Reply #57: Owners are the problem, not the dogs. Daughter has a pit bull that I

[williesgirl]

help care for when she's away. She lives alone in a sparsely populated area in the mountains and only feels safe with the dog with her. We installed a high fence in the back yard, plus there are no families right around her.

However, when she's with me, I DO have a family next door with small children and a younger dog. My yard is totally fenced in too, but when the dog's outside - I GO OUT WITH HER to make sure everything stays okay. I also met with both sets of neighbors and asked them to not let anyone too near my fence when she's here and outside. They've trained the kids to respect that the pit is way different from my other dogs and THEY ALSO WATCH to make sure the kids are obeying and don't try to tease her. When the dog's not here, I let them know so they can play around the fence. They love to throw balls to my other dogs to fetch.

If my daughter's having company, we bring the dog to my house. While she seems the sweetest dog and gets along great with my two (a Pug and a Boston Terrier), we know not to ever really TRUST her. I make special arrangements when taking her to the Vet - they let her in the side door so she can't get upset by other dogs/kids she's not used to. She actually kisses the vet while she's checking her out, but I insist on using a muzzle when they give her a shot or other invasive procedures. Same at the kennel. The personnel there love her, but again I insist they never trust her or let their guard down.

We love the dog but know we have to be very cautious when it comes to letting her interact with others. We've found it's just easier and safer NOT to allow any interaction. Yes, if I had my way, my daughter would have chosen another breed. But since she chose this one, we have to be RESPONSIBLE OWNERS. That of course still doesn't guarantee that we'll never have a problem.

Your solution will only work with puppies. They wouldn't have the strength and be as dangerous at that point. Once they're older, it's too late if the owner has been lazy or just dumb.

Don't know if this helps or not.