Grrrrr..... I Hate Stupid People.

[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!

[Alysser]

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.

I think it's a matter of educating rather then turning people off to the breed more. If she had not made the comment, and rather educated the women on Pitbulls a little bit and showed her a nice pitty maybe the women would have changed her mind on the subject. Instead, saying a comment may have turned her off more. While I hate breed discrimination, I don't by any means agree this lady was being "stupid". A better phrase for it would have been ignorant or close-minded, but not "stupid". You never know what kind of experience she could have had with dogs in the past, and honestly, walking into Lowe's a dog would be the last thing I'd expect to see. I've never seen a dog in that store before

Mikey is seen as a pitbull to quite a few people, I've gotten it maybe like 3 times - people asking if he's a pit. There's one guy who walks with his kid around the neighborhood and when he sees me and Mikey he goes across the street. I thought that was kinda weird..but I don't know. Maybe the little girl's afraid of dogs or maybe just more ignorance about someone thinking he's a pit and being scared.

[Scooter's Mom]

I am sick of breed discrimination

You're sick of breed discrimination, while I am sick of people discrimination.

I agree that the older lady probably just didn't know if the dog was mean or not and would have asked the same question of ANY dog.

[apbtmom76]

**** SO I'm gonna multi quote a few times to be able to answer all of you****

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.

Why thank you, he loves his jacket,a sh eknows that when it gets cold here, well for Texas anywayz, that he get sto wear it, lol. ANd I call him a pretty boy too, it's ok, Uninformed is one thing, and you are prolly right.

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.

Well I have had bad expierences with horses and a few dogs, even a APBT, does that mean I should not learn or try to educate myself on that or maybe just maybe not assume something, and as I stated a the bottom of that OP, stupid can mean a lot of things, ignorance, misinformation, uneducated, whatever ya like to call is still stupidity.

I too think it wise to be leary, I am cautious when I approach new dogs or any animal for that matter, and true that they can both inflict a nasty bite as well as a cat, snake, lizard, horse,etc. But I understand what you are saying.

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.

Thanks CP, I WORK VERY HARD to make sure ALL of my dogs are well trained and properly behaved in public and at home or anywhere for that fact, I know what I own and wanted good breed ambassadors

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

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

hahah I have said that once, too funny thanks karen

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.

As I stated I wasn't sarcastic or rude, i simply put it plainly and she went on about her business, and for people like her I make up for it with the next 5 people that came to pet him