The first time you found out 'pit bulls' were "vicious?
 

When was the first time you heard your dog was going to turn on you? That it had locking jaws? That it would eat your babies? That it's brain swells up in the heat and makes them go crazy? Did it freak you out?

Growing up I had heard the term locking jaw but never connected it to one specific breed. Personally I always wanted a GSD so I didn't pay much attention. When I was about 13 y/o I started researching dog breeds/breeders when I stumbled across some of the myths. I learned a lot more about them once I started volunteering at a shelter, including from my own parents. I was working with some awesome pit bull mixes by that time, the first one they gave me to handle was a high-energy young unaltered male who was trying to hump everything http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/eek.png, but I had done a ton of research so knew it was crazy talk. How 'bout you?

i was never brought up to beleive half the bullshit i hear from other people. this whole viscious pitbull thing juss kinda crept up on me and bit me in the ass!

NNothing close to those......I just knew they had big ass heads.....http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/lol.gif

They are vicous? News to me.

my point exactly

i was raised with dobies when they were the "bad dog", so its just part of life to own a killer. lol

I never heard they were vicious until a friend got one and decided to get rid of him and I adopted him. Now I here it alot but realize those people are misinformed.

I started working at an AH when I was 16 and I don't remember a specific time but after a few years I remember knowing that people thought negatively of them and I didn't understand why.... Now, I am unfortunately all too familiar with the negative view.

I remember when I met my first pit bull. I had some vague recollection of some mention of them being devil dogs of some sort. That vague concept was quickly being extinguished by the slobber I was being covered in though so I forgot all about it! http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/lol.gif

I was just asking when was the first time you started hearing about all themyths surrounding the breed.

The first pit mix I ever remember meeting jumped all over me and kissed my face. LOL Every time I heard oneof the muths, I thought of that dog and started to laugh.

When, as in a date? http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/lol.gif I guess that would have to have been around the late eighties. That's as close as I can get to ''when''. http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/lol.gif

7 yrs ago when I started to date my husband. I was telling my hubby about them and how I used to spend my summers cleaning my aunts kennels and taking care of the dogs while she was at work. Before that never heard anything bad about them or didn't care to listen.

I had heard it growing up here and there. When I was younger I lived a couple houses down from a drug dealers who pit bull always got out. Thankfully I owned a greyhound at the time and several times while we went for walks I'd have to let my dog loose so she could run and not get attacked.

Then I went to a friends house and got attacked by their rottie who was chained up (thankfully he just got my jacket because I was far enough away).

After those two incidents and no positive experiences I became afraid of rotties and pits. When I was 12 my step-dad brought home a 12 week old rottie and I feel in-love. After 7 years experience with him I started to work at a vets office. Then I found two pit bulls who were the best trained dogs we had. I fell in love! A year or two later I saw an 8 week old pit bull and made the comment "at least you already have a home so I can't take you" and then I found out he was fostered. That's when I started pouring into the research and although he was adopted by the time I felt like I was ready for the breed, I got Bully 2 months later.

My grandmother and my MIL are both anti-pit bulls. My grandmother jumped back after petting him for 5 mins when I said he wasn't a boxer but a pit and he was only 12 weeks old at the time! So I STILL hear those comments all the time http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/wink.png

my grandfather has raised, shown, and bred APBTs since the sixties so i never believed any of that bullshit i always knew the truth

Hmm. I was raised around, GSD's, APBT's,Amstaffs, dobies and rotties. So I never thought any dog was vicious, ever. I believe there are aggressive dogs in all breeds, but that doesn't effect the breed as a whole in my opinion. I have been attacked by GSD's many of times, I don't hate the whole breed for it though.

I was not really exposed to the brees or any myths about them (or any other breed) until I was in my mid-twenties. Then I heard all kinds of horrible things. After I married my husband, I got my 1st one and fell in love. He was raised around them, his dad was basically a byb. Funny thing is, we are having our 1st child together (I have one from a prev marriage and he doesn't have any) and his dad is trying to spout the crap about them being vicious at me!

The first time you found out 'pit bulls' were "vicious?

Um,they are? I guess that'd be now.lol.....

I never believed the hype about pit bulls, or shepherds,or rottweilers, or dobermanns,or those other ''evil killer dog breeds''.Nothing in nature or manmade is 100% mindless and evil,(shy of possibly some of mankind themselves).We project our fears,our insecurities,our 'shortcomings',our misunderstandings on others and demonize or scapegoat what we dont understand.It tends to be part of being human.

So ''The first time you found out 'pit bulls' were "vicious?'' still hasnt come, because its NOT the pit bulls who are vicious,its our own worst natures that we project to the rest of the world that are.

Some old lady informed me one day while I was walking Apollo. She said somethng like they are great until they turn on you....

stupid old hag.