First it was German Shepherds because of the world wars (they were "Alsatians" to my grandparents' generation). Then it was Dobermans, and then their lookalikes, Rottweilers, for a while (check out 70s/80s movies and shows full of badass Dobies, from The Doberman Gang to Magnum, PI). Now it's Pit Bulls, for the reasons ThatsAlright pointed out.
It's always more about the humans than about the dogs; at least issues with the dogs can be bred out without anyone whining about the eugenics of it.
And it's about having any kind of dog that's any good at personal protection, like your gun issue.
That being said, the most aggressive individual dogs I've ever met were 1) my horse-farmer great-aunt and uncle's Borzoi (who liked to chase bears) and some poor insane large mutt on a northern Cree reserve.
The problem is not having guard dogs, or aggressive dog breeds. Rather, it is the owners insistence that their Pit Bull is equal to a Golden Retriever in terms of danger level, and only through circumstance becomes a violent monster. Of course we all know that as a dog specifically bred to fight, not defend as guard dogs are, they will be incredibly dangerous to all around them.
When I lived on the Navajo reservation I paid rent to a dog that came to my hip. He was named Cujo and loved to go for walks. He also had no problems taking down anything that challenged him. One time two dogs attacked him on a walk. The next day we found the smaller one dead on our door step.
I still wish I had kept one of the puppies from his girlfriend. I even know which one.
First it was German Shepherds because of the world wars (they were "Alsatians" to my grandparents' generation). Then it was Dobermans, and then their lookalikes, Rottweilers, for a while (check out 70s/80s movies and shows full of badass Dobies, from The Doberman Gang to Magnum, PI). Now it's Pit Bulls, for the reasons ThatsAlright pointed out.
It's always more about the humans than about the dogs; at least issues with the dogs can be bred out without anyone whining about the eugenics of it.
And it's about having any kind of dog that's any good at personal protection, like your gun issue.
That being said, the most aggressive individual dogs I've ever met were 1) my horse-farmer great-aunt and uncle's Borzoi (who liked to chase bears) and some poor insane large mutt on a northern Cree reserve.
The problem is not having guard dogs, or aggressive dog breeds. Rather, it is the owners insistence that their Pit Bull is equal to a Golden Retriever in terms of danger level, and only through circumstance becomes a violent monster. Of course we all know that as a dog specifically bred to fight, not defend as guard dogs are, they will be incredibly dangerous to all around them.
When I lived on the Navajo reservation I paid rent to a dog that came to my hip. He was named Cujo and loved to go for walks. He also had no problems taking down anything that challenged him. One time two dogs attacked him on a walk. The next day we found the smaller one dead on our door step.
I still wish I had kept one of the puppies from his girlfriend. I even know which one.