Tuesday, April 27, 2010

famous pit bull owners: the helen keller edition




helen keller with sir thomas
HELEN KELLER'S TALK
BOSTON, Feb 8 – Miss Helen Keller has had a pleasant surprise, which came to-day in the nature of a reward after the long midyear examinations. In the office of Dr. J. Varnum Mott, at the Hotel Pelham, some of her friends in her class at Radcliff presented to her a valuable Boston terrier, Sir Thomas. The leaders in the movement were Miss Edith Sherman of 463 Commonwealth Avenue and Miss Lillian Cutten of Roxbury, both of the sophomore class.
Miss Keller was once both deaf, dumb and blind, but she can talk now. She knelt beside the dog, fondling and petting him.
"Is it really mine," she said in a tremulous voice.
Then she rose and holding Miss Sherman's hand, cried with the pleasure of a child: "Oh, I am so happy!" The next moment she was on her knees again, stroking her pet. She asked Miss Cutten to come to her, and told her friends how much she appreciated the gift. She spoke rapidly, as is her custom – unintelligently to those unused to her – but Miss Sullivan repeated her words phrase by phrase.
"I thank you very much dear friends," she said, "for the happiness you have given me. It is as great as it is unexpected. I shall love the dog, but even more, your kindness. I thank you all so much, and I thank you, too, Dr. Mott."

in Helen Keller's own words

here is saveapitbull's version of history to suit their agenda.
i don't know what kind of dog that is but that is NOT Sir Thomas.
they should have called their website saveapitbullevenifyouhavetoliethroughyourteeth.com

helen keller's dog is another outstanding example of how the pit nutters manipulate breed identification to their advantage. when animal control or the insurance company comes-a-knockin, their dogs are boxer mixes and when a pit bull attacks, they are ambullies. but when free "pit bull" spay/neuter services are available, free "pit bull" ATTS or CGC tests or free classes are being handed out to "pit bulls", or someone famous owns a pit dog, they have no problem calling them APBT, even when they are not.

a little more background on Sir Thomas can be found here.

info on the original boston terrier can be found here and here.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just like Stubby!

CKing said...

This damn list annoys the hell out of me precisely for the reason Craven so eloquently demonstrates. There is no evidence whatsoever that mislabeled photograph is a pit bull, and Sir Thomas is a Boston terrier which is not a pit bull unless it belonged to Helen Keller in which case it is, unless it mauled someone, cause then it couldn't possibly be a pit - just as you mentioned with Stubby.

I noticed that some blogging aficionados of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who really had no axe to grind about the pit bull issue itself, were annoyed and dismayed that her dog was being used to prove a point with absolutely no foundation, and that the misinformation was spreading all over the internet. One of them did a nice job demonstrating the lack of evidence to support the claim, and the other wrote a post called "Jack is not a pit bull" - not because she was claiming to know, but because she wanted google results to come up more"balanced." Nicely done, Wilder fans! and nicely done Craven!

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

thanks. mark twain is next in the queue. i would be happy to read those laura ingalls wilder links. i haven't even started to research her but she is on my long list of myths that need busting.

scratch said...

Oh please... click on the link to saveapitbull's Pit Bull Truth page. What a hoot!!!
They do claim Helen Keller's Boston Terrier as a pit bull. They drag out the old Petey and the Little Rascals thing, that dog had a reputation for biting those kids and died of poison. They proudly claim Tige of the buster Brown shoe ads... Tige was a CARTOON! Please remind the Pit Bull Truth people that Teddy Roosevelt's pit bull was banished from the White House for biting the French Ambassador. Rachel Ray is proudly claimed as a celebrity pit bull owner, Ray's Isaboo has 6 recorded attacks to her record. Jessica Biel? Didn't one of her pits kill another of her pits? Kevin Federline as a role model???
Sargeant Stubby looks like another Boston Terrier. Lets wrap this up with the notable SAR dogs Tahoe, Cheyenne and Dakota... owned by notorious pit grifter Kris Crawford.

Bagheera Kiplingi said...

I am surprised the pit nutters haven't included Mother Teresa or Albert EInstein or George Washington or Jesus Christ on their list.

Anonymous said...

Shannon Elizabeth, actress. Her pit bull attacked another dog.

Jesse James. One of his pit bulls killed another. Exposed in media as dog fighting afficionado.

Linda Blair. Some of her pit bulls killed the neighbor's animals.

Multiple athletes pit bulls have attacked and killed people and pets. James Harrison, etc.

Any other celebrity pit bull killers?

Anonymous said...

Lassie was a pit bull in a wig!!

Rin Tin Tin was a pit bull with a fake mustache!!

Anonymous said...

My favorite animal actor is Gentle Ben. I hate the species discrimination that doesn't allow me to own a black bear cub!

Friends Administrator said...

The picture certainly doesn't look like a pit of today. Maybe pit nutters are short on eyesight too.

Faithful3509 said...

If you guys knew anything bout the breed than you would know there is no such thing as a pitbull. They are a bully breed that ignorant people like you have dubbed pitbulls. Yes i know pitbulls have attacked people but dalmations have attacked more kids and so has cocker spaniels. Of course they cant do the damage a bully can but its not the animals fault it was breed to be strong and agile. If people would quit getting older dogs that they dont know the history of and actually respect the breed and treat it like family ( like a yorkie or golden retrever ) than they wouldnt have the problems. If you cant handle a strong animal than leave the bullys and german shepards and rottweilers alone. But quit being a media whore and gobbling up every negstive thing that they say. Punish the deed not the breed.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

please come back in two hours for the next edition of frankenmauler roundup.

gobble gobble

Anonymous said...

Actually, Helen Keller had many dogs throughout her life, including what today would be called a Boston Terrier (Sir Thomas) as well as what today would be called a pit bull (Phiz). Two different dogs, both bull breeds, both originated from bull and terrier fighting lines.

Since these two of Helen's dogs are of similar origin and look similar, people often mix up which of Helen's dogs was which (honest mistake), but she definitely was a "pit bull" owner.

If only some could see as clearly as the "blind" Miss Helen Keller.

Boston Bull history link: http://www.barkbytes.com/history/boston.htm

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

wrong pit nutter.

http://www.afb.org/mylife/book.asp?ch=P1Ch22

"Whenever it is possible, my dog accompanies me on a walk or ride or sail. I have had many dog friends--huge mastiffs, soft-eyed spaniels, wood-wise setters and honest, homely bull terriers. At present the lord of my affections is one of these bull terriers. He has a long pedigree, a crooked tail and the drollest "phiz" in dogdom. My dog friends seem to understand my limitations, and always keep close beside me when I am alone. I love their affectionate ways and the eloquent wag of their tails."

phiz is sir thomas, a boston bull terrier. if you want any more of your comments to be published, you need to supply a link.

like this one:
http://fuckyeahdogs.tumblr.com/post/699392566/dazashan-helen-keller-w-her-bt-phiz

or this one:
http://www.zazzle.co.uk/helen_keller_her_pit_bull_phiz_tshirt-235992410996504367

there are MANY photos of helen keller with MANY of her dogs, akita, great dane, boston terrier, gsd, spaniels, bull terriers but NO dogs that today we call pit bull. you can do your own research or you can keep believing the lies.

oh and btw, i have acknowledged many times on this blog that the boston terriers back then were much different than today and were used in fighting.

Anonymous said...

I see alot of comments saying that sir thomas was a boston terrier, and not a pit bull. I am commeting to say that THAT IS NOT TRUE! Sir thomas is a PIT BULL NOT BOSTON TERRIER! If you must, look straight in that dogs eyes in the pictures and tell me that he is not a pit bull. People sya there is no proof that says he was a pit, but theres your proof right there! This site has pictures! I know fo a fact that what i say Is the truth and no one can tell me different.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

sir thomas WAS a pit bull, but he was NOT an american pit bull terrier. sir thomas was a boston bull terrier, a dog used for fighting, a PIT BULL.

the dog in the window seat with helen keller that saveapitbull is calling sir thomas, is NOT sir thomas. the photo is very small and it *could* be an APBT or it could be a hound. who knows...

pit nutters caught lying and denying FACTS, what else is new?

Micahel Mantion said...

Incase it wasn't aready posted.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2249&dat=19020208&id=OpE-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=JFoMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4883,1027485

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

thank you micahel. i plan to update helen keller on the truth blog. i will include this link.

Anonymous said...

Seriously? Who peed in your wheeties? All 3 of my children have been bit by dogs. The neighbors Havanese, a shit zu and a labrador. All other peoples dogs all un provoked. My kids weren't in the dogs yards or taunting. All of the incidents happened years apart as well. Dogs left in the hands of bad owners will become aggressive. The owners of the havenese have had 2 other dogs (a basset hound and boxer) bite other people. Are you sensing a pattern because I am. Get off your soapbox and preach about irresponsible owners who don't take their dogs to the vet allowing their health to deteriorate so the become agitated. Or the people who leave their dogs locked up all day then scream at it and hit it when they let it or and it goes crazy. You're not doing anything by hating on one breed. Your just making the problem worse.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

so, the havanese, shih tzu and lab were never taken to the vet, their health deteriorated which in turn caused them to become agitated and bite your children? your children were then sent to the nearest trauma center via lifeflight? they lost a limb or required reconstruction surgery?

Jason said...

Pit nutters will post, and believe, absolutely anything. The second dog, the one the nutters falsely claim is "Sir Thomas," is not a pit bull either because its eyes are too large for a pit bull. Everyone -- except the nutters -- know that tiny, little demonic eyes are a feature of pit bulls. In fact, pit bulls were purpose-bred for small eyes because small-eyed dogs are less likely to injure or lose an eye in the fighting ring. This is why it's comical when the nutters claim "Lab-mixes" are often "misidentified" as pit bulls!

Anonymous said...

Boston Terriers are from the Colby line of Pit Bulls. Bostons are nothing more than little Pit Bulls. The Colby line is right out of Boston. Sir Thomas was a Pit Bull. He was more closely related than today's Bostons. Google it I dare you. Have you ever seen Bostons get into a fight? They are Pit Bulls.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

blah blah fucking blah!

i agree. sir thomas, stubby and other early boston terriers, ie boston bulldogs are FUCKING pits. what they are NOT are american pit bull terriers! which is what most nutters claim. and THAT'S the problem

Anonymous said...

Exactly. I was bit by a cocker spaniel on the arm and my daughter, by a different one years later, on the face. We were children at the time of the bites. I still have an arm and my kid still has a whole face. If it had been pit bull rather than cocker spaniel that would not be the case, IMO.

Unknown said...

This makes me sick that people are still out to kill this breed. Your no better that people that are racists shame on you! I have had a pitbull for 4 years! Never ever has he bit anyone! We are not "pit nutters". We are compassionate souls who look past the stigma of breed discrimination. May god bless your ignorant souls. Caesar Millan uses pitbull a to train other dogs. Shane on all of you who believe in breed discrimination! How would you like it if you had to but down your family pet because of breed even if they have never done anything wrong. I have a 7 year old daughter, a three year old niece a 5 yr old niece and a 8 year old nephew all love my pitbull and there has never ever been a problem! You are an abomination to all humanity.