
I WAS having coffee with a friend in a café last week when my friend mentioned that her son, who is in his twenties, has acquired a pit bull. The dog is a puppy and is reportedly charming and lovable.
By coincidence, at the next table, a group of young people in their twenties were at that very moment working on a related project. A nice young man perked up when he heard the mention of a pit bull and volunteered some information.
He and his friends were starting a non-profit coffee company, he said. The proceeds will go to finding homes and “companions” for abandoned pit bulls. Yes, abandoned pit bulls, of which I am sure there are many.
“We hope to put an end to breed discrimination,” he said.
I thought perhaps he was joking or that this was a live skit put on by The Onion.
But it was obvious from his earnest expression that he was not joking. He showed us on his friend’s laptop a photo of the coffee bag they were designing (they were going to be using the coffee roasted at this café.) The logo was an artistic (well, sort of) rendering of a pit bull’s face (ugh!) in rainbow colors.
“Ooh, that looks scary,” my friend unthinkingly said.
The young man seemed a little put-off. But he recovered quickly and said, “Thanks for your honest input.”
My friend obviously needs to shed some conditioning. (more…)