...who sued. Some people are such shits.

Are you kidding me? What sort of legal system justifies a case brought by someone who walked into the mouth of a started dog? What sort of society do we have where people trump animals to such an extent that someone can feel justified for taking a dog to court because they got a fright? Where on earth does commonsense come in? and how on earth did she win?

For writing so eloquently about the conflicted and complicated nature of having a pitbull in the family. I recognized myself in a lot of this.

yes, one must be careful not to "walk into" either of these things

Pitbulls arent bred for "violence" - if they are bred for anything it is to fight other dogs - thats it....Bruno wasnt fighting destiny or breeding by being a good companion - that WAS his destiny - loyalty, perseverence and love of humans are all there "destiny".

My brother brought home a dog he had got from someone who couldn't take care of it anymore. It was like a cross between a Scottish terrier and some sort of fighting dog; endearingly fluffy and floppy-eared, but with a heavily muscled chest and legs and those huge jaws, built for pulling down much larger animals. My brother called him Nugget.

He had the most manic, upbeat personality of any dog I've ever come across, bouncing madly up to try and lick hands and faces, puppyishly firing little spurts of urine. To keep him from shooting into the house every time the door was opened, my father put metal bars across the entrance to the porch, but the irrepressible Nugget kept pushing at the bottom bar until he had made a gap to push his broad shoulders through.

Ultimately, however, my parents found themselves living in fear of what he might do. He leapt all over strangers and other dogs alike, and in their constant fear they found themselves unable to tell if it was with affection or ill-intent. Finally they put him down after less than a year.

I was shocked to hear of it, but ultimately I had been unwilling to take care of him, and no one else was, so what could have been done? Still, I feel a twinge of sadness when I think of that mad little mutt who loved his masters so much he'd push through steel to be a little closer to them.

For someone who describes such positve relationship with a pitbull, the author does very little to diminish the myths that plague the breed; instead she perpetuates them to the detriment of the breed. Pitbulls are not an inherently violent breed. Pitbulls do not have locking jaws. Pitbulls do not have an inhrently higher than average prey drive. As someone who has owned several pitbulls in the past and owns one currently, the author's description of an intelligent animal with a high affinity for people (adults and children alike) is exactly the behavior I would expect from a traditionally bred pit.

I just happened to meet the sweetest pit bull with her owner today, and Bruno reminded me of her, muscular but gentle, affectionate and possessing a boundless energy. I have to wipe my eyes now, I can't seem to stop leaking.

Which is kinda tricky at work :(

Lovely story and I'm glad you and Bruno found each other, you both did good. It might be years later but my condolences - it happens to us all in the end.

Having said I agree (in a less critical manner) with the others. There is nothing inherently violent about Pitbulls, its just that they are so powerful that when they do bite its pretty bad. But any dog, even the toys can give a vicious bite.

Bruno was not the exception but the rule in his gentleness and loyalty.

Pit bulls are inherently violent and unpredictable. Years of gentle behavior can be followed by one, insane, vicious and deadly outburst from nowhere. Read the headlines, dopes.

I believe pit owners ENJOY the anxiety their pets cause in themselves and in their neighbors. It is a form of power and domination to walk around with a deadly weapon at the end of your leash, pretending to have no idea why people are crossing to the other side of the street.

The author obviously knew from the day this dog was found that trouble was brewing, then pretends to wonder why trouble comes. Why do pit owners pretend to be so stupid?

As for the woman who sued, good for her. One shouldn't have to worry that by walking out from between two cars in the evening after having checked for auto traffic, one is also putting one's life at risk from uncontrolled vicious dogs.

Pit Bulls have no place in civilized human environments, especially urban areas.

Pitbulls arent bred for "violence" - if they are bred for anything it is to fight other dogs - thats it....Bruno wasnt fighting destiny or breeding by being a good companion - that WAS his destiny - loyalty, perseverence and love of humans are all there "destiny".

I agree wholeheartedly. I have owned or been around pitbulls most of my life and I have never had one of my dogs attack a person or even other animals.

In fact my mother in law, who has been deathly afraid of dogs her entire life, has no problem having my pit bull lie at her feet.

She will not let any other dog within 15 feet of her.

As usual, pathos is achieved by indulging in stereotypes. The dog was a "pit bull" (a meaningless designation that is not any one breed, but a disparate group that get lumped in together). Therefore, it must be prone to violence.

My dad always had a thing for whatever breed of dog people were scared of. In the 60's, it was German Shepherds. My family had four within that decade. In the 70's, Doberman Pinschers. We had three, including my Andy, whom I did not allow my dad to have mutilated. In the 80's, by which time I had left the family home, it was pit bulls. My parents had three. (By the 90's, my parents had decided they were too old for dogs; thank the gods, because I don't much like Rottweilers.)

None of these dogs showed the slightest sign of being "bred for violence" or dangerous temperaments. On the contrary, all of them were brave, good-natured dogs. (My Doberman Andy was a coward; she would duck her head and tail if you so much as looked at her funny.) The Dobermans put up with my little sister after she was born, and there was not a single biting incident that I can recall.

To prejudge an animal because of a cultural prejudice is not only wrong-headed, it prevents you from really getting to know the animal itself, who is just as likely to be a great guy as a psychopath, no matter what his breed. Bruno had his withered leg to get people to overlook his breed. Other dogs don't have a quick way around our prejudices, more's the pity.