DEAR ABBY: I have a 3-year-old, muscular male American pit bull terrier. When I walk "Petey," I am often asked by young and old alike if they can pet my dog because of his good looks. While Petey has never bitten anyone, I am not comfortable letting strangers pet him. The breed can be aggressive.
I always reply to these requests with a "no" and a "thank you," after which I am invariably asked if my dog is mean. Now, if there is a possibility that a dog is mean, why would someone ask to pet him in the first place? Perhaps I'm overly sensitive, but it's an annoying rhetorical question. Is there a nicer way to answer? -- A DUTIFUL PET OWNER, GLENS FALLS, N.Y.
DEAR DUTIFUL PET OWNER: An honest response would be that your dog isn't mean, but you can't guarantee that he won't snap if someone he doesn't know touches him. Another way to say it would be, "My dog hasn't bitten anyone ... yet."