Lord. Where to begin, LOL. Lot of ignorance in this thread.

The main thing to think about pits is where you get them. Breeders who are looking to further the breed will ONLY breed dogs who pass temperment, physical, and genetic tests. Pits who aren't bred in some asshat's garage and left on their own are sweet, affectionate and loving dogs to their families.

You have to think to - all the dogs who are being adopted have come from some ungodly sort of place and more than likely abused. It's not a pit thing, any dog showing signs of aggression or violence won't be adopted out to families. Just more likely than not pits who are abused WILL NOT trust humans and will be aggressive towards everyone (not that I blame them).

HOWEVER - the breed itself was developed from the terrier and the bulldog - two EXTREMELY tenacious and stubborn breeds. The dog itself was turned into a fighting dog in the late 1800s, and unfortunately, the disgusting pasttime of dog fighting continues. So they do have a tendancy for aggression towards other dogs - those characteristics were prized in the breed for fighting, so therefore people would breed to get that trait. You can't tell me that a golden retriever (who was bred to work together with humans hunting birds) has the same level of aggression as a pitbull (bred for fighting and baiting bulls).

Pits that aren't socialized and trained well are more likely to attack or bite people than other breeds, that's true. However, they're not vicious dogs - more than likely you can compare it to a shark attack, it's more about mistaken identity. They're more of a danger to cats or small dogs in the neighborhood. (That's not just a pit thing either - my dogs are 20 and 25 lbs and when they see a rabbit - game on.) But if a pit is chained to a fence and left there, he has no way of disginguishing between a human and a dog, nobody has ever told him. Therefore his natural instinct is to attack and protect his territory. And yes, an entire neighborhood can be a dog's territory, especially if no other dog is there to tell him it's not. So you walking down the street can be seen as an invasion by a dog.

I personally wouldn't own a pit, just because I would never want the liability. But it comes down to good pet owners. If you train your dog, socialize them, and make sure to keep his behavior and dominance in check, then you should have no problems with a pit.