Current dogs:
Luna: Luna is a pit bull with no fear, no hatreds, and no enemies. I doubt it would occur to her that humans could be bad. She assumes everyone wants her head pressed against them for hugs. And she adores children but is careful not to force herself on shy ones.
She’s a keen judge of the attitudes of strange dogs, however, but still without enemies. While waiting for a nail grind, she was bitten on the shoulder by a snarling dog who stretched her loose skin out several inches but did not draw blood. Luna’s reaction was to sidestep away from him and stay out of his reach. She’s ridiculously hard to provoke.
Ginny: Ginny is a mix, probably pit bull and feist. She’s ready for combat with squirrels, and suspicious of cats, and responds to dogs who bark at her. Although she loves almost every human she sees, she has growled at a human being before (inexplicably, our sweet elderly neighbor), so she might go for a human attacker after all. She’s only 34 pounds, but she’s quite strong, chews a lot, and might be able to hurt someone.
Former family members:
Simone: 35-pound pit bull from the street who loved all creatures, never evinced a predatory instinct, and just wanted everyone to be together (touching if possible). It’s not fathomable that Simone would have identified anyone as an enemy. When she was younger and I took her to the dog park, Simone used a gradual escalation of body language warnings to deter larger dogs from bullying her, evading and adopting a series of increasingly firm defensive postures, until they stood down.
When she was older Simone was once bitten on the butt by another dog hard enough to require rushing to a vet for stitches – her response was to turn around and gaze mildly at the dog whose teeth were still sunken into her thigh, then try to follow that dog, blood running down her butt, when they were separated.
Sadie: a sturdy pit bull / hound mix who passed a few years ago. Known affectionately as “the Mayor,” she insisted on greeting her constituents (every human in the community) on her walks and loved nothing more than to lean on a human. She adored my wife above all living things.
But there was one time. It was cold enough that people would wrap scarves around their faces or wear balaclavas. A young man out jogging came around the bend, face covered, running directly toward Sadie and my wife. Sadie assessed him as a threat (almost certainly because his face was covered) and her response was immediate – she placed herself in his path, braced her front legs, and bared her fangs. She emitted the most terrifying sound I have ever heard a dog make – half a deep bark, half a tearing growl like a powerful machine ripping denim jeans in half.
Clearly the young man stopped.