• Capraos@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    That’s not true. Pits don’t have special bites, that’s a myth. Their bite force and ability to hold on isn’t more or less remarkable than other similarly sized dogs. There are several reasons that “pits” are misrepresented in dog bite rates. The first is over classification of “pit”. A Dalmation mixed with a Pit gets called a “Pit” mix. Also, any dog that even remotely looks like a pit gets classified as a “pit” even if they’re not, as I found out with two of my three dogs that got mislabeled as Pit mixes, only the third dog is a Pit and the other two are mixes of other breeds. It’s not like they’re DNA testing at shelters. We do this with Labs too, just Labs have a better reputation.

    The second reason is their popularity among those who view them as “tough” dogs. Causing certain types to be the most likely to adopt them. Like with German Shepards/Daschaunds/Doberman dog breeds. It is worth noting though, that there are official “Pit” breeds, like the American Pit and the Staffordshire Terrier, but they can be very different from the type of “Pits” people have as it is immensely popular to mix these dogs with other dogs and there are so many non-professional breeders breeding them. So “Pits” can have a wide array of temperaments due to the large genetic diversity present.