There's nothing naturally vicious about pit bulls who aren't abused. Their strength and intelligence makes them the perfect choice for people who want to train dogs to fight; stories of common methods for training viciousness into them are horrific.
I've had more than a passing acquaintance with two pit bulls. One I found wandering lost and took home until the local animal shelter located her owner. Even my wife, who fears large dogs, came to have affection for that sweet-tempered, playful dog.
(I was concerned about returning her to her owner because her ears had been clipped in a way that suggested she'd been trained to fight. She was clearly thrilled, though, to be reunited, and the owner said it was a previous owner who had abused her, which I believe. So I'm convinced that even some some pit bulls who have been abused can recover their natural temperaments--apparently the same has happened with the Micheal Vick survivors.)
The other pit bull I've known belonged to a roommate with whom I shared an apartment for several months. When alone in the apartment, she had to be closed in her kennel because otherwise when thirsty she would leap to a counter and open a tap.
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