Pit bulls suck� Is it in their genes?

Your post is pretty much what I think about pit bulls.Another thing I would like to mention is that it's almost always very bad for a breed when a particular kind of dog becomes popular. Then everybody wants one but they don't want to do the research on the breed, wait maybe a year or more for a puppy, invest lots of time and education to learn how to choose, train and handle it, and pay a lot of money for a really great quality animal from a expert breeder who really cares about the breed and great temperament.No, they see a movie or see some movie star or other celebrity with a particular breed and they want one NOW.This happened with dalmatians when the Disney movie came out a while ago. The only dog that has ever been agressive to me and actually bit me was a dalmatian that was cooped up in a house all day.When I was growing up, the number one purebred dog for dogbites were toy poodles, I think followed by cocker spaniels and doberman pinschers.So, I do think that breeding is a problem, but so is the impulse purchase of pets for the reasons of trend or style. It's also the poor breeding practices of amateur breeders who are simply taking advantage of a money-making opportunity and have no clue what they are doing.

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On the other hand, our family owned a Brittany Spaniel and she was the most hateful, agressive, and hyperactively annoying dog I've ever met.

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Sounds like poor breeding for temperament and a bad choice of puppy for a pet.

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The Brittany would only obey when she felt like it and whenever going for a walk she would almost choke herself to death on the leash. No amount of scolding or rewarding seemed to phase her. She was an independant woman.

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Out of curiosity, did anyone in your family take the dog to obedience classes as a puppy or work with it consistently at any time?

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I've always hated this type of excuse. But first, remember, this was a "thought experiment" that I deemed successful. Once the dogs are gone, their gone...enforcement is a non-issue. But I know where you're coming from and I still do not accept it as a valid reason, but that's probably a topic for another discussion.

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The thing is, what's a pitbull or pitbul-type dog?An English Bulldog has a bull-baiting heritage. What about Boxers? Or Mastiffs of various sorts?You are talking really about dozens of breeds here.