Suggestions to Pit Bull Owners          PBRC makes these suggestions to pit bull owners: "The very best situation for a PitBull is to be the only pet. The next best situation is to have a neutered male and a spayed female. If you get two females or two males together, chances are very high that they will not always get along. NEVER leave Pitbulls unsupervised with other animals. When no one is around to supervise, the dogs should be safely crated or in separate rooms. Always monitor the dogs while they play, and don't let things escalate. Never leave at their disposal food, bones, toys, or anything that could trigger a fight. Note that in general, the first fight is an indicator of more to come. At this point, the dogs may need to be separated at all time. ALWAYS have your Pitbull on leash when you take it for a walk. Do not bring an adult Pitbull in a dog park or any other area where it may come into contact with other dogs that are off leash. Remember that even if it's a non-Pitbull dog that starts the hostilities, the PitBull has the genetic to finish the fight, and will most likely pay the price in the hands of the authorities. Early socialization *MAY* help, but is not a guarantee against your PitBull becoming aggressive at some point in the future. ALWAYS be prepared for it!" I understand that a pit bull may live its entire life with other dogs and an incident may never occur. My old dog, Jack, lived with other dogs without ever showing any aggression or fighting. But my reason for stating these examples is to inform owners of the incidents that could occur. If your pit does attack someone else?s dog at a park, you have convinced the owner of the attacked dog and all his friends that pit bulls should be banned and destroyed. I am by no means a pit bull expert of any kind. I am just a pit bull lover that hates to see a wonderfully intelligent, obedient, and loving breed get a bad rap when responsible ownership could prevent that rap. The basic instinct these animals had to kill cannot be trained away or managed in a moment of pure, raw behavior. Dr. James Betts, chief of trauma surgery at Children's Hospital Oakland, operated on Shawn Jones, who was 10 when three pit bulls dragged him from his bike in Richmond and mauled him four years ago this month. He's seen cases where a single, crushing bite from a pit bull has "taken out the whole side of the face.'' Betts says the hospital treats 100 bite cases each year, and he's passionate about the perils of pit bulls. "I think,'' Betts says, "if you have a dog like that in your house, you are recklessly endangering your family. For people to say, 'That is not going to happen to me' is to pretty much put the blinders on.'' Betts says a pit bull can exert as much as 1,200 pounds per square inch of pressure with its jaws, while that of a German shepherd is more like 200. "That kind of grip,'' Betts says, "is enough to fracture your femur, the largest bone in your body.'' The pit bull apologists, Nelson says, like to say "judge the deed, not the breed.'' But he thinks that kind of logic is like saying "there is no such thing as a bad kid." My Pit Bull Attack Story Pit Bulls Ancestry The Pit Bulls Temperament Latest Update on Pit Bull Attacks, Maulings, Killings Safety Tips For Pit Bull Attacks Pit Bull Bans - Licenses - Laws Dangerous Dog Liability Insurance Suggestions To Pit Bull Owners Training Your Pit Bull Pit Bull Shelters and Rescue Organizations Pit Bull Awareness Center