Pit bulls, often stigmatized as dangerous, are recognized by breed advocates as loyal, misunderstood pets whose aggressive reputation is unfounded.

People don’t need to be afraid of pit bulls, said Angel Tunstall, owner of Ligonier Paws on Main Street.

“These dogs have no voice. We have to be active for them,” he said on Friday. “It has nothing to do with race.”

It all comes down to dog owners and how pit bulls are raised, experts told TribLive.

Three people suffered bite injuries and were taken to hospitals for treatment after a Pitbull attack on Halloween night in Taranto.

While none of the injuries were considered life-threatening, some of them will require “more intensive medical care,” police said.

Tarentum police said they were alerted to the dog attack at around 5.42pm. Officers found three pit bulls, two of which were threatening residents.

Officers killed one of the three dogs, while the second was “safely contained.”

“Yes, there are some breeds that are more reactive,” Tunstall said. “(The owner is) the one who (is) responsible for this action.”

For 25 years, Tunstall said she was “deathly afraid” of dogs after one bit her in high school. But then he got his own husky. He later opened Paws on Main.

“I’m a big advocate for protecting dogs and the lack of human responsibilities,” she said. “It just makes me very sick.”

As a retired veterinarian and current president of the Allegheny County Animal Relief Fund, Lawrence Gerson said the pit bulls he saw at his Point Breeze practice were quite nice.

“A lot of what happens with dogs now is how they’re treated and how they’re cared for,” Gerson said.

The dogs are not to blame, he said, but rather the owners bear the blame for situations like the one in Tarentum.

“That owner knew before the event that (pit bulls) had an aggressive tendency,” Gerson said. “Halloween is a crazy time for any dog… a normal dog goes half crazy.”

He said the pit bull is a common breed in Pittsburgh, and many end up in local animal shelters and rescues or are used in pit bull fighting rings, which should not be tolerated.

“Overall, the dogs are very, very friendly,” Gerson said. “There are people who fight with pit bulls and that’s where the abuse comes in.”

Gerson has been called as an expert witness in numerous animal abuse cases, he said.

“The question is who was responsible for that dog? Was he a responsible pet owner?” said. “There’s more to the story.”