Haven't read it all, but as someone who has a big dog and a small dog back home - I have been getting bad looks by everyone, just because my lovable dog is a german shepherd.
The thing is, though, back home we have this rule that all big/medium-to-big (pitbull for example) dogs should have muzzles. I, although I can guarantee that my dog would stand by me and not run off, nor it would be aggressive, have microchipped it, because I feel it's the right thing to do.
Irresponsibility in the owners is what causes them to be awful, not the animals themselves.