Letters to the Editor
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I'm So Lucky
I wake up every morning and say to myself, "I'm so lucky." This is because laying on the floor next to me is my beloved pit bull, wagging his tail and smiling at me.
My pit bull has truly been a gift. Having come off the streets of LA, there were people who told me it would be safer for me to have adopted a crocodile, but my dear sweet dog has proven them all wrong.
My dog has taught me how to live in the moment, how not to hold a grudge, and most importantly, what it's like to experience prejudice. As a white female, I really had never experienced this before, but since I adopted my pit bull five years ago, I've learned what it's like to have people make cruel remarks based solely on your ethnicity (breed), move to the other side of the road, and refuse to sit next to me in a public park.
I recently tried to purchase a new townhome so that my dog could have his own outdoor patio, but was denied by the home owner's assocation due to the alleged breed of my dog. This was despite the fact that I had provided information on his registration with the city, certificate of formal training, references for my current home owner's association, vet records, and a statement on his good nature from his professional dog walking service. Yet no one seemed to care that the most violent dog living in the building was a Jack Russell Terrier. Apparently, our society finds it acceptable for that particular breed to bark constantly and nip at anyone that comes within their path.
Unfortunately, racism is alive and well in America.