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.
Yes they have.
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.
I overreacted, how so, I was nice as could be with a smile on my face, me over reacting would be for me to have yelled at her and told her she was rude and to go a diferent way that YES my dog would bite her, but then I would have just showed her exactly what she was looking for, so I really was nice, I wasn't sarcastic, i just said it nicely and calmly.
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.
As I have an elderly grandmother who for years called me EVERY night to tell me, not the dogs I own now, but tohers in the past, would rip out my throat in my sleep at night, and I mean every night, now I cannot go visit with out taking Phoenix, he has completely changed her mind about these dogs, NOW does that mean that she would go up and pet any pit bull, no, so I can understand this.
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.
There is a sign on the Lowe's door about the service dogs, but it does not say anywhere that the genral public cannot bring theirs in. I have a therapy dog so I know about the vests and patches and laws. Hmm so because he wears a 2" collar with is name emboridered on it and all of his tags on it, with a choke chain mean he is hard to control? Wow I never looked at it that way, so if he had had a prong collar on would that have made a differnce? I like to have control of my dogs at all times, but I can understand where ya coming from on this one too.
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.
That is what upset me, she just assumed something, not cool. SO she had to be rude and say that to me instead of asking?
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 am sorry to hear about your grandmother, must have been terrible for her, as I have a huge fear of snakes, I can understand.
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.
As I stated stupid to me can mean a lot of things, I am not the most educated person but if I am stupid about something then I educate myself about it, like snakes, ow I live with one, *shivers*
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.
Originally Posted by Suki Wingy
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