>wait until there are so many cats you need a pack of pitbulls to get
>rid of them.
 
I know this isn't the focus of the list, and I'll understand entirely
if it doesn't make it past BIG.  I just feel it necessary to comment
publically on this statement.  It's this type of characterization that
leads to things like the CA anti-ferret laws.  Most pitbulls are not
aggressive towards cats.  My friend has a 45 pound pit who runs from
their 5 pound cat.  Pits, in general, are some of the most loving dogs
one could hope to meet.  They do have a highish prey drive, but they're
also fairly easily trained because they WANT to please their humans.
Some of them only have about one brain cell (which makes training more
difficult), but that whole brain cell is poured into licking you to
death.  They were bred for *extreme* loyalty towards their humans.  They
are vocal players and some of the growling noises that they make while
playing can be frightening to the unitiated.  To anyone who knows
pibbles, it causes extreme giggling.
 
Sound anything like people's reactions to a ferret's showing off of his
teeth and chasing people around the house or attaching himself to your
sock, while you're wearing it?  You can paint any animal in a negative
way without resorting to statements inferring that that animal is a
killer of innocents.  If you want people to start accepting that ferrets
aren't exotics and that they don't destroy ecosystems and cause the
complete erradication of a species in an area then being open-minded
about species or breeds that are maligned in mainstream media may be
the best place to start.  Not until you can do that yourself should you
expect anyone else to be able to see what you're trying to tell them
about what a neat pet a ferret can be.
 
--
Karen Balle
[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 4247]