you only like pits because your a dog lover

A coworker came into my office today and started reading an article in the local paper about a boy that was killed by a pit. (granted this dog shouldn't have been around children, it had a history of dog bites and was CHAINED in the basement ) anyway, after she gets done reading the paper she makes a comment about how people are stupid for having those kinds of dogs around kids.

So being me I asked "those" kinds of dogs? She says yes, Pit Bulls, they are the most aggressive dogs around and are more likely to go for the throat than a Chi is. I laughed at her and told her that just wasn't true, that Pits are wonderful dogs, very affectionate and intelligent. She continues to tell me that she's read all sorts of articles in the paper about how dangerous Pits are and that they are always the ones who attack their owners. They are more likely to bite some one than a Golden is. Don't try to tell her that it's the owners fault not the dogs, it's always the dogs fault. They were bred to be aggressive. I said they can be dog aggressive but are not bred to be human aggressive. I told her that all dogs are capable of being aggressive and can do as much damage as the other can.

Clearly seeing that she's talking to some one who is educated about Pitties, she tells me that I'm only sticking up for them because I'm a dog lover.. She went on to try and tell me about all the attacks and the stats. I told her that those are skewed because most people misclassify dogs. One of the dogs here that had attacked a child was said to have been a Pit when it was really a Mastiff.

Just drives me crazy how ignorant and missinformed people are about these dogs. She didn't even want to read all the information that I pulled up for her online proving her wrong in her rant.

End of rant...sorry for the long b!cthing

I would have pointed out that the dog on the old TV show the lil rascals was a pittie. And back then they were considered the ultimate family dog. That usually gets people thinking.

is it even possible that Only ONE type of dog is bad? and all others are good?
I think its the trainer, not the dog, that develops the personality. know what i mean?

Some people can be so fusterating. I can't wait to get back to school and find every anti-pit buller in my school and try to reason with them. I've managed to convert a few of my friends so converting someone who doesn't really know me should be easy. (I'm a nerd, everything that comes from my mouth is taken as true ^_^)

Haha, Celtic......then I guess we need more nerds in the world LMAO. Thank you for trying to change peoples perceptives of bullys.

I know exactly how frusterating it can be. People get all their information from the media and will believe every word of it. Someone that is ACTUALLY EDUCATED in that area trys to explain that the media is wrong, and they think you are wonky!

The more I kept trying to tell her the more she kept saying I'm saying that because I'm a dog lover...DUH!!!...I'm also an educated dog lover who finds it hard to swallow all the media hype. She got upset when she said it's true look it up online and see what you find. The first sight listed was wikipedia, it dispelled everything she was spewing at me, she wouldn't even read that.

The dog was chained in the basement, had previously bitten two people, and was near a litter he'd sired and the dam who'd whelped it. An accident waiting to happen.

Takes all kinds. I hate know it alls.

And according to her it was the dogs fault, not the owners...

There was a boy attacked by a dog in arizona a few years ago. He was completely scalped. It was on the news. The anchor woman said it was a pit bull. About 20 minutes later she corrected herself and said that it was really a german shepherd. How could you possibly misidentify a shepherd for a pit bull? Just crazy!

Crazy!

i've run into a few people wher eyou say dog attack or dog bite. doesn't matter what the dog looks like or what it is. in their mind it is automatically a pit

I always bring that up in the "Pitbulls are monsters" debates with people who are hard headed. Just like now Labs and Goldens are considered the great family pets and how Collies were pretty popular at one point. Breeds go through phases. I just hope this pitbulls are bad is just a phase too.

I agree, I am sure some individual dogs are more prone to being agdreesive than others but that goes for all breeds not just pits, and then I feel its how the owner/trainer nurtures that personality. I have never owned a pit but have been around a few before, even a female that had recently had a litter of puppies and she was the friendliest dog, just wanted to be pet.

My new point to people who argue about how vicious pit bulls are is if pit bulls are so vicious then how did someone walk into my back yard and steal my pit bull? Maybe Ani just missed the memo *l*

And how come I have volunteered at a shelter for 2 years now and I have NEVER been bitten by a pit bull and I have only met one who I could not get close to or was afraid of. (I have also met shep mixes, lab mixes, rotties, goldens that I would not go near either and that frightened me). I have seen pits scarred from head to foot, yet they are more than happy to offer you a wagging tail and a lick. I have seen pits too skinny to even stand up, the only effort they can put forth is just wagging their tail and lifting their head up the slightest bit to invite you to pet them. Ani, my little girl, was beaten before I got her, who knows what else happened to her, yet she is still a happy, loving dog who would never, ever bite anyone.

Pit bulls are dogs, that is what I try to tell people. They are not horrible monsters or child eaters or inherinatly (sp?) aggressive, they are dogs.


Hehe, I guess I ranted a little too. It just upsets me. I try to educate people too. I dont know if I get through to them or not, but we at least need to try even if they make us pull our hair out *l*

*shaking head*

that's some kind of insult... you... you DOG LOVER YOU!!!

thanks for trying!

Yup, people imediately write me off if I try and educate them because:

One, I am a teen (and of course teens are just hot headed and hormonal, they don't know anything )

Two, Because I love dogs and am thus biased.

*sigh*

~Tucker

What really got me is that she doesn't and has never owned a dog...so she has absolutely no clue what dogs are about. But she still thinks that she's the upmost authority on dogs...

If its reported on CNN it must be true.

A lot of times it's the type of people who are attracted to pit breeds that cause those types of stereotypes. Many people who seek out pitts are likely to train them as fight dogs or guard dogs (the kind that attack intruders.) In the state where I live I see so many people in bad, dangerous parts of town who all seem so own pitt breeds or rotties and they will openly talk about how it's a "fight dog" or others own them to scare away unwelcome people to keep their drug businesses from getting busted. I think that people who seeks out these breeds and train them to be agressive are a big reason for this reputation.