[honeychile]

My brother & sister-in-law have Dobermans, a dog which IS bred to protect its owners. Living very solitary on 35 acres, they feel that it is necessary to have dogs which will scare poachers etc merely by the way they look.

They have gone out of their way to make sure each of their dogs is well socialized, and friendly. They've had lessons in both obedience and agility. Our entire family knows their cue words, and what to do (or not do) to keep them on our side.

Yet, a few years ago (obviously, I am not a child), I stooped to pet the one (he was just looking so cute!), when he suddenly jumped and bit me on the face! His bite was such that, had my brother not immediately stunned him, my nose and mouth would have been bitten off. I went into shock (after the proverbial primal scream!), and they hustled me off to a doctor to treat me so that the dog would not be destroyed. Praise the Lord, you can only see the scars if I point them out to someone!

I cuddled that dog from the time he was a puppy - fed him, treated him, and had no fear of him whatsoever. Shiloh was a good dog (he died of cancer about 6 months ago), but the bottom line is, Dobermans are not bred to be friendly! You can do everything imaginable to try to make them "nice" or "non-agressive", but you're going against their genetic makeup.

I'm sure that many people have wonderful, fun, loving pitbulls, too - but that's not what they were bred to be. I told my story only because if Shiloh could turn on someone, so could any other of the protection dogs. It's the same as having a gun in the house - it's there to protect you, but that doesn't mean it can't be used against you, too. You learn how to cut the odds, but you're never 100% positive...