Rising pit bull attacks in Japan put spotlight on negligent owners

These dogs can be incredibly kind and gentle if nurtured in a loving home…. But there is a reason police forces and militaries around the world don’t use these dogs.

I generally support the view that there are no bad dogs, only bad owners, but dismissing the inherent danger of pit bulls is reckless and anti-common sense. We can't ignore their evolutionary makeup and we certainly can't erase decades of data that show pit bulls are disproportionately responsible for severe maulings, many involving children and other pets.

While all dogs deserve respect and care, ignoring the reality of breed-specific traits put the lives of people and other dogs at risk. I love dogs, therefore rather than their destruction, I advocate for pit bulls to be kept securely indoors and for mandatory muzzling whenever they are not.

Per the ASPCA,

"Today's pit bull is a descendant of the original English bull-baiting dog—a dog that was bred to bite and hold bulls, bears and other large animals around the face and head. When baiting large animals was outlawed in the 1800s, people turned instead to fighting their dogs against each other."

Mmmhhh, what could go wrong?

The pit bull was manufactured in Great Britain, not the USA over centuries of cross-breeding. There is no natural dog in the wild that resembles a pit bull

Pit Bulls in the UK have attacked many people including children.

Pit Bulls in the UK have attacked many people including children.

Pitbull in US made to billboard chart while doing many collaboration with many other artists.

The dog should have been destroyed after the first attack.

Anyone attacked by one should be able to sue and take everything the owner has. No 10,000 yen token fines but absolutely every possible possession they own. No one should have this animal.

Dogs are a product of their owners and training. Nasty people produce nasty animals. Sad but true.

I am a dog person all day long but these dogs should simply be banned from breading and/or importing. There is already about 10 countries that is illegal to own one.

A suspended sentence after a second incident?! Why hasn't the dog been taken into custody by authorities?

In most countries, it's usually the wannabe gangsters and hard men who own these dogs. Hence "Last month, a Brazilian national was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence causing injury when one of his two pit bulls escaped in a city in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan". I used to live in Aichi and I'd often see the local Brazilian population out with their pit bulls, doing the whole macho strut.

With Japan's obsession with "kawaii", I'm surprised anyone owns them at all.

Anyway, I reckon there should be a special license required to own such a dog, which includes acknowledgement that the dog will be taken away from you and/or destroyed if it attacks people.

Once these bred-to-kill beasts have locked their jaws on their victim, the only way to remove them is by sawing/slicing through their necks. By which time they've probably killed or grossly injured the innocent victims.

Ban them - and jail the owners who allow them to attack people and other pets.

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As much as some defend Pit Bulls as loving and gentle in a good home, even then, there are numerous stories of that same dog attacking the owner or family member. There is a reason why most homeowners insurance will not cover Pit Bulls.

Japan is a notorious puppy-mill country, with the subsequent inbreeding problems that go along with that.

A suspended sentence after a second incident?! Why hasn't the dog been taken into custody by authorities?

Maybe the owner Reflected Profoundly on her actions and was Truly Sorry.

Just about every mini Pinscher and Chihuahua is hyper-aggressive here. Just not able to the damage a larger breed can.

Few years back a judge in LA Calif. sentenced the owner of a Pit-Bull to prison and the dog was put to sleep after an attack on an 8 years old girl that caused severe injuries.

The public was outraged at the judge for putting the dog to sleep, some dog lovers even called for the owner to be put to sleep and not the dog.

Pit-Bulls are lovely dogs and can be as well behaved as any other well trained dog,

I personally have walked next to and even pet some at parks with the owners permission and honestly I was touched by how affectionate they were, they do not deserve to treated with such fear or disrespect, many families with children own these dogs in many countries.

The OWNERS are the problem and NOT the dogs, people who wish to own these dogs should be trained and licensed before they could own one.

There is no such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners

If you just want an intelligent, friendly, loyal pet, or even a watchdog, there are lots of other breeds available with better reputations.

Japan loves requiring people to have a licence for all sorts yet anybody could walk a pit bull around the streets, have it bite someone and then face hardly any punishment.

There are bad dogs and bad owners. They usually go together. If the dog attacks and causes serious injury it should be put down and the owner fined for assault and banned from keeping a dog for life.

They need constant attention, easily spooked and unpredictable if they are in/ around new environments. They need a certain kind of owner who can dedicate their waking day to them. That’s why police don’t use them. I’ve had German shepherds and Belgian Malinois growing up. They don’t get spooked by anything and are protective, will bare their teeth and growl but not violent… unless their owner is being attacked or something.

It's NOT the Dogs it's their Owners, any dog can be as gentle or aggressive as their master / handler wanted them to be.

Their behaver is a reflection of their master.

There have been Pit Bull attacks in the UK from previously well-behaved dogs and caring good owners.

"After a number of fatal attacks in England and Wales by Pit Bulls on humans between 1981 and 1991 – the UK government decided to take action and ban the breed in 1991 under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Size: Medium-sized dogs, with males weighing around 13 to 36 kilogrammes."

It's NOT the Dogs it's their Owners, any dog can be as gentle or aggressive as their master / handler wanted them to be.

That doesn't explain why the vast majority of fatal / highly damaging dog attacks are by pit bulls.

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/dog-attack-statistics-breed/

The breed that commits the most attacks overall is pit bulls.

Pit bulls are involved in more dog attacks than any other breed. In fact, the American Animal Hospital Association reports this breed was responsible for 22.5% of bites across all studies. Mixed breeds were a close second at 21.2% and German Shepherds were the third most dangerous breed, involved in 17.8% of bite incidents.⁶

The breed that is most likely to be involved in a fatal attack is pit bulls.

Pit bulls are both more likely to be involved in bite incidents **and more likely to cause serious injury or death when a bite does occur. In fact, from 1979 to 1998, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined pit bulls were involved in the most fatal dog attacks, accounting for 28% deaths due to dog bites during that same time period.⁷**

I suppose you're probably going to tell me that those statistics are made up by the "woke left libs", or something...

There are bad dogs and bad owners. They usually go together. If the dog attacks and causes serious injury it should be put down and the owner fined for assault and banned from keeping a dog for life.

Wrong, 100% wrong! The people who own a pit bull or any other breed for that matter, are 100% responsible for the actions of their dogs.

It's 100% one the owners to train them properly! If they don't train them, then the dogs attack someone, it's by their instinct, and not any fault of their own.

Put the owner down with the dog! The dog acts instinctively if not trained properly and that is on the owner!

You have never owned a dog, that much is obvious!

It is obvious to me from the replies and what not here that people are totally ignorant about training and keeping any dog, let alone a breed like a pit bull.

Pitbulls, like any other breed, can and are trained to be gentle loving dogs, but it takes a lot of dedication, patience and constant attention. If you can't handle it, dont own one. Plain and simple.

Dont blame the dog for acting on instinct, blame the owner for being an idiot!

There are a few breeds that have inherently violent tendencies one being the American Pitbull terrier.

They are fighting dogs not really meant as family dogs.

I read a case in America where the granddaughter hadn't visited her grandparents house for a while and took a couple of them out for a walk in the woods where they proceeded to maul her to death and partially eat her.

I wouldn't advise anyone to own such a dog as they can 'snap' for little or no reason with cause.

Irresponsible owners cause victims, both human and animal.

One of my relatives had one, which was so aggressive and unpredictable she had to dose him on dog tranquilizers. He never mauled anyone but regularly rampaged through her home furnishings like a tornado in Kansas. She poured out love and care, which was never reciprocated. The dog had such a bad reputation no one was willing to look after him when she wanted to take a vacation, not even a boarding kennel. So she brought him with her at a family Christmas gathering and when I hugged her the mutt almost went for my throat. (And the muzzle never came off the whole time.) Eventually she saw no recourse but to have him put down.

That breed must only be accepted in the countryside, I've never seen one in Tokyo.

That breed must only be accepted in the countryside, I've never seen one in Tokyo.

Let's keep in mind that there are literally hundreds of more municipalities in Japan besides Tokyo that are not considered "countryside".

Too many folks on JT are Tokyo-centric, that is for sure!

Pitbulls are bred for strength and aggression. They are not toy poodles. If people really want to buy this breed as pets, they should be required to prove they need them.

Some people will always claim that with the right owner, these dogs are not dangerous. Sure, but the same can be said about guns and knifes, so this is a non-argument.

there are bad dogs.

Picua Labrador

That breed must only be accepted in the countryside, I've never seen one in Tokyo.

Sadly, actually I have. I do not know what these people are thinking. Misguided status signalling?

Anyone who feels the need to own these breeds has serious personality issues. Same goes for those keep deadly snakes, tigers, etc. Just get a beagle.

JeffLee

Anyone who feels the need to own these breeds has serious personality issues. Same goes for those keep deadly snakes, tigers, etc. Just get a beagle.

Agree. Dog fighting is outlawed everywhere now, so why is this breed allowed to exist? They should be phased out, just like the fights they were bred for.

Same problem in Australia too, many such incidents have occurred, and the owners have been charged and the dogs killed. I have read that a dog's nose is very sensitive, so maybe carrying a heavy stick to hit it there with might be a good idea when these dogs are around locally. But why should people have to, and would it be effective anyway?

I have read that a dog's nose is very sensitive, so maybe carrying a heavy stick to hit it there with might be a good idea when these dogs are around locally. But why should people have to, and would it be effective anyway?

I've also heard it said that gouging out and removing their eyes with a set of keys (if you have them on you) may make these pitbulls back off in the even of attack. But, again, who knows?

If their jaw is locked onto a small child or pet, probably the only guaranteed way to stop them is to completely sever their head - far from an easy task.

probably the only guaranteed way to stop them is to completely sever their head 

Applying a lit cigarette lighter to their gonads is also said to be effective, although I'm not brave enough to try it!

I love dogs....but Pit Bulls have been a safety problem in many countries around the world. They are banned or restricted in several cities and municiplaties in the US for this reason.

I just said that I haven't seen those dogs in Tokyo and remember Tokyo is the capital, many municipalities but only one capital

"A spate of incidents involving pit bulls"...Since when does 2 equal a "spate". How many dog attacks in Japan by breeds other than the two listed here...3 if you include the one trapped in someone else's home?

Japan Today headline from March, 13, 2017:

Dog bite incidents in Japan number in the thousands every year

There are 3 attacks over the span of 2 years cited here. How exactly is that a "spate"?

Spate: .

a large number of similar things coming in quick succession.

Geeter Mckluskie

"A spate of incidents involving pit bulls"...Since when does 2 equal a "spate". How many dog attacks in Japan by breeds other than the two listed here...

Nice example of trying to use statistics in a misleading way. You suggest counting attacks by toy poodles vs Pitbulls without considering how many toy poodles vs pitbulls are in the population?

(Not getting into the physical difference between being mauled by one vs the other, that is another obvious aspect.)

Nice example of trying to use statistics in a misleading way. You suggest counting attacks by toy poodles vs Pitbulls without considering how many toy poodles vs pitbulls are in the population?

No, I want to know exactly how many attacks there have been by pit bulls. There are 3 cited here. 3 over two years is not "a spate". Also, Akita dogs are not small, nor are Tosa Inu. How many biting incidents have there been involving these two breeds? More than 3?

J-Cast News (March 10) reported that death of a 10-month-old baby girl after having been bitten by a golden retriever in Hachioji City last week s

This from the above referenced Japan Times article. The incident involved neither a pit bull nor a toy poodle. Should Golden Retriever's be outlawed?

According to the Animal Welfare and Management Office of the Ministry of the Environment, in 2015, 4,208 incidents involving serious dog bites were reported nationwide, of which two involved deaths of people who were neither the owners or the owners' family member.

So in a single year there were 4208 SERIOUS dog bites...not nips from toy poodles, two of which involved the deaths of people. But hey...there were 3 incidents of pit bulls biting people in a span of 2 years...Sound the alarm!! Sound the alarm!!! Pit Bulls...are dangerous!

Geeter Mckluskie

This from the above referenced Japan Times article. The incident involved neither a pit bull nor a toy poodle. Should Golden Retriever's be outlawed?

Seeing that they are all over the place and known as an extremely friendly breed, no.

But hey...there were 3 incidents of pit bulls biting people in a span of 2 years...Sound the alarm!! Sound the alarm!!! Pit Bulls...are dangerous!

Well, again, how many pitbulls are there? Again, w/o considering population size, your argument is meaningless.

There are 3 attacks over the span of 2 years cited here. How exactly is that a "spate"?

I count nine separate people and animals bitten in this article, in five attacks.

*...pit bull owners are warned *not to let them come in contact with other people or animals.

*Sapporo, the prefectural capital of Hokkaido, and some other municipalities have under local ordinances designated pit bulls as "specified dogs" that may harm people. These authorities urge that they be kept in cages that lock and be muzzled, among other measures, and impose fines if such steps are not taken.*

*Gifu Prefecture does not have a similar ordinance, but it calls for *walking pit bulls on streets with little to no traffic or during times of the day when there are few people as well as asking owners to hold their pet's leash with both hands.

If all those steps are recommended to, or required of, pit bull owners in order to make them 'responsible' and to prevent their dogs from attacking other people or animals, can those dogs really be called "good dogs?"

Personally, I don't think an entire breed should be banned because of the actions of a few. However, I do think ownership should come with more restrictions and regulations, etc.

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/dog-attack-statistics-breed/

The breed that commits the most attacks overall is pit bulls.

That's misleading and most likely wrong. That stat relies on hospital and official reports. Small dogs attack people far more, but the bites are less serious and far less likely to be reported.

Well, again, how many pitbulls are there? Again, w/o considering population size, your argument is meaningless.

The number of incidents is not "meaningless" in an article that claims that the number of incidents is "rising" and which claims there has been "a spate" of incidents...without citing the number of incidents. How many Pit Bulls there are is actually "meaningless"...How many incidents equals "a spate" is my issue with the article. Can you tell me exactly how many incidents regarding "serious bites" there have been involving Pit Bulls, outside of the 3 cited in the article? I'd like to know what "rising number of incidents"...and "a spate of incidents" means.

If you can't tell me, then "rising" and "a spate" are "meaningless"

Here's something to consider. If 3 over a span of 2 years constitues a "rise" in pit bull attacks, then previously there were fewer than 3, which would mean "a rise". The question remains...does 3 out of 4600 warrent this kind of fear-mongering?

I count nine separate people and animals bitten in this article, in five attacks.

Sorry (careless reading on my part), make that 5 attacks among the 8,000 that occured over a span of 2 years.

I remember in San Francisco when this happened. The pit bull ripped this poor boy's face right off.

Ever since then it's been illegal to even own a pit bull in The City ever since.

Seeing that they are all over the place and known as an extremely friendly breed, no.

Being ubiquitous means nothing. Do they bite? Yes, sometimes. Fatally? Well, rarely, but yes. How about Pit Bulls? There is no documented case...unless you have one. But...but...but...Labs are a friendly breed. Tell that to the family of the 10 month old baby who had her neck snapped in two by a jealous "friendly" lab

Sorry (careless reading on my part), make that 5 attacks among the 8,000 that occured over a span of 2 years.

It's a fair point; and two attacks were by the same dog.

I'm wondering if: "According to the latest data, 42 of the animals were registered in Sapporo, 191 in Ibaraki Prefecture, and nine in Saga, southwestern Japan, among other municipalities," is a complete, nationwide count.

Fighting and maiming is bred into these things. Its in their DNA.

They should be illegal to own

Stupid owners raise stupid dogs…

Sorry (careless reading on my part), make that 5 attacks among the 8,000 that occured over a span of 2 years.

You're worried about the wrong things dude

You're worried about the wrong things dude

Was I? I mean, any attack is a serious matter. The question here is if there are 4500 attacks a year and only 5 in 2 years involve a Pit Bull...are Pit Bulls the problem regarding dog attacks?

You tell me, should you be more worried about Pit Bulls than Akitas for example. Tell me, how many attacks involving Akitas have there been in the past 2 years...Dude

Geeter Mckluskie

Being ubiquitous means nothing.

Seriously, do you not get the simple point I was making? Yes, numbers absolutely matter. By your "logic", I could own a brown bear, and if the bear bites someone, that would only be 1 bite, meaning bears are harmless. Think again, if ubiquitous really means "nothing".

Allow me to clarify for those who find my complaint difficult to follow. The handful of incidents that occurred over a period of 2 years are recounted in detail in the above article that claims there has been a rise in incidents involving Pit Bulls. The article claims there has been "a rise" and "a spate" of incidents without citing the number of incidents. It also neglects to cite the number of incidents of dog attacks at all. Keep in mind this is an article about "the rise" in incidents.

Does that clarify things?

Yes, numbers absolutely matter. 

How many incidents involving Akitas?

What is the bite per dog ratio? We have 5 recorded bites involving 3 incidents with Pit Bulls in the article above. How many incidents involving Labrador Retreivers? How many incidents involving Akitas?

Let's compare, the bite per dog ratio, then continue the discussion...K?

Gifu Prefecture does not have a similar ordinance, but it calls for walking pit bulls on streets with little to no traffic or during times of the day when there are few people as well as asking owners to hold their pet's leash with both hands.

Milquetoastery personified.

There are 3 attacks over the span of 2 years cited here. How exactly is that a "spate"?

Don't let a little thing like facts get in the way! There was an article here in 2019 about a golden retriever that killed a young child, and yet no one cried for goldens to be eliminated.

https://japantoday.com/category/crime/couple-indicted-over-death-of-granddaughter-bitten-by-their-dog

Point is that pit bulls are totally misunderstood, because of the image they have been given by media. Any breed of dog can be instinctively dangerous. Smaller breeds tend to be combative by nature, and bite and nip people more often than large breeds like pit bulls.

People are afraid of them, because of their size, and anyone who doesnt know how to handle a large breed dog like a pit bull are negligent and should be held equally accountable, just like the grandparents were with the golden.

Fighto!Today 08:09 am JST

Once these bred-to-kill beasts have locked their jaws on their victim, the only way to remove them is by sawing/slicing through their necks. 

Not true and macabre - the fastest and most effective way to unlock a pit-bull bite lock is to stick your finger into their rectum.

Yubaru

Point is that pit bulls are totally misunderstood, because of the image they have been given by media. Any breed of dog can be instinctively dangerous.

Nope. As much as I dislike the media, this is not the case here. Fact is, different dog breeds have been bred for different purposes, and that has shaped not only their bodies but also their temperament. Pitbulls were bred for dog fighting, stressing strength, high pain tolerance, and most of all aggression. They were definitely not bred to be pets. Denying that is to deny reality.

I found this table for Gifu Prefecture

Number of Pit Bulls registered 72. Number of biting incidents 9.

Number of Akita Inu registered 26. Number of biting incidents 3.

Number of Shiba Inu registered, 16,166. Number of biting incidents 165.

Now, although percentage wise, you are more likely to be bitten by a Pit Bull...overall, your chances of being bitten by an Akita or Shibu Inu is far higher...

Geeter Mckluskie

Now, although percentage wise, you are more likely to be bitten by a Pit Bull...

Exactly.

overall, your chances of being bitten by an Akita or Shibu Inu is far higher...

Only because thankfully there are so few of them? How is that an argument for allowing Pitbulls??

Only because thankfully there are so few of them? How is that an argument for allowing Pitbulls??

Akita dogs are just as likely to bite you at an 11.3% rate.

You’re far more likely to be bitten by a Shibu dog than either, so if reducing dog bites is the goal here ( for me the issue is the reporting) then getting rid of Shibu to a number where the incidence of bites would equal or be less than those from Pit Bulls. The number of bites being the significant issue. How many Shibu inu would have to be culled to get to 9 biting incidents from 165, because I’d be more concerned about 165 things trying to bite me than 9. Now, can you tell me the number of incidents there were prior to the “rise”? No? Didn’t think so. Why? It’s not in this article…about the rise

The dog should have been put down after the first attack. The owner should have been put down after the second.

I have never seen a pit bull in my life and this article is very scary for me. Obviously there are dog breeds that are more violent and aggressive than others and I think there should be a separate guidelines for raising them. I also believe that dogs do reflect their owners. There’s this one barking dog in my mansion (just one, always that same one) and I actually don’t care about the dog but I’m dying to find out who the owner is.

 Pitbulls were bred for dog fighting, stressing strength, high pain tolerance, and most of all aggression.

You conveniently left out the part that they were bred to ONLY fight other dogs,

The pit bull was originally bred and trained to be a tenacious fighter and to display aggression only against other dogs. Some breeders, however, trained and mistreated their pit bulls in such a way as to induce a vicious temperament and aggression toward humans, which generated the dog's negative reputation.

Yubaru..

You have never owned a dog, that much is obvious!

My family have always had dogs, proper dogs not those little yapping things.

I think you misunderstood my comment..

There are bad dogs and bad owners. They usually go together.

By this I was referring to the bad owners creating the bad dogs, hence they usually go together.

I too would like to put down the owners but that would be a hard sell.

Its not the owner, its the breed.

餓死鬼

It's understandable how people can be intimidated by pit bulls due to their power, bad reputation and horror stories in the media, though my own experience of interacting with them has been only positive.

You can find some anecdotal evidence for practically everything you want to show. It does not change the basic facts.

Geeter Mckluskie

You’re far more likely to be bitten by a Shibu dog than either, so if reducing dog bites is the goal here ( for me the issue is the reporting) then getting rid of Shibu to a number where the incidence of bites would equal or be less than those from Pit Bulls.

Why are you going in circles? You just keep repeating that there are only few pitbulls here. We got that. And thank God for that! But that does not make these things safe. I shudder to imagine living in a place with 16,166 of them.

Pointers point, retrievers retrieve, Huskies are high energy from being bred to pull sleds, Jack Russell Terriers will kill any small animal that comes near them. Dogs were bred for specific traits and it's their instinct to do things like mentioned above. Pit Bull type dogs were bred to bait bulls and fight, hence why they tend to snap and bite/attack other animals and people. Because they were bred for this they also do more damage than other dogs when they do bite. Irresponsible owners don't help, they need and very specific environment, training, and owner in order to not be a danger to others.

Unfortunately, there is a narrative that these dogs are victims and it's always the owners fault, when that's not always the case. They like to dismiss their instinctive violent nature from being bred as a fighting dog. We don't dismiss other working dogs naturally bred in traits but folks like to ignore that for Pit Bulls.

I knew one family friend in Japan who had a pit bull. It was huge and they kept it locked in their tiny kitchen most days, going to the bathroom everywhere. Their otherwise nice newer house stank because of it, and you could tell the dog was extremely anxious and the mother of the family could not handle it were something to happen with it. Felt bad for the dog, but even worse because they had a little 4 year old girl who is also in harms way because they can't be responsible pet owners.

I've owned a half dozen dogs over the years with breeds from Australian Cattle Dog, to Irish Springers to Golden Retrievers. They're are some absolutely abysmal owners out there, but it absolutely is the breed too. You can't untrain instinct. That would be like trying to untrain bird not to fly. They were born and bred to fight, it's in their DNA.

I knew one family friend in Japan who had a pit bull. It was huge and they kept it locked in their tiny kitchen most days, going to the bathroom everywhere. Their otherwise nice newer house stank because of it, and you could tell the dog was extremely anxious and the mother of the family could not handle it were something to happen with it. Felt bad for the dog, but even worse because they had a little 4 year old girl who is also in harms way because they can't be responsible pet owners.

Perfect example of what NOT to do with a pit bull, or ANY other dog.

These "humans" are 100% irresponsible and have no business having a pet. It's the same as locking up a human in a tiny prison cell, for absolutely no reason.

My uncle (in America) said that people like walking down the street with these types of dogs just to scare the hell out of everybody.

I agree and the owners should be held 100% responsible for the death and injury these dogs inflict on citizens and their pets.

They bite all, no exceptions. So I would forbid them all, not only this specific violent kind. Damn, we are humans and no dogs, so we should care about other humans, not dogs. Is that such difficult to understand? Only generous exemptions would be the dogs used for leading blinds, used in rescue operations and the ones at police or customs duty services. The rest out of sight and reach, please.

Sven Asai

They bite all, no exceptions. So I would forbid them all, not only this specific violent kind.

Disagree. It is perfectly reasonable to allow dogs as pets, not only as working dogs. And there are plenty of breeds that are suitable for that. But fighting breeds are not. And unless there is a specific need for hyper-aggressive breeds like pitbulls, their breeding should be phased out. Just like new breeds are created, unneeded and dangerous breeds can be deleted.

I am not an expert, but I agree with the view that this breed was bred for traits that make them inherently dangerous to humans.

A neighbor who lives with her elder mother has a pit bull. She raised it from a puppy to be loving and kind, and I think it gives her a feeling of security. Still, there is a danger involved in the breed that should not be ignored. I suspect my neighbor is in more danger from her pit bull than she is from an intruder.

I am not an expert, but I agree with the view that this breed was bred for traits that make them inherently dangerous to humans.

Then by the same argument, these "traits" can be bred out of the dogs as well. If they are untrained, they will rely on instinct, same as any other dog.

There are plenty of "dangerous" dogs, but it's just about only the pit bull that people are openly frightened of because of bad media. I'd take a pit bull over a Rottweiler any day of the week!

Yubaru

Then by the same argument, these "traits" can be bred out of the dogs as well.

Yes, sure. But is anybody trying to do that? And what is the point about the other characteristics like extremely strong bite and high pain tolerance, if the aim is to create another pet?

Unfortunately dogs in Japan are rarely well-trained. A well trained dog walks beside its master and does not pull the leash. A badly trained chihauhua or toy poodle is a noisy little creature, disturbing, annoying, but not dangerous. That is not the case with big dogs. A badly trained big and powerful dog can also be dangerous.

Another problem is many dogs have been bred for a specific purpose such as hunting. Daschunds, for example, were bred to have short legs so they could chase rabbits and burrow into the ground, which is why the scratch into flooring.

I suspect part of the problem in this case was the lady riding a bike was seen as prey to be chased, and the dog thought it should chase its prey. That is natural for a dog that is not trained, which is why a dog needs training. When I had a dog, medium-sized, I had to train here not to jump up with her paws pushing me even though she never pushed me over in case she did that with children and old people and did push them over.

Also, unfortunately dogs are often fashion items. That means potentially dangerous dogs like pitbulls are often chosen by potentially dangerous people who like to appear tough and a tough dog appeals to and enfores their image.

Still not as bad as the XL Bully dogs in the UK, who have killed and maimed a number of people, including some of their owners. Now designated a restricted breed requiring licensing, muzzling and other measures.