Comments on: Pit Bull Bigotry: Public Perception and Legislation http://matadornetwork.com/change/pit-bull-bigotry-public-perception-and-legislation/ travel culture worldwide Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:49:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: dakota le faux http://matadornetwork.com/change/pit-bull-bigotry-public-perception-and-legislation/#comment-50861 dakota le faux Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:40:47 +0000 http://matadorchange.com/?p=3100#comment-50861 awwwww awwwww

]]> By: Tammy Graham http://matadornetwork.com/change/pit-bull-bigotry-public-perception-and-legislation/#comment-51074 Tammy Graham Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:23:16 +0000 http://matadorchange.com/?p=3100#comment-51074 I, too, am a converted pitbull lover. My husband had pits when we first met, and, like many others, I was prejudiced because of the negative media coverage given these dogs. I wish legislators (people in general) would take a minute to examine their own reasoning before attempting to impose bans and restrictions. Most people let their beliefs and values trickle down from ignorant or biased media sources, and, unfortunately, people are often all too eager to jump on any bandwagon without even understanding the repercussions of their actions. More educated and high-profile people must speak out against BSL. I live in Texas, a state in which BSL legislation may soon become a reality. It makes me sick, and my heart goes out to those in other states who have lost their family pets. I promise to do my part to make sure my voice is heard, and I will write my state representative. Pitbull lovers are many numbers strong and need to stick together to be heard.There is strength in numbers. Keep up the fight! Thank you. I, too, am a converted pitbull lover. My husband had pits when we first met, and, like many others, I was prejudiced because of the negative media coverage given these dogs. I wish legislators (people in general) would take a minute to examine their own reasoning before attempting to impose bans and restrictions. Most people let their beliefs and values trickle down from ignorant or biased media sources, and, unfortunately, people are often all too eager to jump on any bandwagon without even understanding the repercussions of their actions. More educated and high-profile people must speak out against BSL. I live in Texas, a state in which BSL legislation may soon become a reality. It makes me sick, and my heart goes out to those in other states who have lost their family pets. I promise to do my part to make sure my voice is heard, and I will write my state representative. Pitbull lovers are many numbers strong and need to stick together to be heard.There is strength in numbers. Keep up the fight!
Thank you.

]]> By: Maureen http://matadornetwork.com/change/pit-bull-bigotry-public-perception-and-legislation/#comment-51088 Maureen Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:51:10 +0000 http://matadorchange.com/?p=3100#comment-51088 Thanks so much for this great article! My husband grew up owning pitbulls in the 70's and 80's. I grew up believing these were vicious dogs that had no place on this earth. He teased me alot about having the fear of these dogs and tried to tell me it was not true. After we started our family, we have always owned a dog, really just mutts. We were on Craigslist one evening and came across a 6 week puppy named Stella. We discussed getting another dog since our Shar-pei, Buck was coming up on 13 years old. We wanted another puppy so it could follow Buck and learn from him. I did ALOT of research (alone) on the breed and I could not believe what I was reading! Everything that I grew up believing was not true. We called the girl that listed her, we met her and it was instant love! She is a Brindle colored pitbull and is the sweetest, most intellegent, happy dog! She has a high energy level but that keeps me in shape! After our shar-pei passed away this past April, we decided that we were going to get another puppy! I must say that I am the proud owner of 2 pitbulls!!!! They go everywhere with us, camping, fishing......... I am on a mission to educate people about this AWESOME breed! Thanks so much for this great article!

My husband grew up owning pitbulls in the 70′s and 80′s. I grew up believing these were vicious dogs that had no place on this earth. He teased me alot about having the fear of these dogs and tried to tell me it was not true. After we started our family, we have always owned a dog, really just mutts. We were on Craigslist one evening and came across a 6 week puppy named Stella. We discussed getting another dog since our Shar-pei, Buck was coming up on 13 years old. We wanted another puppy so it could follow Buck and learn from him. I did ALOT of research (alone) on the breed and I could not believe what I was reading! Everything that I grew up believing was not true. We called the girl that listed her, we met her and it was instant love! She is a Brindle colored pitbull and is the sweetest, most intellegent, happy dog! She has a high energy level but that keeps me in shape!

After our shar-pei passed away this past April, we decided that we were going to get another puppy!

I must say that I am the proud owner of 2 pitbulls!!!! They go everywhere with us, camping, fishing………

I am on a mission to educate people about this AWESOME breed!

]]> By: OpenedEyes http://matadornetwork.com/change/pit-bull-bigotry-public-perception-and-legislation/#comment-51090 OpenedEyes Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:45:13 +0000 http://matadorchange.com/?p=3100#comment-51090 I bought the negative hype, and looking back on some of the things that I said, it makes me sick to my stomach. I started volunteering at a local shelter in our area shortly before they closed unexpectedly. They were small, non-profit, no-kill, and only house about 30 dogs at the most at a time. One of the other volunteers kept trying to get me to pet a brindle pit bull (the size of a house and wearing a big spiked collar) and I remember being so hostile about it. I refused to touch a dog that my parents had always told me would kill me. I made some nasty remarks and went to clean kennels. The next day I was cleaning by myself when a wet nose touched my calf. I was excited and turned around talking in a baby voice when I saw that it was the pit. I yelled loudly because I was terrified. This was the only pit bull I had ever seen, he was huge, and I thought I was lunch. He dropped to the ground shaking... and proceeded to pee himself. It makes me cry to think about him. I saw that this dog (however cliche) was more scared of me than I was of him. From that point on he became my buddy. I loved that scaredy-cat beef cake, and he always came up to me, tail wagging, with a big smile on his face. Rumors flew about the shelter closing, but we really didn't think much of it. Big Pit (I called him this affectionately) got adopted... only to be brought back before they closed for not being fully housebroken. Oh, and they hated that he was scared of their cat. I fought like crazy to get him, and we scheduled a date for us to pick him up. I showed up the day before our adoption with a collar. I wanted to make sure it fit. I arrived at the shelter and it was quiet, and the gates were chained. My boyfriend found a hole in the fence and "snuck" in more or less to see what was going on. I waited in the car wringing his new collar in my hands. My boyfriend came back and sat in the car without a word. I just looked at him and knew. They euthanized the dogs early. He said Big Pit's spiked collar was on a table amidst a pile of other collars of dogs I knew by name. The kennels were empty, food bowls still full. That dog changed my life, and broke my heart. I rescue pit bulls now to help mend it. We adopted our first pit a few months after losing Big Pit. We think about him a lot though. In rescue/volunteering I have seen my fair share of aggressive dogs, never a pit bull though. I have scars on my arm from being mauled by a herding type dog, my Pomeranian was attacked and almost killed by a neighbor's lovable pooch (a popular "non-aggressive" breed), and my boyfriend almost had his throat ripped out by a stray (also a lovable "non-aggressive" breed). I don't go on articles that support any of those breeds and trash them or threaten to lobby for laws to ban them. I didn't have anger at those dogs, but at their owners. If you want to see real statistics, please look up fatal attacks by neutered/spayed dogs versus intact dogs, attacks by dogs that were "outside" dogs, or stats for dogs that were chained their entire lives. I think factors like that are so much more important than breed. I bought the negative hype, and looking back on some of the things that I said, it makes me sick to my stomach. I started volunteering at a local shelter in our area shortly before they closed unexpectedly. They were small, non-profit, no-kill, and only house about 30 dogs at the most at a time.
One of the other volunteers kept trying to get me to pet a brindle pit bull (the size of a house and wearing a big spiked collar) and I remember being so hostile about it. I refused to touch a dog that my parents had always told me would kill me. I made some nasty remarks and went to clean kennels.
The next day I was cleaning by myself when a wet nose touched my calf. I was excited and turned around talking in a baby voice when I saw that it was the pit. I yelled loudly because I was terrified. This was the only pit bull I had ever seen, he was huge, and I thought I was lunch. He dropped to the ground shaking… and proceeded to pee himself. It makes me cry to think about him. I saw that this dog (however cliche) was more scared of me than I was of him. From that point on he became my buddy. I loved that scaredy-cat beef cake, and he always came up to me, tail wagging, with a big smile on his face.
Rumors flew about the shelter closing, but we really didn’t think much of it. Big Pit (I called him this affectionately) got adopted… only to be brought back before they closed for not being fully housebroken. Oh, and they hated that he was scared of their cat. I fought like crazy to get him, and we scheduled a date for us to pick him up.
I showed up the day before our adoption with a collar. I wanted to make sure it fit. I arrived at the shelter and it was quiet, and the gates were chained. My boyfriend found a hole in the fence and “snuck” in more or less to see what was going on. I waited in the car wringing his new collar in my hands. My boyfriend came back and sat in the car without a word. I just looked at him and knew. They euthanized the dogs early. He said Big Pit’s spiked collar was on a table amidst a pile of other collars of dogs I knew by name. The kennels were empty, food bowls still full. That dog changed my life, and broke my heart. I rescue pit bulls now to help mend it. We adopted our first pit a few months after losing Big Pit. We think about him a lot though.
In rescue/volunteering I have seen my fair share of aggressive dogs, never a pit bull though. I have scars on my arm from being mauled by a herding type dog, my Pomeranian was attacked and almost killed by a neighbor’s lovable pooch (a popular “non-aggressive” breed), and my boyfriend almost had his throat ripped out by a stray (also a lovable “non-aggressive” breed). I don’t go on articles that support any of those breeds and trash them or threaten to lobby for laws to ban them. I didn’t have anger at those dogs, but at their owners.
If you want to see real statistics, please look up fatal attacks by neutered/spayed dogs versus intact dogs, attacks by dogs that were “outside” dogs, or stats for dogs that were chained their entire lives. I think factors like that are so much more important than breed.

]]> By: celiasue hecht http://matadornetwork.com/change/pit-bull-bigotry-public-perception-and-legislation/#comment-50700 celiasue hecht Sun, 26 Sep 2010 17:57:43 +0000 http://matadorchange.com/?p=3100#comment-50700 great article, zoey is a lucky dog, i write about bsl and pit bull discrimination at my blog, which is about my travels with cici, my 4 year old adorable rescued spoiled pit bull/dalmatian mix, i have met and written about meeting three of the michael vick dogs... fyi, a new book called lost dogs is out about what happened to the m. vick dogs... great article, zoey is a lucky dog, i write about bsl and pit bull discrimination at my blog, which is about my travels with cici, my 4 year old adorable rescued spoiled pit bull/dalmatian mix, i have met and written about meeting three of the michael vick dogs… fyi, a new book called lost dogs is out about what happened to the m. vick dogs…

]]> By: Luisa http://matadornetwork.com/change/pit-bull-bigotry-public-perception-and-legislation/#comment-50639 Luisa Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:31:41 +0000 http://matadorchange.com/?p=3100#comment-50639 I really enjoyed reading this as a new pit bull owner. My 16 week old pit bull, Diamond, is well on her way to being the best dog I've ever owned. She is the sweetest thing and cuddles all day with our other dog, a pomeranian-chihuahua mix, and they get along like sisters. She's just like any other dog..does a happy dance when its time to eat and would lick people to near death when we have company over if we'd let her. I cannot imagine being told to get rid of my beloved new best friend. I really enjoyed reading this as a new pit bull owner. My 16 week old pit bull, Diamond, is well on her way to being the best dog I’ve ever owned. She is the sweetest thing and cuddles all day with our other dog, a pomeranian-chihuahua mix, and they get along like sisters. She’s just like any other dog..does a happy dance when its time to eat and would lick people to near death when we have company over if we’d let her. I cannot imagine being told to get rid of my beloved new best friend.

]]> By: Art for Pitties: Ebay Auction to Benefit Pit Bulls http://matadornetwork.com/change/pit-bull-bigotry-public-perception-and-legislation/#comment-50481 Art for Pitties: Ebay Auction to Benefit Pit Bulls Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:22:37 +0000 http://matadorchange.com/?p=3100#comment-50481 [...] photo permission: Art for Pitties) Matador’s resident pit bull advocate, Nancy Harder, clues in readers about a cool art auction benefiting pit [...] [...] photo permission: Art for Pitties) Matador’s resident pit bull advocate, Nancy Harder, clues in readers about a cool art auction benefiting pit [...]

]]> By: Brandi http://matadornetwork.com/change/pit-bull-bigotry-public-perception-and-legislation/#comment-50029 Brandi Sun, 06 Jun 2010 06:21:26 +0000 http://matadorchange.com/?p=3100#comment-50029 Oh, i forgot to mention this. I was at work yesterday and a man came up with a chihuahua in his truck. You won't believe it but that thing was eating the truck trying to get out to attack me. He was vicious! A chihuahua! I couldn't believe it. He was showing his teeth, growling and eating the stripping around the window. hmm. thought I would share that. Oh, i forgot to mention this. I was at work yesterday and a man came up with a chihuahua in his truck. You won’t believe it but that thing was eating the truck trying to get out to attack me. He was vicious! A chihuahua! I couldn’t believe it. He was showing his teeth, growling and eating the stripping around the window. hmm. thought I would share that.

]]> By: Brandi http://matadornetwork.com/change/pit-bull-bigotry-public-perception-and-legislation/#comment-49639 Brandi Sun, 06 Jun 2010 06:17:14 +0000 http://matadorchange.com/?p=3100#comment-49639 I rescued my Pitt when he was 4 months old from the rescue mission. He is now 1 and a half years old. He is the biggest pansy I have ever seen. My son has 10 friends that come over everyday. My dog sniffs and licks them to death at every visit. They are not scared and love him. I have never heard him growl at anyone. He runs and plays with the weimerainers across the street. I used to hate Pitts too because I was ignorant. I didn't know he was a Pitt until I took him to the vet for a checkup. By then I was already inlove with my boy. I guess i got a defective one too because he will be sleeping on my feet tonight like he does every night.. Don't be prejudiced at the breed be prejudiced at the dog fighters and the ones that raise them inhumanely.. oh and by the way, what about the rooster fights? No one is banning roosters.. hmmm Thanks Nancy for this wonderful article :) I rescued my Pitt when he was 4 months old from the rescue mission. He is now 1 and a half years old. He is the biggest pansy I have ever seen. My son has 10 friends that come over everyday. My dog sniffs and licks them to death at every visit. They are not scared and love him. I have never heard him growl at anyone. He runs and plays with the weimerainers across the street.
I used to hate Pitts too because I was ignorant. I didn’t know he was a Pitt until I took him to the vet for a checkup. By then I was already inlove with my boy.
I guess i got a defective one too because he will be sleeping on my feet tonight like he does every night.. Don’t be prejudiced at the breed be prejudiced at the dog fighters and the ones that raise them inhumanely.. oh and by the way, what about the rooster fights? No one is banning roosters.. hmmm Thanks Nancy for this wonderful article :)

]]> By: meg http://matadornetwork.com/change/pit-bull-bigotry-public-perception-and-legislation/#comment-49402 meg Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:37:28 +0000 http://matadorchange.com/?p=3100#comment-49402 I came across this article a little bit late, but I just wanted to say....good job! I volunteer at a shelter in Ontario, which is unfortunately one of the provinces in Canada that has put this law into place. Oddly enough, the politician who put the ban into place couldn't even identify a pitbull when he was asked too. I've seen first hand what BSL does to innocent dogs, and it breaks my heart. Pitbulls are one of my favourite breeds of dog. I can't believe how misinformed some people are about the breed. The enforced muzzling in Ontario doesn't do much to convince people otherwise either. People see a muzzle and they automatically think vicious dog. It's sad. Pitbulls just need people to continue to fight for them, and you're doing just that. Awesome article! :) I came across this article a little bit late, but I just wanted to say….good job!
I volunteer at a shelter in Ontario, which is unfortunately one of the provinces in Canada that has put this law into place. Oddly enough, the politician who put the ban into place couldn’t even identify a pitbull when he was asked too.

I’ve seen first hand what BSL does to innocent dogs, and it breaks my heart. Pitbulls are one of my favourite breeds of dog. I can’t believe how misinformed some people are about the breed. The enforced muzzling in Ontario doesn’t do much to convince people otherwise either. People see a muzzle and they automatically think vicious dog. It’s sad.

Pitbulls just need people to continue to fight for them, and you’re doing just that. Awesome article! :)

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