--74.236.xxx.xxx

I don't know what has happened to dog ownership in America. As a kid people had nice dogs. Now they have thug dogs, I guess because so many are thugs. And laws don't apply to them. --47.216.xx.xxx

I don't care if they're a normally gentle or not - they are huge. I trust nothing that can out run me, sit on me and keep me down, or bite me higher than my kneecap. If they can look me eyeball to eyeball, I want them no where close to me. --72.95.xx.xx

About 4 years ago I encountered one with the tenant trying to control it, what seemed like less than a minute the collar of my coat was torn off as I hung on to the sewer pipe next to the heater I was fixing, thankfully 2 or 3 -boyfriends- came to the tenants rescue, I did not have a free arm to reach in my pocket to provide the dog with propulsion lead poisoning, the following spring one of the neighbors had to take control of the lead poisoning instrument and solved that problem. --76.188.xxx.xx

That being said, we paid $2,500 to a reputable breeder and socialized him early. The neighbor of one of our rentals also has one chained to her garage that comes across as aggressive and even my 13 year old, when he saw it, said "well if that's a bullmastiff it's not a very well bred one." So, like most things I would imagine a lot depends as much on the owners as it does on the breed. --50.194.xx.xxx

They are not "thug dogs," any more than any other dogs. --155.201.xx.x

So any dog can get annoyed enough to bite or feel threatened enough to attack. The big ones can kill you. I am glad you are getting a fence. Make sure the posts are fully cemented in. Put it in the contract and stay there and watch because sometimes they just throw in powder concrete and wait for it to rain. Today I was out filling bird feeders and heard a commotion and turned around to see a loose pit bull going buy on the sidewalk with some fat owner trying to catch it. I was glad for my fence and that the gates were closed. --73.33.xxx.xxx

--174.126.xx.xxx

Wonderful dog with the right owner. Problem with the wrong owner. I trust them more than pitbulls, akita's and chows. --68.107.xxx.x

other than the Owner. --71.13.xx.xxx

You make me chuckle - propulsion lead poisoning instrument. An example of when one can be needed, and also a thoughtful reminder of how it still may be of no help. --68.105.xxx.xxx

Therefor, we do not discriminate, and accept all dogs as long as they are insured and the liability is 300,000. This breed is very big and strong and can run into a wall and break it. We still take them. We screen the applicants very carefully, and if they are approved, we are happy to make some extra money on their pet. --98.250.xxx.xx

Is 300k renters insurance liability enough coverage for a dog? --74.141.xx.xx

Meanest dog I ever knew was my parents miniature chihuahua! His brain bucket was too tight. He would sit in your lap one minute and act like he was going to tear you up the next. I did not morn his passing. ;) --74.124.xxx.xxx

But I agree with 1gr81. I'd rather face a girzzly than the neighbors chihuahua. It will see me in the yard and start barking, then runs to the fence to be petted. I pet it and if I'm not quick it goes for a finger. Then it runs back out of reach and barks. Then stamps it's foot and goes inside. --47.216.xx.xxx

I've met maybe 3 dogs out of hundreds over the past 30 years that I would consider as a pet. They ALL had at-home owners who spent a lot of time with the pet. One of the owners went back to work full-time and crated the dog, and his behavior went downhill rapidly. --71.175.xxx.xx

Emily, you are in LaLA land. You don't seem to have any understanding of inbred traits and selective breeding. Let me ask you, if I train a poodle as a runner, will it outrun a Greyhound? If I train it to track, will it track scent better than a Bloodhound?? No, because those breeds have innate abilities that have been amplified through selective breeding. Some breeds have been bred for agressiveness and the physical ability to do damage. I don't care how you raise them, it is in them. --70.90.xx.xxx

Emily, you are in LaLA land. You don't seem to have any understanding of inbred traits and selective breeding. Let me ask you, if I train a poodle as a runner, will it outrun a Greyhound? If I train it to track, will it track scent better than a Bloodhound?? No, because those breeds have innate abilities that have been amplified through selective breeding. Some breeds have been bred for agressiveness and the physical ability to do damage. I don't care how you raise them, it is in them. --70.90.xx.xxx

are just lovable babies. --74.236.xxx.xxx

I can share my one experience with this breed. While on vacation in Michigan we were walking out dog of 35 pounds on a leash. We walked pass a bike rental place who had this dog relaxing on an outside chair. The dog came after my dog and I almost got stuck in the middle. The dog was unleashed and my dog was leashed. It was extremely scary since I was very close to get tangled up in the mess and had my three little boys with me. Words can't express how big this breed is --107.77.xxx.x

People need to understand and accept that dogs are individuals. Even littermates can have completely different temperaments and behaviors, based on their individuality and based on their owners. --155.201.xx.xx

If the dog gets fired up - and who doesn't......it will do more than just lay on you. When 200 pounds jumps up on you, you notice --24.239.xx.xxx

Emily, I did not say behavior was solely a result of breeding, I criticized your complete denial that breeding and innate traits affect behavior. You are also foolish in asserting that nothing about a dog's breed can be ascertained by lots physical appearance. Gee, is that a bulldog or a poodle? IDK, the only way to tell is DNA! --73.199.xxx.xxx

Also, danger is not simply a matter of temperament, but also of the physicality of the animal. Pit bull lovers love to say hoe chihuahuas are very aggressive. Ok, fine, but a chihuahua does not pose a real threat to a human because it just does not have the physical capability. A medium or large dog with a big strong jaw can do serious damage. --73.199.xxx.xxx