I want you to meet Joe. Joe is a pit bull mix; his mother was an Australian sheep dog. Joe is my buddy and loves me totally and unconditionally. Every night when I hit the sack, he jumps up on the bed and smothers me with doggy kisses. Then and only then will he go and lie down to go to sleep. He's the most affectionate and loyal dog I've ever owned. He was trained by my old dog Bucky, who died earlier this year. Bucky was a border collie mix and our beloved alpha dog at the time. When Joe would get too rambunctious, Bucky'd bowl him over, put a paw over him to hold him down, and give him kisses as if to tell him that he wasn't being civilized, but he was still loved. Joe would then settle down nicely. Here's a pic of Bucky "civilizing" Joe:
With people other than family, Joe is a dichotomy. He has the mail man terrorized whenever he comes to the door with a package; he thinks that "Joe" is short for "Cujo." Joe does NOT like anyone at the front door who has not first been approved by us. His bark is deep and ferocious. His blue, almost white eyes make him pretty spooky to behold. He considers himself the guardian of our household, and he takes that duty seriously. When guests come, we restrain him, and once he sees that we accept these strangers in our home, he settles down and becomes quite docile. Accordingly, we have a security door in front of our front door, to keep Joe at bay until proper introductions have been secured.
At home with us, Joe is gentle, intelligent, and responds well to commands. As I mentioned, he is as loyal and affectionate as a dog can be. I love this dog very much, and give him belly rubs as often as he rolls over and asks for them, which is a lot. I didn't used to think much about pit bulls, and probably wouldn't have had one based on their reputation. Joe was orphaned by his previous owners, who couldn't keep him in an apartment, and so we wound up with him. Since Bucky's death, he's become the alpha dog and is all we could ever ask for as a loving companion and staunch guardian. I'm even beginning now to think pitties are kinda handsome dogs....
