only owners can make them dangerous.

Mrs. Lamb, a teacher at St. David's Pre-School, loves her pet Pitbull so much she has invited her infants to her house to come face-to-face with her pride and joy.

She claims recent bad publicity about pitbulls should be directed at irresponsible owners rather than the dogs themselves.

And she said Sinjin, her two-year old pitbull, overdosed on love and affection, especially with children.

Mrs. Lamb, of Smith's Parish, said: "It's the way that you choose to raise them that makes the difference.

"When I saw the article in the paper and the bad publicity these dogs are getting, I thought everyone was going to think these were bad dogs.'' Mrs. Lamb, wife of Bermuda Regiment Adjutant Capt. Edward Lamb, said Pitbulls had the potential to be "family dogs'' despite their violent reputation.

The Lamb family has had Sinjin for a year and "have never had any problems'', she added "Sinjin likes a lot of love, attention, affection and especially children,'' Mrs. Lamb explained.

Mrs. Lamb brought her class of children to her home yesterday so they could meet the dog and play with him. "We've been learning about dogs and this trip to meet Sinjin is part of their learning experience,'' she said.

The children had to get permission from their parents before their visit and Mrs. Lamb said some parents were "very hesitant'' when they heard it was a pitbull. Recent Royal Gazette stories have highlighted Pitbull attacks and revealed that hundreds of Pitbulls are not registered by their owners.

But Sinjin is properly licensed and registered.

Phyllis Madeiros, of the Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals, said the SPCA advised new dog owners: "Your dog will turn out to be what you train it to be.'' "It is really important to train and socialise the dogs and not to expose them to situations where a fight could occur,'' she said.

The SPCA also recommends owners take new puppies to puppy class where they learn some basic training.

Dog trainer Jane Taylor said there was "no reason why Pitbulls shouldn't act in the same manner as other dogs''.

But she emphasised the owners' responsibility for the problems with pitbulls.

Mrs. Taylor, who has been training dogs for 20 years, said: "I had Pitbull types in my training classes and many are very nice dogs. It is a matter of whether they are raised in the right way.

"It is the young people who think it's a big joke to have a dog -- they are the problem.'' Mrs. Taylor said she had seen some young people with Pitbulls "enticing them to growl and bite things''.

Vet Neil Burnie, who runs the Endsmeet Animal Hospital in Devonshire, has also joined the pro pitbull lobby.

"To jump on Pitbulls is just a fashion,'' he said. "We keep on stressing that it's all about responsible ownership.

"The reputation they've got as a fighting dog is only deserved when people have selected the trait that makes them aggressive towards other dogs.'' EDUCATION ED