A house sold in our neighborhood several months ago, and the new neighbors have a full grown white pitbull with black spots. I met him up front and personal last week when he was roaming the sidewalk in front of our house where my kids were playing.

Trying to stay calm, I walked over and escorted my 6 year old son inside at about the same time as the owner came running over to catch his dog. I was pretty ticked, and told him "You can't let your dog out like that man!" He jokingly laughed it off and I followed up with "No dude, you CAN'T!"

That's when I heard my wife calling out "Honey..." in her warning tone, which is her clue to me that I'm being a jerk.

I couldn't help it though. I watch the news and hear of numerous pitbull attacks, where the dogs turn and attack with such intensity - and often don't let go until serious damage or death has been inflicted on their victim. Yes, I know other dogs attack people too, but they aren't nearly as lethal of a threat as pitbulls are, and I do not EVER want to see 160 pounds of pure muscle and teeth tearing into one of my kids!

Is it unreasonable for me to expect or hope that my kids could just safely play outside, without having to worry about a lethal threat turning into a fight for their lives?

I talked to the owner later and explained my concerns about his dog being loose, and found out that this was actually the second time that day. That was a week ago, and we just returned from a 4-day vacation only to discover the dog roaming in our front yard!

Clearly the owner is not taking enough precautions to keep their dog contained, or on a leash. I'm very concerned as it's summer vacation and my kids play outside a good part of the day (along with several other young children from families in nearby homes).

He claims that he's raised this dog since he was a baby, and that he's a good dog as long as you treat him well. Yeah, right... that's what all pitbull owners say. But the fact remains that even if a kid mistreats a dog, that doesn't justify the possibility of them losing their lives or becoming seriously injured. Kids are kids after all, and they don't always do the right thing, or even know what the right thing is.

Have you experienced pitbulls near your kids? How did you handle it?

I'll be checking on city ordinances today, and will be filing a complaint with the police every time I see that dog loose. There's no reason in my mind that we should have to live in fear.