The law can be an ass at times. I always had a couple of shepherds around the kennels/house, and they were both very serious dogs, yet sociable too. Unfortunately the other thing is many people think a serious protection dog is easy to acquire, unfortunately they are like rocking horse sh*t, many look the part and make all the right noises but when push comes to shove they are left wanting. Getting a pure bred shepherd/rottie/malinois from working lines and it turning out a forceful protection/guard dog is hard work, getting a dual purpose lurcher is making life even harder........