Are pit bulls more popular with certain "classes" of people?

They’re probably more popular with people who live in rough environments and feel safer projecting a “don’t fuck with me” image.

I can’t speak for Pit Bulls as such because I live in a country where (sadly – in my opinion) they are banned. However, I can speak for other breeds like Staffordshire Bull Terriers (a breed that I have myself), Rottweilers and American Bulldogs (a breed that I have worked with regularly) and, yes, I believe that they are popular with a certain class of people. They are like a status symbol for many of these people and that’s were many of the problems start. I have worked and owned Staffies and, in the right hands, they can make wonderful family dogs. My research on Pit Bulls tells me that they are similar. I would let my child play at a house that had any breed of dog providing I was happy that the level of care towards the dog and the responsibility the owner put into owning the dog was high. In my opinion, no dog should be left alone with a very young child. I have known Spaniels and Labradors to go for a child if pushed and it is very rare that a dog attack is unprovoked. I would trust my Staffie, who is very tolerant, around children far more than my Jack Russell, who is not very tolerant, as well. I am strongly in the “deed not breed” camp.

I suppose pit bulls are prevalent in the lower classes for the reasons stated above of don’t screw with me. However I have met many pitbulls that were properly raised from a pup and they are ADORABLE, as well as loyal, friendly, and playful. But around where I live, I wouldn’t let my little bro play at someone else’s home who had a pitbull unless I knew the pitbull was a properly raised one. I find it sad that so many people raise them to be aggressive or let them become aggressive and violent.

If you’ve ever been to Venice Beach in LA, you’d see at least 10 “ghetto” people with their “bling” and their rabid pit-bulls jumping all around barking wildly at every other dog that passes by. It seems pretty obvious that those people have them because they think it makes them look tough. And well, it kinda does. Not impressive or anything, but it certainly doesn’t make me want to go anywhere near them.

I think that, perhaps, it may be more likely for “problem” pit bulls to belong to people with lower incomes. These people are less likely to be able to afford proper training for the dogs.

It’s not about the breed; it’s about whether the dog is properly trained. German shepherds and Rottweilers used to be the scary breeds; now it’s pit bulls. It’s not the dogs’ fault they ended up with shitty parents.

I’ve known many middle-class families with pit bulls. Pit bulls are no more aggressive than golden retrievers, beagles, shih-tzus, and many other popular breeds. The pit bulls I’ve known have been super intelligent, playful, and loving dogs. I let my kids around them all the time.

Additionally, the National Canine Research Council cited a study finding that the so called dangerous breeds simply behave no differently from dogs in general when it comes to behaviors likely to lead to biting.

Full disclosure here: I have a pit mix and have owned pits in the past. To answer the last part of your question, I would definitely let my kid play at the house of a family who had a pit bull provided I have already met the dog and trust the owners are responsible people. I firmly believe 95% of dog behavior issues can be traced back to poor training, socializing, etc. In other words, it’s almost always the fault of the owners. There’s an organization called the National Temperament Society that runs yearly tests to see how various breeds respond in various situations and every year pit bulls have some of the highest pass rates compared to all breeds.

It has been my experience that many different folks of different “classes” have pit bulls or pit bull mixes. So I don’t necessarily associate them with any specific group of people.

I would not let my child play at a home with any dog unless the dog was kept in another part of the house while my kid was there. Any dog at any time can be having a bad day, have its fill of children for that day, or just simply feel grumpy and use its only weapon (teeth) to let people know how it is feeling. I don’t care how well socialized, trained or nurtured it is, it is a dog! People get a gun and start shooting when they go off, dogs bite. It is my duty to protect my dogs from themselves, I NEVER let them alone with children.