By Jonathan Resendez/south news editor

Labeling pit bulls as vicious creatures is a misconception prevalent among people today.

Yes, many stories of pit bulls attacking animals and people exist. However, a study conducted by the American Temperament Test Society gave the pit bull a passing rate of 83.9 percent, compared to 77 percent of the general dog population. Pit bulls are dangerous only if people make them that way.

I recently brought home a stray pit bull. She looks like the dog from The Little Rascals. When I found her, she was hungry, dirty, extremely sweet and immensely pregnant. My mother acted as if I brought home a gorilla thirsting for human blood.

She isn’t the only person I’ve encountered who possesses this misconceived fear.

My neighbor asked me if I was scared the dog would attack children in our neighborhood. I’m Hispanic, and she might as well have asked me if I was scared about being deported. I’m not, by the way, because I was born here.

I’m also not scared my new dog will attack children because they aren’t all prone to mauling humans every chance they get.

The comparison between my ethnicity and the dog’s breed may seem far-fetched, but it offers an example of the faulty thinking that occurs in people’s minds.

As people believe in not judging a book by its cover or in innocent until proven guilty, we should recognize that not all animals are the same.

Rottweilers, Doberman pinschers and other large dogs are all capable of doing damage if provoked. Pit bulls catch a bad rap because of how media portray them.

Speaking of the media, they had no qualms crucifying Michael Vick for dog-fighting charges while the nation nodded in stern agreement.

The dogs involved weren’t punished. Vick was.

It is unfair to make assumptions about a person’s character simply because of their race.

Likewise, people should not judge an entire breed of dog by the negative actions of a select few.