[mikester]

I realize that this is the exception and not the rule (and with regards to your story I feel the same way) but I actually have met well behaved Pits and it surprised the heck out of me.

On my normal dog walking route there is a corner house, kind of run down with two pit bulls. Once is mature and the other is a puppy. My wife and her friends are afraid to walk by this house because of the pits. I don't blame them...

I walk by however and have rarely seen the dogs, I knew they were there but just never saw them. They don't have a back yard and they let the dogs out unleashed but supervised. They do have a lead that they can put the dog on that is attached to the house. You get the picture here right? Pitbull, out front on a long chain. Sounds great eh?

Well I finally got to meet 'Ruger' a few weeks ago as I Was walking my sammy by. My dog is good but likes to get introduced with other dogs and isn't really shy. Ruger is off leash out front with the puppy and their owner (tatted up skinny dude - rather out of place in the neighborhood). Ruger starts to mosey over as we're walking buy and this guy says in a normal voice (I barely heard it) 'Ruger sit'. Ruger sits, ruger stays. Ruger wiggles a bit, he wants to come say 'Hi' to us but he sits and he stays. The pup mosies over to him and just sits next to him. So I've got a rather large put sitting at the edge of the yard where I'm walking my lab with a mini-pit sitting next to it. My lab - well she's yanking on my leash a bit to coerce me into heading over there and playing with the other dogs.

'Ruger sit.'

Fantastic!

Better trained than my dog and she can catch!

Ruger's a nice dog, I see him on occasion and he is always well behaved. Good owners are a blessing for a dog of that 'nature'.