Long ago and very far away, I was bitten by a pit bull. It was tied up outside a business in So. Cal., and naive me walked up to it and offered the back of my hand. It's really stupid what some kids will do when they see a "doggie." I learned my lesson but good! Pit bulls are not my friends! To this day I'm leery of them: once bitten, twice shy sort of thing. I'm not one to begrudge anyone their dog, any type of dog, pits or others. I've had large dogs and imho it's all in the way they are raised and trained, not their breed. It's just a "me" thing only because of the one that bit me.
It's nice to know that in my rural area that we can shoot stray dogs if need be. I've seen many strays here, but none of them yet has been aggressive, thank goodness. Most are just regular pets that get loose, or some that their owners don't care to keep penned. (Why don't they keep them penned? I'll never understand! Maybe it's a freedom thing? Maybe it's just ignorance of the law? Maybe it's just lack of education?) If we're not threatened then we don't shoot them. Sometimes the coyotes or the big cats eat them like they eat the other small pets and small livestock. That said, we get some coyotes that come too close at times, those dogs can be scary and are sometimes shot by the town folk!
Stay safe out there!
