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I don't believe the breed is beyond help. But pits (as well as rottweilers) are a damaged breed right now. Damaged by attracting the wrong kind of people that worked hard, through selective breeding and abuse, to bring out the negative traits of the breed. It's going to take generations of diligent responsible breeding and care to undue the damage.
I love dogs but you have to be responsible and honest about it. People are at fault to the damage done to the breed. Ignoring the problem is not going to make it go away or help the pitbulls.
Pits are great dogs at their best but still not suited for every person or family. They are by design large agressive guard dogs. They are a working breed and do their jobs very well. You have to be VERY careful when selecting a pit as a pet. Get it from responsible well known breeders. You also have to have the common sense, responsibility and honesty to know/admit if the breed is right for you and or your family and you if want the dog for the right reasons. For example, getting a pit because you think it is a macho status dog is not a good reason.
Great post! I have a Pit Bull and a family and don't consider myself to be negligent or unthinking. I don't have the dog because I think it makes me tough, I have the dog because I wanted to give her a life. She was rescued from a kill shelter in NYC where she had seven days left to live. (Not the first one I rescued, my first dog was also part Pit and died after being with us for 11 years.) I acquired my new dog from a respectable Pit Bull rescue group after she was living with a foster parent for 5 months. Pit Bulls are not all large dogs. In fact, many of the fighting dogs are in the 40 to 45 pound range. They are fast and strong. They weren't bred to attack people, they were bred to fight other dogs. I consider dog-fighting reprehensible, but you have to understand this if you are a pit bull owner. There are several problems Pit Bulls are encountering these days. First, negligent owners. Second, bad press. Any mongrel that happens to have some degree of Pit Bull in his genetic make up is going to be labeled a Pit by the press if they do something wrong. Third, they are the subject of serious breed restrictive legislation that is spreading like wild-fire. Owners who can care for them are being forced to abandon them because they can't move from their current situation to another location without the breed ban.
Before condemning the breed everyone needs to educate themself about them. And better yet, actually interact with them. These dogs are getting killed at a heavy rate everyday in this country. They used to be a really common house pet - remember Petey from Our Gang. And from my personal experience, which is all I can rely on at the end of the day, they are high-energy, lovable dogs. Just my two cents.
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