How to deal with the ignorance of others?!

Kathy74

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#1
Okay, I'm used to being known as "the lady with the big black dogs" and I've had to explain to MANY people that they are not mean just b/c they are big and black! Now, we've adopted Marlee, a 6mth old rottweiler, who was left starving and sick with parvo at our vet clinic. We've had her for almost a month, and I cannot believe people's reaction to her breed! It is absolutely insane. "Why do you need a guard dog" "Why would you pick a mean breed" "What are you going to do with her if you have kids" and many other strings of stupidity! Thankfully, most of our friends and the people who matter are not like that, but how do you tactfully deal with the idiots?!
I must say, I've had wonderful chats with past and present rottie owners who are excited for us b/c they are such a wonderful breed. And it warms my heart to hear about their big babies! I researched the breed before we adopted her, but we didn't adopt her b/c of her breed, we adopted her b/c she needed a forever home and we have the room, time and love for 1 more! And I plan to raise her to be a big sucky-bear just like my other 2 and my cat!
 

Babyblue5290

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#2
I'm sorry people can be so ignorant sometimes. My cousins have always owned Rotties and they are such a great breed. They can be such big teddy bears ;)
I don't really know what to tell you about what to say to those people. One A few weeks ago this little girl wanted to pet "the giant doggy" as she called Chloe. I thought it was cute cause Chloe is so much taller than she was. The girl was probably 5 or 6 yrs old and Chloe is so gentle with little children. I asked the parent if it was ok that she pet Chloe and that she was very gentle and would Lie down so the little girl could pet her, but the lady said "no I don't want my girl to get bitten by a doberman!!!" :eek:
I was like what?!! How could you mistake a great dane for a doberman!! Now I would understand if the parent didn't want the girl to get hurt from an unfamiliar dog, but to be so mistaken of what breed chloe was and to not let the girl pet her cause the lady thought she was a Dobie?! That erked me a bit. A bit later I saw the girl petting this big white dog, I think was a Great Pyrinese, that was a bit hyper and knocked the girl over. And the mother though nothing of it even though Chloe was laying down very calmly waiting for the girl to come over. People can be so ignorant sometimes. :rolleyes:
 
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#3
I had a two year long 'issue' with my neighbors regarding our dogs. People are just not patient enough to learn about different breeds. The media also does not help by eroneously reporting dog maulings as the dog's fault, when the dogs were doing their job (biting and intruder) or when they stereotype certain breeds as aggresive (Dobermans in movies).

Anyway, all you can do is educate.
 

smkie

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#4
maybe you need to have a t-shirt with Good Dog Carl on it..i think he has been the poster child in changing a lot of the ignorance about the breed..now all we need is a pitty poster child...if someone had a good story..i might try to come up with the work..it would be worth it. I have been a Good Dog Carl Fan forever...if you haven't seen the stories, check them out. :) Carl is a real dog owned by the artist..and a hospital visitation dog too!
 

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Barb04

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#5
Kathy it's sad the way people think. Even with our new puppy, I say she's a mastiff mix because I don't want to get involved in a story about her lines (pitbull/neo). No matter how much info you give to people, they will still think what they want to about certain breeds. Some people don't understand that it's the owners that make a difference. All we can do is love our dogs and show others what good dogs they are. I'd love to be your neighbor!
 
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#6
My aunt had a Rotty when we were growing up, and she was the most easy tempered lovable dog EVER. You just need to bring it to their attention (politely, they can't help the fact that they are MORONS), that they are going by stereotypes and they should do research on the breed before making offensive comments.

It is ridiculous people would say something like that about your dog and very RUDE. You should point it out to them. If they want to talk to you about your pets, they need to say nice things.

I'm sorry you have to deal with that. Congratulations on your beautiful new puppy. :)
 

Saintgirl

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I am so sorry that you have to go through that. Rotties are beautiful dogs, and can make the most wonderful pets. Congradulations for rescuing the little one who was in need, I am sure you will be rewarded a million times over for having the little one added to your family.

I can understand the people who are uneducated about dogs having bias opinions about certain breeds (this does not mean I think that it is okay, or that I agree with them), but those that are proclaimed dog lovers having these bias opinions absolutley infuriate me. The other day I was at the dog park chatting with a woman who also attends on a regular basis. She told me that the only thing that she did not like about the park were the am staffs and pitties that are regular visitors. She thought that they should be banned, as well as any huge dog because of the damage that they would cause if they did become out of control. The entire time she is saying this, she is petting Hutch's back (my Saint). I couldn't believe that this woman would say something like this! The pitties and staffies at our park are beautiful well behaved dogs. And sure, Hutch can be a menace with his gigantic wagging tail! I asked her if she had ever had a problem with any of these dogs and she replied that she had not. I guess that some people just choose to be ignorant. Needless to say, Hutch and I found another corner of the park to play in, with an am staff!!! And the two had a fantastic time!
 
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#9
I named my parent's GSD/Rotty mix Carl. He is a wonderful dog! He always acted just like Good Dog Carl when I was growing up, too. :D
 

Kathy74

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#10
Its hard b/c these comments are usually made in the salon, where you can't tell a client how stupid they sound!! It seems so odd that so many people are "warning" me of owning the most passive dog I've ever met!! I try to be very considerate of the one neighbor that is close by...If the girls start barking, it's time to come in.
Ahh the joys of living in a small town! Someone adopted a pitt mix a couple of months ago, and the whole town knew within days that there was a pitt bull in town! The girls and I have been charged by a sheltie, a poodle, and another small mixed breed while walking, but WE'RE the bad ones b/c we have big dogs! HMMMMM....My dogs are always on leash or within a fence, not charging people walking down the street!
 
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#11
Man, I can't imagine how frusterating that would be. We are on good terms with our Hairdresser so she can tell us we are stupid and whatever and we won't care. lol :p
I can't imagine how you must feel because you own a "bad" breed, while I just love them. If I mention my favorite breeds of dogs (Pitties, Neos, Boxers, Rotties) I'll be told, "You don't look like a person who'd own a Pit Bull." or "Why do you like those? They are mean!" I get so frusterated when people say that.
I was talking to my sunday school teacher about Pitties. She was like, "But don't those attack people?" and I went into the Pitties history about them being bred to NOT hurt people and I was saying that it is just the idiots breeding them today that are causing the problem. She was like, "Oh, I didn't know it had to do with there breeding. I thought they were just naturally aggressive." :rolleyes: It has everything to do with the breeding.
And then I was telling her about this beautiful Rottie that was in my obedience class and she was like, "How can you say a Rottie is beautiful?" in a tone like, "Those dogs are killers." I let it slide, but in my head I was going, "Yeash....people these days." (My brother always says that so now it is stuck in my head. lol)

But luckly even though Blackie is big and black, (and we think part Rottie)everybody we've met has loved him. If somebody asks us what breed he is my Mom will always say, "A Lab" or "A Lab mix", but I'll say, "A Lab/Rottie mix". I'm proud that my dog is a Rottie mix, and I don't want to hide it. lol
 

bubbatd

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#12
I LOVE the Carl books.!!!! So much story through pictures.....good for the imagination. I read that the author was going to use a golden retriever but decided on the Rotty to show that they were loving dogs ....as EVERYONE knows what a pussy cat a golden is !
 
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#13
It's amazing how may people become "Dog Experts" when it comes to a dog that isn't theirs. Jake's been mistaken for a rottie by several people who immediately launch into how mean they are. The funniest part is the one 'real' rottie in our neibourhood is perhaps the best trained dog around and the most aggressive thing I've seen that dog do is sniff my hand.

And I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't Rottweilers actually a herding dog originally (and perhaps still)?
 

showpug

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#14
It is hard, because the majority of the general public allows the "media" to make up their minds for them! Try to ignore them and raise a happy and healthy puppy. Prove them wrong! As someone else on this site quotes: "there are no bad dogs, only bad owners." You may want to tell people that quote when they bother you with their rude comments. I have known plenty of sweet and loving Rottweilers in my day. Stay focused and raise your pup to be the dog you know she can be! :p
 

maui

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I totally get where you are coming from. I grew up with a Doberman. She was the sweetest dogs around. She was also a little bit psychic. She knew when someone didn't like me, or the family. So, to them it was, "How can you have that mean dog?" But we knew she was warning her pack of their true colors. ;)
 

Kathy74

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#17
Andrew, you are so right about everyone being "experts"!! A few months ago, I was doing a lady's hair and, knowing I had big dogs, she proceeded to tell me that all big dogs should be banned as only small dogs can be trusted. Hmmm, I've seen my big mean Serene fall fast asleep with a child almost on top of her caressing her ears...Now that's dangerous!
 
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#19
Kathy74 said:
Andrew, you are so right about everyone being "experts"!! A few months ago, I was doing a lady's hair and, knowing I had big dogs, she proceeded to tell me that all big dogs should be banned as only small dogs can be trusted. Hmmm, I've seen my big mean Serene fall fast asleep with a child almost on top of her caressing her ears...Now that's dangerous!
It's the small minds that need to be eradicated . . .

I'll bet she didn't even tip :mad:
 

Purr

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#20
"Minds are like parachutes; they only function properly when OPEN!" That's a great one, too. Believe me, I know exactly what you're going through! I've had people walk to the other side of the street, to get as far away from Beethoven as possible, when I was standing in my own yard, with him on leash :eek: !!! Okay, so he barks, and he barks real deep, too, but he'd never bite anyone! Thank god that when I take him to work with me, everyone who comes in (we have a shipping business) loves him to death, and pets him and Bear the whole time they're in the store.

Luckily for me, the only person who tells me how vicious all my favorite breeds are (pitties, rotties, dobes, and all the other so-called "mean" dogs) is my dad :mad: . He just doesn't get it, no matter what I tell him....You should've seen the look on his face, when my mom told him "Beethoven's a Pit Bull" right as he was saying how awful they are. My mom's cool -- she knows that Pits are not bad dogs, and she loves Beethoven. My dad won't even pet him anymore, when he's around him.

I've got no clue how I'm going to react when someone has the nerve to tell me I've got a bad dog...It's not going to be pretty. The fact that someone could even be leary of him confuses me :confused: .
 

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