Yes, yours is different, I get it, and I believe it.  Really.  Yours is the sweetest dog to roam the earth and would never harm a fly.

The problem is, I haven't met any of these dogs in my encounters on the street.  I've been walking my dogs on leash every day for the last 3 years since I adopted, and I've been charged about a dozen times by pitbulls, not including the labs and terriers and brave little chihuahuas in the area.

The pitbulls I've met charge me from their houses, or from the street, or roaming around the neighborhood, or running out their front door.

Both today AND yesterday I was charged by two separate pitbulls.  Yesterday's was completely loose, running around the neighborhood -- with children playing nearby, mind you! -- and today's was an owner whose dog was in the front yard for just a minute to (I assume) use the bathroom.

YOUR pitbull is well-trained and would never harm a feather, I understand.  But the rest of the pitbulls in the world are responsible for more dog bites than any other dog breed.  Period.  Pitbulls.  Here's a well-known study which charted dog bites from 1982-2014.

The winner of most dog bites including child victims, maimings, and deaths?  You guessed it: pitbulls.

"It's not the breed; people just don't know how to train their pitbulls."  Right.  Exactly.  It's the same reason people shouldn't be allowed to raise sharks in their swimming pools or panthers in their kitchens.  But seriously, Dogsbite.org puts forth a compelling response against the owner/breed argument.

After yours has passed away someday, could we put euthanizing the entire breed on the table for conversation?

My pet-owning friends, coworkers, and I now find ourselves having weekly conversations about the latest loose pitbull (and/or pit mix) running around the neighborhood or dashing past their owner.

At the very least: put your freaking pitbulls on a leash.

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