10 Facts about Pit bulls

"Ten Facts About Pit Bulls Every One Should Know"1. Pit Bulls are commonly used as therapy dogs. Whether they are visiting a senior care facility or helping someone recover from an emotional accident, Pit Bulls are making a mark as outstanding therapy dogs.
2. Pit Bulls are used in Search and Rescue work. One example of well known SAR Pit Bulls is Kris Crawford and her dogs. Kris and her dogs have helped save the lives of many people during their efforts. http://www.ForPitsSake.org
3. Pit Bulls serve as narcotic and bomb sniffing dogs. One Pit Bull, Popsicle (named that because he was found in an old freezer) has the largest recorded single drug find in Texas history. Read more about Popsicle here. Including how he found over 3,000 lbs of cocaine in Hildago, Texas.
4. Pit Bulls are great with kids. They weren't referred to as the "nanny's dog" for nothing that's for sure.
5. Pit Bulls are not human aggressive. The American Pit Bull Terrier as a breed is not human aggressive. In fact, quite the opposite is true of the breed. They are gentle and loving dogs. Like any dog individuals can be unsound and have behavior problems.
6. The Pit Bull was so popular in the early 1900's they were our mascot not only in World War One, but World War Two as well. They were featured on recruiting and propoganda posters during this time period.
7. Sgt. Stubby. A Pit Bull war hero. Stubby was wounded in action twice, he saved his entire platoon by warning them of a poison gas attack and he single handedly captured a German spy.
8. Pete the Pup on the orginal Little Rascals was a Pit Bull.
9. Pit Bulls score an 83.4% passing rate with the American Temperament Test Society. That's better than the popular Border Collie (a breed who scores 79.6%). View the ATTS stats here.
10. They are dogs not killing machines.
Referenced from:
http://www.pitbulllovers.com/pit-bulls-ten-things-you-should-know.html

Pit Bull is a term commonly used to describe several breeds of dog in the Molosser family that were historically used for dog fighting. The breeds most often placed in this category are the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
In the media the term is vague and may include other breeds with similar physical characteristics, such as the Perro de Presa Canario, Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino, Alano Espanol, Japanese Tosa, Dogue de Bordeaux, Cordoba Fighting Dog, Bull Terrier, Antebellum Bulldog, Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog, American Bulldog, Boxer, Valley Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge, Renascence Bulldogge, and Banter Bulldogge. These breeds are rarely listed by name in breed-specific legislation, but they are sometimes included when the term is defined broadly and based on physical appearance.[1]

Dog bite related human injuriesStatistics about dog bites are difficult to analyze because the term "Pit Bull" may be used to refer to other breeds. The differences in appearance which separate dog breeds are often hard to determine. Generally, dogs are categorized by differences in outward physical attributes. Recently, the decoding of the canine genome has allowed scientific testing to determine dog breeds, but this method is not yet widely used.[3] Because of these uncertainties, statistics regarding dog bites are scientifically suspect. Yet another problem in gathering data is the lack of information about the total dog population. The public perception is that Pit Bulls are more likely to bite than other breeds. However, a 1999 City Journal article stated that "Pit bulls and pit-bull crosses (not always easy to distinguish) have caused more than a third of the nation's dog-bite fatalities since 1979 and a comparable proportion of serious injuries."[4]
A comprehensive study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that the pit bull breeds are the breed most often involved in fatal dog attacks in the U.S.A. Out of 238 dog bite deaths for which the breed was known from 1979 to 1998, 66 were caused by pit bull attacks (over 20%), more than any other breed. [5]
"The problem with statistics appears to be that there is no consistency in where the figures are obtained, nor are there variables included in most studies. Some studies use AKC numbers, some use HSUS numbers and others use CDC&P numbers. Few include causes or contributing circumstances to the attacks, nor are the total numbers of dogs in a certain breed taken into consideration. There is no national recording system for non-fatal dog bites in the United States."[6]
A 2008 study of 6,000 dog owners who were interviewed indicated that smaller breed dogs were more likely to be “genetically predisposed towards aggressive behavior.” Pit bulls were rated as “average or below average for hostility towards strangers.” [7] The study also indicated that bites from larger dogs were likely to be more damaging and reported more frequently, giving the impression that larger dogs are more aggressive.
Referenced from:

Pit Bull - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Denver, Miami and Cincinnati have a ban on pit bulls, the largest number of dogs involved in fatal attacks.
Denver first passed a pit-bull ban in 1989 but went through a legal battle beginning last year to keep it in place. Since the ban was reinstated on May 9, the city has impounded 481 pit bulls, returned 111 to owners upon certification that the animals would be taken out of the city, and euthanized 341, says Doug Kelley, the city's animal control director Doug Kelley.
Janna Goodwin of the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver says 19 states have dangerous-dog statutes that require the owners of dogs that have threatened or injured people to take such steps as: registration, muzzling, posting the home as harboring a dangerous dog, purchasing liability insurance or even having the animal put down if it is considered a threat to public safety.
Even so, animal control officials say pit bulls are the most pressing problem right now.
Carl Friedman, director of the Department of Animal Care and Control in San Francisco, says he understands owners who worry that if one breed is targeted, all breeds might be one day. But, he adds, "we've got an overpopulation. Pit bulls are the only adoptable dogs that I kill because I can't find homes for them."
To him, the answer is to reduce the population through mandatory spaying and neutering. "I don't blame the dog," he says. But when people tell him it's not a single-breed problem, "the most polite thing I can say is they have their heads in the sand."
And, Friedman warns, "if we don't do something and there's another fatality, then people are going to start taking matters into their own hands."
Referenced from:
Weise, E. (n.d.). “Pit bull: Canine non grata.” USA Today, Retrieved October 12, 2008, from MasterFILE Premier database.