The Art of Dogsitting

Over the past several days, I have been dogsitting. It's been a blast spending time with these two dogs. They are kind, trusting, funny, and love to be pet. They also enjoy licking - everywhere, including the feet (that tickles). We all took a nap together and to wake me up, one of them licked my ear! I'm glad I chose to dogsit and to get to know these two wonderful animals better.

The thing is that they are pitbulls. Like so many others, I've always heard bad stories about pitbulls, but I also knew that it depends on how one loves and trains the dogs. "Pitbulls are dangerous," "deadly," "mean," etc., are often heard. Some places that allow you to live with dogs, won't allow pitbulls. They really get a bad rap!

Isn't it so similar to how people think of felons? "Felons are dangerous," is what we hear. Yet, not all felons are- just like not all pitbulls are. If you try to rent an apartment as a felon, you get the same denial you do with a pitbull. So, is it that felons = pitbulls? In the eyes of society, which is more dangerous?

I challenge everyone to rethink the generalizations they make about any group. Pitbulls can be trained into killers, humans can too. However, no pitbull is born a killer and no human is either. Not all felons are killers. Not all pitbulls are either. 

These two sweeties certainly have a big bark, but they are as gentle as any well-behaved dog I've known! We must be kindred spirits. The world sees us as bad when, in reality, we only want to make the world a better place!