actually a pit could clear that very easy if it wanted... pits are known to scale and clear fences up to 12 feet high. Pits aren't bad dogs though, owners are bad! never once met a bad one myself honestly

A dogs breed has a HUGE bearing on its temperament and behavior, it's the reason why herding dogs herd, are high energy, dogs used for hunting scent/track, and the reason why pitbulls are aggressive: they were bred specifically for that purpose. I'm sure there are plenty of well behaved pitbulls, but to say that a dogs breed has no bearing on its behavior is just wrong and horribly ignorant. It's why they're responsible for the most maimings/fatalities on humans and known for snapping without provocation - even when raised in 'good' homes.

They were used for a variety of jobs that included farming, protecting the family from predators, watching the children, and providing companionship. As the popularity of newspapers and media grew throughout the years, many of these dogs were brought to attention for the number of exemplary deeds they performed. http://cdn.barkpost.com/good/pit-bulls-history-of-americas-dog/

Wrong, but not completely. There IS some validity to taking a dog's breed into consideration. Yes, a ton of it is how the animal is raised. But, there are some dogs with higher protective instincts (dobbies, rottties, pits, GSD, etc). This doesn't make them bad dogs, by any means. But you can't completely discount their breed, either.

Yes and no. How the dog's raised and training is definitely a factor. As is the breed, certainly. Pitties, rotties, German shepherds and the like were bred for protection. It makes them more likely to be aggressive then other breeds. But they were also bred for obedience, more so then other working dogs. Whereas for instance terriers and wiener dogs for instance were usually bred for pest control. Which means that while they are much smaller and less likely to eat people they are also a lot more persistent then other breeds. If you pull a rottie off and isolate it will usually calm down (sometimes it takes a bit) some of the smaller breeds won't. But there's also human nature. Lying about the breed that bit them skews available data (after all, who wants to admit they got bullied by a dashhound?), improper handling, improper training, not setting limits, not knowing what they are getting into. If a dog isn't exercised enough it can become frustrated and start nipping people which then turns into a game for the dog because it's found a way to bleed off that frustration energy, which then become aggression as it realizes that it has power over these humans. Working with animals a lot over had more problems with terriers and particularly spaniels then any other breed. But again. Environment, handling/training, temperament of the individual dog, and yes even breed are all factors that determine how a dog might act in any given situation. I've met plenty of dogs who were absolute sweethearts and then there's that one dog that is just for whatever reason completely dangerous. The two dogs with the highest rate of biting humans (I'm not talking an all out attack here. Just a bite) are the golden retriever and the unfixed male dashhound. Golden's are considered family dogs and what do families have but kids. Kids like to grab and pull and touch things. The pet usually will eventually decide it's had enough. This is not to say they are an aggressive breed, but proportionally, more families have golden's then say rotties or pitties. This means that since there's more of the breed that interacts with families there is a higher amount of bites. That being said, one of my first dog's was a golden and the only thing she ate was her food. Breed alone doesn't determine aggression. Some are just more prone to it because of their breeding. But that same breeding that made people use them for jobs like guard dogs, police work, protection, also insured that they would be more obedient then their fellow canines. Which in turn means that they can, if properly trained and handled, be more easily taught. Someone here mentioned herd dogs as being more energetic. Herd dogs are also more intelligent then most breeds. Unlike a dog working police work which is usually always on a leash and directed to do whatever, a dog whose purpose is to protect a herd or direct it needs to be able to think about cause and effect. If I run to the right flank of this herd they will move left... Pretty simple things but they do need that instinctive understanding.

For some people, there isn't really any difference.

I seriously doubt it was a city shelter. Probably a private rescue group. I've seen ones requiring multiple references, $200 or more in adoption fees and ones that reject families for having kids or for not having a stay at home parent. City animal shelters can't afford to be so picky.

Maybe a shelter that really cares about the animals and wants to make sure they get a good home?

most places like no kill shelters will. it's harder to adopt a cat or dog then a child

When I was 7, my parents took me to adopt a kitten from the humane society. It had just gotten its shots, so when I went to pet it it hissed at me. We also had to fill out multiple forms, some of which detailed our previous pets. We got denied the adoption because we had 2 cats and a dog that all died at the ages of 13-15 (the average death age) and the kitten hissed at me.

Hey, so I'm from South Africa. It is general practice with most reputable shelter/rescue centres to inspect property, etc to ensure that there will be no problems resulting in the new owners having to return the animal. We also, unfortunately have a ridiculously high problem with dog fighting. On the up side, I was able to ask for a more experienced inspector to come around and give their opinion. It was a long a process and there were many hoops that we needed to jump through, but I can happily say that puppy is now at home with us, where he will spend the rest of his life being pathetically spoiled and loved. Oh, and so far, the pittie next door couldn't give a flying hoot about his new four legged neighbour.

*Pitbull

My wiggle butt pit is the biggest baby, until you mess with my wife. That's the only time she ever bitten someone, and that was protecting moma bear.