Ahh, the pitbull debate. Well, the problem is unregulated breeding (my uncle was a breeder). Pitbulls were bred for aggression towards animals, but they are/were surprisingly docile towards humans. If you have a real pit, it is advised you not use it as a guard dog because of their love for humans. Today's pits are, of course, descendants of those lines, and if they have been bred correctly, should have no aggression towards humans. HOWEVER, because of inbreeding and general misbreeding (especially since the advent of the "street status" of this dog) certain pits have developed a bad streak, giving all of them terrible reps. I grew up with pits (gotten from my uncle) in Texas and never even knew they had a rep until I moved to the big city. Something true for all "breed" dogs one wants to purchase, but doubly true for pits because of the aggressive factor: One must first know the lineage of the pit; the sire, the dam, and also their sires and dams. Even as I love the breed, I would probably never adopt one because of all the assholes in NY. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't count the times some macho dumbass has a nice looking unneutered pit that he plans to breed then sell. The shelters are full of these poor pups.