[QuickSilver]

Just wanted to add my own limited experience with pit bulls....

Some good friends of mine had one in New York. They had adopted from a shelter who told them he was a vizsla, and warned them that he had been abandoned twice before.

Well, he grew up into a full-blown, emotionally damaged pit bull. I never got close enough to him to pet him. In retrospect, they should have done a lot more training with him (they did bring one trainer in early), but they were extraordinarily careful with him, and he never bit anything on two legs or four. He loved them to pieces, and died in his sleep around age 15.

The woman's brother got a female pitbull puppy, and he was a bit of a jerk. He talked about his dog could kick anyone else's dog's ass. However, he trained her extremely well, and she was the most perfectly mannered dog you can imagine.

I also had a friend whose golden retriever tore the lid off their two year old's eye. Apparently she (the human) was playing too roughly, the dog got annoyed, and snapped at her. I was quite surprised that the parents took it in stride - they got the little girl's lid re-attached of course, but they did not re-home the dog, they just told their daughter to be more respectful.

Bottom line, it is up to the owners to be aware of their dog's capabilities and make sure they are contained and controlled.