My area is swarming with these dogs, and the indigents that buy and breed them.
I can see both sides of this argument: Lhasa Apso’s are nasty as h3ll, right out of the box. Staffordshires and American bulls are sweet animals, very protective and also very intune with alpha conflicts with their owners and families. They are great animals for the decent american family to have.
That said, in my area the “decent american family” aren’t the ones who have them. The drug dealers, their girlfriends, and plain-old dyed-in-the-wool street thugs have them. They are trained to attack, they are trained to be aggressive, and they are status symbols.
Sorry Charlie - When I see someone walking one (Usually wearing FUBU and very white sneakers) I prepare.
On the other hand, there is a pleasant couple in my neighborhood that own two Sharpeis. The Shar Pei is bred as a fighting dog. Their specimens are beautiful - And WOW muscular. You can strike a match on these dog’s shoulder muscles. They had some issues with my ex-roommate’s mixed dog when he got out one day. It was a scary moment. The Sharpeis maintained a defensive position around their masters, but also responded to only voice commands from them to back down, settle down and sit.
Ever since an American Staffordshire adopted me a few weeks ago I have noticed how often it is written in various sources that these are a bully breed, but considered a cousin to the pit bull. :) As you said, they are very sweet. With my Amstaff I have to worry more about her not paying attention while playing with one of her friends and knocking out my knee with her mass when she backs into me too fast. Otherwise, she has learned by testing (like a child would) that I am the alpha female. Over the weekend I posted a picture to my facebook and an acquaintance wrote, “Scary scary.” I told her my husband has more fear of fluffy cottonball dogs than either of us does of this Amstaff.