Or a nice Irish Wolfhound. The gentle giant...who would mess with a dog that is bigger than a Great Dane? But they're totally sweet.

I have a great dane. She's the biggest sook this side of the black stump...but most people seem to be scared shitless of her if she barks. It could be because she's dark brindle and and sounds pretty ferocious...but it's really her just saying, 'come play with me...or pat me...or anything...just give me attention'

Because not everyone wants a Golden Retriever, some people like Pit Bulls. So why not try to breed gentle ones that aren't going to get the owner sued .....or eaten? ;)

Yeah but remember, pitbulls were designed to be agressive, so why choose something to be aggressive and then try and make it something it wasn't designed to be?

Because some people like pit bulls. Not all of them are agressive. The breeders have to choose which market they are after. ;)

As a pit bull owner, I have to chime in.

My pit is a sweetie but has this thing: he doesn't like children. At all. This is due to the fact that every child he has met thus far has hit/kicked/abused him.
Understandable, but not desireable. He is extremely territorial (typical for the breed) and protects me and my truck with his life.

So far, he has prevented at least one theft of truck (and load) that I can be certain of. He has also made many friends, including total strangers in guard shacks. His favorite is the Kane warehouse in Tunkhannock...they always give him a handful of doggie cookies. Whenever we go there, he leaps into my lap for his treats. No other time mind you, just there. Adults who are not messing with me or his truck are his friends. Kids are kept ten feet away, minimum, for safety. If this is not possible, I keep a muzzle handy. He is always leashed, thus limiting his lunge distance.

Oh yeah, he will attack any truck in motion too. I walk him far from travel lanes for this reason.

I refer to him as my "Active Theft-Deterrent System".

Here are two pics I took of my system in both "armed" and "standby, charging batteries" modes:

Looks like he's got a pretty sweet gig.

Brian, is this the same pup you nursed back to health awhile ago?

Nope. She is black and blind and very old. She currently resides with a friend in MD. I'll get a pic or three next time I'm there.

Dogs is dogs. Sure certain traits are bred in, but mostly dogs are who they are because of the way they've been reared.

Puppies chew. Even a breed that isn't known for being dangerous can cause a hell of a lot of pain and damage if not properly supervised around children. I've read of west highland whites that have severely mauled toddlers.

Our great dane has damaged a few children. Usually cause she doesn't know the boundaries of her own body, particularly her arse, and knocks them over. She usually slobbers all over them to make sure they're ok though.

My dog does not like children. He doesn't mind them if they're in the house, invited in and therefore known to be safe.......but I would never let him off the lead outside if there are children around.....or dogs.....or anybody with a walking stick....or anybody with a fluerescent postie bag.....or cars....or anybody on a bike/skates/skateboard/scooter.....or anybody likely to walk near/past us.

*grins* He generally gets his offlead run down in the valley, or in the woods, and I am very very alert to anybody coming into view, so I can grab him quick.

Funny thing is, other people can take him out and he's fine. Same in the car, if mum picks him up from my house, cause i am gonna be late home, he sits in the back good as gold. If, on the other hand, she picks me and Pil up together, he sits in the back barking like a nutter at everything/one the car passes and I have tried everything I can to stop him, he just isn't having it. He's clearly got it into his head that mummy needs protecting:P

Of course indoors, he has the perfect temperament and is very obedient..so I can't really complain.

I'm thinking "asleep on a mattress in the living room" is code for "passed out from alcohol and crack binge."

Any mom here capable of sleeping through an hour of baby in pain shrieking?

Yeah, that's my take on it, too. We can argue whether or not a pit bull is a good or bad dog, but in that situation the parents were sickeningly responsible for the damage done, in so many ways, and that child will have to pay for it the rest of her life. I see foster care in her future. :(

I had a full-sized, not American, basset (most don't know how powerful these dogs really are) and Giant Schnauzer when my son was born and as he has been raised.
We are, just now, at three, really letting him be alone in the same room with them... and they are our "babies" too.
He has never slept in a room with the door open, other than when he was in a crib next to our bed. It was elevated out of their reach and they were, at that time, not permitted on the bed (UNHAPPY dogs).
I never once thought that either dog would harm our son.
I never KNEW that they would not.
As a parent what is my job?
So we took precautions. Was it a pain in the ass, sure... did people say shit about "protecting our son from our babies" that they all knew? Sure... but we did our job as parents.
Dogs are unpredictable, all dogs.
Kids do stuff, poke them in they eye, whack them on the dick with a toy, etc, etc, and they react... I don't want to find out how mine would react.
So, we took precautions.
That is what Parents do.
Good kid parents and good dog parents.