Frustrating pit bull conversation #7,421.

Because I enjoy beating my head against the wall, I opened my mouth in defense of pitties the other day. You can guess what ensued.

Background: I’m Facebook friends with a young lady whom I used to babysit. (Newsflash, Burnout: You’re old.) Recently, she posted a link to a petition urging Congress to ban pit bulls (because we all know how well Facebook petitions work out). I knew she worked at a doggie daycare, so I was confused and commented to that effect. I don’t have the comment because she deleted it, but it was something like, “How can you want to ban pit bulls if you work at a doggie daycare? Come meet my pittie!”

The following conversation transpired. Because I’m a bitch and firmly believe that the younger generation isn’t being taught to write properly, all typos have been preserved. (No, I don’t capitalize on Facebook. Count yourselves lucky I capitalize here.)

Her: yea and one of the reasons i work there is because pitts are not aloud. no i dont blame the dogs i blame the people who bred them this way in the first place.

Me: yeah i know a lot of people feel that way. we get plenty of looks when we take lucy out. then they meet her and love her! since you love dogs i'd encourage you to check out best friends animal sanctuary (utah), bad rap (cali), and recycled love and bmore dog (both baltimore), all of whom work with abused pitties and advocate responsible dog ownership. after all, pitties aren't the first dogs to be demonized (german shephers, dobermans, rotties) and they won't be the last.

Her: ive met allot of pits, and yes some can be good but everyone has the potential to snap. and i dont like any breeds that are built and bred to protect, dogs are saposed to be mans freind. they shouldent be used for protection at all ever. and no i dont want to check out pit bull rescues.. i will never own a pit or would recomend a pit to any one. and if anyone wants to own one fine, but they should know that they will have to go threw allot. they wont be let into allot of places, certain vets, dogy daycares, apartments, dog parks, and there are allot of countys who have already banned them.

And with that, I went to snuggle my Lucy, possibly detouring to the kitchen for a fortifying glass of wine. Even though it was delivered by a less-than-articulate 20-year-old, the message that came through loud and clear was, “Your dog’s vicious. No one wants her around. She should be outlawed.” Hello, if I wanted this bullshit treatment I’d move to Denver. Red and I were well aware of the hoops we’d be made to jump through by choosing to live with a pit bull, and it has been 100% worth it, whether or not Lucy will be turned away from doggie daycare. I could spend my time dissecting her argument—dogs shouldn’t be bred for protection? Your doggie daycare welcomes German shepherds, doesn’t it?—but it should be obvious to anyone reading this that it’s full of holes and myths. Still, I can’t pretend I wasn’t discouraged to hear such breed discrimination from a so-called dog person.

Oh, and Camp Bow Wow? I’ve searched all over your site—including the local franchise site—and can’t find a single mention of bully breeds not being permitted. So either your employee is talking out of turn, or I call false advertising. The former would seem to be the case, as a link on your News page to Tracie Hotchner’s Dog Talk podcast #148, which aired on October 17, 2009, indicates that an earlier pit bull ban had been dropped and that all dogs would be evaluated as the individuals they are. What gives?

Photoshop says Lucy doesn't have flash-eye. It is wrong.