Racism and Dogs

I've been thinking a lot about the image of pit bulls and how strangers perceive different looking types of pit bull owners.

While I'm walking Porter and Sadie, most strangers on the street assume (I know because enough strangers have told me this) that Porter and Sadie were rescued and that they must be nice.

When Joe, their dog walker who happens to be an African American male is walking them, people make negative comments about the dogs and say things to Joe that insinuate they think he is unable to handle them. Once, he told me, a white woman walked past him and said 'oh, you people.'

Of course these are not absolutes. People have certainly been frightened of P & S when I've had them and kiss and hug them when Joe has them.

The majority of strangers who are scared of Porter and Sadie no matter who they are with, however, are African American--a trait in this neighborhood is often closely tied to economic status. A majority of the people who live in the Chelsea projects, for one reason or another, are African American.

While Michael Vick tried to defend himself by saying that animal abuse (dog fighting specifically) was a part of his African American culture, I argue it's more closely tied to a low economic status. Destitution and desperation brings out the worst in people....whether you're talking about how they treat themselves, their children or their pets.