My neighbors had the cutest little puppy, named Prince. I thought it was a Dachshund mix, or something. Well, a month passes by, and I see my neighbor in the parking lot letting a large dog off the leash. Until I hear her call its name, I wouldn’t have thought it was the same dog. It’s now about 35-40 pounds and still a puppy. And it looks like a pitbull. So I ask… and yup, it’s a pit bull.

My cat likes to be outside, and he happened to be out at that time. Prince was highly interested in my cat, who just hissed and swatted at the dog. Although Prince was just being playful, I’ve read that pit bulls often become aggressive as they get older.

Aside from the stories everyone has read, I personally know a guy whose cat was mauled to death by his wife’s super-friendly pitbull WHILE THEY WERE ALL IN THE SAME ROOM, and his wife couldn’t even control her dog. The cat died and the guy received 20 stitches after trying to free his cat from the dog’s jaws.

So what’s the deal? The neighbor said her dog is very friendly, because that’s the way he was raised. But does that make a difference? Are pit bulls predisposed to killing smaller animals (and people) no matter how they are raised?

There’s a large English bull dog and an American boxer in my neighborhood, too, and I’ve been highly amused when they play with my cat. Prince was just as friendly, but just knowing he’s a pit bull sets my hairs on end and I am no longer comfortable with letting my cat outside unattended. Am I unfairly prejudiced? Or is an unleashed pit bull a ticking time bomb?
*Aduil, thanks. But as for not letting my cat in the neighbor’s yard:
1. Cats do whatever they want. And they don’t take to leashes. I know, because I’ve tried.
2. There are no yards. I live in an apartment. She let her pit bull off the leash in the parking lot.
rios4230: I respect your choice of pet. You recognize that your dogs will tackle anything that runs and is smaller, and you keep your dogs leashed. You understand that your dogs were bred for aggression and they are inherently more dangerous than most other breeds of dog.

Are the owners who think their pit bull isn’t dangerous just fooling themselves?

Yes, Chihuahuas are also infamous for biting people, but they just happen to be a lot smaller! Doesn’t that make a difference???!?
*****”EDIT: I have a harness and leash for my cat and I take him outside all the time like that. If you are worried, don’t let your cat out when the dog is out or go out there and supervise. It’s not your cat’s area just like it’s not their dog’s area.”
I have a harness, and none of my cats will tolerate it. But don’t you think it’s backwards to insist I keep my cat on a leash, while my neighbor lets her pit bull off the leash??
… and even if I were to supervise, see the story I attached. That guy was my coworker, and I saw him in the ER covered with blood.
Ash: In the same breath, you say that pit bulls are bred for “courage and tenacity in the fighting pit” yet are not bred for aggression. Hrrm, ok. Then doesn’t the ability and inclination of the pit bull to “darn well finish the job” make it inherently more dangerous than most other breeds?

My brother was bitten by a lab, right on the cheek. Yeah, the dog was mean, but it didn’t clamp down and not let go till he was bleeding and dead. It didn’t even break the skin. It nipped and barked. So there is a huge difference, AFAIC.