People keep crossing the street when they see Brutus and I'm done staying quiet about it
Brutus is a pitbull, 2 years old, and honestly the most chill dog I've ever owned. But I'm tired of pretending it doesn't bother me when someone grabs their kid's hand and walks the other way just because of how he looks. He's never bitten anyone, never even growled at a stranger. He just wants to sniff stuff and get belly rubs. I read somewhere that small dogs actually bite more than pitbulls do in real numbers, which kind of blew my mind. Anyone else dealing with this? How do you handle it without getting bitter about it?
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Thanks y'all, this actually helps. Some days it just gets to me more than others, you know?
I've owned dogs my whole life and seen plenty of breeds get a bad name they didn't deserve. People believe what they're told to believe, especially if it's repeated enough. It's frustrating but you're doing the right thing just by living your normal life with him.
This happens with working breeds too, just for different reasons. Best thing you can do is keep doing what you're doing — calm dog, good leash manners, no drama. Over time the people who actually live near you will see it. Strangers on the street, you'll never win that one and honestly it's not worth the energy.
You're right about the numbers, and it gets brought up constantly because most people have never actually seen the data. A lot of what people fear comes from media coverage, not real bite statistics. The fact that Brutus is calm and well socialized matters way more than his breed label, but unfortunately that's not how most people think when they see him coming.