuse.html
http://www.pitbulllovers.com/
http://www.pitbullpets.com/
http://www.realpitbull.com/
Some examples of responsible and excellent breeders that know what they're talking about:
http://www.hartagold.com/
http://matrixkennels.com/
The Pit Bull Chat Forum (similar to chazhound forum but for pitbull owners)
http://www.pitbullforum.com <-- good place to ask some questions since most of the people there are pit bull freaks like myself lol
Good Luck.