Ten Examples of Dog Discrimination That Need to Stop
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Nothing gets our goat more than dog discrimination. It just drives us insane. Have you ever thought about what the world would be like if we banned different genders or cultures from certain places? Yet, somehow everyone is okay with there being dog discrimination. Whether it is being banned from certain places, or being banned or mistreated due to what breed they are, dog discrimination is just not okay in any instance. Yet as this list so sadly points out, it is still prevalent everywhere.
Granted, some of these examples may be funny, but most of them aren’t. While maybe we can laugh at the fact that some beaches don’t allow dogs, we definitely cannot laugh at the fact that Pit bulls are mistreated, abused, and discriminated against. You may think it an issue we bring up a lot, but is there a more pressing issue to dog lovers right now? We think not. If we have to bring it up a million times to foster enough conversation for there to be change, we will bring it up every day. It is an on-going issue, and will remain one until things change.
That is but a small price to pay to try to change the dog discrimination that plagues certain breeds. Here, for your consideration: ten examples of dog discrimination that need to stop, pronto. Be forewarned, some of these may blow your mind.
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Pit Bulls Being Banned and Beaten
Some people may think this will never change, but we are a firm believer it will. But believe it or not, the problem is much wider spread than you may be aware. There are many countries that banned the breed of Pit bull completely. Belgium Brazil, Norway and Poland, to just name a few.
So what needs to happen for the dog discrimination against Pit bulls to stop? The first factor is people need to stop using the breed as weapons or fighting dogs. Michael Vick may have made the issue of dog fighting and Pit bulls more prevalent, but that did not help the dogs at all.
If we didn’t believe we had the power to change people’s perceptions of this dog, why would we talk about them so much? We do because we know we can!
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Dogs Banned from Beaches
Some people may laugh because it certain places on the West Coast, dogs and beaches go hand in hand. But believe it or not, there are many areas where dogs are fully banned from beaches. The reasons are not as cryptic as you may think, though.
It has actually got more to do with people not knowing when there may be some dog waste in the sand and stepping on it with bare feet. Not sure if you have ever stepped on dog doo with bare feet, but it is a pretty awful experience. Heck, even some dog lovers can agree with that.
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Stores That Don’t Allow Service Dogs
Hard to believe, but this is actually a pretty large and widespread problem.
As much as we may all assume that all public places would allow service dogs, there are many well-known establishments that don’t. We know of a recent case a woman brought against (of all places) Goodwill, for not being allowed to enter the premises with her service dog.
Not only is that dog discrimination, but that is human discrimination against the handicapped as well.
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Veterans Evicted for Having Service Dogs
Another awful and heart breaking example. We have heard countless stories of veterans being kicked out of apartment complexes that don’t allow pets, even though the service dogs are supposed to be exempt from such laws.
We are talking about veterans who may have disabilities, PTSD, and depression, using dogs to help assist them in life and to give them hope. Then being thrust out onto the street with their dogs. Nowhere to go, nothing to eat.
How can we all go to sleep at night knowing this is happening right under our noses?
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Breed Specific Legislation
We know we touched on this earlier with our Pit bull rant, but this is the more universal way of looking at it. Certain breeds get banned or outlawed because of the way some awful dog owners have acted. The truth is, you could train anything to be weapon. The glaring reality is, it affects way more breeds than any of us are even aware.
Generally, depending on where you go, the bigger the breed, the more likely it is to be banned. For this reason, Newfoundlands and Mastiffs are just two other examples of breeds have been completely banned in other countries.
That is like banning all trucks from the road because one truck caused an accident once. It just makes no sense. That is the point we are trying to make about most dog discrimination.
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Gay Dog Refused Service at Restaurant
We were embattled about whether or not to put this, because we really thought people might not believe us. But then we found the link to the story on Huffington Post. We figure if you don’t believe us, you are most likely to believe a reputed news source such as The Huffington Post.
Truth is, we can hardly believe this story, either.
The thing about this story, though: The more you think about it, the more questions you have. It actually makes less and less sense the more you think about it. All we know is, we hope someone lost their job for that double duty of dog discrimination and prejudice.
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Taxi Refusing Guide Dogs Entry
We bet you had no idea the huge hurdles that guide dogs and people with guide dogs have to get over, every day. Taxis are another common example. Many taxi drivers will not allow the entry of anyone with guide dogs into their cabs. First of all, why? Second of all, why? Third question we have is, why?
We are assuming some of these cab companies are not familiar with what guide dogs do, and may just assume that because they are dogs, they may be dangerous. Thing is, guide dogs are anything but dangerous. They are actually the unspoken heroes of our society.
More on that in a future article.
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Landlords No-Pet Policies
This is the one that really messes with some of us around the office. If you rent certain apartments, you can’t have a dog. But most people rent apartments because they may need to for a job or they may not have the money to invest in a home. So what you are essentially saying is that poor people or people who cannot afford homes also cannot have a dog.
As if the punishment of being poor is not enough? This is another example of a few bad people ruining it for everyone else. The thing is, this rule is common place for most apartments.
You know what? That just stinks, plain and simple.
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No Dogs at Concerts
This one may seem odd in relation to the other examples of dog discrimination on the list, but hear us out.
There are many people who travel to follow bands or go to festivals. This often means weeks away from the home. So someone should not be able to follow a band they love or go to a three day outdoor show because they can’t bring their dogs? That makes no sense.
We understand that the unspoken element behind most of these rules is that places of business do not want to run the liability of someone being bitten by a dog in or around their establishment. Yet, if you look at all these rules, it would make you think dogs are more like werewolves. Snarling beasts that just want to eat people.
We would say that is a pretty unfair assessment.
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Homeowners Discrimination
Another mind blowing fact. There are a ton of insurance companies that will not ensure certain home owners if they have certain breeds. Can you imagine that? You finally save up the money get your own home. You move your family in. You build a fence and backyard for the dog. All seems fine, but then you can’t insure your house or yourself because of the dog or dog breed you have.
What do you do then?
That, my friends, is dog discrimination at its worst and most unforgivable.
So what do you guys think are some of the worst examples of dog discrimination? Take to the comments and let us now what you think, and please share this article with fellow dog lovers like yourselves.
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Pit Bulls – to the point.
What makes the Pit Bull Class of dog and mixes so dangerous are three things. Their physiology, style of attack and gameness. The PB style of attack is unique to these breeds. Their wide jaws along with muscular chests, shoulders and necks enhance their style which is to grab on to muscle, shake their heads and never let go. This style of attack is not learned, it’s genetic, deliberately bred into them and coupled with gameness, the ability to keep attacking in spite of severe pain, broken bones, blood loss and injury, is why these dogs do such catastrophic harm. Again, this style of attack is not learned, it’s genetic.
No amount of obedience training, socialization or how they were raised makes a particle of a difference on how a Pit Bull attacks.
When a Pit Bull or mix is in a committed attack mode you can beat them over the head with a crowbar, stab them repeatedly with a knife, kick them, throw water on them, burn them even gouge their eyes out and it won’t stop an attack in progress. That’s gameness and it has been deliberately bred into these dogs and it’s why they are the favorite dogs of dog fighters.
If you want to assign blame for the bad and unfortunately well deserved reputation of this class of dog, blame legitimate breeders and Pit Bull Societies which perpetuate this lethal style of attack through deliberate breeding specifically for this unique style of attack and gameness.
The tragedy is that Pit Bull’s are really awesome dogs. They are not evil or mean. Stop blaming the dog and start blaming the people responsible. The dog is only doing what comes naturally.
Joe you are absolutely right .. they are wonderful gentle dogs and that’s the tragedy. The problem is, when these dogs go into attack mode the way they attack can be catastrophic. If breeders would breed out gameness that would be awesome.
Here is the definition of gameness accepted by the American Pit Bull Society.
Gameness in the Pit Bull class of dogs is a canine virtue that is most akin to the human virtue of unflagging courage. It is a determination to master any situation and never back down out of fear. It was developed in pit bulls by many generations of selective breeding. It is what allows a pit bull to keep fighting non-stop for two or more hours, in spite of broken bones, torn muscles, blood loss, dehydration, and exhaustion. But it is also valued by Pit owners who would never think of fighting their dogs. It is manifested in the can-do attitude of pit bulls toward any type of challenge, whether agility competitions, climbing up trees, or protecting their family against an armed attacker, etc.