cjhwillis, First off, I would like to point out that while a Doberman or a Rottie may not be a "Bully Dog" most people certainly consider them one. I work with a local Bully Breed rescue and trust me, any large mean looking dog is considered a Bully Breed by the general public. Point made since you are the first one to dispute this classification! :-) Also, when I was naming all the large breeds you mentioned I was doing so because the OP had stated that all dogs large enough to kill should be eradicated!!!!!! In addition, the Doberman also comes from Great Dane descent. There are also many, many dogs that have these different descents. I don't agree that because a breed has a bully breed in its descent that makes it a bully breed. Which brings me to my next point, (since we are getting down to specifics) you are misinformed on what technically is a Bully Breed. Mastiffs are one of the oldest breeds of dog dating back to Aristotle, Philip the Second, Alexander the Great, etc. / 400 - 300 B.C. Too many breeds to list have Mastiff in their ancestry. The only Mastiff that is considered a Bully Breed is the Bull Mastiff coming from a Mastiff and Bulldog descent. A bully breed has all to do with being of Bulldog descent, not Mastiff. Bulldogs were originally bred to fight Bulls in the Arena (hence their name) and was developed in the 13th century. Yes, they are of Asiatic Mastiff descent yet, as I mentioned, Mastiffs are one of the oldest breeds and there are too many dogs to list that are of their descent. Also, in your list of bully breeds you seemed partial to large breeds. You forgot to list the Boston Terrier which was originally called the Boston Bull and is from English White Terrier & English Bulldog descent. Avg. size 15 - 20 lbs. Also, the French Bulldog whose descent is from the Chincha Bulldog. Avg size is 22-28 pounds. Breeds that are classified as Bulldog Breeds (Bully Breeds) are as follows: Boxer, English Bulldog, Old Englishe Bulldogge, Amercian Bulldog, French Bulldog, Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog, Valley Bulldog, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, Boston Terrier, Bull Mastiff, and Banter Bulldogge. You had listed the Cane Corso Itailiano as a Bully Breed, this breed is of direct descent of the Canis Pugnax (Roman Mollosian), no Bulldog in this breed. A great website for researching breeds is linked below. I recommend it to anyone looking to obtain a new pet dog, the information is invaluable. Cheers Sarah

Melanie, follow your instincts. If this dog is too much for you, then talk to a rescue organization by all means. You have not failed this dog, this dog may have some big, BIG problems that you are not prepared to deal with. JRTs are a great breed, but there is a huge span of personality and temperement in the breed. I know first-hand, because I have had them for many years, but I had to give one up to Russell Rescue due to escalating, terrifyingly violent aggression against my other dogs (including her own mother.) It really came down to the commitment I had made to the oldest dog 12 years ago when I adopted her - I just could not allow the attacks to continue, because one of them was inevitably going to be fatal. We went the whole route when the problems began, from weekly visits from a dog trainer recommended by our vet for aggression problems (with much homework in between visits), to medication (which did not help), to dividing the house with baby gates - with the constant risk that one moment of inattention would launch another savage attack. At one point, the troublemaker was in her crate, and got herself so worked up into a rage that she got the OTHER TWO to start fighting on their own, just by watching her. It really was h*ll on earth for many months. It all came to a head one day when my boss took me into his office, shut the door, and said, "I'm really disappointed in your performance lately." I started crying, and it all came out - living in a war zone - the tension, the stress, the disturbed sleep, the fatigue, the arguments, the guilt, the fear, the disappointment, the injuries to the old dog (a trip to the emergency vet with a torn jugular once, a ripped eyelid another time.) My boss was really understanding, but it all suddenly became crystal-clear to me what this situation was doing to all of us, and I understood that it was time to move on. After much soul-searching, tears, and long talks with my wonderful vet, we were THIS close to putting her down (we had literally dug her grave anticipating taking her in to the vet the next morning), when Rescue called back on a Sunday night with a temporary placement, fully understanding all of the dog's problems. The Rescue people were absolutely terrific. The last I saw of my beloved pup (the dog whose birth I'd witnessed, the dog I thought I'd grow old with) was seeing her sitting on the Rescue person's lap exchanging kisses after a parking lot hand-off. Within a few weeks, they placed her with a family out of state who had experience with the breed, had lost their own aged JRT, had a fully JRT-proof backyard, and fully understood the behavioral problems. Last I heard it was working out great. Like Migo, mine was a fabulous buddy and just adored people, but could not tolerate another dog. Serious aggression between dogs is terrifying and unmistakable - it is NOT playing - not even aggressive playing. Your comment about your other dog screaming gave me chills - I remember that sound so well. Do what you have to do to protect all of the other animals to whom you have made a commitment, and do the best you can by Migo. You're not a failure - everything you've written shows that you are a sensitive and responsible dog-lover, and you need to be strong and do the right thing for everyone concerned. Best of luck, Susan

Kristine - I sure wish my Oklahoma were like yours!! Darn. Deborah - Sundowner means that the winds come from the west? Anyway, those winds sound horrible and dangerous too! I hope they blow away. Hang in there. Diane - oh wow...I can't imagine. Horrible deer. :( Could you grow roses in a greenhouse? Could you have a fence (really high) in the middle of your yard where you could have roses? There must be some way to safeguard some of your roses. If you can't build a tall fence...you could use wire that is relatively low - 3 feet. The wire would be staggered with a foot in between. If you want to get someone to help you with this...here's some info Height, or width, is probably the most important factor with deer fences, especially if high deer pressure. White-tailed deer can jump almost eight feet high, so effective upright fences against them should be this high. Deer may be able to jump high, but not both high and over a distance. So a fence may not be as high, perhaps six feet, but slanted outward. The deer will try walking under the fence and meet resistance. Such a slanted fence should be at a 45-degree angle, and may consist of fencing with a few strands of additional wire on top for extra height. A variation can be used to convert a shorter upright fence. Merely add additional height to posts, and string more fencing or additional strands of wire between them. If the fence is about five feet high, you also may add additions to the posts parallel to the ground and on the outside of the fence. Add strands of wire between these to achieve the same effect as a slanted fence. If you have a standard fence about four or five feet high, you can add a similar and additional one about four feet away. While not high, with this width deer usually won’t like to try and clear both and perhaps get caught between or on them. Out of sight, out of mind, applies to deer with solid wooden fences, or ones with overlapping slats they can't see through. Such privacy fences are quite effective, as deer can't tell what is on the other side. Even if they can smell what is on the other side, and it's attractive to them, they can't be sure that danger isn't lurking there as well. One less expensive variation on the high fence is to use a commercial heavy-weight deer netting if the deer pressure is low to moderate. These products are quite popular for home gardens as they are easier to work with than wire mesh, are less expensive, and blend into the landscape. Another inexpensive solution is stringing single strands of monofilament twine (such as deep sea fishing twine) between posts, about six inches apart. If deer pressure is really low, you might even get by with a single strand about two feet off the ground. Deer bump into this, are surprised at something they didn't or can't see, so may flee. Keep in mind deer can't see well (poor depth perception), so many advocate hanging streamers on the lower strands or netting so deer can see them and don't just try running through. Some recommend not putting such ribbon streamers on the top as this tells the deer the fence height. Some have even suggested adding streamers on extensions above the fence, to make deer think it is even taller and so even harder to jump. Some advocate using white streamers to mimic the white tail signal that deer use to warn of danger. There are many variations of electric fences. You may begin with a single strand, about 30 inches off the ground. Some make this more visible to deer by using bright flagging tape, or conductive polytape. This also helps people avoid these fences by mistake. Make this single strand even more effective and attractive to deer by smearing peanut butter on aluminum foil. One taste won’t kill deer, but it will surely discourage them from returning. Studies have shown, though, that using odor repellents in combination with an electric wire may be more effective than using the peanut butter bait. Single strands of electric wire may work if low populations, but if more deer pressure you may need to add multiple strands. You may add these in various configurations as for mesh and strand fences, with the electric wires about a foot apart along the post supports. With any electric fence, use them only if children won’t have a chance of getting injured. Some residential areas may even prohibit them, so check local ordinances first. If you have just an isolated tree or few plants to protect, consider building a cage around them. You may drive stakes into the ground, stretching wire mesh or deer netting between them. Or you can make a portable frame of scrap lumber or PVC pipe, attaching netting to these. If portable, make sure such frames are anchored so deer wont push them over. Make sure such mesh has small openings, or is far enough from the plants, to keep deer from reaching the plants through the mesh. Rhonda Massingham Hart, in her revised book on Deerproofing Your Yard and Garden, gives many more details on deer fences and installing them, plus some additional tips: -- As with other controls, it is best to use them before you have a problem. Train deer first, before they find your plants, or even before you plant. -- Fences must be tight, can't have gaps, and should be checked often. Deer almost always will find the openings. -- With this last point in mind, installing fences over uneven terrain can be difficult, leaving openings large enough for deer. -------------------------- I'm sure you've tried so many things...I just want you to have roses and hope again. And you don't have to have the fence go to the end of the property...just at the flat part or just around a rose section. My black dog is 100% standard poodle...we just didn't cut his tail. He looks different when his coat is grown out. :) Jubilee Celebration and Chartreuse de Parme ... thank you for liking them!! Jubilee Celebration has the most fabulous scent!!!! I have 2 large wheelbarrows, 1 small wheelbarrow and the other planter is a small bathtub - about 8 inches long. :) I love my wheelbarrows!! :) Thank you!! Oh bummer about the chair! You just can't catch a break! :( -----------------

Ok update on Downy Mildew outbreak! Plum Perfect has losts all its leaves and so has Julia Child... Julia Child was already covered in blackspot so DM finished her off... Miracle on the Hudson is between Julia Child and Plum Perfect... MOTH has lost a decent amount of leaves but still actually looks ok but getting bald spots now.. D. Ko's have some DM but not near as bad as other roses... Earthsong has a fair amount of DM but still looks ok on the most part... Little Fiji roses just now getting DM so they probably will be naked soon as they are small... Carefree Celebration.... Has DM to a mild degree right now... Raining, windy here today...Thunderstorms... Those DM spores are probably flying everywhere! MOTH...Notice all the fallen leaves from DM.... On a good note...lol