Pet peeve (no pun intended)

[litlover12]

Let me start by apologizing to any pit bull owners among you.

. . . That said, I wish people would quit constantly posting photos of their pit bulls all over social media. I know why they do it, because one of my Facebook friends has spoken more than once about how the breed is just misunderstood and how pit bull owners are constantly trying to reshape public opinion. And even if she hadn't come right out and said it, I would have gotten a clue from the hashtags that people use when they do it (#lovemypit and #pitbullsofinstagram and so forth). And from the things they say in their posts: "Pits are the best! The sweetest! The cuddliest!"

But when you have a phobia, like I do about pit bulls, it's not pleasant to have people shoving it in your face all the time. Especially when they keep telling you, "Oh, it's really nice and sweet and you just misunderstand it!"

As Colonel Potter would say, horse hockey. They have a perfect right to promote their breed, of course. But I have the right to want their breed far, far, FAR away from me. 

Comments

[jobey-in-error.livejournal.com]

Good timing -- I'm posting pics of my new dog today (or maybe tomorrow) but she's no pit bull! ♥

I'm curious whence the phobia.

It's very likely to be justified -- I know some lifelong dog types (not me; I've been scared of most dogs all my life) who are pretty down on pit bulls in general. Even the notorious Rottweilers can be quite well-socialized, well-behaved, and kid-safe, if trained well by experienced dog owners (but they are not a good breed for rookies). But they claim pit bulls are never really completely safe and they wouldn't trust one around their kids even if it seemed sweet.

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the new dog! :-) Can't wait to see her!

I like the majority of breeds, but some of them just scare me. Mostly those that have a reputation for, as you say, never really being completely safe. I did get chased by a Rottweiler once -- my dad had to throw it down and sit on its head before it would stop! -- but not by a pit. But they both scare me. And it makes it worse that the pit advocates are always doing this big whitewashing job about them. I know they can be very nice and friendly when trained, but sometimes dogs' instincts just get the better of them. You can't get away from that. Even my sweet, affectionate Shelties would sometimes snap when aggravated. And the equivalent of that from a pit bull is . . . well, it's not something I like to think about.

[sylverwind.livejournal.com]

*hugs* It's tough to have a fear that not many people understand or respect, especially one that's difficult to explain. But there is no fine line between freedom of speech and forcing someone to see/hear something that causes them discomfort. They usually seep into one another. :(

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it is. And of course I can't go around being the thought police, telling people what they can and can't say and do on their own Facebook pages. I know people who try to do that, and it's fruitless, annoying, and probably exhausting. One just has to deal with these things.

But thanks for understanding.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

I've heard so much conflicting information about those dogs that I don't know what's accurate.

All I know is my sister's dog is part pit and I swear that animal *scares* me. I've tried and tried to befriend her numerous times, but she never took to me the way she did to my parents. They swear up and down that she's soooooooooooo sweet. Yeah, right. Last time I was there she growled deep in her throat and that was it for me. I won't enter that house again unless she's in the cage. I'm sick of trying to make an animal like me.

Even my parents' dog scares me a bit, and she's generally the sweetest, dopiest, baby-like thing I've ever seen. But I was walking her some weeks ago and she JUMPED at some lady and scared her and me half to death! Thank God she didn't actually bite!

I've never been a big fan of dogs. Now that we have one, I'm even less so.

Animals are not people. If they are bigger/stronger than you, you have every right to be afraid of them. End of story.

[goldvermilion87.livejournal.com]

Yeah.

Also, I think that people are pushing a breed that truly can be dangerous. As sad as it is, many pit bulls are bred to fight. They have fighting personalities. And they are strong enough that if someone's pit bull is goaded or scared into acting on his bred personality, it could be dangerous. Doesn't mean every pit bull will, but I think the advocates of the pit bull are letting sentiment trump their reason when it comes to breeding.