The American Pit Bull Terrier has become a monster in the eyes of the legal system and a whole lot of families with children.
In the last few years, Pit Bull attacks on children and adults have escalated out of control.
Laws are being made and existing ones changed because of these vicious and sometimes deadly attacks.
Irresponsible owners are paying fines and being jailed for improper restraint of their pets, that result in these attacks.
A Pit Bull is pretty much like any other dog, with the exception of what the bloodline was originally bred for, which was to bait bulls and bears for hunters.
When those baiting techniques were finally deemed inhumane, the dogs were then made popular in dog fighting.
Over the years, because they have a natural tendency to be friendly to people, they were eventually made into house pets.
If a Pit Bull Terrier is trained to be mean and aggressive when it is a developing pup, then more than likely you will end up with a problem dog as an adult.
Clandestine groups and gangs have been secretly training these dogs to fight for may years and are used in wagering as part of a huge underground business.
When put in a "Fighting Ring" Pit Bulls will not stop fighting until either the fight is broken up, or one dog is dead.
If you plan on getting a Pit Bull Terrier as a family dog, do a little preliminary work before you decide on one.
If you are choosing a puppy from a litter, pick one that is least aggressive to the others, and one that doesn't jump up much.
You would be surprised in what a difference that makes as the dog becomes an adult.
After choosing your pup, make sure it gets a lot of social time with every member of the family.
Provide plenty of mental stimulation and room for lots of exercise.
These dogs need to burn off a lot of excess energy when they are growing.
Something that is real important that most people don't think about is insurance issues.
Check your home owners policy and see what kind of liability coverage (if any) you have for any incidents that would involve the family dog.
Some policies have provisions for that, and on some it is an add-on.
You might want to call your agent.
You'll also want to make sure you have a guide book written by experts for owning and caring for Pit Bulls exclusively, it might help with the insurance part.