For pit bull owners =]

[Munizfire]

Then you were around people who can't control their dog. Pit bulls ( and I use that as a general term for the uninformed, because there is no such thing as a pit bull. There are American pit bull terriers, American staffordshire terriers, staffordshire bull terriers, and American bullies) are naturally dog aggressive. It's genetic. Not all of them are, but it's common. Just like a German shep, or rottie are known to be human aggressive. They are a protective breed.
As for a pit. They should never be human aggressive. That is a trait highly frowned apon in the breed. Yes they may protect their family, but most pits know no strangers. If you were bitten by one then my guess is the dog was stressed and you happened to make it or the situation made it feel threatened enough to act out.
As for the attack on your dog, that a pit doing what they were bred for for hundreds of years. It sucks I know. That's like being upset with a border collie herding sheep. It's what they were bred to do.
I'm so tired of people and the media making this breed out to be monsters. The people who own one has to be able to deal with all the good and bad traits of the breed. That means controlling a DA dog.

To the OP. great story. Sorry for the rant. I just can't stand the bad rep.

I get you, same thing applies to snakes, people and media make them like the worst animals out there, but we owners know that it isn't true.

Is having no having sympathy for them ignorant? Maybe. But chances are that if you had the same experiences that I've had with them, you wouldn't have any (sympathy) either. It's not like I'm wishing death to any of them, nor do I have anything against them. Just sharing a 'story'.

Due to those past 'encounters' I can assure you that I, personally, am more afraid of them that I am of a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, and yes, I handled them in the wild (in New Mexico). I know it should be the other way around, but it can be very easy for a kid to remain traumatized after such an incident.

And I KNOW that because of those events, it doesn't imply them being monsters, I know lots of people with extremely well behaved Pit-Bulls (sorry for term, I'm uninformed as you say)

Sorry, not trying to start a ...storm.