Owners of 'biters' are often in denial

Along with about 65 million other Americans, I am thankful for my dogs. They light up my home. They remind me of what a gift true companionship is. And they keep me in touch with a playfulness and curiosity that are too often absent from the lives of grown-ups.

Owners of aggressive dogs give thanks, too. Their prayers of gratitude sound something like, "I'm thankful little Fluffy hasn't landed me in jail" or "I'm grateful the mailman didn't press charges" or "Thank you, Allstate, for not canceling my homeowners insurance after that incident involving Sergeant and Mrs. Cobb next door. I really am in good hands."

The week leading up to our nation's 387th Thanksgiving celebration served up three such families, all of which should give thanks that their dogs have not done more damage.

"We've had our 3-year-old Labrador-Irish setter mix since he was a couple of months old. He has always been a good 'alert' dog, with no evidence that he would bite. In the past six months, though, he has gone after the cable man and the AC guy in my yard. He also got ahold of the hand of a worker who reached over our fence to pet him. He is great with our kids (2 and 3 months), but he has become much more protective since I got pregnant with our oldest. Any insight on how to teach him not to attack people who enter our yard would be great. Oh, and he usually goes for the foot, but did go for a hand once."

"My 3-year-old Staffordshire terrier is very well behaved with people, but he hates other animals and will go after them. I've caught him a couple of times with small dogs in his mouth, and I was lucky to get him to release them. This is my first dog, so I'm new at this. I need help to get him to be social and have fun with other dogs. I really love him and want him to be a happy dog."

"Our 3-year-old Wheaten terrier has always been aggressive with other dogs, but the real problem is with strangers who enter (and leave) our home. Four people have been bitten in two years. Our dog is an insecure animal who spends a lot of time behind furniture and in the bathtub. He is the submissive dog in the household but is entirely unpredictable with new people. We have three children. He has never turned on any of us. We love him dearly and recognize that we all need training. I really believe he is a teachable dog; that he wants to please and be successful. HELP!"