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Post by suziriot on May 4, 2010 10:05:22 GMT -5
This past weekend Liz and I took my pibble Otis on a little road trip so he could help out with a temperament test in Northern Illinois. We were following up on one of the puppies adopted from the big MO bust, now that he is a year old and maturing. On the way there, we stopped to grab some food at a Panera in a very nice shopping center in what was obviously a very wealthy area. I waited with Otis outside on a bench while Liz ran in to get the food. There were a lot of families and "soccer moms" shopping and lunching. I think of Otis as a classic, old school APBT: 53 lbs, perfect little rose ears, very friendly and approachable, very smart. He loves people, especially children. I could not believe all the attention he was getting from passersby! And most of them knew he was a pit bull! AND they all asked permission to pet him and approached him appropriately! I was . Several people said things like "pit bulls get such a bad rap" and "it's a shame that they're so abused because they seem like wonderful dogs." Suburban midwesterners were stopping to pet my pit bull and NOT running away in terror or giving me dirty looks. One woman who stopped and loved him up had two rescued pit bulls of her own. Now, I admit that Otis is so freaking cute and friendly that he's pretty much irresistible. He's not big and beefy, and completely non-threatening. But these people knew he was a pit bull and wanted to pet him and love him, rather than judge him. It was AWESOME and seriously made my year.
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Post by emilys on May 4, 2010 10:28:28 GMT -5
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Post by OurPack on May 4, 2010 11:59:58 GMT -5
NIIIIIICE!!! Good goin' Suzi!
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Post by suziriot on May 4, 2010 21:43:55 GMT -5
LOL! Thanks Emily and Marthina. All I did was sit there and let Otis work his pibble charm!
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Post by pistis on May 4, 2010 22:04:09 GMT -5
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Post by valliesong on May 4, 2010 23:03:01 GMT -5
I have been having that experience more and more often as well. Yay!
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Post by melonie on May 4, 2010 23:09:11 GMT -5
Way to go Otis! It feels really good when things like this happen!
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Post by loverocksalot on May 5, 2010 6:30:16 GMT -5
Suzi, I must admit that has been my experience with Rocky since he was a puppy. I have never had anyone cross the street. Although I have had people pet him and then ask what kind of dog is he. They seem surprised and I usually get the famous "its all how you raise em". Some people realize he is a pit bull others dont. People usually think of little rascals when they see him. Rocky looks like what I call a Historical am pit bull/am staff. Not like what most vision a pit bull to look like. Which is another comment I usually here is that he does not look like a pit bull. I think that dogs like your Otis are the best ones to biring out and change minds. Heck it is how I ended up changing my own mind and choosing to adopt a pit bull. Although the dog that helped me to decide was a typical short leg chubby obviously a pit bull, but a sweet heart who came to my sons soccer games. I think some people want to believe that pit bulls are not what they hear on the media yet us paranoid mothers still hear the crap in the back of our head. I know cause I been there. So seeing and meeting nice pit bulls or dogs that are pit bulls but dont look what we thought a pit bull looks like is the most amazing thing we can do for the breed. So thank you Suzi and Otis for getting out there.
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Post by RealPitBull on May 5, 2010 7:57:20 GMT -5
When I first got into Pit Bulls, all public reactions were pretty much negative. Slowly but surely most are turning into reactions similar to the one you describe above. Every time I have a good reaction from someone, it is like a breath of fresh air! I totally understand why this outing for you was such a mood-booster. The other day I was walking Luca down the block. I don't think I've ever had a negative reaction from a neighbor, but still, anytime we pass someone on the street we don't know, I automatically assume they are going to be afraid of Luca. Well, this guy comes walking out of his house as we were walking by and I quickly try to move past him lest he's skeered by this big Pit Bull on the sidewalk. I'm practically dragging Luca because he sees someone he wants to make friends with and is trying to pull towards the guy. The guy comes up to Luca and goes, "He just wants to make friends!" And starts vigorously loving on Luca, petting him and smiling a huge smile. I swear, each time something like this happens, it is such a relief to me. The programming in my brain always assumes the worst.
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Post by sugar on May 5, 2010 8:21:06 GMT -5
I still get the whole "crossing the street, while violently yanking their kids/dogs" for the most part. I look forward to the day I can get as warm and inviting a reaction as Otis got.
Good boy, Otis!!
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Post by emilys on May 5, 2010 9:34:53 GMT -5
my favorite is when I pass some big baggy-pants Hispanic kid (the sort society has told me I'm supposed to be afraid of) and he stops to pet my dog and starts cooing and talking baby talk.
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Post by valliesong on May 5, 2010 23:28:33 GMT -5
my favorite is when I pass some big baggy-pants Hispanic kid (the sort society has told me I'm supposed to be afraid of) and he stops to pet my dog and starts cooing and talking baby talk. With the population in my area, this happens all the time! It's funny, because at work these tough guys pop out their cell phones, start showing me pictures of their dogs, and say "she's a little princess" or "he loves on everyone." And here in town, pit bulls and German shepherds are the most popular dogs, so no one bats an eye.
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Post by suziriot on May 5, 2010 23:34:58 GMT -5
I swear, each time something like this happens, it is such a relief to me. The programming in my brain always assumes the worst. Me too!
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Post by AmyJo27 on May 5, 2010 23:39:04 GMT -5
I wish the same were true in my area! It seems like our town is very slowly becoming 'the ghetto'. Or what Id like to call 'Little Mexico". And I AM NOT RACIST! I am engaged to a Hispanic but anyways well over majority of people in Hampton (The town I live near) are hispanic and not good people...A 9 year old girl cant walk down main street without getting followed by a group of them whistling and yellin spanish at her. It makes Gustavo (My fiancee) look really bad too...People see him and automatically think he is the same way simply because he is mexican. But, with time I am also noticing more and more Pit Bulls, Rotts, Dobies, Mastiffs etc. in yards on chains. We are actually thinking about moving due to the fact that we do not like the direction this town is headed. We live in the country but it still affects us greatly. Its not a good feeling when you have a sheriff that lives a few miles from you come to your door and warn you that things are 'not good' and there is a lot of criminal activity in the country. Needless to say, we have installed a security system.
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Chloe
I Love RPBF!
Posts: 433
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Post by Chloe on May 6, 2010 11:43:21 GMT -5
Yay!! Thats great! I love it when good things like that happen. ;D
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