If you’re thinking about owning a Pit Bull, then this is a good time to pull out that crystal ball and take a good look at your future. Because caring for a Pit Bull, even more so than with other breeds, is a lifetime commitment — which could add up to 12 or 13 years or more.

Being the owner of a Pit Bull can be intense. It amounts to what the insurance companies call a “lifestyle change.” It’s anything but a sideline hobby that you do when you have the extra time.

Pit Bulls, put simply, are not dogs for inexperienced owners. They are smart, game, resourceful, and they will definitely vie for dominance. They are also incredibly protective of children and downright clownish. Unfortunately, they live under a cloud of ignorance, media hype and persecution. If you ever “outgrow” your Pit Bull or offload him because your circumstances have changed and you’ve had to downshift from the family manor into a studio apartment, in all likelihood you’ve just handed your dog a death sentence.

If you’re considering a Pit Bull, you need to ask yourself some tough questions. First of all, these dogs are bred for strength and stamina. They’re going to have to get those ants out of their pants somehow, and that means plenty of play and exercise. Because of their big brains and bodily strength and endurance, Pit Bulls are ideal candidates for demanding competition events, such as weight pulling, agility or Schutzhund. Do you have similar energy levels, and a big enough sense of fun and adventure to trot side-by-side through the world with this adventurous breed?

The ideal owner will jump at the chance to spend an afternoon romping at the beach, playing catch in the park, or jogging briskly down a long country road with their Pit Bull.

But if you’re honestly more of the sedentary type, then you need to think twice about taking on this energetic descendent from a long line of warrior dogs, and look at something more lap-oriented, like the toy breeds.

Simply getting out and running probably won’t be enough to fully occupy your Pit Bull’s busy brain, however. Remember, this dog was born and bred to outwit raging bulls with painful holes poked in them. He needs something to think about. If you don’t give it to him, he’ll probably have a tendency to get into trouble — although if you share his peculiar sense of humor, you may find yourself laughing in your sleeve.

Try to give your Pit Bull as many jobs as you can think of, such as training him to find your keys or collecting socks around the house. If you have a fenced yard, put your Pit Bull in charge of patrolling the perimeter for rabbits or other intruders. And agility training is ideal for his powerful, muscular and very quick body.

The creative Pit Bull is a classic escape artist, so keep an eye on his fencing and make sure it stays intact.

Also, while many dogs can safely accompany you off-leash, the Pit Bull is not one of them. It’s not that he poses a danger to people — he doesn’t, unless he’s a poor specimen bred by some exploitational backyard breeder.

But he does pose a potential danger to other dogs. Unlike most dogs, your Pit Bull simply doesn’t know how to back down. If he enters a fight, he will end it –period.

No other dog in existence can fight like a Pit Bull, and no other dog has the heart to see it through to the end like he does. These qualities aren’t bad — they’ve led to the extraordinary, great-hearted creature that he is. But they do mean you need to take some simple precautions with your Pit Bull, and keep him under control when you’re out and about, even though with proper training you’ll probably never have an incident at all.

For these reasons and others, you’ll need to be a strong and experienced leader to train and guide your Pit Bull. Start with obedience training and socialize, socialize, socialize from the very beginning, especially with other dogs.

Contrary to their reputation, Pit Bulls are among the likeliest dogs to give their lives to protect their families — they have, and they do. Also contrary to reputation, they don’t make particularly good guard dogs, because aggression against humans isn’t part of their breeding.

Unfortunately, this world contains some sick people who are attracted to what happens when you breed two poorly-bred, unstable “Pit Bull” mongrels together and train them to fight. After all, Pit Bulls are the canine world’s premiere fighters. Now you have dogs going by the name of Pit Bulls that demonstrate random aggression against man and beast alike — and the press has a field day. What can we say? This much-maligned breed can’t defend itself against Ghetto-culture “breeders” who like to use the Pit Bull as an icon of uncontrolled violence.

The real American Pit Bull, properly known as the American Pit Bull Terrier, is a dog of another world entirely. Quite possibly, it will take our society a long time to figure out the difference. But the experienced dog owner already knows that given the Pit Bull’s creative fire, boundless energy and goofy humor, no other breed of dog can really offer up the same rewards to its owner.