Classical Values :: And if you put lipstick on a pit bull, then what?

September 25, 2008

And if you put lipstick on a pit bull, then what?

I'm usually a patient and reasonable person, but this time, M. Simon has gone too far.

At least, that was my reaction (Coco is in unilateral agreement, of course) to the above "Dog Man" picture. Especially when I read Beldar's link which led to this:

...wolves are more equal than caribou, says the Humane Society in its endorsement of Barack Obama. The Humane Society Legislative Fund's president writes that the group has never before endorsed a presidential candidate, but Sarah Palin simply poses too great of a threat to animals....

The post mentions "the Humane Society's decision to veer off into PETA territory." That's putting it mildly; see these three posts for starters. HSUS has made a convicted Animal Liberation Front criminal activist a deputy in their organization, and he has gone from illegal pre-dawn raids on mink ranches to legal (but trumped up, IMO) raids on dog breeders. Naturally, he wants to end all dog breeding. So presumably, the cute little Fifi dog Obama is holding will be part of what the new HSUS boss wants to be the last generation:

"One generation and out. We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding."

Sorry, but these people have a very radical agenda, and the fact that they have warmly endorsed Barack Obama provides yet another reason to vote against him.

I'll take a pit bull wearing lipstick any day!

And really. "Dog Man"? (Surely Simon must know what the term means in pit bull lingo....)

Not to get overly cute, but for the life or me, I just can't resist sharing a true story of a pit bull with lipstick:

Although something of a genius in working dogs, even Tudor had a problem with Centipede. When he walked the dog, he stayed back at the end of the leash. Puzzled, Tudor stopped and looked at the dog, and the dog lay down! As patient as he was with the dogs, he wasn't sure that he could ever get Centipede in shape. He decided to rely upon natural ability and endurance for his first contest, which Centipede won handily in less than thirty-five minutes.

The next opponent had a bit of a reputation, so Tudor enlisted his friend Red Howell to work the dog. Now Red was a real genius with dogs, a harbinger to the coming of Ham Morris just a few years later, another gem at training animals. Red never used force in training his dogs, but he understood their psychology. He discovered that Centipede was a natural house dog, and he would do anything for attention. Red's girls would dress Centipede up in dresses and put lip stick on him, and the dog thrived on it.

Red and Centipede worked out a deal. If Centipede would run the turn table mill for a specified time, he could go in the house after his rub down. Nothing else would work. Centipede was unexcited by cats, and if Red placed a dog in Centipede's view, his eyes showed fire, but the dog was too smart to not know that the harness was keeping him from getting to the dog, so he didn't run the mill. Somehow Red was able to convey to the dog that he would get a reward for running the mill. The first time he took a few steps on the mill, Red brought him in the house. Very quickly, the dog got the idea. So Centipede spent a good part of his keep in Red's house with his young daughters. Howell told Bob Wallace that Centipede was absolutely the smartest dog he ever saw of any breed. He would bring Red a bottle of beer, opening up the ice box to get it. Red swore that he could have taught him to open those bottles too.

The match between Centipede and Black Boy would qualify as a classic contest. The dogs met in the center like a couple of freight trains, and first Black Boy had the upper hand. In fact, the lead changed a couple of times, with its being anyone's match up until the two-hour mark. At that point, Centipede finally took command for good. Saddler gave it up in 22 more minutes in a desperate attempt to save his dog. (Emphasis added.)

Advantage, lipstick.

NEPOTISTIC DISCLOSURE: Centipede's name appears eight times in Coco's pedigree.

posted by Eric on 09.25.08 at 05:39 PM

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Comments

I just started visiting this site daily. As relief from Jerry Springer Nation, it' a refreshing experience, even theraputic.

I thought the affection for pit bulls expressed here stemmed from a fundamental love of animals. I assumed pit bulls are held in special esteem on this blog partly because of the bad rap they get. I have always believed that their vicious reputation was the result of having vicious owners.

However, After reading this item glorifying dog-fighting, and dog-fight trainers, I'm afraid I jumped to conclusions. Say "hey" to Jerry for me.

(backs out door) SLAM!

Born Free · September 25, 2008 07:34 PM

If you had bothered to click on the link, you'd see that "Centipede" (the dog in the story) was born in 1933. (I don't think Jerry Springer was on TV yet.) This is not to glorify dog fighting, but it's a famous tale of a famous dog, and an undeniable part of the breed's history. It's lifted from Richard Stratton's popular book on the breed.

A fascinating book, by the way; I recommend it highly:

http://www.amazon.com/This-American-Pit-Bull-Terrier/dp/0876666608/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222387604&sr=8-6

I thought the affection for pit bulls expressed here stemmed from a fundamental love of animals.

Yes. Especially my animals. I've owned pit bulls since 1976.

I assumed pit bulls are held in special esteem on this blog partly because of the bad rap they get.

Partly that, but mostly because I like them.

I have always believed that their vicious reputation was the result of having vicious owners.

Yes, you must have missed my numerous posts about Michael Vick.

http://www.classicalvalues.com/archives/2007/08/post_430.html

http://www.classicalvalues.com/archives/2007/08/post_426.html

Vick's dogs turned out not to be vicious at all; most of them were found to be adoptable.

For more information on why, I highly recommend this New Yorker article:

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/02/06/060206fa_fact

Eric Scheie · September 25, 2008 08:10 PM

Photos and stories about Coco are one of the reasons I keep coming back to this blog. I'm in love with Coco. It's platonic, tell her not to worry.

When we were looking for a dog to adopt, we started out looking for a young adult pit bull (my choice, being enamored with Coco) or boxer (my husband's choice).

Of course, being emotional human adults we were taken with two puppies of unknown breed (but obviously with some husky and lab influence) and took those instead.

We were at an animal shelter, and unfortunately got two animals infected with parvo. The male survived, the female didn't.

Raising a puppy is something that shouldn't be undertaken lightly, we learned. We have a fine dog now despite our inexperience at dog parenting.

Then, a breeder (probably not the ethical kind) told my husband he had a Great Pyrenees that he needed to give away. I'm sure something is "wrong" with the dog, but we haven't found anything yet, except neglect of everything but food and water.

Give Coco an extra treat from me, okay? She's indirectly been responsible for the rescue of three dogs. I include the puppy that died because at least she got a week of petting and the kind of love that is impossible to offer at a shelter.

You do more good than you know.

Donna B. · September 26, 2008 01:12 AM

Donna thank you! (It's obvious that I get misunderstood occasionally, though...)

Parvo is terrible; I lost an entire litter of puppies to it years ago. By now most dogs have some hereditary immunity, and the vaccines are good. But diseases constitute an ecological niche, and no sooner is one under control than another appears or an old one mutates. (The latest pit bull nightmare is Babesia gibsoni -- which is nearly exclusive to pit bulls, although like any disease it will probably evolve.)

Lest I be accused of spoiling her, I won't publicly disclose Coco's favorite food. However, the next time I give her that unnamed favorite treat, I'll tell her it's from you!

Eric Scheie · September 26, 2008 12:38 PM