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Equal Opportunity Barking
Mar. 8th, 2010 09:41 pm
In this part of the world, unfortunately, many dogs are accused of being 'racists'. Or their owners are accused of encouraging them to be 'racist'. It's also mostly black people accusing white people of having 'racist' dogs. I've even heard things from black people like, "Oh, it's the hair products. Dogs hate Jerri-Curl" or "black people smell different in general".
In general, I think it's a bunch of b.s. Yes, dogs do pick up on subtle cues thrown by their owners, so I suppose a racist person, or even someone who was uneasy around someone of a different skin color, might be cuing their dog to be uneasy. But... my mother was racist - our dogs were not, even the ones who were highly protective of her.
Chelsie is definitely not a racist dog. She isn't particular towards any one genre or type of person. Chelsie arbitrarily chooses who she will bark and growl at versus those who aren't all that interesting to her. In some ways, it makes her dangerous. She's unpredictable. She has no patterns or tells. We'll be sitting in the car & a family will walk by - maybe a couple with a baby, or a couple of kids. Chelsie is foaming at the mouth. A little old man will walk by - nothing. A little old woman will walk by - rabid dog goes rabid. Another family with kids - no barkie, a single woman - barkie. Some homeless person panhandling? No bark. Guy in a suit & tie? Bark. A man getting into a car two parking lots away - bark. Some guy putting flyers on cars, including ours - no bark.
This morning, after barking at a guy in a bandanna much like Rob wears, not barking at some day workers... she started losing her ever-loving mind. I'm looking around & there is not a single living soul for blocks. Finally, I see the van next to us. It's from Circuit City or something & has the image of three larger-than-life men on the side of the van. Chelsie was foaming at the mouth & pawing at the car window trying to get at them.
I can rest peacefully knowing that if giants in blue work shirts invade the house, Chelsie will eat them.
In general, I think it's a bunch of b.s. Yes, dogs do pick up on subtle cues thrown by their owners, so I suppose a racist person, or even someone who was uneasy around someone of a different skin color, might be cuing their dog to be uneasy. But... my mother was racist - our dogs were not, even the ones who were highly protective of her.
Chelsie is definitely not a racist dog. She isn't particular towards any one genre or type of person. Chelsie arbitrarily chooses who she will bark and growl at versus those who aren't all that interesting to her. In some ways, it makes her dangerous. She's unpredictable. She has no patterns or tells. We'll be sitting in the car & a family will walk by - maybe a couple with a baby, or a couple of kids. Chelsie is foaming at the mouth. A little old man will walk by - nothing. A little old woman will walk by - rabid dog goes rabid. Another family with kids - no barkie, a single woman - barkie. Some homeless person panhandling? No bark. Guy in a suit & tie? Bark. A man getting into a car two parking lots away - bark. Some guy putting flyers on cars, including ours - no bark.
This morning, after barking at a guy in a bandanna much like Rob wears, not barking at some day workers... she started losing her ever-loving mind. I'm looking around & there is not a single living soul for blocks. Finally, I see the van next to us. It's from Circuit City or something & has the image of three larger-than-life men on the side of the van. Chelsie was foaming at the mouth & pawing at the car window trying to get at them.
I can rest peacefully knowing that if giants in blue work shirts invade the house, Chelsie will eat them.
