Thursday, December 27, 2012

Wallowing in the Mire: 2 Peter 2:22



Pit Bull rescues must attract quite a few grifters, after all, how many people cut from reputable fabric would peddle the wares of the dogmen?    It seems that a pit bull advocacy by the name of Hello Bully, a national non-profit dedicated to improving the reputation of pit bulls, will now need to repair its own reputation due to the grifting activities of a 25 year old man named Jesse James Gasior.  Well, I say you reap what you sow. This is what you get when you wallow in the mire of the world of pit bulls, and the people who are attracted to pit bulls. 

Mr. Gasior will be serving time for impersonating Homeland security agents, which gave him access to the private information of some well meaning students who wanted to help those poor maligned pit bulls, as well as other various scams on Craigslist.

"Gasior still has state charges that include impersonating a public employee and misrepresenting a sale as being for charity, according to court records.

On May 17, about three weeks after the FBI arrested him for the Craigslist scam, Gasior entered Brentwood High without permission and walked into classrooms telling faculty and staff that he was a Homeland Security agent, according to an arrest affidavit by Brentwood police Officer Gerald Mikelonis.
Gasior asked students if they were interested in donating money to Hello Bully, a national nonprofit dedicated to improving the reputation of pit bulls, police said. At least six students provided Gasior with their names, phone numbers and email addresses, police said." 

27 comments:

  1. Tangential, but is it any wonder so many nutters shout "who are you to judge me?!" or "you have no right to judge me!".

    Just look at so many of them. They've been being negatively judged their whole lives for their appearance and behavior. Instead of changing, they come up with this theory that humans aren't supposed to judge each other! Good luck with that, pit nutters. Come to think of it, don't many pit nutter issues seem to come from the unwillingness or inability to accurately gauge people and situations? Ironic, that being a person that doesn't "judge" will make you end up in front of a Judge!

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  2. I always say that one should always use their judgement, it's a gift and we should use it. I think it's already a "judgment" when one accuses another of "judging" anyway.

    But thanks, I likely need to re-edit the post, so it doesn't seem so much like a tangent.

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  3. "And why behold you the speck that is in your brother's eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye?"

    Matthew 7:3

    =]

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  4. See, Freya is judging us to be judgmental.

    Speaking of planks, do you have your trusty break stick around, and do you know how to use it? God Bless you and be safe!

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    1. plank.... break stick...

      Your wit, I envy it so :D

      Delete
  5. You can judge all you want. Everyone does at some point in their life. That's not the point...you're missing the meaning of the verse entirely. It’s not a simple statement of “do not judge”, it’s more or less saying that you should focus on your own faults more so than the faults of other’s because those are the ones that concern you the most. What does it matter to you if people decided to get tattoos and piercings and own dogs that you don’t like? Why sit there and waste your time picking on every single person that owns a pit bull dog for everything that they do wrong. Are you perfect? Have you never made a mistake in your life? Have you never done something wrong, hurt someone, insulted someone, or put someone’s life in danger? By that I don’t mean tried to kill someone. Basically that’s what you think pit bull owners are doing…putting people’s lives in danger. So have you never talked on the phone while driving, drank a little too much before getting behind the wheel….or even better, driven while extremely tired which is the equivalent of driving drunk…there was a study about that. I’ve almost died numerous times because of the fact the apparently people can’t drive now a days yet never felt like my life was in danger because of a dog. You judge people based off of one simple fact, they own a pit bull. Apparently that makes them bad people and you try to prove that point by bringing attention to every single person that owns a pit bull who has ever done anything stupid and made themselves look irresponsible and dumb.
    I judge people based off the way they drive. They swerve over into my lane a little bit I assume they’re drunk or an idiot and get over into another lane and avoid them. Usually it turns out the person is talking on a phone, it’s insane. You would think people would be smart about operating a vehicle when so many people die yearly from auto accidents. Nope. I never judged someone as being an idiot or irresponsible just for owning a type of dog though. I don’t see the logic in that. The way the raise and train that dog, that’s another story. I also don’t judge people based off of looks. I’ve met plenty of tattooed and pierced people who look “hard core” and turn out to be the sweetest people and then there will always be that bitch you run into with the nice designer suit and the “queen bee” attitude. You can’t always judge a book by its cover, as they say.
    Oh, and no, I don’t own a break stick. I don’t need one. But thanks for caring about my safety…very kind of you. You be safe as well. Every day there’s the possibility it’ll be your last, you never really know.

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  6. Driving while drunk or with a cell phone is illegal. To drive....awake, tired, distracted, sick, in the snow and rain...one must have taken a test to show competence and one must have insurance. I'm always grateful when you folks drop by and give us good food for thought. Thanks, and be safe.

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  7. Oh, and the giant plank in my own eye reads clearly: All that it takes for Evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.

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  8. You missed the point, although I’m not entirely surprised. I’m well aware of the fact that both drunk driving and talking on a cell phone while driving are illegal but thank you for stating the obvious. The fact that people take a driving test before getting a license doesn’t really mean much. Driving around a little course for a few minutes does not prove that someone actually has experience or is capable of driving on an actual road in which other drivers are present but again thanks for trying to prove a point.
    Regardless, this isn’t about the legal obligations of drivers. Although, every day you put your life in risk when you get behind the wheel and can be involved in causing or being the victim of a car accident. Much more likely than being attacked by any dog really. Also, as much as you like to state that it’s not legal to talk on the phone while driving I highly doubt that you have never done so yourself. Even if only for a minute.
    Really though, my only problem with what you have to say is that you think it’s not right for owners of pit bulls to say you shouldn’t judge them. You can judge someone for their actions but to judge someone because they own a certain type of dog is ridiculous. If they’re an irresponsible dog owner and their actions cause the dog to be improperly trained or socialized then that is something to be judged. Owning a pit bull doesn’t make a person a certain way.
    Furthermore, you already judged me as being a pit bull owner myself and of owning a break stick although I never stated either thing being true of me. For all you know I could own a husky or a rabbit. You don’t know, so you really shouldn’t judge. You really shouldn’t judge people based off of the way they look or things they own. The actions of a person are another thing. Do you judge every one based off of what type of dog they own or is the strictly only for pit bull owners?
    You want to judge me for something you can judge me for my beliefs. Personally I believe everyone is ONE coming from the same Source and our purpose of being on this earth is to learn to be more compassionate and loving beings so that we can return back to the Source over multiple reincarnations on this earth. Become like Jesus, one with God… love your neighbors and your enemies. I don’t believe in religion but I would find myself leaning towards Buddhist. Not typical of a pit bull owner? Why, because we only care about ourselves and our dogs and don’t give a crap about other people and their animals? Funny, I never knew you could determine so much from the type of dog a person owns.
    My dog is a huge part of my life but only a part. He does not dictate my life nor does he define me. For you to think otherwise is ignorant and for you to believe you can determine the type of person someone is based on the breed of dog they own is idiotic. That’s were your fault is.

    Blessed be.

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  9. My sweet girl, it looks that despite the great risks on the prowl, I have been graced with another day. I did not get hit on the head by a coconut!

    You have brought up many things, which really are off topic of this post. This post has to do with the irony of the pit bull apologia, at work on making reparations of the pit bull's image (while daily, due to the misunderstanding of pit bulls by their owners, they are destroying it), being the victim of a grifter. Now, like it or not, some of the stars of the pit bull advocacy are rather notorious. I think they give nice, responsible pit bull owners a bad name. What do you think of the image of the "young ladies", advocating for pit bulls while flipping the bird?

    However, if you really think "it's all how you raise 'em", that is the premise of an irresponsible pit bull owner. A responsible pit bull owner would have essential breed specific equipment, and know how to use it, and certainly not feel defensive about it. You need to read more of my posts, I will not explain.

    As for being incensed about being "judged" of being a certain way because you own a pit bull, well, there are formal studies about the phenomena.

    Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy did a case study on pit bull owners that was published in 2000. Researchers found that with "outlaw" breeds, such as pit bulls, the human-dog relationship is sociologically more complex than previously known.

    http://www.dogsbite.org/pdf/2000-managing-stigma-of-outlaw-breeds.pdf

    There's was another study published in 2006, the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, that showed that people who owned risky breeds tended to have more criminal convictions.

    http://jiv.sagepub.com/content/21/12/1616.full.pdf+html

    This is a more friendly abstract of several studies you may want to look at.

    http://www.ehow.com/info_10002980_psychology-pitbull-owners.html

    Now believe it or not, I may have one of those breeds mentioned in one of the studies, how come I don't feel as strongly judged or as if it's even about me? Until now, I didn't mention to you, that I don't own a cell phone? Do I care that people judge me? There is a wise saying, kind of Buddhist in nature, that it is none of your business what other people think of you. So don't care, and be on your merry way.

    However, since you dropped on to my pad...blog... I feel free to share my opinion. Please keep the dog out of the dog park, on a short strong leash, lock it up when you have company, and don't assume it will never attack. Or don't. You seem to like to dance with chance. Myself, wouldn't be able to live with myself if due to my negligence, my dog harmed another being, so I do what I can to make sure it doesn't happen. My dog is a huge part of my life too, and I just may do this out of pure selfishness; if my dogs bit somebody or another animal, I would have to put them down. I don't own a pit bull, so I don't have the advocacy to add their support to save the pit bull that bit, and I have my own set of ethics.

    And please, for the safety of yourself, those around you, and your dog, drop the concept that it's all how you raise 'em. It's not your fault you have been duped by the grifters of the pit bull advocacy. They need to care less about image and do something about the deeds. We need to change this, have them start telling the truth and save the lives of people and their pets, and make a better world for pit bulls who should only be owned by people who can aford the liability and empathize with what they are.

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  10. You have a chow correct? Beautiful dogs with a bad reputation that from what I had previously read about them I would have thought they would be aggressive, if I had been the ignorant type. Until I met two in a friend’s home and realized they’re actually very friendly and you can’t believe everything you read. Some things you need to personally experience. Although, I already knew that.
    I’m familiar with the studies. I’ve read about them on previous post in different blogs before. Honestly it makes sense. If you have a dog that you love and that is a part of your family and you constantly have to read about people hating your dog and saying they’re evil ugly mutants that should all die off, it tends to get a little personal. Furthermore, yes…people that own pit bulls tend to be idiots that want to look scary and may possibly be involved in illegal activity. Again, not surprising but still isn’t a definition of EVERY single pit bull owner.

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  11. “And please, for the safety of yourself, those around you, and your dog, drop the concept that it's all how you raise 'em. It's not your fault you have been duped by the grifters of the pit bull advocacy”

    Another judgment. I never said it was how you raised me. You want me to be honest because I’ll be as honest as you want. The idiots that think you can train dog aggression are just that, idiots. I know someone that owned a pit mix that was extremely well trained. Except it had a high prey drive and would go after cats. He married a woman with two cats. The dog went after one of the cats so he beat it with a belt and it never once went after a cat again. Now the cat goes up and rubs against the dog and he doesn’t do anything. That’s not training, that’s abuse. It worked yeah, was it the responsible thing to do? Not at all.
    Personally I would never trust any dogs alone together. I know pit bulls were bred to be DA and that once they reach the age of 2 and full maturity…no matter how good they might be with dogs before that…they can just snap and become DA. You won’t hear many people admit that or talk about it but it’s reality. I would never let my dog hurt another dog which is why I would never allow my dog to be in a situation where it could come in contact with another dog I was unfamiliar with. I would never take ANY dog to a dog park. You think pit bulls are the only danger at a dog park than you’re insane. Any dog can attack at one of those places, I don’t like them and I don’t trust them. I would never allow any dog to be alone with another dog, child, or cat. I don’t care what breed of dog it is. Pit bulls aren’t the only DA dogs. They were bred for it yeah, but it doesn’t only exist just in that one breed. A GSD breeder I know has to keep most of his bitches separated. Bitches are notorious for not liking each other. In another case an owner of two terriers I know, some Scottish breed…I forget what they call them..curly hair, I think they only come in black, anyways…he owned two bitches that fought. Got bit twice and needed stiches when he tried to break up their fights. His poor 80 year old mother had to break up a fight and got bit. Ended up separating his house with gates in every doorway. I know you would probably like to believe that the “crate and rotate” lifestyle only exist in the pit bull world but it doesn’t. It’s a problem pit bull owners deal with and they’re thought to be crazy for doing so but look at it like this. Say you did get a dog and it turned out to be DA would you get rid of it? Or maybe you have a female dog and you decided to get a puppy, another female, they get along fine and then the puppy grows up and they start fighting and you have to crate and rotate them otherwise you end up having to pull them off each other every day. Would you consider yourself insane for putting up with something like that? You’ve fallen in love with them already and they’re a part of your family.
    That’s how I look at it. I only own one because I don’t want deal with that but some people make it work. Some people have dogs that aren’t DA including pits. I still wouldn’t trust them alone together. If in the future I own more than one dog, they’ll be separated at any time I’m not with them. Maybe they won’t be capable of ripping each other apart but it only takes one little fight for a happy dog relationship to turn into a long lasting feud.

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  12. “fed them raw meat to make them as mean as possible.” -http://www.dogsbite.org/pdf/2000-managing-stigma-of-outlaw-breeds.pdf

    I’m sorry this might not be the most appropriate thing to post up on here. Completely off topic but since you are a dog owner I thought you might actually be interested. Although we might not agree on the “pit bull issue” I am a dog lover at heart and I do like other breeds. Including chows which, by the way, your dog is adorable. Oh and I’m assuming chow based of the fact the tongue looks blue more so than the looks…so hopefully that’s not a mistake on my part. Correct me if I’m wrong.
    Anyways, I hope you know that feeding a raw diet doesn’t actually make a dog mean. It’s actually the healthiest thing you can feed a dog. Since you own dogs you should really look into it. You can find preymodelraw.com which has some advice. Google it. I feed a premade because it’s easier for me but it’s much better to feed whole bones and meat with organs. I just don’t have the time to do all that. Anyways, I hope you look into it because honestly dry dog food is horrible for your dog’s health. There was a study on how dogs fed raw live an average of 32 months(I think) longer than dogs fed processed kibble. You can google it. I’m not exactly sure on the amount of time, I know it was close to about 3 years. Pretty significant amount. Anyways, you can delete this after you read it. Just wanted to try and help you out.

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  13. One time, I was at the vet, and I had my Chow mix with me. A man set beside me, and he pointed a finger at my dog and he said "I know YOU"...and I asked him what he meant. He said he was a retired postal worker.

    I laughed. I replied that he had likely had many unpleasant encounters with Chows, because they are territorial dogs. They have been bred for a thousand years to do just that. You don't have to train them, there's likely no training it out of them. It would make as much sense as trying to train a Lab not to fetch.

    And he laughed, yes, they are aggressive. I asked him what his experience was with other breeds of dogs. He told me, in his opinion was there was a serious problem with pit bulls, and they should be banned.....

    My dog doesn't care about the opinion of other people. I don't care if people think she is ugly or dangerous. I don't care that my neighbor down the street doesn't like all of my orange flowers. I read all of the warnings that Chows were aggressive, and I took it as great advice that I needed to be vigilant. They are not like other dogs. They are not Labs, they are not Beagles. My dog is friendly, but I know what she is and I don't take any chances with her, as it is an unpredictable breed. This is what the pit bull advocacy needs to start accepting and teaching about....UNPREDICTABILITY. Plus, pit bulls have been purposely bred to be aggressive toward other dogs. Isn't that a challenge enough?

    How do you feel when you read about someone who took their pit bull to a dog park, and it attacked and it ripped up somebody's pet? I read about this with Chows, and I think how stupid they are, they didn't even read the advice from Chow advocates. I read about the maimings and killings of children and strangers, and I shake my head, they didn't read the advice. To tell you in all honesty, I don't care for purebred Chows, some of them are like cartoons of what Chows used to be. I think Chow breeders and all of that dog showing world have ruined a beautiful piece of history. And there are temperament and health problems stemming from poor breeding. Now as a pit bull enthusiast, you have to accept that the original blue print, having a dog that is aggressive and will fight another dog, is basically a highly heritable genetic problem that each and every pit bull carries in its genes. Yes, for the first time I use and absolute. I used the word EVERY. Will every one of them be a killer? No, but do you know which one will and which one won't?

    Having respect for this means you don't let it meet other dogs that do not belong to you. In fact, I have read advice that this means, you only have one dog.

    And in the end, you just made my point, "people that own pit bulls TEND to be idiots that want to look scary and may be involved in illegal activity". That's what those studies say too. However, if you read about dog attacks, you will find that not every pit bull that attacked belonged to a thug, that the majority of these dogs were pets like your pit bull and my two mutts.

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  14. Now my true favorite breed is the Beagle, so let's just say that Beagles became the no. 1 popular breed with thugs and suddenly Beagles were responsible for a serious maiming every 5 days, and a human death every 14 days....If I were a Beagle advocate, I would want them regulated, and I wouldn't care so much if people assumed I was a thug too, because I owned and loved them.

    And I would be disgusted at Beagle advocates that went after victims,and called them haters, blamed them for their own attack. I would be disgusted at the Beagle advocacy for caring more about image than getting to the root of the problem and trying to solve it. I would have a problem if the advocates paraded on T.V. were criminals with shady pasts, had roots to cult organizations, only cared about Beagles, spent hoards of money trying to save Beagles that had attacked, and had a large vocal group on social media that went around posting photos of themselves with their Beagles flipping the bird and writing, "Don't like my Beagle, well kiss my ass, and jump off a cliff".

    Not every pit bull will be a problem, but you never truly know which one will. Unpredictable and Dangerous, in bright flashing neon lights. It's quite the responsibility. I know. I'm in nearly the same boat. Did you read the study that said the number 2 biter was the Chow, and that 1/80 Chows is a biter? Guess what breed was no.1? 1/40, and what a bite it has.

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  15. Freya, thanks for your information about the raw diet. I will definitely look at this. My Chow/Shelti?/Golden Retriever? mix is allergic to gluten/corn/and soy, so I purchase a high protein kibble for her and my other dog eats it too. They are also fed sardines. She's so stuck up,she won't eat human food or so much as a dog biscuit, it must be meat or she's not interested. The other dog, is a Malinois/Goat mix, and would eat shoes, pencils, and pillows if he could get to them.

    The dog in the photo is now an angel in heaven. You can read about him at

    http://17barks.blogspot.com/2011/10/story-of-rhett.html

    Take care!:)

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  16. One time, I was at the vet, and I had my Chow mix with me. A man set beside me, and he pointed a finger at my dog and he said "I know YOU"...and I asked him what he meant. He said he was a retired postal worker.”

    At least he had a good sense of humor about it.

    “This is what the pit bull advocacy needs to start accepting and teaching about....UNPREDICTABILITY”

    I completely agree. Honestly I think that should be the case for any dog. Pit bull owners have this habit of trying to make their dogs out to be like every other dog but in that same way they’re making them out to be the exception. Saying things like their dog would never attack is stupid because every dog has the potential to attack. Pit bulls are extremely powerful dogs with the potential to cause a lot of damage and it’s irresponsible to try and make people believe otherwise. If any dog has the potential to bite than why would pit bulls be any different?
    Dogs are unpredictable creatures. It always bothers me when I see people letting their children jump all over their dog and thinking its normal their dog doesn’t attack. I think it’s abnormal. They’re animals with sharp teeth and the instinct to protect themselves in situations in which they feel threatened. I don’t care how domesticated they are, they’re still so closely related to the wolf that they’re capable of breeding and producing fertile offspring. As in, a dog and a wolf are more closely related to each other than a tiger and a lion are to each other. Or even a donkey and a horse. That’s pretty substantial. They use us as a way to survive and as much as I would like to believe they have the ability to love, I highly doubt it. They keep us company and make us feel good and we provide them with a way to survive. Either way they’re still an animal with natural instincts. They don’t have the ability to reason.
    People think they “know” when to be gentle with a child or an elderly person. I don’t see it like that. I think they naturally have the ability to sense things about people and know when a person is giving of a certain “vibe” and respond accordingly. It’s not like they sit there and think to themselves, “Oh this is a child, they don’t know any better, so I’ll just let them keep pulling on my ear.” It’s just unrealistic for people to think that way.

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  17. Personally I would prefer for most people not to own a pit bull. I would prefer for most people not to own many types of dogs because I just feel like most people don’t know what they’re doing. I wish people would be more educated about how to obtain a dog from a breeder, what to feed dogs, how to train and socialize them. So many people are ignorant about those things and it’s frustrating and it seems like nothing can really be done about it.
    I like beagles. MY friends owned one. It was the sweetest little dog though, but crazy. They used to let it run free because they have a ton of land in the middle of nowhere and when I was walking down one of the trails it literally ran right through a barbed wire fence. Insane little dog, but very cute.
    I’m really sorry about what happened to your dog. The owner sounds like a cold hearted A-hole. I hope you don’t have to still deal with such a situation. I won’t get into your business as far as where you live but is it legal for dogs to be running around off leach like that? I live in an area where there’s a good amount of pit bulls but there has never been an attack by any dog in my neighborhood because people don’t let their dogs roam free. I’ve only ever once seen two dogs roaming loose before. A shepherd mix and a basset hound that were together and that was years ago. My biggest concern around here is black bear and this ugly coyote that’s been hanging out in the woods behind my house.
    Off Topic:
    I’m really happy to hear you’ll look into it. Especially with a dog that has issues with grain and such. I’m sure she’ll love a raw diet since she only likes to eat meat. Don’t take people too seriously in the “raw feeding world.” Some people are really insistent about NEVER feeding vegies or anything because dogs don’t digest them. Personally I think they’re a good source of fiber. Plus my dog gets the hunger throw ups sometimes which is common because raw is digested so quickly. So I feed a couple pieces of sweet potato right before bedtime.

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  18. Thanks for your comments. I think you are preaching to the choir here about dog parks, and about regulating who should be able to own a certain class of dog. If I say these very same things to most pit bull advocates and owners, they become enraged and call me a hater. That's it in a nutshell, for a pit bull advocacy, you have a bunch of enraged people who are not solving the problems with the dogs they proclaim to love, because they can't accept the concept that these are not normal dogs. Yes all dogs bite, but not all dog bites are the same. Not all dog breeds are the same.

    Dog parks...it's a nice concept, but not only do you put your dog at risk with other dogs, there's all kinds of microbial issues to consider. I don't want my dog to be exposed to other dogs, when there is nobody monitoring whether the dogs are current on their shots and healthy. Besides, I own unpredictable breeds that don't have a good track record,it's enough for me to respect that is what it is. I suppose if going to the dog park was something that was essential in my quest for exploring the most full and satisfying human-canine bond, then I should have chose a more fail safe model....gone with the Beagle. It's not, I'm perfectly content to go with my dogs on a walk on a leash, and they are not dogs that require great physical exertion any way. I would like to be able to walk my dogs without being attacked by pit bulls. I rather suspect, that walking with out a dog is not as risky as walking with a dog where I live. If you have a dog, you are a target. Just a week ago, we had a very close call. A woman driving a van saw the approaching pit bull and she cut it off and it ran the other way. I now walk with a knife. I see many people walking with clubs these days.

    Daily, I see PACKS of them....3 to 8 dogs, all pit bull types. There is a documentary about street dogs of L.A., and guess what the majority of these dogs are? It sounds as if you don't live in an urban situation, so perhaps you can't identify, but I grew up in the country and we had coyotes to deal with. I actually think they are lovely, in fact, my Malinois mix is named Wile E. Coyote, because the first time I saw him, starving to death and hopping around on three legs, I though he was a coyote. I digress. There is a horrible problem with the population of feral and stray dogs currently in Mexico, who now have a high population of pit bulls and Rottweiler mixes, and just the other day, a report of several people killed. Mankind has been sharing this planet with dogs for at least 10,000 years, and never before has there been this kind of problem with the packs of stray and feral dogs. Can you see the problem that came for man dabbling with the D.N.A. and purposely selecting for aggressive temperaments, and damaging bites?

    Our city has leash laws but they are not enforced. We also have mandatory spay and neuter policy for pit bulls, but daily I see dangling testicles, and I see posters of puppies for sale. Our city and state are suffering from a horrible economy, and all of our services have been reduced and are overwhelmed. My city needs better laws, it's absurd and outrageous that a dog that escapes from its enclosure could be given two more chances to KILL another person's pet. The city has treated my dog, and everyone else who has had this problem, as if their beloved family member was road kill. Oh, and his market value, since he was a mutt, was about 35- 75 bucks, as if a family member can be replaced like a dented car bumper. The primary concern should be public safety, and a dog that can escape its confines to kill another being isn't worth the risk to give another chance. I think this dog should have been euthanized and the owner tried for animal abuse for what an extension of him did to my dog.

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  19. If I say these very same things to most pit bull advocates and owners, they become enraged and call me a hater”
    I think it’s more the way you say these things, rather than the fact you say them. It comes off as more of an attack rather then you trying to educate people.
    I really don’t want to get into it with you, you seem like a nice person, and I don’t really want to personally attack you. So I’ll just leave it at that. Honestly, some people that blog about the things you do are just straight up mean. The way they talk to pit bull owners, you would think we have a disease or that we’re less than human or something. That’s what gets to me. More than the fact they don’t like pit bulls; it’s how they talk about and treat the owners that bothers me the most.
    I understand now, because of your dog, why you do what you do and feel the way you do and I’m sure those emotions of anger and sadness push you to write this blog and say the things you do about pit bulls. So, although I disagree with the technique, I do understand were your motivation is coming from. I just hope in the future, before you judge an owner, you think of the fact that they might not be just another “nutter” and might actually be more like myself, willing to educate themselves about the realities of owning a pit bull and dogs in general. People who are willing to acknowledge the fact that their dogs have the potential to cause damage and are responsible enough to prevent something bad from happening at all cost.
    That pit bull community does exist. I’ve seen it countless times on forums for dogs and pit bull rescues in which they educate people about not going to dog parks, about the realities of DA being a very possible reality with their dogs, and about the proper way to deal with such things. It might not be something every pit bull owner acknowledges or is willing to believe but there are a lot of people that do acknowledge those things and who try to educate people as much as possible to prevent things like dog attacks from happening.
    Personally, I have a lot of opinions about pit bull breeding and ownership that some pit bull owners would probably call me a “hater” about too. It’s not that I don’t want pit bulls to exist. I just don’t think breeding of them is really all that rational at this point. There’s just WAY too many. So, I would never buy one from a breeder but I would and will continue to rescue them in the future.

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  20. Actually I do live in an urban area. My town is, “96% urban, 4% rural” apparently. Black bears are just common in the state and I have woods behind my house and a large park across the street so there’s this one persistent bear that keeps common into my yard and leaves its feces everywhere. Pain in the butt when it comes time to mow the lawn lol. I actually don’t mind coyotes. This one just doesn’t look normal, I’m pretty sure it has rabies and I’m hoping it’ll get hit by a car pretty soon because I have some beautiful foxes living behind my house and I don’t want it to attack them or give them anything.
    “The primary concern should be public safety, and a dog that can escape its confines to kill another being isn't worth the risk to give another chance. I think this dog should have been euthanized and the owner tried for animal abuse for what an extension of him did to my dog”
    I agree. The problem with that is that dogs are considered property. So it’s not considered such a “big deal” if a dog gets killed. I think that’s something that should be handled differently. Animals become a part of our families and for their death to not be taken seriously it very hurtful. Although pit bulls can be very Da and it’s something to be expected, it shouldn’t be excused. The fact the dog went to so much effort to get at your dog is a serious concern and shouldn’t have been taken so lightly. That man should have been held accountable and the dog should have been removed from his home and ultimately, since it was so highly DA, it should have been put down. It’s sad you have to live your life in fear like that. You said you don’t own a cell phone? Are you crazy?! You should have one on you at all times in case of an emergency. God forbid something does happen; you need to be able to call the police and get help. Even if you don’t like the whole idea of owning one you could just keep it for emergency purposes at least.

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  21. Freya, This blog really does focus in more to the advocacy than anything. I have long dropped blaming a dog. It's pointless, they can't help but being what they are, the creation of sociopaths. Yes, strong rhetoric, I'm going to say that people who would purposely breed a kind of dog to be aggressive towards its own kind is sick, it's against nature and all that is good. I feel sorry for these dogs. I'm not going to say that they are THE most abused dog, because I think of the patient Beagles used in labs, smoking and being injected and never seeing grass or sky, and it haunts me. Greyhounds and their abuse is sickening. But I think it is as tragic for some little spoiled Poodle to get lost, as it is for some poor Pit Bull momma with her teats dragging the ground being dumped at the graveyard. I see this all the time.

    I also know that a goodly many pit bull owners are not thugs, but well meaning people, perhaps altruistic to a fault. I don't think the majority of these people should own one, they don't respect these dogs, they think they are "just" dogs, and their management of them reflect that with their retractable leashes, the fact that they let them be around small children, using them as a pillow and thinking it's cute, taking them to the dog park and Pet Co. , and being off leash in their front yards, the fact that they think "voice" control is sufficient, and the fact that they went to the doggy good citizen class, and they have two or three or six of them, and a Chihuahua.

    I'm not going to apologize for my tone, this is me being real. I have a dark and twisted sense of humor, I love parody, I love trying to find the humor in this issue. I care deeply about it, I was profoundly changed by this event, really more than one, and on a near daily basis, I have to deal with stray pit bulls and pit bulls owned by the mindset I described above.

    This blog is also satire, so there's lots of piss and vinegar, you need to read my very first post to understand the themes and the tone.

    http://thefirstchurchofpitbullscd.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html

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  22. Freya....another thing about me is I'm verbose...my style, I love words!

    I have friends with pit bulls, I have met nice ones. I respect them. My friends know how I feel, and out of respect for me, they put the Pitty away. As for me, I usually put my own dogs away when there is company, mostly because the elderly Malinois mix is very shy, so he's much happier with his girl friend in their room. He's really improved so much since he adopted me, he's not as fearful as he used to be, but depending on the circumstance, either the dogs are in the room, or they are on a leash when I have company.

    I don't care for pit bulls, and yes, I do think they are ugly. I'm opinionated and it's a free country, and expressing one's personal preference is not a moral flaw. I also hate broccoli and the color mauve, and Brahms Symphonies, am I going to hell? That would be a "judgment"....as well as the wish for "Karma to come and bite me on the ass" that I get from the stellar pit bull advocate tribe of facebook on a daily basis. I used to collect those KARMA comments, they are a hoot!

    And I don't view judgement per se, as a bad thing. We make them every day, we are wired to make them, as self preservation. You expressing that my tone is too harsh, is kind of a judgement too. I hope you just reach out to your fellow owners, and start talking real about these dogs, it will save lives and the lives of the dogs themselves. I also see a real need for the pit bull advocacy to extend the compassion they have for their dogs, to people who have been traumatized to them. There especially needs to be outrage over spending money and effort to save dogs that have attacked, and outrage over the fact that so many of these victims do not receive restitutions. Do you like it that your advocacy calls us "haters" and "Pitlers", and the like? Do you like that little poster going around with the dog peeing on the words "BSL"? This blog and others like it are the counter thesis.

    And you are right, having a cell phone is a good idea to consider. One day I will join the 21rst century, I'm still catching up.

    I hope you read the other posts, let me know what you think. Thanks for sharing your perspective, you seem like a nice person too. I wish you well.

    There are also two other blogs to check out:
    Pit Nutter Circus
    Pit Bull Poet Laureate

    This is a link to my tribute to the pit bull, it's actually the poem I'm most proud of, and expresses the way I feel about these dogs best.

    http://pitbullpoetlaureate.blogspot.com/2012/04/misery.html

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  23. That would be a "judgment"....as well as the wish for "Karma to come and bite me on the ass" that I get from the stellar pit bull advocate tribe of facebook on a daily basis. I used to collect those KARMA comments, they are a hoot!”
    I don’t know why that’s the go to saying for everyone lately. I guess because it’s the only threat they can really think of since they would never actually see you in person lol. I actually believe in karma but it’s more of a “you reap what you sow” type of thing. Not a you insult someone so karma is going to kick your butt now kind of thing.
    I understand you thinking pit bulls are ugly. Not everyone likes the looks of them. Personally, I think they’re cute. A lot of people think they look mean and macho. I don’t really understand what it is about them that I like so much. I like the bully breeds. I eventually want to get a French bulldog from a breeder because I think they’re the cutest thing. I also like “normal” dogs. Alaskan malamute, red and white coloring, gorgeous dog and I want one terribly but I need to do the research and find a reputable breeder for one. Plus, I’m worried it might be too hot in the summer where I live so who knows if I’ll ever actually get one.
    “There especially needs to be outrage over spending money and effort to save dogs that have attacked, and outrage over the fact that so many of these victims do not receive restitutions. Do you like it that your advocacy calls us "haters" and "Pitlers", and the like? Do you like that little poster going around with the dog peeing on the words "BSL"? This blog and others like it are the counter thesis.”
    Absolutely. I don’t know what is with that really. Some people just confuse me, I don’t know why there is candlelight vigils (just read some of your post about them, very true.) for dogs that attack and then victims go without any support what so ever. Honestly, I don’t like any of it. There’s a war between pit bull owners and people that like pit bulls and then people like you who write these blogs and I think it is so childish. If people could just have a rational discussion and then try to work together to make a difference and change the way this breed is being dragged down to hell and is taking innocent people with it that would be amazing.

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  24. As for BSL, don’t hate me, I really don’t like it. I understand why you would. I know there needs to be something that is done. I’ve just done a ton of research about stuff like that and I don’t see it working. Not so much because of the pit bull thing either. There’s organizations, and you can go onto a dog forum and verify this information yourself, that a lot of dog owners believe are trying to work towards eliminating dog ownership all together. Organizations like PETA and HSUS who believe that it is animal abuse for people to even own companion animals whatsoever and would start with the banning of pit bulls and other dangerous dogs and work their way down the list until it’s almost impossible for anyone to own any type of dog. I know that sounds crazy, honestly I thought people were insane when they were telling me all this stuff. I had actually liked PETA at one point in my life because I am an animal lover and I hate knowing that animals are killed on a daily basis because of the selfish needs of people. Well, needless to say, although I doubt it will ever happen because I don’t believe people are stupid enough to let it, I do believe such organization do intend to try to make dog ownership something of the past. I can kind of understand it too; a lot of people don’t take care of the animals they own. Personally though, I don’t want my right to own any animal to be taken away from me just because of the stupid actions of ignorant people who fail to properly care for their own animals.
    I’m actually surprised you would support BSL considering chows are including in some BSLs. They even ban Akita’s in some places and that gets me mad because I love Akita’s too. I like the “snow dogs” as well the bully breeds, if you couldn’t tell. I’m sure that makes me a little strange since they’re obviously completely different from each other.
    That poem really emphasizes the screwed up reality of pit bulls. It’s a sad thing that people would turn an animal into a killing machine. It’s sad that they can really be sweet and loving dogs but the way they have been bred just makes it so easy for them to cause so much damage and to be such a danger to people. Like I said, I really think breeding pit bulls needs to stop. I just haven’t been able to find information pertaining to a reasonable way in which to make that happen. Breeding regulations lead to responsible and reputable breeders taking the downfall because the bad breeders wouldn’t follow the laws anyways. BSL just leads to more and more innocent dogs being taken from their homes and killed, maybe it fixes the pit bull problem in that area but it’s not really fixing the problem as a whole and it can eventually get out of hand and lead to a lot of dog breeds being outlawed. Something needs to be done; I just haven’t come across a logical idea that really seems like it could fix the problem.

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  25. meals
    call me "BIAS" (lol)
    but i think its pitters that lady karma bites on the ass. if this isnt true then karma simply doesnt exist.

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  26. freya
    your anti- bsl argument is just another version of the carefull what u wish for cuz u could be next... argument. lol , if i had a shit bull i mught be worried , but i dont and i wont , and even if they banned my particlar breed mix , which they wouldnt , i couldnt give a pits ass, cuz most dogs are just dogs , as opposed to mutants ,lol. if they banned pitbulls you might just have a problem getting another breed to be as bad , but if they did it before i suppose they could do it again . but why would anyone ? youd have to be nutz or something.
    love sparky

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