by Kevin L'dux

Created on: December 07, 2008

I have an American Staffordshire terrier, a breed in the "bull and terrier" group that is mistakenly labeled as "pit bull". That in itself is another story. The worst photos I have seen on canine breeders websites is that of pit bulls on heavy chains dragging tires or logs around. I don't get it at all. If these are true breeders fencing would be in place. I notice that a lot of them are out in the middle of nowhere and realize the shackles and chains may prevent the dogs from roaming the countryside but the fencing aspect is what I would look for if I were a perspective customer. I don't care what breed the dog is.

I have a rambler home in a neighborhood of 1/2 acre lots. We have no fences as it provides an open feel and appearance almost as a park and some people think it is. My dog and I have played in mine and my neighbors back yards for years. They have no objections at all; they actually like having a dog around since none of them do and they will invite him into their houses and/or enclosed porches. He is basically a neighborhood dog. I have a 60 foot long 1/4" aircraft cable with swivel snaps on either end attached to my backyard deck for times when I want to take him out with me but don't want to think about where he is at all times. This length let's him get around to both sides of my house so he can see me. I can hang my pickup by this type of cable so I know of it's strength; you can buy it at any Lowes or Home Depot by the foot as well as hardware to make a tie out for such reasons. I would never leave him out unattended because he is as my child. He does well on it and the fact it is fairly lightweight lets him roll around and even play. He has a normal leather collar - no studs please - and this works well.

As far as the legality of it, that is encompassing a large area of "I don't want to go there". I have friends with large estates that adjoin another family member's home. One such friend and his brother have a cleared path between their homes and within that area they have cables running overhead for 150 feet that they have their dogs linked to with a pulley which are ideal open "runs" for them. I have never seen one as long as their's and it impressed me. The dogs can lie down, go into a doghouse, get into a pool or just run and bark with each other as the two lengths of cable are separated by 30 feet. The dogs can stay in their own yard or go next door to see the other dog. The dogs are large retrievers and sleep in their owner's house at

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