Call me what you want, but for me, I just can't see the overall attraction for this type of breed (or "breed type", as it's more and more being called in the insurance industry and legislative circles).
Note that I used the word "overall". There has to be balance here before you decide on any dog to become a part of your family. It's a balance of risks versus benefits. Cold as it may sound, you all use the same methodology when you buy a car for driving from A to B, computer for you information management needs, shotgun for upland bird hunting, dishwasher to complete a mundane task, house to live in, stocks as an investment, etc.
I tend to shift much of this occurence towards our country's legal profession (attorneys) for this negative attention to certain breeds. Not all attorneys, mind you. I like mine. Haven't had to employ his services much at all, but the one time I walked into the courtroom with him, you could hear the other guy groan.
A fellow pilot in my squadron used to breed APBT's for many years on his N. Texas farm. He felt he was a responsible, caring breeder, but after many years, litters, sales of some handsome dogs, he stopped. It was that decent number of unprovoked attacks that had the most to do with that decision.
These weren't instances where a stranger crossed the property and was mauled. They endured attacks against cattle on their ranch, from out of the blue, while out on a walk with the dogs. Once they "clicked" and went into attack mode, they were almost unstoppable. You can't continue to breed a particular dog that has been identified as attacking for no reason.
One time, while riding in the back of a pickup truck, one of his pits leaped out at 40mph just so he could attack and kill another dog standing at the roadside in front of another farmer's property. I won't go into the merits of a high-school-age kid riding in the back of a pickup truck with his dog while dad drives down a farm road, but once the dog got it into his mind to attack, he could not be restrained. Even after slamming face-first into that hard dirt road at 40mph and coming to a tumbling stop, the bloodied dog got up, retained his "attack focus" and proceeded to run down and maul that other dog...a Doberman. By the time they backed up and grabbed him, it was too late. Needless to say, he had to put his dog down.
The final straw was when his dad took one of their pits out while doing some work around the farm. He had his back turned for a minute, and when he turned back, the dog had already pulled down a heifer and torn its throat out, killing it. He yelled, "Max, get away from there!" Their pit bull (member of the family, pet, gentle dog in all other respects) trotted up, and leapt for his throat. Well, luckily his dad had a shovel and used it to good defensive effect. The dog got up, shook it off, and trotted in the direction of their house. He had to put that one down too.
I think it's admirable that people try to unrescue unwanted dogs, including these types of dogs. That said, I can't ever rent to anybody who has one, or one that even "looks like one". Risk vs. benefit. My insurance underwriter excludes these, and a few other for documented actuarial reasons. I might get a decent tenant for one of my buildings, but if their dog were to attack or kill somebody, I couldn't financially endure the lawsuit that would come my way. You may disagree, but the courts don't....if I lease to somebody with an APBT (or a dog that "looks like one", sad to say), it becomes a shared responsibility between me as apartment building owner and the tenant as to the dog's behavior. It's not worth the risk to me.
On a side note, I've seen some fine dogs that I'd rather rent to instead of their masters.
As a police officer, my brother has seen too many instances where the family pet APBT (or one that "looks like one") mauled somebody, and the family owning that dog lost everything in the ensuing trial. Everything. In the end, the dog had to be destroyed as well. Not a happy ending at all for anybody! Risk vs. benefit. They had a nice dog (benefit), but the risk of a negative outcome, however remote, did happen. There is a huge legal industry right now based on personal injury lawyers who specialize in dog attacks, and it gains steam every day. APBT's (and dogs that "look like one") are at the top of their hit parade.
There are small dog breeds that bite a lot, I'll give you that. Poodles just about top the list here every time somebody feels compelled to build such a list. The crux of the debate in the insurance industry and lawmaking is that attacks by small dogs usually don't have lethal or potentially lethal results with potential for enormous lawsuit payout.
One negative result here is that other breeds (or "breed types") are dragged into into the legal mix: GSD's, Rotties, etc. I like dogs that are in the 60-70lb. range, so female APBT's, GSD's and Rotties would fit that bill...but I've got way too much to lose to a dog bite lawsuit. My ability to get four kids through college, still sock away funds for retirement, etc., would vanish. The personal benefit of owning one of these fine dogs is largely outweighed by the risk of enormous negative legal and financial consequence.
I think APBT's are handsome, well-proportioned dogs. I don't think there's a dog better looking than a pure white APBT with some liver spots in its coat standing at attention at his master's side with ears perked up. It makes for a great picture. That said, does that benefit of having one in my family outweigh the other risks of considerable negative legal and financial consequence? For me, no. For others, it's a different answer, I'm sure.
For me, having a Dachshund just doesn't have the "fun of ownership" quality that I get from having a bigger dog in the family. However, the "overall" attraction of having the smaller dog is greater due to the possible negative consequences of the bigger dog's actions, however remote.
I think more people get struck by lightning than are killed by APBT's each year, but that's a topic for a philosophy class.
Just my thoughts on that subject.
Regards, N-A
