I am trying to be more circumspect in my writing. Recently, the interesting stories are ones that are not mine to tell. I am compelled to leave out so many details that it is not a very satisfying story.
The super-condensed version of the story is that one of the adults in the larger ERJ orbit was bitten twice by a pit-bull today and is likely to miss one or two weeks of work. The dog yanked the leash out of the owner's hand, charged across the yard and tore into ERJ's friend. That pisses me off.
The End.
Today was the Extended ERJ family Christmas party
I was in a grumpy mood due to having just visited my friend in the local E.R.
We had a White Elephant gift exchange.
I received 20 "Psalms" in the gift I randomly picked.
"And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest."
It will be interesting to see if any can unravel the clue.
The two White Elephants that Mrs ERJ and I took were a large package of hand-warmers that we purchased at an end-of-hunting-season sale and a fruitcake.
Fruitcake from the Trappist Monks at Gethsemani were a fixture at my maternal grandparents' December gatherings. I did not think I liked fruit-cake until I learned as a young adult to cut a thin sliced that glowed like a stained-glass window when holding it up to the light.
To quote Mark Twain
Vicious dogs are just another reason to always be carrying. And as the economy tanks a lot of people who can no longer afford to feed their dogs will take the cowards solution. They will dump their dogs, usually in rural areas. This will lead to large numbers of feral dogs, usually running in packs. These packs will pose a significant risk to people. Know this and be prepared for it.
ReplyDeleteI cannot understand why anyone would want to own a bulldog or a cross. Just the legal exposure should stop even the most sociopathic from wanting one. ---ken
ReplyDeleteSuppose you had a crappy job and a side hustle that operated on an all-cash basis. Also suppose that you rented where you lived and it was crappy and run-down and had cheesy doors and door frames. Now suppose your side hustle sometimes generated a lot of cash and you did not trust banks.
DeleteThe downside of not having a pitbull is that an anemic three-year-old could kick in the door of your rented apartment and steal all of your cash or merchandise. Getting dropped by your property insurance company is a non-issue. You have no significant financial assets on-record.
If you have a pitbull or four then you have a deterrent that reduces the chances of getting ripped-off with little downside to you, personally.
This demographic also thrives on images and symbols the project virility.
From the perspective of that demographic, pitbulls make a certain kind of economic sense.
Most people I have known like that never worried about having their home invaded as it looked like they didn't have anything worth stealing. And cash is easy to hide. And dogs are easy to kill quietly. ---ken
DeleteOur neighbor's German Shepard attacked another dog that the owner was walking in the park with, leashed. The GS leaped the front fence and attacked the dog. When the owner tried to intervene, the dog bit him on the hand, not severely but did draw blood.
ReplyDeleteThe neighbor was not home and the other's dogs owner was in front to ask them if the dog had the rabies shot. He did not want to get the neighbor in any trouble or cause any harm to the dog. He figured dogs will be dogs and that it happens. Just wanted to check if he needed to get hospital rabies treatment.
Way more understanding than I would have been, I give him that.
Fruitcakes. I never much cared for fruitcake until my wife won a fruitcake from College of the Ozarks.
ReplyDeleteIt was wonderful and once again I learned the lesson that there is a world of difference between a well made item and an indifferently made item.
I'll second the motion on Always Be Armed, with the corollary that you better damn well be prepared to use it, not stand there like a duck in thunder wondering what's going on.
ReplyDeleteTwice I stopped charging dogs with a shot into the ground in front of it. Once with a shotgun, once with a revolver.
ReplyDeleteNext shot was going to be center of mass, but the target was hauling ass away.
ALWAYS be armed.
Geez!
ReplyDeleteSeven replies and not one...'it's not the breed, it's how it was raised'...crock of BS.
I've read a few places that the pit is susceptible to 'dementia'. Unfortunately, it is very well equipped to maim if it's IFF shorts out. Won't have one. That maw reminds me of a wood chipper with a blown 440 power plant running nitro-methane. I'm in an area that makes and consumes meth by the tanker load. Skinnies are to be watched closely, just like the pit.
DeleteI have always run a fruitcake disposal service for friends. Never met a fruitcake I didn't like until . . .
ReplyDeleteCrazy girlfriend who shared the family secret fruitcake with me. Graham cracker crumbs and marshmallow fluff mixed and candied fruit worked in by kneeling. Yep, it was ghastly, the things young men do for women
Re: Circumspection. Something I have remind myself of often as well - not only for the stories, but that I am not revealing anything that was even remotely given to me in confidence.
ReplyDeleteI consider fruitcake the perfect backpacking or survival food. Non-perishable, no preparation needed. People are usually happy to give them away, so you get them for free. All you need is a knife, and look at the number of servings you get!
ReplyDeletePitbulls, the fighting kind, were bred not to attack people. If they did show people aggression they were put down. Any pit showing people aggression should be put down. Well, of course thats not the case anymore. Staffordshire bull terriers are a bred group were people aggression is not tolerated for the most part. Make good companions but they are often dog, cat, rabbit squirrel etc aggresive.
ReplyDelete