Tuesday, September 18, 2012

FEAR

Fear….fear is defined as a feeling of  anxiety and agitation caused by the presence or nearness of danger, evil, pain, timidity, dread, terror, freight, apprehension.  Fear can be paralyzing and often the unknown brings fear, terror and apprehension.  As humans God  has not given us a spirit of fear, yet it’s prevalent in our lives.  There’s this thing called a “comfort zone” we like.  In the comfort zone it’s familiar, it takes care of our needs although our needs have been met and it’s time to move on.  The moment we want to move on that four letter word pops up…FEAR. It tells you that you’re not good enough, you’re not qualified, you don’t have the skills, you have bills, you don’t have the leave, you don’t have the experience….the list goes on.  The only thing that conquers fear is another four letter word….FAITH.

Fear can immobilize, paralyze, stagnate if we allow it to.  When people hear pit bull or pit bull mix it strikes fear in the hardest of men.  Why? These creatures breath, eat, need love, shelter, food and occasionally clothes, all the things humans need yet they are feared, hated, disliked because…..  This same fear we’re talking about was in us and instilled in us by the media.  Although we had NOT interacted with this breed we were petrified of this animal.  This animal did nothing to us, had not harmed us or anyone we knew yet we feared them.  We feared them because society told us to.  The unknown is scary to us all. Many in society will not investigate things for themselves and the reporters know this and they report what they want.  They will do anything to get the ratings even if it’s partial truth and that partial truth perpetuates fear.  Some folks are comfortable with staying in fear, not willing to have an open mind and erasing the fear out of their lives.  This is happening more often than not with pit bulls.  They’re feared for what folks make them and not for their good nature, calm demeanor and need for love.  It is because we have gotten over this fear that we find ourselves advocating, educating, training and now traveling to erase the fear people have.  This past weekend we traveled to New Jersey for the 9th annual Paws for Cause event.  Paws for Cause, is an awesome event raising awareness and funds to eradicate another fearful word….. cancer in animals.  The event features various vendors, knowledgeable veterinarians about cancer and other veterinary care, a dog fashion show, treats, swimming pools and of course dogs of all breeds, sizes and colors. No one was fearful of what could happen, everyone got along, asked and answered questions, networked and all had the faith that nothing was going to go wrong.  Guess what nothing went wrong! Yes, there was barking, sniffing, minor scuffles and none of them were by pit bulls.  We’re not bashing any breed just erasing fear!

1 comment:

  1. Amen. I was attacked by a large dog when I was a child. Fear dominated my thinking for too long. God helped me through that fear and brought me into a life of raising, training and most importantly loving dogs. That transition wasn't easy, but it was worth it.

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