Frequenting lousy neighborhoods and associating (or at least coming in contact with) lousy people will let you meet dangerous dogs, generally.
It is the temperment of the human that mostly determines the temperment of the dog - any dog. Mostly - not entirely. Individual dogs have individual personalities, and breeds have generalized characteristics. Mean, undisciplined people will have mean dogs, and generally not under any control to speak of. I do not trust pits or other "attack" dogs as much as other breeds, simply because they tend to have more bad owners, not because of the breed itself.
When our kids were preschool, we often visited friends who had a Dobie. Amy and the boys entertained each other with chases and shrieking. But then Amy was raised with Labs and thought she was one. Good retriever!
Why, we barely escaped last week from a pit when we went to dump some slash on private property, with no one there. They want it for fill, gate is left open.
Between the ecstatic greeting, demanding petting, and thorough face washing (she was no doubt tasting us for future killing), we had a hard time getting the off-loading done.
Helluva watch dog!
But we kept our dogs in the truck anyway.
Screw the sticks. I carry a M94 when walking our dogs in the "field". Around the neighborhood, maybe (not always), a MkII .22. Dogs are the least of my reasons.
