Pit bulls have very short coats and do not shed a lot. This means their coat is low maintenance and you won't have balls of fur floating around your house. However, this also means they are not well-suited for outdoor life in cold climates.

Many pit bulls are athletic dogs that enjoy running, climbing, playing fetch, swimming, and much more. This is great if you also like to walk, run, hike, swim, and so forth. If you are not athletic (like me), you still have to exercise your dog. A tired dog is a happy, obedient dog.

Pit bulls are very people-oriented. This is great if you want a social dog that enjoys company. Pit bulls should not be used for protection or as guard dogs.

Pit bulls tend to be quiet dogs. This is good if you can't stand yappy dogs. But pit bulls are not totally silent. Like most dogs, they will "alert" (bark a few times to let you know that they hear a noise / see a stranger). Because they are larger dogs, their bark is usually very low, rather than high pitched.

Pit bulls are very intelligent dogs. On the upside, they can be very easy to train. On the downside, if you are not able to give a pit bull the mental stimulation it craves, you may end up with a mischevious rebel instead of an obedient comrade.

Pit bulls do not suffer from very many genetic diseases. Hip dysplasia, skin problems, allergies, and tumors are some of the more common issues.

Pit bulls can be aggressive toward other dogs. This is not a trait that is unique to pit bulls—many other breeds and types of dogs are also dog-aggressive—but this normal canine behavior is also the most misunderstood. True dog-aggression (as opposed to aggression that has a different cause or trigger) cannot be "trained out," but it can be easily and successfully managed by a committed, loving, responsible owner. However, what this means is that pit bull owners must be prepared to manage dog-aggression. If you are considering owning multiple dogs, if you are involved in dog rescue or foster work, if you enjoy attending crowded dog events like pet parades or canine sports competitions, or if you want to take your dog to a dog park or doggy daycare, a pit bull may not be the best choice for you.

Pit bulls are banned or severely restricted in some areas. If you live in an area with breed-specific legislation, you may be subject to special regulations because of your dog's appearance. Before you get a pit bull, check with your local animal control department to find out if there are special laws for pit bull owners.

Pit bulls are very difficult to travel with. Even if you're just passing through, some areas have laws that permit local animal control to seize your dog because of its appearance. Before you drive around the country with your pit bull, you will need to carefully research the laws in every place you pass through. You don't want to travel through an area with breed-specific legislation that could take away your dog. Some hotels and airlines have policies against certain types of dogs as well.

Pit bulls can be difficult to travel without. If you travel a lot and you intend to leave your dog behind, you may have difficulty finding a boarding facility or pet sitter that will accept pit bulls. Additionally, inexperienced pet sitters may not be capable of managing a pit bull in a safe and responsible manner.

Pit bull owners face constant discrimination. This is not limited to breed-specific legislation. You may also face discrimination from stores, trainers, co-workers, family members, neighbors, politicians, and complete strangers. People hate pit bulls, and by extension, pit bull owners. As a pit bull owner, you will find yourself lumped in with "undesirables" like drug dealers, gang members, and child molesters. Your dog (and by extension, you) is banned from many cities in the United States and severely restricted in even more places. You may find that your dog (and by extension, you) is also highly undesirable in many businesses, rental properties, and more, simply because of your dog's appearance. Oh yes, and many homeowner's insurance companies refuse to insure homes with certain breeds or types of dogs.

Pit bulls must be on their best behavior at all times. While most people would think a rowdy Labrador Retriever is "charming," a rowdy pit bull is "aggressive" and "dangerous." Most people will quickly villify a pit bull that exhibits any "misbehavior" at all, no matter how normal or harmless the behavior might be. No, it's not fair, but any little misbehavior that reinforces the "vicious pit bull" stereotype is just one more black mark against the entire breed. Police are quick to shoot any dog that looks like a pit bull, even a non-threatening one; neighbors are quick to call animal control about a loose pit bull; politicians are quick to pass laws banning pit bulls after even one single incident involving a pit bull. If you are not interested in constantly supervising and carefully managing your dog's behavior in public so that he appears to be a perfect angel, please don't get a pit bull.

Pit bulls are surrounded by a lot of mythology. Novice pit bull owners often face the frustrating task of trying to figure out what's true and what's false about pit bulls. Will the dog's brain really swell and cause aggression? (No) Does a pit bull really have a locking jaw? (No) There are many self-proclaimed "experts" out there spouting theories about pit bulls that have no scientific or factual basis. Who can you believe? Where can you turn for reliable information? If you are not interested in doing the necessary research, filtering, and critical analysis that is required to properly understand your dog, a pit bull may not be right for you. If you are not interested in constantly correcting other people's erroneous ideas and wacky theories about your dog, owning a pit bull will be an exhausting and unpleasant experience.

As a pit bull owner, your actions reflect on every other pit bull owner... and their actions reflect on you. You, and all other pit bull owners out there, are effectively going to be painted with the same brush. When a Dalmatian owner screws up and his dog bites someone, society's frowns of disapproval are limited to that single owner and his single dog. But when a pit bull owner screws up and their dog bites someone, societal disapproval tarnishes the reputation of every other pit bull owner in the country. We are all going to hear from our coworkers about the "crazy pit bull" in the news. We are all going to take calls from our mothers about the "crazy pit bull" in the news. We are all going to get screamed at, or threatened, or blamed for some idiot's screwup. And all of our dogs are going to be seen as that "crazy pit bull" in the news. If you are lazy, or just uninterested in making sure your dog is a perfectly well-trained, obedient, socialized, supervised, angelic canine companion, then a pit bull is not for you. If you can't take constructive criticism from concerned pit bull owners (who, in reality, are simply tired of suffering from another person's mistakes and want to make sure you are not going to make those same mistakes), a pit bull is not for you. And if you are not capable of dealing with the fallout when another pit bull owner screws up—and by this I mean going on the offense, or defense, or doing whatever it takes to stop the buck on that single stupid owner rather than allowing the blame to spread to every single other pit bull owner—then you will have a hard time owning a pit bull. I know it sounds like I'm being rather jaded and cynical, but I don't think you'd have to ask many other pit bull owners to find out that what I'm saying is, unfortunately, very, very true.