backinit This is why pitbulls got such a bad rap.. shitty owners. My 105 lb GSD loves my daughter's kitten, loves people and has been trained to be gentle. A 35 lb pitbull with bad owners can be deadly.

Our mail carrier used to deliver mail wearing ear buds in both ears. He was filling in on a different route wearing his buds and a loose pit sneaked up behind him and got his right forearm in his mouth and shredded it before someone saw it happening and helped get it loose. That animal was put down and later the same owners got another pit. 😦

    We had a neighbor with a female pit bull (Kobuck). She was in love with us and our boxer (Mosie, RIP). She would break out of her fenced yard and come straight to our house. Gentle, sweet, loving dog, she was. ❤️. The neighbors would just call us when she went missing and she was usually in our yard.

    I wouldn't be able to own my dog Kodiak in some WI communities because they have ordinances that consider him a vicious breed because he is part pit. He's a staffordshire terrier, lab and german shepherd mix. He's as gentle as they come. When my wife's sister visits with her family their young daughters sit outside and play with him for hours as they don't have a dog. It's the first question they ask walking in the door, "where's Kodi?" 😀

      JoeHatesSnow He's a staffordshire terrier, lab and german shepherd mix

      We had neighbors with two Staffordshire terriers. When they moved in the neighborhood we all assumed they were large pit bulls causing concern as they were always loose in the front yard.
      What wonderful dogs.
      They never barked at anyone or any dog and never seemed curious about anyone or anything.

      Owners are generally the issue vs the breed. People too often select the wrong breed for their lifestyle, the amount of time they have to properly train, don't have the proper yard or don't provide enough exercise.

      We had 4 Aussies, a golden and a mix some thought was a doberman.
      All were territorial and were barkers so we installed a 6 foot fence. If you were unknown to the dogs and came in the fence, one MIGHT be too territorial and we watched her accordingly.
      Gotta know your dog and be overly cautious not to put them in a situation where they might not be successful.

        Eguller not like she has actually caught one...
        So, in addition to to her being dangerous to spot, she is also dangerous to ones hearing...

          backinit Owners are usually the problem. Look at the posts about Pit Bulls that bite being replaced by another Pit Bull by their owner. That being said, even a docile dog can snap for a number of reasons and I feel less concerned about my 45 lb Labradoodle than I do about a Pit Bull.

            We had a neighborhood meeting today of about a dozen people. One of the ladies who was bitten on the leg did a bunch of investigation on the guy who owns the house and the dogs. She found a long sheet on him that listed 25 previous violations of animal related issues and 5 pending warrants. She had an attorney friend on speaker phone who has offered to provide some assistance. I couldn't hear most of it (hearing aids down) but apparently 2 of the people bitten and 2 who witnessed the attacks will be filing charges with the Commonwealth Attorney office. The dogs are in quarantine for 9 days. Hopefully something can be done before this time is up.

              Yeah, every animal is born with an animal nature and can become aggressive at any given moment. That said, and as much as I absolutely love dogs, still I would never own a Pit Bull, for the same reason I would never own a rattlesnake.

                PA-PLAYA Yeah, every animal is born with an animal nature and can become aggressive at any given moment.

                I worry about Sophie going bonkers in the middle of the night and licking my face. We've been lucky so far

                  I have a ground level deck that has a 27" fence around it where I take my little dog Anni out most every afternoon. It gives here a little grassy area. I don't think that would deter a big dog determined to get me or Anni. Until this is resolved I may want to take such protection out with me. I am not real keen on packing my .357 and was thinking more about some kind of spray. I used to carry a pepper spray with me when I jogged. Anyone up on current offerings in sprays? Bear spray maybe? How about some kind of taser? Are those legal? I remember seeing one built into a cane.