Ask people to name an aggressive dog breed and most will say Staffordshire Bull Terrier or American Pit Bull Terrier long before they say Dachshund or Chihuahua. This social experiment, from Ryan of HammyTV, asks how much of that reaction comes from the dog and how much from its reputation.
The setup
Ryan takes to the streets with a pit bull named Kano and records how passers-by respond. Our original write-up said the results, and some of the responses, were shocking.
The claim behind the video
According to our old article, the American Temperament Test Society's tolerance test puts pit bulls near the top of breeds for tolerance, behind only Labradors, while some of the small breeds people think of as harmless score worst. The article argued that media coverage had pushed the public to believe the opposite. If you want to check a breed, look at the test organization's own published results.
Watch it for the reactions
The experiment is a good example of the genre: a simple setup, a public street and an honest camera. The video owner has turned off embedding, so it opens on YouTube. Use the button above to watch it there.
Treat any dog with care
Whatever the breed, ask the owner before you pet a dog, and do not approach one that is eating, sleeping or tied up.
