Do Pitbulls Make Good Pets?

When you walk into my home chances are you will find Franki, my 1 year old playing toys in her play area and never more than a step away is our puppy, Mercy. Mercy, our family Pitbull was welcomed into our lives 6 months after Franki was born and we moved into our new home. There were several reasons why my husband and I decided to purchase a Pitbull over several other breeds we considered. Pitbulls to many are known as loyal, nurturing, protectiveness and, eager to enjoy a nice cuddle at the end of the night. However, there's a great number of people that would disagree with me and go on to say that a Pitbull should never be a pet due to their vicious behavior and lock jaw. Let me take the time to change their mind.

Pitbull's are a crossbreed between a bulldog and a terrier originally bred in England in the early 19th century (then called "Bull and Terriers") to be working dogs on farms to herd, protect, and manage livestock. This is where Pitbull's get their loyalty nurturing and protectiveness from it has been breed. During the 20th century, pitbull type dogs quickly became one of America's most popular family dogs to the extent that they became national mascots and were used on recruitment posters for World Wars 1 & 2 and were called "America's dog". Pitbull's have been successful working dog as service dogs, as therapy dogs, and as K9 police dogs.

Pitbulls have been known to make great family additions because of their docile behavior towards children. The American temperament test society performs multiple test to figure out the temperament of all dogs breeds. Pitbulls scoring in the top 23% of all breeds tested. This is a huge reason why Pitbulls make great family dog. In my own experience, they are cuddly animals that are patient, playful and nurturing interacting with a pitbull is one of the greatest pleasures you are gifted when bringing one into your home. Every morning I get up, grab my daughter to come downstairs first thing she does when her feet touch the floor is run to say good morning to her best friend, Mercy. As a parent experiencing the bond they share is a blessing and it's all thanks to the sweet nature of this breed. Mercy walks beside her everywhere she goes and can be mistaken as her shadow most days. They have such a good demeaner in late 1900's the breed was named nanny dog in the although it is not a fact it isn't hard to believe. My favorite part of owning a pitbull is the endless love and affection you receive throughout the day.

The best trait that a pitbull has is the eagerness to please people. This is also the down fall to pitbulls. They get a bad reputation, because owners teach them to be aggressive for dog fighting. These beautiful dogs have been used to do such terrible things. Which cause them to have aggressive behavior. The fact of the matter is that 100% of all fatalities due to dog bite were characterized by preventable factors; breed was not one of these. This was a study performed from 2000 to 2009 where they took 256 dog bite related fatalities and found other preventable factors to be the cause of the bite, but not one being breed. ( Patronek GJ1, Sacks JJ, Delise KM, Cleary DV, Marder AR.)
Another myth people love to spread is Pitbulls have lock jaw. Mean that is causes the lock in the down position and can not let go till it closes some more like a Chinese finger trap. The University of Georgia has debunked this by say 'we found that the American pit bull terriers did not have any unique mechanism that would allow these dogs to lock their jaws. There were no mechanical or morphological differences." No dog, of any breed or mix has an anatomical structure that could be a locking mechanism in their jaw. (Dr. I. Lehr Brisbin, University of Georgia)

Overall, they are a breed if given the chance will prove to you that they deserve to be a part of any family. From great temperament, being one of the highest out of all dog. To being loyal to a fault being protective and loving to all the family members. Pitbulls are a breed that has gotten a bad reputation by the myths that have been passed on. I personally couldn't imagine my home without a Pitbull.

Cite this page