Replies

"Acorn:"
"The Acorn Newspapers are in no way affiliated with ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform) which has been involved in recent controversy regarding the upcoming presidental election. ACORN is a political advocacy group. The Acorn Newspapers are named after the seed from which tall oak trees grow. There is no connection."

Seeing the words ‘pitbull’ and ‘acorn’ juxtaposed together I was expecting a very different article!

"The Acorn Newspapers are in no way affiliated with ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform) which has been involved in recent controversy regarding the upcoming presidential election. ACORN is a political advocacy group. The Acorn Newspapers are named after the seed from which tall oak trees grow. There is no connection."

Apparently they're both full of sh!&.

Clue: Don't approach any dog like he or she is your friend. Just like people, some of them are just plain nuts, some have been beaten or ignored until they are unstable from fear, some have been over coddled and are prone to biting or soiling carpets. However (concentrating on dogs); most pits (any of the various breeds identified as such) are embarrassingly nice if you allow them to be.

Inconvenient truth: The big dig on 'pit bulls' is that their jaws are so powerful, true, but I've watched mine carry a tomato around the yard for days without leaving a mark. Oh, next time you are at a bird farm or pet store ask if you can see a demonstration of what a cockatoo can do (and keep that finger to yourself).

Weird experience: The worst error I've seen with any breed, other than obviously raising a dog to be a weapon, is to keep part of a litter as pals for the mother...the mother regresses and the pups don't keep their initial socialization. That's a pack in any breed and the last depressing example I watched involved a Lab and two Lab/Pit mixed puppies; the puppies came around but mama just got worse.
(That also touches on the obligatory and measured advice to NEUTER YOUR DAMN PETS!)

Unscientific observation: I've never met a veterinarian who had issues with any of the 'pit bull' breeds (I know there are others in FR who will dispute that), I have a friend who will not take pits into his grooming shop but who has a house full of other breeds that he can't take there either. I've had ONE pit bull snap at me (others would have but, as I said, never just assume a dog to be your pal) - she put one, single, hole in my Levis (not in me) to tell me to stay away from her puppies. Dalmatians are another story.

Confession: I've changed my mind about Chihuahuas after saving two this year, they're really pretty neat little guys.

Sign off: No, I won't get into a debate on this. Everybody gets their own opinion - but keep your hands and your prejudice off of my overweight, clown faced, Staffordshire...I'm off to see what FR thought of McCain on Letterman.