You’re probably a bigot too.

Tags

American Pit Bull Terrier, apbt, bigot, breed laws, breed restrictions, discrimination, michigan, naidra, naidra walls, racism

Sunday, an off-leash Boston Terrier ran up to my American Pit Bull Terrier and I. He proceeded to bite my dog without provocation or invitation. I struggled to pull my dog away while keeping the little Boston Terrier away from us both. It continued to try to bite my dog – barking and jumping – for a few minutes until its owner arrived. She made a comment about how her dog wanted to “play” and that my dog could “eat” hers. This would have been true if my dog liked to eat dogs. However, he eats Blue Buffalo food which is much more healthy, tasty, and safe than the deranged Boston Terrier that was attacking him. If this was her idea of playing, I would have declined that play date.

The whole scenario made me think a lot about our society and people’s fears.

• Why would the first comment that she made to me not be an apology, but a negative remark about what she thinks of my dog (and me, as his owner)?
• Why wouldn’t she apologize for breaking the law by not having her dog on a leash, and for interrupting the walk/play/bonding time that I was having with my puppy?

This lead me to wonder:

• Why was it ok for her dog to run across an entire field to BITE MY DOG but still not be considered vicious?
• Why isn’t she marginalized and discriminated against not only because of her gender, race, socio-economic status, but the breed of dog that she’s chosen to own?

The type of dog that bit my dog.

Same age and height as my dog, different color. Notice, the two dogs are not terribly different in size.

So, in the fury and rage that I constantly feel about people who discriminate against dog breeds — people in positions of power who marginalize others based on their own fears and misconceptions, I looked up the word “bigot.” I found that it is a fitting term for these people.

Definition of BIGOT (from Merriam Webster):
a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially one who regards or treats the members of a group…with hatred and intolerance.

I looked up the word in hopes to describe all of the people, landlords, insurance companies, pedestrians, administrators, gatekeepers, family members, and friends who perceive American Pit Bull Terriers to be vicious dogs. People who (most of whom have never even interacted with this particular breed, but still listen blindly and ignorantly to what media sources decide to include in the nightly news) are OBSTINATELY devoted to their own opinions and prejudices…regarding members of this group with HATRED and INTOLERANCE.

Post all of the news articles you want about Pits attacking people or each other, and I’ll post an equal amount of links to articles where other breeds did something equally “vicious” or worse and articles about positive things that Pit Bulls do in our society. Remember, the American Pit Bull Terrier was the #1 dog of the country, so obviously, they haven’t always been deemed deleterious.

If an animal is domesticated, its behavior has been taught by a human. So, if our animals attack each other or attack people, it’s OUR FAULT. A responsible member of society should understand that, should understand that denying someone access to resources based on the type of dog they own is as discriminatory as denying them access because of the type of car they drive or the culture in which they belong to. It’s like saying, “Thank you for your interest in my property Mr. Smith, but because you drive a Ford truck, I can’t accept your application. People think that those Fords are just too dangerous.”

This struggle is far from over. I know that people are afraid. It’s the same fear that drives racism. In fact, we’re just extending racist behaviors to include another species. Chew on that.

more to come…

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This is where I live…nowhere

Tags

American Pit Bull Terrier, apbt, breed restrictions, dog training, housing, kalamazoo, naidra, naidra walls, pet insurance, pet smart, petco, Pit Bull, social justice

I harp on this Pit Bull thing a lot, but recently, I’ve been getting more and more frustrated with housing in relation to the American Pit Bull Terrier.  The issue mainly comes to light in my recent walks through the West side of Kalamazoo.  The west side isn’t a super fancy place (though there are some gorgeous houses there).  There are a lot of houses for sale or rent, not uncommon, and a lot of people with pets, more specifically – big dogs (like mastiffs and labs).

Lately, I’ve been having a lot of issues with my apartment.  I know that I wrote a post on how much I like it and my new Ikea furniture, but like many things in life, that has changed.  So, I’ve been looking for a new place to live in Kalamazoo.  I’m not in a position to buy a house, but I would like to live somewhere different.  After walking (and walking, and walking) in the neighborhood that I am interested in, I found a cute 2-bedroom apartment for rent.  It was tucked away behind West Main – closer to campus than where I currently live, and close to my friends. What’s the issue? The landlord. A quick email conversation on a Sunday morning let me know really quickly that he was a) open to dogs (even large dogs), and b) flexible on the rent and utilities. This was great! I was getting excited until he told me that he doesn’t allow American Pit Bull Terriers.

WHY NOT? Probably because society is afraid of the breed, because the breed has caught a bad rep from people who thought that it would be a good idea to fight the dogs, or because of the racial, cultural, or socioeconomic status of the people who typically own these dogs (i.e. low-income, non-White people — or minorities). Basically, everyone is scared, and instead of putting rules in place to stop the discrimination by landlords, insurance agencies, police, etc. they just let their fears dictate where entire classes of people are allowed to live.

Isn't he a cutie?

I think that’s a complete crock. People should be fighting this blatant, obvious, borderline ostentatious discrimination. Your fear shouldn’t be able to tell me where I can or cannot live based on the choice of the four-legged companion I choose to own.  If that were the case, no one should rent to anyone with a large dog, or a dog that has bitten someone, or a dog who barks at people. All dogs should just be banned! I’m being melodramatic so that you get the point.

After all of that complaining, I do have a real suggestion: just make it fair. If you’re a landlord and you allow dogs (of any breed or size) to reside with humans in your rental property, try this:

* Require liability insurance for the dog. This would cover the landlord and tenant if the dog bites someone or causes different types of damage.

* Require pet owners to register their pets with the State of Michigan (which is a legal requirement anyway), and show proof of vaccinations (also a requirement for other pet-related activities, like boarding or entrance into dog parks).

* Meet/interact with the dog. If you don’t like dogs, don’t let people with dogs rent from you (duh). Renting to people who live such different lifestyles than your own will eventually just make you bitter, and a tool to deal with. Thus, increasing the likelihood that the tenant will disrespect you, your time, and your property.  If you think that there’s a real issue with the dog or breed, put the animal through a temperament test.  Every SPCA, Humane Society, or Animal Rescue has access to a professional organization that can implement the assessment. You can even make the potential renter pay for the test.

*Request proof of training.  There are a lot of certification programs for dogs that are by-products of existing training programs. PetSmart or PetCo both have “good behavior” certificates for dogs upon completion of their training program. Mr. K9 dog training club in Chicago has a special training program specific to American Pit Bull Terriers.  My dog went through it, and he’s great.

All of these suggestions should make for more responsible pet owners, and landlords who are more comfortable renting to dog-owners of any breed.  Plus, it levels the playing field for everyone regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, location…whatever.

Disclaimer: I don’t want to argue about the history or stigma attached to what Pit Bulls have done in the past, or irresponsible pet owners. I know that the dogs could bite a person (as could any dog). I also am aware that Pit Bulls are very strong dogs. I’m saying that responsible dog owners shouldn’t be punished because people are scared of what they think may happen.  More to come.