Yes Hawk, I normally refrain from things like putting my fate (or that of others) at the paws of a dogs whim.
Mostly I see guys with pits that have low self esteem and choose to live their life vicariously through that of a tough dog. As a kid they didn't have the luxury of being able to say to others that their dad could whip the other guys dad and regretted it.
It makes absolutely no sense to talk about how pits are bred to be loving, docile, and not dangerous in one sentence and then in the next to talk about how they are the poor mans estate mastiff. Just because a dog licks his masters hand doesn't make it safe for people to be around.
Every family pet/hunter pointer has let me know, at some point in time it didn't feel like putting up with me getting in its face/space without growling and barring teeth at me. Maybe it had a face full of porky quills or a mesquite thorn coming out the top of a foot, or was very tired from a days hunt and was too tired to put up with having the duct tape pulled off its legs to get the boots off after hunting in thick prickley pear country. A pissed off growl at me got the swift, sharp swat that let the dog know I was boss was ultimately what let me be boss and then I could proceed as needed.
Unfortunately I have seen men who grew up hunting with hounds and setters and pointers try being the boss with dogs of a more violent nature get the hell bitten out of them and sometimes left with permanent loss of normal use of a limb. Crippled at the whim of a dog.
Those who raise a dangerous dog and fail to teach the alpha rule and have a dog teach them (or another family member) can pay the price forever.
How often has a masters loving dog become jealous of the relationship it's master develops with a new partner or child, and the dog decides to teach the baby where it will fit in the developing pecking order? The answer is, some dogs take a finger and some take a life.
Last edited by eyeball; 03/16/13.
