People kept asking this woman if her pittie was a killer We talked to Ginger's mom about the amazing thing she did next!
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AnimalsTranscript
00:00There's a woman at the dog park I used to go to who would ask me every single time if
00:11my dog is a killer.
00:14Ginger, where is her emotions on her face?
00:18After we have interactions like that, I can see a change in her mood.
00:24I feel sad for her when she is excluded from things because of what she looks like and
00:30a stereotype of a breed.
00:36When we're walking on the street near somebody and they might cross the street, I understand
00:41there are a lot of reasons why someone might not trust a dog.
00:43I also think that there could be underlying patterns that have to do with what she looks
00:48like and what I look like.
00:51I adopted Ginger in fall of 2020.
00:55The shelter that I adopted her from didn't use breed labeling.
00:59She just looked like a standard puppy.
01:07But as she started gaining more weight, that's when more people outside of me started identifying
01:13her as a pit bull.
01:14So I started doing research about pet ownership, especially for black people, especially with
01:20bully breeds.
01:21And I found a very complicated history.
01:24I know that in some states, especially in the South, it was illegal for black people
01:28to even have dogs in the 19th century.
01:30So there is a pattern, but that means that we can all work together to kind of change
01:36the narrative and uplift each other.
01:39Through social media, I was able to connect with groups like Black Women Love Dogs.
01:45It was unlike anything I've ever experienced.
01:49I've never been in such a welcoming, dog-friendly environment.
01:54I've never been in a place for dogs with so many people that look like me.
02:00I think Ginger was able to have a better time because I was able to relax.
02:07It's important to me to make a space where everyone can feel safe learning, even people
02:12that disagree with me.
02:14I know that talking about racism in the pet world can be a really sensitive subject and
02:19people might be afraid of saying the wrong thing.
02:22People often come to my Instagram page wanting to know what dogs have to do with race.
02:26So I do try to answer their questions and provide books and articles to read so that
02:31they can fact check me, but also so that they can go on the internet and look up what dogs
02:36have to do with race on their own.
02:38I try to give everyone the tools to be an anti-racist animal advocate.
02:43I come in doing my best and hopefully we can make something even better.