Please note this post is not meant to make light of the deeds described here, only to make fun of, ridicule, bully and just plain beat the shit out of the idiots who commit these stupid acts.
Kelly Ripa – Open Mouth, Insert Foot, NYC, NY
I didn’t hear it nor did I see it, I just heard about it. Apparently Kelly made a comment about Pit Bulls being the dogs of gangsters, which put Pit Bull owners and dog lovers in general up in arms.
Will Wheaton, Pit Bull owner and advocate had this to say.
Twitter (damn, I still haven’t mastered that social tool) was atwitter with people skewering Kelly for her ignorance.
Personally I like Kelly Ripa, I met her and her smoking hot husband many years ago when they were both still on All My Children, when in fact All My Children was still on the air.
I was tickled when she got the co-hosting gig with Regis and even more thrilled that she remained in that seat when he retired.
First I’m going to say, “Shame on you Kelly for buying into the media bias, public witch hunt about Pit Bulls.” Especially because it seems like one of your personal friends, Kaley Cuoco appears to know truth vs fiction.”
Right now though, I have to be the devil’s advocate, because Kelly is actually getting her information from the mainstream media. Honestly, I can’t tell you how many stories about pit bulls, hurting, biting, mauling and killing that come across my desk.
The mainstream media focuses on the negative, and they have for as long as I can remember.
The troubling thing is, that unlike you or I who do our research to get to the truth, many people take these stories as gospel. Which apparently Kelly did.
And really people, think about this. Thugs have tough dogs. That’s not something that’s made up, it’s the truth. When some thug in Hartford goes to shake somebody down he doesn’t bring his Shorkie with him, he brings a Pit Bull.
Until a certain demographic of the population stops fighting these dogs and using them to make themselves feel tough, people like Kelly Ripa will continue to have this ill-conceived idea of what Pit Bulls really are.
The loving and loyal dogs that you and I know.
That being said, here’s where I get pissed off. Since this happened approximately a week ago, there has been nothing from Kelly’s camp regarding her faux pas. (I followed her on Twitter yesterday, went back through for a week and read her posts, then I unfollowed her. [What? You’d have done the same thing.])
No retraction, no clarification, no public apology. Nothing.
I think a Pit Bull rescue group would be wise to reach out to Kelly and use this opportunity to educate.
Word to the wise Kelly, don’t piss off the dog folks.
Whoo Hoo
Marines carry boy across finish line after his prosthetic leg breaks during triathlon, Pensacola Beach, FL.
Well you know I love me some military, maybe I’m just an emotional mess, but this story made me cry.
An 11-year-old boy who had his leg partially amputated from bone cancer at age 6 was participating in a triathlon. He completed the swim and the bike ride, half-way through the one mile run a screw came out of his prosthetic leg and it broke.
As his mother waited, wondering at the finish line an announcement was made requesting for people to observe what was happening on the course.
One of the Marines who was monitoring the course, had picked young Ben Baltz up, put him on his back and ran him across the finish line.
Photo courtesy of CNN.
Semper Fi PFC Matthew Morgan, Semper Fi.
That’s if for me, what left you shaking your head this week?
What? Oh you think I forgot about Michael Vick? No, no my dears that’s a full post on its own. Although, you might just be surprised by what I have to say.
Didn’t she also drop a puppy? I may be getting my hosts crossed…
Sam
Oh goodness, I didn’t hear that! I’ll have to check.
I think it was Kathy Gifford who dropped the puppy..
Thanks Deb!
What these tv peoples don’t seem to get is that in nearly all of these incidents, it is the owner and not the dog. And if they take away the pitbulls the thugs will just get dobes, or shepherds, or cane corsos – like you said, something they consider “tough”. They won’t stop getting dogs if pitbulls are outlawed, so they need to outlaw thugs not dogs.
What a nice story about the war-peoples carrying that mini-peoples over the finish line. 🙂
So true Toby, so true. It is pure ignorance, the best we can do is educate, educate, educate.
Yes, the Marines rock!
I think the whole Kelly Rippa thing is just blown out of proportion. These days no one can say anything without someone or some group getting offended.
You are so right about that!!
I like your point, that instead of getting mad and heated, people/groups could help educate Kelly Rippa in a way that shines light on the positives.
Thanks Peggy, I think it would be an awesome opportunity to help shed some good light on these poor dogs.
Pit bulls are “thug” dogs because they have big burly chests and are built like tanks. Their temperament is hardly in line with their reputation. As I often say, I’m way more terrified of bichons 🙂
I hear that Kirsten and it is for exactly that reason the thugs use pit bulls, because some of them can look very intimidating. 🙂 I’m so glad there are people like you who work so hard for these babies.
That second story was beautiful. It made me cry too. I can only imagine that the boy’s mother hasn’t stopped bawling. Yay for happy tears!
What bothers you about the Ripa story is the same thing that bothers me. Why didn’t she apologize? She may have just said it flippantly without thinking, it happens. I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. But the fact that she hasn’t deemed all of the upset reactions worthy of even a single tweet? That bothers me. It makes me think that perhaps she isn’t sorry and that maybe she really does think pitbulls are “dangerous” dogs. At the very least, it seems like she thinks the reaction from the community was silly and not worth acknowledging. Which is too bad.
Thank you Kristine, if she said it flippantly then she should just make a quick statement and let it rest. When you have that many people ticked off and you don’t respond, it looks like you don’t care. It’s a good way to lose fans.
Hey Sampson,Hey Delilah, Jetty here. HI Miss Jodi.
Mom followed Miss Kelly from her AMC days too! (Mom’s only vice… soaps… and… uh… well ice cream… make that 2 vices!)
What a shame, we like your idea about turning the situation around to provide education with a pit rescue or Mr. Caesar!
We loved the 2nd story… thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks for the support Jetty. Tell mom I’m currently watching General Hospital. :-0
I think anytime we say something that causes an uproar, it’s a great opportunity to teach.
I’m be so wrapped up in my own stuff that I totally missed the Kelly Ripa/Pit Bull drama and can’t thank you enough for bringing it to my attention. Sadly, this isn’t the first time her show has been irresponsible when it comes to reporting on dog-related issues. The previous one I could let slide, but the pit bull comment I won’t. Any idea how to get a letter into her and the producer’s hands? Am guessing I could e-mail her publicist….
I agree with you that she and the producers of the show should embrace the backlash as an opportunity to educate a large audience about the facts and fictions surrounding pit bulls. I hope that all of the pit bull advocacy groups and rescues are ALL over this and clamoring for an opportunity to get on the show. And while I was never a Will Wheaton fan, I most definitely am now.
Oops!!!! Forgot to add the link to the show prior offense:
http://thattouchofpit.com/2012/09/27/most-irritating-animal-tv-segment-ever/
Thanks Tanya, I couldn’t see the actual show but I read the blog. Honestly I don’t know what to say. First it’s not the host/hostess fault, but someone should certainly do their research and know what they should and shouldn’t be doing and what signs a dog under stress will show. Sad when people the public looks up to fail us, isn’t it?
Great tease about a forthcoming Michael Vick post. I’m eagerly awaiting…
Ut oh, now the pressure is on Pamela. I hope I can do it justice.
Not a Kelly fan, but in my opinion I do not think she needs to apologize. I agree with Jen, overblown.
I think she needs to address the issue, because it has upset many of her fans, not necessarily apologize, but at least address it.
Glad I checked in to see what’s going on!
Thanks Mary Ann!
I can see where she could get her misinformation to a degree. I work in a…not so nice area, and I see a lot of Pits on chain leashes as status symbols. I don’t know that there’s much dog fighting in our area, but I wouldn’t discount it if someone said there was. I know that a lot of Pitties are very sweet and live in great homes, but there is still an image that’s hard to overcome. I am very surprised that Kelly Ripa hasn’t been informed about the error of her ways by now, though!
And no wonder everybody loves the Marines! What a great story!
Your second story made me smile! It is nice to sometimes here of some good people in the world!!
It can be a good thing when someone thoughtlessly brings up the pit bull debate. Get it out there and talked about. It is all in their nurture, not nature.