There has been a whirlwind of bad information floating around about dog breeds recently. Pit Bulls in particular are labelled as a violent breed, just as Rottweilers and Dobermans and German Shepherds and dozens of other breeds in the past. As with a great many modern issues, a good chunk of the problem starts with the media. When this happens,

The media is going to portray it as an 'evil' dog breed. However, it comes down to a lot more than just 'evil' breeds.

Firstly, no dog is inherently violent. Rather, it is a matter of both nature and nurture as psychology has told us for a long time now. If a dog breed is aggressive by nature, you should not adopt one unless you have the knowledge and experience to care for the animal properly. It is the owner's job to train the pet and teach it.

However, there is a huge problem with that in society. People will pick up a puppy,usually from a larger breed, thinking it's cute. After a while the puppy new-ness wears off and they discard the animal. Everything that puppy ever knew is gone, at a developmental stage in its life. If the animal manages to avoid kill shelters, breeders, and dog fighters long enough to find a new home, it has missed a huge chunk of developmental nurturing,which could result in behavior problems. That is NOT the dog's fault, nor is it the breeds fault. Rather, the fault lies with the person who did not train it properly. It is no different than having to brush long haired breeds. Some breeds require more maintenance and it is the duty of the owner to provide it. The error is human. Whether it is having bred a dog to be violent or having not trained it not to be, the error is always human.

There are no bad dogs, only bad owners. While inherent psychological disorders exist in dogs just as much as every other species, they are exceedingly rare. It is an issue or training, not of genetics.

So next time you decide to get a pet, do some homework on the breed. Think of whether you have the time to train it. Think of the grooming of it will require.Think of the diseases it might be predisposed to.Think of medical costs. All these factors should play a role into deciding to get a pet. If you cannot reasonably provide all of those, you should not get that pet. Perhaps think of a smaller, or lower maintenance breed.

Those simple steps would go a great way towards avoiding the problems with neglected animals, violent animals, breeding, and dog fighting. That way we would see less of out of proportion dog attacks and more of this;