Pit Bull Increase in Lubbock

"Any animal with teeth can bite, just keep that in mind," said Lubbock Animal Shelter's Supervisor, Shawn Byrd.

Byrd says all dogs can be dangerous, but Pit Bulls are under fire again in Lubbock after a seven-year-old boy was attacked by his neighbor's pit bull.

"I know Pit Bulls get the bad rap because probably 25% of our population of animals here are pit bull in the shelter, and that's a reflection about the city of Lubbock," he said.

And pit bulls make up an even bigger part of Lubbock's dog population. Lauren Klein from "Saving Grace Pit Bull rescue" says Pit Bulls or Pit Bull mixes make up 70% of dogs in Lubbock. 

"They are a popular breed there is no denying that," said Byrd.  

Byrd says while not all Pit Bulls are dangerous, there are standards for evaluating dangerous dogs of any breed.

"We schedule what we call a dangerous dog hearing. We get the owner of the dog and the person that made the claim. And then our field supervisor will hear this evidence from both sides. Why they think it's dangerous and why they do not," said Byrd.

Lubbock Animal Shelter has about two to four dangerous dog hearings per month. But they say it is very important to evaluate each dog individually and to not stereotype breeds.

Just to say Pit Bulls are the only aggressive animals or Rottweilers or German Shepherds. That's not true.

Take this Pit Bull for example. She is up for adoption at the shelter. She has passed all the tests to show she has a nice temperament and would be safe for a family, but not all dogs make the cut.

Byrd said, "The aggressive dogs are not going to make it into our program, obviously, because we want something that will get along with cats, dogs, all kinds of animals, all kinds of people."