I'm spooked when I see a pit too, because you don't know if the owner is any good. I've always heard friend-of-a-friend that pits are one of the hardest to train and take the most commitment from an owner ... and I generally assume that didn't happen whenever I see a pit.

What I would accept is requiring anyone who wants to own a large or powerful dog take a class on that breed describing the personality traits *of that breed* and how much training is going to be required up front and on a daily basis. Just enough to weed out those who don't know it's an issue.

Dogs need a varied environment. A dog in an apartment is like a human - you go stir-crazy cooped up in a small area after a while. Sheer boredom is an issue if they only get out a few minutes for a walk and there's no one to play with all day.

When I first heard of Cesar Milan's TV show I assumed it would be pure Hollywood shlock but that's not the case at all. He knows his dogs, and more importantly, his dog-owner problems.