Well, I had this long story written up pretty much explaining my history with dogs and how I came to be here but then I figured why bore you guys (and gals). My stories probably are not much different from anyone else's.

The short of it is:

I used to own a pittbull. He passed away last year at about nine years old. He was a wonderful dog and made anyone who met him think twice about the bad rep of the breed.

I plan to get another dog pretty soon (hopefully no later than late next spring. I am pretty sure I want another pittbull because of my prior experience with them. I am not quite sure I want the hassle of dealing with all the anti-pitt idiots though... not to mention the problems of maintaining home owner's insurance (any company names you can toss out?).

My thoughts are these: I have a small house but I have about 4 acres of wooded and pretty private land out in the middle of no where. I do not care for small dogs but my house is too small for a large dog. I figure a medium sized dog that packs the "punch" of a larger dog would be nice. I am allergic to long haired dogs. My three year old son has a learning disorder and can be rough with animals at times so I want a gamey dog that will not "freak" if my son does something wrong. I want a dog that people with think twice about before doing any harm to myself, my loved ones, or my property. I want a dog that will be a member of the family. I want a dog I can afford (one thing I hate about "registered" breeds is the "good" dogs are priced out of a modest wage earner's range). I want a dog I can trust (responsible trust, not blind trust).

Obviously I am already biased towards another APBT (I have a breeder of working APBT picked out already) but I am open to suggestions.

My MAJOR problem right now is I am unsure if I want to do more with the dog than just have it as a pet. Part of me wants to decide in advance so I can pick a puppy that is well suited for what I want to do. The other part of me wants to pick a puppy the way I always have... we pick eachother. I wait until I find a puppy I feel a connection with and that is the one I get.

Yes, this is a FRACTION of what I had written originally!

Any thoughts, ideas, concerns, minor upheavals?