Grrrrr..... I Hate Stupid People.

[apbtmom76]

alright so I put Phoenix camo jacket on and we headed to Lowe's to go get some gift cards for x-mas this Sat with the b/f's mom and step dad. We walk in and the girl behind the counter just ooohed and ahhhed over him and his jacket, I get the gift cards and go to check out and I stand in line, Phoenix is being a good boy as always, he sat right beside me and waited for me to move up in line, I look up and there is a lady about 50 maybe 55 to 60 years of age, looking like she needed to get by, Phoenix was on my right ahnd side so he wasn't even in the way, but she looked at me and says, "Is it ok if I go by or will he bite me?" OMG my blood instantly started to boil, I said, " WHy would you think he was going to bite you?" Her response, " Cause he's a Pit Bull.", I looked at her and smiled nicely, sweetly and told her that is what she gets for assuming things about dogs she doesn't know." Her jaw dropped to the floor and the kid at the register to my left snikcered out loud, after that lady walked away, like 5 people came over to pet him and ask about his jacket.

i was just so angry, how dare she assume that he is mean or is gonna bite her? B*tch, anywayz, wanted to vent, thanks for listening. And here is a pic of Phoenix in his camo jacket, lol.








*please remember that these are my views and only that, stupid to me can mean a lot of things,

[Suki Wingy]

I think he looks simply dashing in his camo! Then again, he's soo pretty- I mean handsome in the first place!
I bet that lady was just uninformed and she didn't mean anything buy it.

[pomtzu]

Perhaps this person had a previous bad experience with this type of dog that made her fearful of him, but that doesn't make her stupid IMO. I have to admit that I feel somewhat intimidated by them, but I have also met a couple that were big old pussy cats and I had no fear of them.

I also think it's wise to be leery of any dog that you don't know, whether it be a little Chihuahua or a big Rottie. Both can inflict a nasty bite! To say this person was stupid is extreme and unfair, if you don't know the circumstances behind what she said.

[chocolatepuppy]

By having well behaved dogs, you're setting a good example for Pit Bulls. And then 5 people came to pet him. Showed how stupid the lady was.

[Karen]

Next time you could say "He never would, but I might!"

Keep smiling, we will change attitudes one person at a time!

[Catlady711]

Know this first, I LOVE pits!! They're my second fav breed (right behind rotties). And both have been nailed unfairly with a bad reputation by the media.

I understand you were angry with what I assume is constant misinformation you hear about your dog all the time, and I'm sure that frustrates you. But I think you overreacted a bit.


First of all you said it was an older lady. Older people tend to be more cautious than younger people might around an animal they don't know.

I don't know about where you live, but where I live the only dogs allowed in Lowes are service dogs, which usually have their vests clearly marked as such. Your dog was wearing a camo shirt (which might remind one of an army fighting soldier) and (based on the picture) a large collar and chain (which might say to an observer that this dog is hard to control). I'm just telling you what it might look like to someone who isn't familiar with dogs, or this breed.

You don't know what her situation is. Her only exposure to pits may have been the tons of bad reports of attacks she see's on the news. It's possible she's never seen a real live pit in person before.

You also don't know that she doesn't already have a fear of dogs, I mean ANY dog. My grandmother was attacked as a child by a pack of wild dogs, after that she was deathly afraid of any dog, and almost all animals in general including cats and birds.

I don't think the lady was 'stupid'. I think she encountered a dog she didn't know, that has a bad media reputation, in a store that you normally don't think of as a pet place. Since you didn't mention that she asked her question in a nasty tone of voice, I assume she was being cautious and polite in trying to go through by asking you first.

By your smart remark to her,you missed your chance to show her that not all pits are bad and have now given her the impression that pit owners are rude as well.

[luvofallhorses]

I love Pheonix and screw what everyone says about him. Just smile and keep walking. I don't the OP is in the wrong, I would have done the same thing.

[Asiel]

I guess that would make me stupid too because I'm deathly afraid of Pits. Not because I've ever had a bad experience myself but because of the media and how some little kids were badly mauled by one. I'm also very unstable on my feet so I know I would never stand a chance against one. Do I hate them? No, of course not, I love all dogs. But I would be just as afraid to pass next to one as that elderly lady was, I probably wouldn't ask the question she did but I would wait till the dog was gone before passing.
I have large breed dogs myself that many people fear because they don't know my dogs, am I offended? Not at all, If someone shows fear regardless of the circumstance I reassure them and move my dogs away from them.

[luvofallhorses]

I don't know why you guys are defending the older lady. Everyone does that with pit bulls these days and it makes me sad. I would be upset too. Maybe the lady isn't "stupid" I would call her uneducated but still I would never ask if a dog would bite me. She could have went a different way and not be so rude.

I love pit bulls. What if it was your dog the person was afraid of? Maybe you could live in her shoes for a minute and see how upset she was. I am sick of breed discrimination and I doubt that is the first and only lady to say that to her wonderful dogs. To KNOW them is to LOVE them.

[Freedom]

People who don't know dogs can be tough to deal with.

I "think" I know something about dogs. I never go near a dog I don't know unless I ask first. No, I don't ask, "will it bite me." I DO ask if the dog is friendly, may I pet it' or "is it OK to pass or would you prefer I go around" or some such.

Not knowing much about dogs, she may just not have known the proper way to ask what she was trying to determine.

I also agree with Catlady711 --
- unknown dog
- older person
- camo jacket
- HUGE collar, leash and choke chain


Don't take it personally. Folks often ask me, "do they bite?" If I am in a mood, I reply "only from the ankles down."
LOVE Karen's suggestion!

[luvofallhorses]

He only has a huge collar because pit bulls necks are thick.

[carole]

I think you are being a tad over sensitive but then aren't we all when it comes to our beloved pets.
I would not call the lady stupid either, but perhaps she should have thought before she spoke, she could have said something like oh what a cute dog, is he friendly to strangers? i think it is all about the approach really, so i get why you felt annoyed.

Although i have to say down under the ONLY reports i have ever seen about dog attacks have mostly been pit bulls, so i think the Media has a big responsibility here in how they are portrayed, it makes people even myself wary of them.

[Twisterdog]

I totally agree with Catlady 711.

My mother, who is 80 years old, would have been terrified of walking past your dog as well. She is by no means stupid. She is old, frail and raised in a different generation.

Many, many times I have seen posts here about how frustrating and potentially dangerous it is when people approach our dogs without asking. So this lady asks and she's "stupid"?

I understand how angry the "pit bull" comment made you. I've been told the same thing many times with foster, rescue and shelter bully breeds in tow. But, honestly, all you did was alienate her further, not only toward the breed, but now to the breed's owners as well.

IMO, it would have been FAR better if you would have said something like, "Actually, most pit bulls are very sweet, they just get a bad rap from the press. He's very nice, and won't hurt you at all. His name is Phoenix. Would you like to pet him?" You always catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. The goal is to educate and inform, not embarass and alienate.

[MonicanHonda]

My mother is terrified of "mean" looking dogs. She knows they won't attack, but they still scare her. She always thinks they know that she's afraid of them and will attack just her. hehehe. So I can see where people who are afraid come from. Sometimes it's not because they're uneducated or stupid... it's just because they are AFRAID!!! If people owned spiders... I would FLIP out if people brought them to a store!!!! LOL!!!! Ewww... creepy little nasty things.

I get lots of things about dalmatians also... oh they're just stupid dogs... or I even get that dalmatians are aggressive. They quickly learn differently when I show them Delta or Honda's tricks or when they meet them... they find out how loveable they are.

I have to say that the media has put a stigma on these dogs, and while I know these dogs can be total sweethearts... it's usually not the case where I come from. I always feel the need to show how sweet these dogs are and always welcome them with open arms, but there will always be that nagging in the back of my head. If someone says "Oh no, here comes a pit bull" at the dog park I am always the first one to pet it. I always allow my dogs to play with pit bulls.

What I would figure, is that if you had him in public, then obviously he's not vicious. BTW, his coat is adorable!!!!!! I love it!

[Moesha]

I would have been very disturbed to have seen that dog in Lowe's. I never would have expected to see a dog, any dog, in a store like that. In Petsmart, fine. In Lowe's, no way.