I just went to a couple of websites promoting fear and hatred against pit bulls… and some well-meaning folks, who probably own pit bulls or rescue them, tried to reason with these people. First thing you should know is that you cannot reason with fear, hate and violence-filled, delusional folks. These people are projecting their own brutality onto dogs, how pathetic is that. I was raised by a mentally ill mother so I know firsthand what I am talking about. People who are filled with fear, rage and violence do not listen to rationale thought…
I also had an experience at a dog park. This woman had a very mean Jack Russell who was always sniping at the other dogs including mine. And she would sit around talking to anyone who would listen about my dog. One time, all of the dogs decided it was a good idea to jump into the muddy water, that stank, and had a blast and as we walked over to rescue them, I said perhaps we should get them a pool to play in.. She sniped back to me, you should get your dog a choke collar and something else I don’t recall. I was taken aback by her unexpected and mean remark. From then on, I stayed clear of her and her vicious dog.
I started going to the park very early in the morning when no other dogs were there because it had become increasingly impossible with this woman and her friends. My dog decided to go into the stinky muddy water again and we were having words owner to dog and I was considering washing her off with a hose that was nearby or a sprinkler. She was not happy about that idea and we were in the middle of this snafu when along comes crazy Jack Russell dog and his owner. Her dog attacked my dog who was already upset, I was crying and tried to break the dogs apart, and she stepped into it as well and she got bit or scratched. I felt really bad about the whole thing. She apologized to me for her stupid remark and we agreed to not be at the park at the same time ever again. I would do the early shift and she would do the later shift. Soon after that, I just stopped going to that park at all. It was not fenced, not available on the weekends and my dog liked to get all muddy and stinky.
The point of this story is that this woman had projected her own viciousness onto MY dog when it was HER dog that was a BIG problem. But her dog was a Jack Russell and there are no news media stories about how mean those dogs are. She had a dog that bit and sniped at other dogs and she was very cruel to her dog. I saw her on more than one occasion trying to force and dominate the dog into submission. That is NOT how you get a dog to submit. My dog submits at the drop of a hat. She does not have to be the top dog. She loves to play and sometimes she plays a little rough for me, but she was fine with playing with over 100 dogs over the summer (about three months) at various dog parks in different cities as well as dog trails.
When we were working at Sequoia / Kings Canyon she had a great time for ten whole days with four male (unfixed) dogs, a Great Dane, a German Shepherd, a little terrier mix and a hound dog. They explored the bushes and trees and on one occasion, the tiny little terrier was the ringleader of an escapade that scared us owners to death. He decided that my dog, the hound dog and him should go looking for his owner. The three dogs walked five miles down the road, crossing pavement where cars would drive. I could not find the dogs no matter how loud I called them. Finally, they just showed up and I found out later what they had done. A park ranger thankfully found them and the owners and told them what they had done. All of the dogs went on immediate restriction.
Anyway, hopefully, if you have a pit bull, Doberman, rottweiler or other breed that has been discriminated against, you have to be calm, assertive, and stand up for your animal without resorting to nonsensical name-calling and adding to the attacks. There are nonviolent methods of communication available to learn, as well as healing methods. Create peace and let your dog’s friendly behavior speak loudly for itself and others.Everywhere we go, my dog is loved (most of the time). On occasion, there are ignorant people who have been taught to be afraid of her. And I generally just try to steer clear of them. Why engage a nut case? I grew up in New York city and New Yorkers just ignore the crazies, for the most part.
We should definitely stand up and be counted against breed specific legislation. It’s like outlawing Chinese, Japanese, African Americans, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, or any other human being because of a few bad apples. It’s bigotry, racism, and stems from fear and ignorance.
Here are some resources:
http://www.hugabull.com/
http://www.nonviolentcommunication.com/
http://www.WantToKnow.info/070701imsorryiloveyoujoevitale
http://hooponopono.org/
http://www.transformationteam.net/stories/hendricks.chemistryofblame1
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