EEEK! I know what all of you are talking about! As long as we have pit bulls, we will continue to get this. As hard as it is, you have to just brush it off and go about your business. You can’t act the fool in front of strangers who shy away from your dog, as that will just feed into their stereotype of pit bull owners. It is up to us on how we care for our dogs, how our children behave around dogs, and so many other things. Learning dog communication and body language is SO important when owning a dog. If more people knew that, a lot of attacks could be thwarted.
The media is all about sensationalism. That is their job. They pick something and run with it. Pit bulls are the dog of choice right now. Year ago is was the Rotties, Dobermans, and the German Shephers. Great Danes were even on the list. You will never see a news story about small dogs and how they have hurt and killed babies. Nope. No one wants to tarnish the image of the family dog. So, let’s pick on other dogs. Join KC Dog Blog for real news stories and updates on BSL, other dog bites, and so much more. It is a valuable resource for us.
People have a generalization of pit bull owners. They are thugs, they are this, they are that. Nope. I am a college-educated, married woman in her 30s. I live in a nice neighborhood, own my house, drive nice SUVs, and play tennis. Am I a yuppie? I guess I am if you want to call me that, and darn straight that I own a pit bull mix. I doubt that many of us on here fit the media stereotype. It is up to us to keep it that way. I admit, it does hurt when people shy away from my dog, but I just chalk it up to ignorance and too much attachment to the media, and move on.
One thing I do to help portray a better image is to make my dog look more approachable. When we go places, she wears a bandana (we have MANY of different colors, shapes, etc. ). She even has one that is embroidered and says “My name is Kayla”. If it is cold out, she wears a cute coat and a scarf. She has pleasant collars (NO spikes or studs), and fun leashes. My brother-in-law even bought her Doggles sunglasses. But I will tell you what, people are MUCH more willing to stop, pet her, and talk to me if she looks approachable. When they ask what breed she is, I tell them that she is a pit mix, and they remark about how cute she looks. You want to portray a softer image for your dog.
Kayla also has a dog back pack that she wears that has patches that say “Ask to pet me. I’m Friendly” and “In Training”. She is a therapy dog in training. I have noticed that it catches peoples attention and I get more smiles than anything.
It is all about how you present yourself and how you present your dog.
OMG. I just continue to ramble on. SO SORRY!
