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Ignorant People Make Me Angry *long
So I just need to vent for a second. Maybe some of you can relate with this story.
Last night I went to a pottery painting place with my mom and the ladies from her work. I had only met one of the women before, so there was a lot of introductions and what not going on. I decided that I was going to paint a treat dish for Zeke.
I wanted to paint Zeke on the treat jar. So, as I start painting, one of the women asked, "What kind of dog do you have?" When I told her that Zeke was a pit bull, she rolled her eyes, cleared her throat, and said, "Interesting."
This is when Mama Bear came out. I am sick of people judging my dog by his breed without getting to know him. I knew it would happen when we adopted him, but it just makes me so mad. I said, "What's so interesting about it?" My mom looked at me, knowing that the lady just ticked me off.
"Well," the lady said, "it just seems interesting that someone like you would have a dog like that. They're just so dangerous. You never hear of a nice pit bull. Is he... nice?"
There were so many things wrong with what she said. First, she doesn't even know me. Second, my dog is not dangerous. So I snapped, "Actually, the people who owned him before me were the dangerous ones. They abused him, starved him, and left him out in a blizzard to get hit by a truck. He's the sweetest dog I've ever met, and somehow after everything people did to him, he still has so much love to give. Ignorant people are the issue when it comes to the reputation of pit bulls, not the dogs themselves."
Then I went back to my painting. She didn't say anything else. Sure, it was sort of uncomfortable to be painting in the same room with this woman for a few hours after this, but honestly. I keep trying to let this go, but it's people like this woman who make me want to get Zeke meeting as many people as possible so they can change their stereotypes about pit bulls.
By the way, here's what I painted (sorry the picture is gigantic... don't know how to change that):
Re: Ignorant People Make Me Angry *long
I think you said everything perfectly to such an ass like this woman.
I don't think pit bulls are inherently more dangerous, though there are specific dog breeds that are more aggressive, it's unfortunately some of the people who keep the breed that give it a bad name. I kinda sorta liken it to guns. Guns are not bad by themselves, evil people with guns are bad. Same with any 'vicious' dog. The dog is not bad, the people who own it and train it to be aggressive are bad.
There was recently a little girl who was attacked by a pit bull in my town. Her mother took her to a friends house where a very aggressive pit bull lived. The dog was put up but escaped and hurt the girl badly. The city was calling for a pit bull ban, but it never passed simply because it's douches that keep pit bulls, train them to be aggressive and 'dangerous' and then don't take proper precaution with the dog around others that are the problem.
Case it point for your story: Growing up, the family who lived 1 house down from ours had a doberman. You'd see it in the fenced backyard with the children playing. The kids would pull its ears, ride on its back, and the dog was happy as can be. But stereotypically dobermans are kept as guard dogs/security/etc.
Just tell ignorant people exactly what you told that jerk-off.
Do the creep.
I am so glad you spoke up! People are so ignorant when it comes to pitbulls. I hate it! I tell people that my littlest chihuahua is a lot more aggressive than most pits I know.
From all the stories about Zeke, I think he would be a great therapy dog! That might be a wonderful way to teach people and let them see him first hand.
Oh and your treat jar is so cute! You are very talented.
People make dogs vicious...good for you for standing up for your rescue baby!
And excellent painting BTW!
Your Zeke has a great mommy indeed!
I agree with everyone else - pit bulls don't choose to be aggressive, a-holes train them to be that way. It's so sad that they have such a bad reputation, they really are gorgeous dogs.
I love the treat jar - super cute!
I also agree with everyone else. Dogs are trained or beaten to be agressive. You may find the odd one that is like that by nature, but it isn't the norm.
You were right to stand up for your dog.
Our dog (ridgeback/collie mix) was recently attacked and damaged quite badly last week by a staffy. The owner of the dog had rescued her, and was in no way to blame for the actions (apart from knowing she has done it in the past and not keeping her on a leash). He was talking about getting her put down, I feel very bad for that dog. Someone has taught her to be like that. It's very sad.
The treat jar is super cute.
People are afraid of my dog because for some reason they think she's either a pit bull, rottweiler, or doberman. Because she's black and brown (I always want to say "are you afraid of my dog because she's black? That's racist!"). And she's still a puppy so she gets excited and jumpy, and they get scared. It's frustrating. She's a total sweetheart and just wants to play.
I grew up with a doberman who was the sweetest dog I've ever met. And she was also a big scared-y cat! But of course, people always thought she was mean.
It's so frustrating! Good for you for letting that woman know how ignorant she is.
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Awesome job on the jar. You are so talented
I think it is pretty well known that dogs are agressive as a result of the treatment they are getting from people. I was dating this guy who had a pit bull named Beau, and he was the sweetest doggy ever. He was so happy whenever I came in, and he would jump up and lick my face. He was so needy, he would always jump on the couch and make the cute little face, and you could never say no to him.
In general, I hate when people share opinions unasked. DH tells me people have the right to say what they think, but most of the time I just get annoyed by it. My MIL is a reallly good person, but also a little bit of a Jesus freak, and she always shares opinions on homosexuals. I disagree with every little bit of her opinion about this, and she should just stop saying these things to me, but I feel like she does it because she thinks she is older and has the right to say whatever she believes in.
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Thanks girls! I felt like I was being so rude at the time, but really that woman was the rude one. I thought my mom was going to get mad that I acted like that to someone she works with, but she was actually glad that I stood up for Zeke. When we first got him, my mom was scared of him just because of his breed. But now, she is one of the biggest pit bull advocates because Zeke has changed her mind and shown her that she was unfairly stereotyping him. I was just so offended and shocked that the woman said those things to me; I couldn't keep Mama Bear inside when she was insulting my baby!
And thanks about the jar compliments! I can pick it up from the pottery place on Thursday because they had to fire and glaze it. Can't wait to see how it turns out!
I just wanted to add my support of your putting that woman in her place. I'm certain that I've said worse to ignorant people about things of which I am passionate about.
I always think Zeke looks like such a love in the photos you post. And I'll echo for the hundredth time on this thread that it's the people who "raise" the dogs that truly shape their behavior.
Glad you said something. I would've as well!