Home business empire: babysitting, pitbulls, and grapefruits
Tacky Fabulous in Orlando says:
My friends will tell you I'm not the best judge of character, but I really get good feeling about this babysitter. She (or HE!) loves children AND animals AND produce (so healthy)! It really is the ideal situation for working moms in the Lake Mary area.What's the difference between a pitbull and a playmate? In Orlando, NOTHING!
the latest
latest episodes
What, no rusting washer/dryer in the background?
Rabbits for sale: pets or meat
The pit bulls probably help in keeping the babies corralled in.
As a long time pitbull owner that considers myself a pretty knowledgeable person about the breed, I really wouldn't have much of a problem with that. In the early and mid 1900's pitbulls were called "the nanny breed" because of their excellent disposition towards children. Their disposition was a direct result of their dog-fighting background because trainers would specifically breed-out the human aggression characteristic. When dog-fighting was an organized sport, any dog that bit a handler or referee during a match was automatically disqualified. Also, if your dog lost it was bad enough, but to also get bit by your own injured animal would be a true embarrassment. As a result, trying to teach a pure-bred pitbull to bite people is like trying to train a Labrador retriever to not chase a tennis ball.
However, over the last couple decades since dog-fighting has been banned, the sport has gone underground and basically anything goes and a specific element of society has picked pits as their dog of choice and have attempted to breed aggressive tendencies back into the bloodlines. Those animals are an abomination and not fit to be around humans or animals. But I really doubt people out of that group do much babysitting out of their homes . . .
w00t! Lake Mary is my hood. FWIW, most of Lake Mary is the burb's with a high tech strip called "International Parkway". That looks like old Lake Mary, although one house by the high school does have some persimmons for sale.
They're actually great with kids. 'Petey', the dog on The Little Rascals, was a pitbull.
There used to be a tiny shopping center in a small town near me, with a huge sign out front advertising the businesses there:
DAYCARE
DONUTS
GUNS
Always made me snicker...
I wouldn't leave my kids there either, but for what it's worth, all the pet pit bulls I've ever met absolutely adored kids, and were generally very good to them.
Thanks for helping to perpetuate irrational fear of specific dog breeds.
That said, I wouldn't let my child be taken care of by anyone with such sloppy sign-making skills! :)
#6 RJ,
Well, "generally" ain't good enough.
Maybe these signs represent a home business in transition: we're in babysitting now, so let's get rid of the pit bulls?
My grammar skills have completely atrophied, so it's only out of an abundance of assholery that I point out...
Grapefruits, when picked from the tree, are not healthy. They're dead/dying and are beginning to rot.
They might be healthful. They're not healthy.
and now... I will misspell words so that others may attack me:
thier and reccommend.
I've owned three pit bulls, they've all been terrific dogs. It's the ignorant owners that think think it would be "hard" to own one, and then screw the dog up.
The meth goes without sayin'.
BLAINE@10: I cant beleive you wuld mispell such werds. I am shockt and apalled!
(There. Feel better?)
P.S. Where do grape nuts come from?
I wouldn't want to leave my kids with someone who did any kind of backyard breeding!
@Phikus,
All responsible grape owners have their grapes neutered, to prevent the spread of feral grapes and raisins, which would quickly overpower local wildlife. Through the course of scientific research, it was discovered that not only are Grape Nuts delicious, they're also nutritious, and being able to sell them completely offsets the cost of the procedure. There's absolutely no reason you should not have your grapes neutered.
OMG, this is the sign on the bike trail I ride on everyday. Never thought to submit it, but I always laughed at it. I have a sneaking suspicion it belongs to the family who burns tires in their front yard in the winter...
I guess the babysitting gig takes care of feeding the pit bulls.
I used to think pit bulls were evil until I met a few myself. They were possibly the sweetest dogs I've ever met, about as sweet as my ex boyfriend's Aussie Shepherd. It's in the breeding, not the genetics.
That said, no way I'd ever let them watch my hypothetical kids. I insist on a high level of artistic ability for everyone that gets near them. :P
@ #2 LoL - I wonder about that lady in 'Roger & Me'... I wonder if she still skinnin' them rabbits.
In Kalamazoo on one of the main drags, I saw sign that said:
American flags
Brats
Pepper Spray
Sanford, Florida, I believe.
By the miracle of contextual advertising, this post about the babysitting pitbull-breeder in Orlando is accompanied by a JetBlue ad that reads: "Jet Nonstop to Orlando"
Talk about making things convenient for you ...
@8
"Generally" as in, "they generally don't realize how strong they are, and can sometimes get too excited while playing."
You know... like Labrador Retrievers are prone to do. Or German Shepherds.
So, yeah. It's good enough.
By the way, not all pit bulls are evil, murderous, monsters. Mine is sweeter than half the poodles (and people) I've ever met. I know this is a "funny" photo, and most people instantly think pit bulls are a dangerous breed thanks to jerks who abuse them so they can fight them for money as a "sport."
But please remember, there's plenty of happy, sweet pits out there too.
For what purpose were pit bulls bred?
For what purpose are they bred today?
pitbulls ( american staffordshire ) terriers were bred originally for hunting wild hogs. they are so tough and tenacious that they can grasp hold of the pig with their jaws and clamp down , holding tight to wear the pig down until the hunter can catch up and dispatch the hog. i raised and bred a.s. terriers for about 5 years and i can tell you they are loyal, gentle, intelligent and beautiful dogs, capable of amazing things. nowadays they are mostly bred for family pets/watchdogs. and of course for showing. you will notice that when hollywood or mad avenue needs a dog for their promos/shows, 8 out of 10 times they go to the pitty.
@ 23 Buddy66
Even the ones who have in recent generations been bred for dog aggression have NOT been bred for human aggression. Aggression towards people has never been acceptable in this (wonderful) breed. If you've seen any of the sick footage of dog fights, you might notice that the handlers/"doggers" will often stand right in the ring and can pull fighting dogs apart with their hands. If you try to separate a dogfight involving another breed, you're *much* more likely to get bitten.
I
#19 - It's definitely Lake Mary, in fact, it's just over the wall from Heathrow. There's a tiny little neighborhood there nestled in between the half million dollar McMansion's on the wrong side of the bike path.
Yes, ha ha ha, isn't the sign funny. But--
Just this week, on the National Geographic channel series "Dogtown," they had a special about the reclamation efforts on several of the pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick's Bad Newz Kennels. Near the start of the show, they did a little history of the pit bull in America, from Buster Brown's dog Tige to the Little Rascals' Petey and beyond. The pit bull was used as the mascot for the Navy, because of its great loyalty. And, to get to my point, the dogs were bred to be used as nannies, because of their protectiveness and gentleness.
The "Dogtown" trainers, at the Best Friends sanctuary, pointed out that pit bulls' greatest instinct is to please their masters, and the sadists that train them to fight and kill pervert that instinct and use it against the dogs. They use that urge to please to force them to fight for their lives. But even the most hardened of the Vick dogs were licking the faces of their trainers and frolicking in play just a few short months after arriving at the dog sanctuary.
So maybe you shouldn't jump on the bandwagon that causes 1,000,000 pit bulls to be euthanized every year in this country. Pit bulls and baby-sitting are far from being contradictory; they're a traditional pair.
SCUBA SM@15: Thank you for your insights. I shall indeed neuter my grapes responsibly from here on out, at the risk of grape shortage.
I don't think this thread is about the perceived evils of pit bulls.
It's about grapefruit white & pink baby-sitting in my home pit bulls for sale, and all that that entails. To train a pit bull to babysit in your home, and then dye it grapefruit white & pink to provide for sale shows a tremendous amount of dedication and ability. It also belies a detection of color variation subtlety far beyond my own. Hurrah, I say, for these folks having the gumption to take on such a task, which I would imagine to be far more difficult and tedious than castrating grapes by the score! They are livin' the dream.
What #27 said.
My sister is a Kindergarten teacher and babysits in her home all the time. And her two pit bulls are the sweetest dogs I've ever met.
Luckily the parents who are her customers think so too.
My friend had a "nice" pit bull as well, at least until it wanted the football I was throwing to another friend. It bit me on the inside of my leg, missing my sack by about 4 inches. It left a bruise the size of a softball. Pit bull apologists sicken me. They are an animal species capable of great harm, domesticated or not.
yep, just too much dog.
billydeville, that was just a 'love nip'. i was bitten by a german shepard once and took 12 stiches to the back of my thigh. should we euthenize all german shepard breeds too? all large breed dogs are capable of "great" harm, it is all in the upbringing and training that determines the temperament of the dog.
i went to high school in lake mary. yay.
i was once bit by a goat, too. i think all goats should be put-down. oh, and bees. yeah, they sting!
Who said anything about euthenizing them? I just think they should all have their testicals removed at birth and their jaws should be sewn shut forcing them to be fed through a straw. Is that too much to ask?
I love makin signs. I'm a better painter than that person though.
Are we sure this signage isn't outside the Palin homestead in Wasilla?!
No, then they'd be selling something America doesn't need and expecting us all to buy it.
billydeville,
You are afraid of some dogs, that's ok, it's not a crime to be afraid, many people are. Just don't blame the animals for your fear. One particular dog, perhaps, but not all pits, or all dobeys or all chihuahuas.
If you would like to get past your fear you might consider working at a pit bull rescue, or you may find it to be no obstacle to your life and choose to do nothing. Fine either way, but cut the invective, it makes you sound hysterical.
"Billydeville", you obviously fear and dislike animals, period. And the odds are favorable that you are probably "A Game Hunter" as well, as the two are usually synonymous.
I have been involved in animal rescues for a good part of my 62 years in this life, and I lost count of the number of Pit Bulls I have taken in, but presently have two of my rescues at home with my Yellow Lab. They look the part of the Pit with their ears cut with either scissors or a knife, have been badly scarred from bites or stabs and have what appears to be burn marks on their bodies from possibly cigarettes or ???
They were very leery of any human interaction at first, but have turned out to be two of the sweetest, gentlest dogs I have ever owned, and after seven years together, the Lab IS still the boss. They play endlessly with my grandchildren, and have never even jumped at the ball in the kid’s hands, and love when they visit because they get to sleep in bed with them. It all comes down to how the dog is treated, trained and knows where it belongs in the pack order.
But to the point... I have been bitten by big dogs, little dogs, Mutts, German Shepard’s, Poodles, Wire Haired Terriers, Cocker Spaniels, Dachshunds and Chihuahuas (the worst), and in my mind it was out of fear, because their only defense is their teeth. But, in your way of thinking, we should eradicate the entire lot, right?
Billydeville, you should probably seek some professional help in addressing your "Hate" issues.