i don't remember exactly how this conversation got started, but i was in the car with another black friend of mine yesterday while passing a group of dog owners and their dogs at an off-leash dog area at Wilshire park.
"That's such a white thing" she says.
"what's a white thing? dog parks?"
"OFF-LEASH dog parks."
"really? i don't think so."
"you don't think so?"
"no, what's race got to do with it?" ( i've never given any thought about it until today)
"have you ever seen black people at the off-leash dog park???"
i had to stop to think. "well um, no...."
"that's my point."
that conversation unleashed (no pun intended) a long discussion about the relationship between white people and their dogs, and black people and their dogs. there really are differences, starting with the dog park thing. i have never seen any black people at the dog park letting their dog run wild. have you? and not that it's a bad thing, i've just never seen it. i've also never seen or heard of any black people who let their dogs sleep in their beds. have you? but i've met plenty of white people who do.
my first argument was that yes, there are many black people who regard their dogs as family. there's no difference there. but from my observations, i've never seen a black person take a plastic bag with them while walking their dogs, picking up the poop with their hands, through the bag. and i never see them at off-least dog parks. and not that there's any particular reason why, but on the flip side, i don't think it's just coincidence. i guess it's a cultural thing.
21 comments:
Just curious. If you've never seen a black person take a plastic bag with them to pick up their dog's poo... how do they pick it up? With a scooper thing?
*chuckle* You've never seen me. I let my dog lie in bed with me and take him to dog parks. (The question is how many dog parks are in lower-income neighborhood where unfortnately many minorities live? And if there is, why? There usually aren't any good children parks in those areas. I digress.)I carry plastic bags and a blue pooper scopper (and some serious antibacterial wipes.) I even take my dog on vacations me regardless of whether I travel by car or plane. Yes, I have kids. But what can I say, I love my dog. That and I don't live in a neighborhood where I need my dog for protection. Although if I do, he will handle the situation. *chuckle*wink* By the way, I am black.
Hi TBG
I am a black female dating a white male and have taken my dog to an off leash dog park before, she absolutely loved it.
We used to go reguraly until she started instigating fights with other dogs. She's a big dog, so after awhile I decided we shouldn't go so often so she wouldn't feel territorial over silly things.
I've also picked up poop through plastic bags in the dog park, it's Dog Park etiquette, if people didn't do it it would be a nasty park.
I started having to use the provided shovel and rake when she and her excrement grew in size.
Making a race-case out of how white people choose to entertain their dogs seems more like the product of some obsessive fixation with race than a casual observation. I'm going to go ahead and assume this person could probably stand to lighten up.
re: the statement "but from my observations, i've never seen a black person take a plastic bag with them while walking their dogs, picking up the poop with their hands, through the bag"... pick up the poop is a rule in most cities and parks i've heard of, so just curious - how do black people do it, if you want to generalize? i was just reading that 95%+ of people in new york city pick up their dog's c***, even though it's unpleasant, and even though the city hardly enforces the law at all. hmmmm... i guess human nature isn't all bad.
i had to laugh when i read this, because i do the plastic bag thing in my own yard, and i thought i was the only person who does this (i have a decent sized yard that my dog can get her exercise at home, and also, because she's a pit bull, it's probably best to be conservative about going out in public). hey, the baggie is quick, easy, and effective.
The historical relationship between black people and dogs is quite different than that of white people and dogs. Lest not forget that dogs have been used as weapons against black people through history - from the slavery period, through Jim Crow in the south, etc. That is why many young black males use dogs just as they use guns, as weapons or a show of power.
White people evolved in lower population density environments (solar density is lower up north so there are fewer food calories to go around). Because of that, their "hunting parties" consisted of far fewer members and the vacuum was naturally filled by symbiotic wolves which gradually evolved into dogs.
When a black "gangsta" refers to his underlings as his "dogs" he is merely expressing a viewpoint of the modern version of the hunting party as embedded in a majority white culture.
This conversation is silly. I'm Latino myself and the other day I saw at the Claremont Dog Park this lovely young African-American young lady with an IMMACULATELY groomed and well taken care of Maltese. The key point is that our bond with our dogs is an ancient HUMAN canine bond. We all feel that bond regardless of where our ancestors came from.
Thats Because White People Are Related To Dogs They Come From Dogs Have You Ever Wondered Why They Smell Like Dogs When The Get Wet???? Because Thats Who They Are They Treat Them So Royally Because They're Family & The Whole Thing With Michael Vick His Whole Career Was Ruined Because He Let Vicious Dogs Like Pit Bulls Fight Eachother.... Makes You Wonder
although i've met a few black people that treat their dogs well
and love them as I love mine, overwhelmingly, the vast majority of dogs owned by blacks are in for a terrible life,lacking in any type of love or even being fed regulerly and spending their entire lives on short chains with
no house. whats with all the pits and rots?
This is a bit out-there, but here goes. I'm white, I used to love dogs (my best friend at home in my teenage years was a dog), but I've come to change my view. Here's a possibility. White people used to own black people --like livestock. That's the horrible past we're dealing with here. White people can't own black people anymore (black people and the Constitution told them it was wrong and they got used --sort of --to the idea). Now there's 2 things going on now with white people and dogs: 1) white people still want to own another living being in a domestic setting, and 2) they want to prove to themselves that they're good people, and so they lather all this unnatural affection on their dogs. They keep something "enslaved" and they treat it well. Because they're good nice people. See? Last thing, in "Swiss Movement"'s "Compared to What" Les McCann sings, "Tired old lady kissing the dog; I hate the human love of that stinkin mutt: tryin' to make it real, compared to what?". I'm writing this now because the dog across the street (100% white neighborhood) is dumb and mean. He's come up at me twice growling and barking. Last time I picked up a rock and told the owner to get him in or I'd use it. Just now, the same dog got out and 3 of my neighbors have spent the last 45 minutes trying to smooch up to it. The evil thing won't have any of it. At least he doesn't think THEY'RE dogs like him! I'll give him that much.
@cal you are the butt fuckingest libtard imaginable. First off only a elite few whites ever owned slaves. It's not like everybody and their brother had an army of "Toby's" at their disposal. I am so goddamned mad at your post that I almost forgot to say something about dogs.
@Anonymous ..
"I am so goddamned mad at your post that I almost forgot to say something about dogs".
Liberal is fair. I know from your neck of woods (literally.. just joking), that's a slur, but it's accurate. The one thing I really want to say is that in nearly every one of my exchanges with someone who might be called a "white racist," you guys always got a sense of humor (that's why I quoted you on top). A lot of liberals don't have that you know, and a little humor is such a pleasant thing. If only you could get over this one bad idea you have. Maybe that'll happen the day Tea-Partiers realize that Occupy Wallstreeters are on their side. Anyway, I had to get that out there...
I am black I have three dogs. I walk them 3 miles a day I pick up their poop I brush them I brush their teeth they sleep in bed with me I take them to the vet. I buy the best food and boil chicken and make vegetables for them. So your stupid for even making those stupid judgements. Even though you haven't seen this or that doesn't make it so. Idiot
Dumb,
Dumb
You are an idiot.
White, educated, urbsn/suburban people treat their dogs very differently than white rural people in general...alot of rural folks wouldn't dare to let their dogs on the furniture or in their bed, so, no, not all white people 'baby' their dogs but compared to every other race, they absolutely do. It's important to remember there are dog breeds for a reason. Hunting breeds were and still are not treated as pets, and these breeds in a modern world are still often most abused, then the guarding/sheparding breeds.
There's an old saying: you donlt see no poodles in the ghetto. Blacks tend to keep dogs as yard guards. They are never, ever allowed in doors, no matter the weather and spend long periods of their lives totally alone. Pits and rotties are the 'go to' dogs for black males who want to walk without being harassed. Unfortunately, many also use them to pen fight. You know someones training a dog for a angry temper when things are hung from tree limbs, like knotted ropes, rawhides, etc and the dog is encouraged to bite at it. Scars around the dogs head are also good indicators. Dogs in non white groups are rarely treated well outside of city centers, especially in the South. I train companion dogs, specifically, and the tyoe of training for that sort of dog will be wildly different than for a S&R dog, a sled dog, a drug/weapons dog, etc etc. But friends who work in animal rescue say across the board the majority of cruelty/neglect/abandonment of dogs and cats are done by people of color. Much of this is socio-economic and it is the poor and uneducated who do the most breeding of humans and animals. Unwanted, neglected dogs often show the same of the kids in the households.
The real trick is: how do you convince the poor and stressed out to stop over breeding themselves and the animals they acquire? In a resource strapped world, this is an important issue. Food, water, energy, and available land are dwindling for all sentient life both wild and civilized, yet people continue to reproduce with little more thought to it beyond,"I want...". The impact on Life and decreasing resoirces is of little importance to these minds.
BTW, some of the most irresponsible dog owner behavior I've ever witnessed happens at dog parks, which are little more than 'good white folk' social places. The smug,"Aren't we all wonderful briniging our dogs here?" nonsense is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Not to mention the utter ignorance regarding the 'language' of canines, which is mainly in the body, these idiots comprehend is pathetic. 'Abuse' comes in many forms and trying to pretend your kewl dog is remotely 'like' humans is one of those forms.
Dogs donlt need nice, shady, clean safe parks. Children do. Get your activism into the poor neighborhoods, learn to walk your dog on leash then leave him in the A/C while you fight for the betterment of human life in oppressed areas. People willing to treat people like crap or have kids they can't afford does more towards animal cruelty more than anything else next to the western meat diet.
And next time you go to tie your dog up in the heat, cold, and lightening...how about you tie yourself up out there FIRST? Oh, you wouldn't like that? It would hurt?
Then gee, there's your answer about wether it's 'good' for the animal or not. Please report anyone who does this and follow up with the agency to ensure they've checked up on it. 'Care' and 'cruelty' have very different meanings people!
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