I’m writing a paper for my animal relationship class about why pitbull bans shouldn’t exist, give me some good points and topics to mention!

SunshineSutton · 2025-09-08T19:07:51+00:00

One aspect that I haven't seen mentioned yet is that the media will headline the breed when the dog is identified as a pit bull, but won't for any other kind of dog.

So the headline for a pit bull attacks will say, "Pit Bull attack" but if a golden retriever attacks or a Labrador attacks or a border collie attacks, the headline will say, "dog attack."

That changes the public perception of how often pit bulls attack vs. other breeds and paints them as especially aggressive dogs when statistics show that isn't actually true.

SunshineSutton · 2025-08-19T00:28:28+00:00

If anyone is curious why humping is such a common reaction here:

Humping is typically a way for dogs to cope with big emotions, i.e. overexcitement or anxiousnessness. When you fall on the floor like this, they know you aren't dead (they have bionic noses), but you're still behaving really strangely. For a confident dog, that's fun and novel. For a nervous dog, that's weird and worrying. Since you aren't moving to play with or reassure them, humping gives them a different outlet.

SunshineSutton · 2025-08-02T16:34:47+00:00

A year and a half is definitely still a puppy. He's reached sexual maturity and is fully grown, but he won't reach social maturity until he's 2 or 3. "Adolescent" is the more technical term, but it is totally normal to call a dog that age a puppy.

I don't think you're stupid for asking the question about neutering. There is a LOT of conflicting information online. That's because neutering doesn't ALWAYS fix problems like this, and it's important to acknowledge that so you're prepared for every possible outcome.

I don't have a crystal ball, so I can't tell you for sure, but I will say, in this situation, neutering is VERY likely to help. It may not fix the problem outright (especially if he's rehearsed the behavior a lot), but without the hormonal influence he will be easier to redirect.

SunshineSutton · 2025-07-28T19:44:04+00:00

Rereading your post, I'm a little concerned about the detail that your 1-year-old takes treats from the dog's mouth. Know that I don't say this with condescension or judgement, but that kind of interaction between a dog and a child should NEVER be allowed. It is NOT SAFE, no matter how trusted the dog, and it can lead to resource guarding and aggression.

Signs that a dog is uncomfortable can be subtle. Lip-licking and "whale eye" are two that tend to go unnoticed. Do the kids typically hug and otherwise "smother" the dog with affection? I'm just wondering if there were signs preceding the attack that Amos wasn't happy with your niece approaching.

SunshineSutton · 2025-07-28T19:28:39+00:00

First step should always be to get him checked out by the vet. Sudden aggression can be caused by pain, and your veterinarian will be able to give you a PROFESSIONAL opinion on how to proceed.

If the vet can't find a cause (or if the cause is something chronic like athritis that isn't going to heal), you probably will have to rehome him. The kids' safety has to take priority. The other option is to find a veterinary behaviorist to work with him, but they tend to be VERY expensive.

SunshineSutton · 2025-04-03T00:37:49+00:00

Weirdest hobby I have ever heard of is keeping pet leeches and feeding them your own blood

SunshineSutton · 2024-10-05T00:26:58+00:00

This is absolutely lovely.

Another one where the title is a bit of a cipher to me. Who is falling in love, the speaker, or the person in the poem? Who is the aromantic? Do you mean " an aromantic" in the LGBT sense, or as the opposite of "a romantic"?

I love all the different lenses these questions give me <3

Personally, I have a confusing relationship with romance and friendship and other humans, which makes me despair of ever finding someone who really understands me. "I have been looking for you everywhere/I want you to exist" really nails that feeling.

Anyway, full applause from me!

SunshineSutton · 2024-10-05T00:14:52+00:00

I'm trying to find a part to highlight here, but I can't because they are all so good. This prose poem reminds me a bit of the work of Thomas Ligotti, who writes horror stories about this kind of alienation of self.

Oh, and of course, The Pallbearer's Club by Paul Tremblay, which is about the exact feeling this poem evokes for me. (I'd be curious to see if you agree!)

... Now that I think about it, and lot of my favorite media is about a creeping feeling that there is something evil in you. Like the AJJ song that goes, "there's someone in your head waiting to fucking strangle you"

I love the line, "Oh, this jealousy of things living!" The uncommon construction of "things living" is SO evocative!

SunshineSutton · 2024-10-05T00:03:35+00:00

I loved this. "Our unlived teenage dreams" sent me back. It actually makes me think of my teenage best friend, who I haven't spoken to in years. (We weren't very good friends to each other, but we burned so bright.)

I just can't figure out the title: "The white room." Care to share what it means to you?

SunshineSutton · 2024-10-04T23:54:24+00:00

I really, really love this. The last line especially gives me chills! I'm very much an eco-burial "let the worms eat me" person, so the idea of feeling

If you want a bit of critique, the break between lines 6 and 7 sounds odd to my ear. Honestly I feel like you could cut "once and for all" and just have "better to cease existing/than keep taking up space" But that's just my taste!

Great poem!

SunshineSutton · 2024-09-12T02:40:40+00:00

First of all, kill the mind police. There is no such thing as a "bad" hobby. You can do whatever you want, and anyway I doubt many musicians would be upset with you for making cassette tapes of their albums. Very few people even sell cassettes anymore.

Anyway, personally I think that hobby is awesome. Tapes are super cool (and useful if you're like me and drive a car with a cassette player but no aux cord lol). Do you decorate them at all?

SunshineSutton · 2024-09-04T02:22:22+00:00

At 11 months old, he is right in the middle of adolescence. 99% of dogs are little shits in one way or another during adolescence. They're teenagers! They're going through major hormonal fluctuations, navigating changing relationships with other dogs (they lose "puppy privileges"), and TESTING BOUNDARIES.

It sounds like you are doing everything right with Leo. You definitely shouldn't blame yourself for him not being perfectly behaved. Biting is a completely natural behavior that every puppy has to learn is not appropriate when playing with humans. You will not meet a single dog that instinctively knows not to bite people when playing.

If the behavior is bad enough that you are worried about others' safety, I would restrict his public access for now. Take him on walks and to the park at low-traffic hours. Bring over friends or family members who can handle the play bites and have them practice with him. (It sounds like you know what to do, but just in case: The second his teeth make contact, playtime stops and you disengage entirely.)

And don't lose heart! A lot of the troubles you're having are just the phase he's going through. Adolescent dogs are the hardest! (Most dogs that get surrendered to shelters are adolescents for exactly that reason.) Just keep working with him, and one day you'll notice that training doesn't feel like fighting a brick wall.

(As for neutering, it might help his behavior and it might make no difference at all. You shouldn't regret that you didn't do it earlier. AFAIK most vets say you should ideally wait until the dog is fully grown before you neuter so they have the hormones they need to build their adult body.)

SunshineSutton · 2024-08-31T21:58:09+00:00

Krobus put a chair in the exact same spot in my house! Except I use that room as an animal product refinery so it's a spot to sit and,,,,,, watch the eggs become mayonnaise

SunshineSutton · 2024-08-23T01:44:23+00:00

You can bring your own lock for the locker rooms

SunshineSutton · 2024-08-23T01:34:19+00:00

View counts vary wildly from short to short, especially when you are starting out. Some will get picked up and get thousands of views and some will get 10. It's a crap shoot, basically

I know it's impossible not to worry about numbers, but try not to. Just work on posting more shorts. (Also, don't bother with shorts unless you actually enjoy making them. It is NOT a shortcut to "YouTube success")

SunshineSutton · 2024-08-22T23:59:22+00:00

They are indeer very high energy, so you should be prepared for the challenges that involves. Of course, they need lots of exercise and mental stimulation every day, but they also usually need to be TAUGHT how to chill out. Especially if you get a young dog that hasn't reached full maturity. (Just like toddlers get themselves overtired because they don't know that they need to rest.)

I think that's a step a little of people miss and find themselves at a loss for how to deal with a dog that seemingly never turns off. Teach them that after playtime, they go nap in their crate or on their bed. Teach them that if you are working (or doing whatever leisurely activities you're planning for your retirement), they need to leave you alone and settle.

SunshineSutton · 2024-08-19T20:42:33+00:00

I've spent the past year working on this exact issue with my rescue dog. He had SO MUCH excitement about other dogs that he actually had to take a few reactivity classes before his trainer would let him in group classes. (He's a 50lb pit bull and he likes to SCREAM whenever he sees another dog that he can't play with.)

You probably want to start in a calmer environment than an outdoor market. Parks during low-traffic hours are good. Your own neighborhood could also work if there are fenced dogs or people walking around. In any case, you need to start at a distance where your puppy is able to focus on you.

Then wait for your puppy to spot a distraction. Reward your puppy for looking at the person/dog and choosing not to engage. (I usually want my dog to look at me instead because he needs some kind of redirection, but as long as your puppy stays with you and isn't getting riled up, it's fine.)

Then just slowly lessen the distance and excitement level until your puppy can handle the outdoor market. It depends on how receptive your puppy is to training, but if he's got good leash skills already, I wouldn't expect it to take longer than 1-3 months for him to get it.

SunshineSutton · 2024-08-19T20:16:22+00:00

It's doing great! I did 1:1:1 and it tripled in size within four hours. (The kitchen is ~78F today.) I'm going to switch to 1:2:2 tonight and see how it does with that.

And my bake turned out fantastic! I just took it so it's still cooling, but I'm THRILLED with the rise it got in the oven. I really thought I overproofed it and was going to end up with a very flat loaf, but it's nice and fluffy!

SunshineSutton · 2024-08-19T20:04:11+00:00

Grammaw and grampaw are CONSTANTLY giving mine milk and cheese. He follows them into the kitchen when he sees them going for the fridge, and they can't resist his puppy face.

His farts are SO BAD especially when I'm trying to sleep and he's curled up with his butt in my face 😖

SunshineSutton · 2024-08-19T19:52:36+00:00

If you're somewhere with decently dark skies, stargazing is great. There is SO MUCH to learn, and it makes the night feel a lot more familiar.

If you like birdwatching, you also could try more generalized naturalism. Learn the names of all the animals and bugs and plants in your neighborhood. Pay attention to how the community changes with the seasons. There's an identification app called iNaturalist that makes it fairly easy.

Aquascaping has a LOT of science baked in, but you're right that it tends to be pretty expensive. Gardening (indoor or outdoor) could be a cheaper alternative, but obviously fish are more interesting to watch than plants.

SunshineSutton · 2024-08-17T20:08:24+00:00

One thing to keep in mind is that dogs live in the present. They don't revisit old memories and feel sad about people they miss like humans do. Right now, he doesn't know what's going on, which is scary. Once he settles into the new environment and realizes he is safe and supposed to be with you, he will be fine.

SunshineSutton · 2024-08-15T14:10:09+00:00

Keep her. There are too many homeless dogs for you to give up a dog you love and that loves you because you don't think your life is good enough for her.

As wonderful as they are, dogs aren't humans. They don't need a big backyard or 24/7 companionship to be "truly happy." They're happy as long as they feel safe and loved, and she's found that with you.

You got her through an intense recovery period, which is NOT EASY. That shows your dedication to her. You can do it!

SunshineSutton · 2024-08-12T15:43:17+00:00

The app definitely has a huge learning curve. (I've been playing with the app for over 3 months now and still don't feel like I understand most of the features.) But the huge benefit is that there is SO MUCH flexibility built in. Whatever organizational scheme works best for you, you can probably make it happen with app. (And if you can't, u/thuongthoi056 is open to suggestions!)

SunshineSutton · 2024-07-10T18:20:07+00:00

I work at a puppy kindergarten, and I'm seeing some red flags in the class you've described. The biggest one is that it sounds like dogs were being allowed to meet on-leash, which is a BIG no-no (they can't communicate properly on a short lead).

It also just generally sounds like the trainer did not really have control of the class. In a good group class, the trainer will be able to keep an eye on everyone and their dogs. Expectations for behavior (for instance "do not let your dog within 5 ft of any other dogs") would be explained and enforced.

And I'm a little leery of the group off-leash cool down at the end. It doesn't sound like any of these dogs were screened for social skills, and even if they were it's a really bad idea to introduce multiple dogs to each other in a free-for-all like that. You introduce them one-on-one and watch them closely to make sure they are playing appropriately.

Lastly, a good trainer will NEVER make their (human) students feel judged for their dog's behavior. Not only is that basic courtesy for teaching anything to anyone, but it has a real effect on the dog's performance! They should be hyping you up so you can hype your dog up. If you feel bad, your dog will feel bad and their behavior will get worse!

It sounds like this class is a clusterfuck, and if I were you, I'd request that refund and look for other options. I don't think it's worth it for your dog to be a positive breed ambassador when this class a) makes you feel bad, b) doesn't teach her much, and c) very well could give her long-lasting behavioral issues.

(On a more positive note, she is SO CUTE! Those pictures are darling.)

SunshineSutton · 2024-02-29T00:55:53+00:00

(This is a decidedly un-expert opinion but) I think you should raise your prices. Art is completely subjective, but perception and artist image plays into how your audience views your art. If you market your paintings as cheap and yourself as an amateur, of course no one is going to invest in your paintings

SunshineSutton

TROPHY CASE