dog biting

Question
Our 10-12  month old American Stafford shire Terrier suddenly jumped up, made a weird noise and bit my daughters face while she was gently petting her. The bite drew blood and left two swollen bruises. The dog was not sleeping and they were not playing. We got her free from the classifieds when she was 6 months old. The dog goes crazy when she sees other dogs and has on several occasions snapped/growled when woken up by petting. She barks, jumps on us wildly and even sometimes snaps when anyone dances, jumps around, hugs, wrestles, rides a bike or skateboards around her. Also, any time my husband and I play wrestle she jumps on top of me, barking and growling, in what seems like an effort to keep my husband away and protect me. Does this mean the dog is dangerous or just needs obedience training?
Thank you in advance for any advice you may offer..

Answer
Your dog is a clear and present danger to your minor child; she is also a clear and present danger to adults in your home, including the male adult.  One does not acquire any variety of "Pit Bull" terrier from adoption (especially "FREE") from anyone other than a credible rescue organization, which will carefully temperament test the dog and place it accordingly.

Your dog is exhibiting active dog to human aggression; her aggression upon waking may be a symptom of food allergy or sensitivity, but this is not the cause of her aggression toward your daughter.  This dog most likely was not properly socialized to humans (especially children) and may have an acquired fear response to sudden movement (as exhibited by her behavior when you are active, such as dancing, having fun, etc.)  The bicycle riding is a prey drive response and doesn't count; many dogs chase bikers and (!!) even cars.  Your dog has NO BITE INHIBITION and has already injured your child.

You must obtain the professional help of a certified applied animal behaviorist (NOT just a dog trainer who might very well make this situation worse.)  Aside from this option, you can search the internet for Pit Bull rescue in or near your geographical location; I doubt they will take her.  A dog that has already bitten a child and is exhibiting various aggression toward adults in the household is not a candidate for rehoming without substantial behavioral work.  The next bite WILL BE WORSE.  This is a breed that can latch on and refuse to let go.  This breed needs careful breeding (selection of parents done on the basis of temperament), careful socialization as a young puppy to every sort of living human and other animals, and consistent positive reinforcement training from puppyhood.  You have NO history on this dog's past (other than what the former owner told you, which can be a jumble of lies and misinformation; why do you think they wanted to get rid of her?)

Without behavior modification and training (and even WITH it) this dog may very well be a huge liability.