marigold, you are getting some misinformation here. Keep in mind as you read this, hundreds of people have spoken with me how to train dogs. I have tons of experience and have had some outstanding success. HOWEVER, also know that out of all of those people, the vast majority have largely not taken my advice with a handful taking most of my advice, and no one taking all of my advice. I've lost a few friends over this, too. Basically, I have annoyed the vast majority of them and made myself look stupid. Doesn't mean I'm wrong in what I say, but it probably does. Make sense? No? Ok, then we are on the same page. Lol. Now seriously, let me give you some information.
If you have a large social life with friends and family, a dog can be cumbersome. Some people don't want dogs at their place and you need to respect that, and you seem like you are that kind of person. I enjoy dogs a bunch, but if someone brings their dog over without asking me, that is uncool. Most people do like to have well-behaved dogs over, so it probably isn't as bad as you might think. I can take my dog anywhere I can and she can handle it, but sometimes I still leave her at home. When I took the tour of one of the hydro dams in town here, I left her at home. They said she could come, but they have bunches of stairs that have expanded metal that hurt dogs' feet, so I would have had to carry her while traversing the stairs, which isn't safe.
The military base here has banned Pitbulls, so I don't go in there anymore. When you go on their property, you are in another country, a country that has fewer rights and is backed by the full weight of the federal government. That is a conflict I have no desire to get into no matter how right I may be.
Pits are not for a first time dog owner. No powerful dog is. When you have a dog like that, you need to bring your A-game and a first time dog owner's game is a bit weak. I'm not saying it is absolutely impossible to acquire a Pit that doesn't have a mean bone in it's body, but that is unlikely. Most big dogs, especially dogs that are bred to be powerful, know it and you need to be able to guide that. I own a Border Collie/Pit. She is powerful and has lots of energy. You can see her in my avatar. (Not the orange one, the black and white one. Haha.) She is a big, fat sweety pie, but when she gets aggressive, she's downright scary. I got her from the pound. They were going to euthanize her because she was so awful and they really should have put her down, but I took her in. Now she is my service dog. A service dog that is able to be as protective as she is and still not be a problem takes some serious training. I hear people say, "It's the deed not the breed!" That is true, but when I ask what kind of training is needed, I get blank stares. Can't get a specific answer. No breed should be banned, but that doesn't mean they aren't powerful dogs- they must be treated as such.
You said, "I have this romantic idea that my dog will find me, like when the time is right and we're both ready, voila!" That isn't how it works. A lot of people will vehemently disagree, but that is an irresponsible way to pick out a dog especially a Pit or other powerful breed. The breeder or owner of the dog should gather information about your personality, lifestyle, experience, knowledge, etc., and use that to evaluate which if any dog they have available would be a likely match for you. Some lines are more for work, and some lines are more for pet quality. A Pit that goes up to you and "chooses" you may be the one with the most dominance and most drive which would be a horrible choice for a first time dog owner.
Here is a link that is fun to help select a dog that suits ones personality and wants:
http://www.animalplanet.com/breed-selector/dog-breeds.html
I am totally fine with leaving a dog in my truck. It is not an inherently bad thing. Mine keeps people out of my truck. She also really enjoys having people in the truck when I invite them in. Some places have made it illegal to leave an animal in a vehicle. No matter what you do with your dog, you are going to be wrong and sometimes illegal. There is no getting around that. I've had legal problems with my animals and accept that as part of owning a dog that travels with me. If I kept mine locked up in my home all the time, I wouldn't have the problems that I occasionally get, but I also wouldn't have the good behaviors that my dog has now.
Some breeders or Humane Societies won't adopt a dog out to someone that doesn't have a fenced yard. That is total rubbish. In fact a large yard is an easy way to be lazy and not train your dog properly. It's an easy way to let your dog run around without any guidance like a hoodlum. I'm not saying that you should never let your dog run free; you need to let your dog run free for a bit- after it has earned the outing. People living on a Reservation have a different idea. They really enjoy and are proud of their dogs being able to run free. That is another place I won't take my dog. She caught mange one time and doggy pink eye another time, and it could've been a lot worse.
I hate dog parks. Won't go in there anymore because I'm tired of my dog getting torn up and I'm tired of watching other dogs fight. Horrible places. The music festival Bruce mentioned is another place I won't go. Too many ill-mannered dogs. Being in a place where every other dog is a physical threat or wants to steal your food is not my idea of fun.
Dogs that are poorly trained hurt people. Or children and dogs that are improperly supervised result in injuries. A child can yell, kick, and bite my dog and she will whine or yelp at the most, but if I wasn't there and she was cornered and couldn't run away and justifiably had to defend herself, I have no doubt she would bite to defend herself. She would use a minimum amount of force and wouldn't maul the child, but there's a good chance she would break the skin or even draw blood. That is a natural consequence and a great way to learn how to treat an animal, but our society largely disagrees with that. It would probably result in a lawsuit and one that could financially ruin me. My philosophy is if a dog has teeth, it can bite. If a person says their dog doesn't bite, they are lying unless that dog has no teeth. They may not intentionally be lying, but unwittingly lying.
Well, I'm sure I've ruffles some feathers, but I hope this information helps you out. I encourage you to get a dog if that is what you want and your are able to provide for it. It's ok to make mistakes, lots of mistakes, along the way. That is how you learn. Don't beat yourself up when you do make mistakes as long as your are being safe about the training. With my dog I don't use a leash at all, but at first, that leash was my best friend. I used it ALL the time because I knew that my dog and me would be making mistakes and a leash cures 99.9% of problems as long as I'm doing my part to the best of my ability. Having a dog for me isn't an absolute necessity, but it sure makes life easier and more fun even though it does limit other parts of my life. Every thing you do or want in life is a two-sided coin and that includes owning an animal.
My dogs have helped shape who I am. I am a very different person that what I would've been and that is a very, very good thing! I've accentuated how big of a responsibility of owning a dog is, but don't let that get you down. Not only do I accept the responsibility of properly owning a dog, I embrace it! If you don't want that responsibility, that is OK. Nothing wrong with that. Whatever you choose, commit to it and enjoy it!
