Pooches: Adopted?!

Our neighbor has got us thinking about how people can state misinformation as if it was a fact. The other day our neighbor stated that there is always something wrong with adopted dogs, which is why they were given up in the first place, referring to Ms. M and Mr. B because they were adopted (Ms. M from New Leash on Life and Mr. B from Kalamazoo Animal Rescue). The funny thing is that her teacup pug that she carries in her arms is always lunging from her arms, growling and barking at Mr. B and Ms. M while they sit quietly and calmly as we let them walk by. It's amazing how people forget that little dogs could be as dangerous as large dogs and need just as much training. (Several years ago, I stepped into the hallway of my old apartment and my neighbor's bichon frise ran up and bit me on the leg. Though my neighbors apologized profusely, it didn't change the fact that their dog was extremely aggressive and attacked the other tenants.) Regardless, it took us by surprise that there are dog owners, rather dog lovers, that are misinformed and overtly proclaim their misinformation to other people. Though we preach the benefits of adopting a dog, especially a bully breed such as a pit bull, we choose to live by example. We love how Ms. M and Mr. B on most occasions listen to us and are great ambassadors for pit bulls and adopted dogs. Though we still have to work with them; on our daily walks, both Ms. M and Mr. B walk on our left and rarely pull on the leash. I am probably anthropomorphizing our pooches, but I feel that they are grateful to be out of the shelter and in a loving home. Several years ago, the thought of adopting a dog never crossed my mind. I have several friends with dogs, and they were either bought from stores or breeders. Just like our neighbor, I believed that adopted dogs were bad dogs. It was not until I met A and Ms. M that I became a proponent for adoption. A is a vocal advocate for adoption and she uses Ms. M and now Mr. B to spread her message. One large issue that we face is that many people in our neighborhood have pit bulls that were bought from backyard breeders. So whenever anyone asks us about the pooches, we always like to throw in the fact that they were adopted, hoping that it would dispel some of the misconceptions about adopted dogs and possibly influence others to consider adoption as their first and only option.