I only put Jon Bernthal’s name to his face quite recently. I’ve heard people talk about him, obviously, but I never really paid attention or cared. Then I watched Wind River – he had a miniscule part which was only filmed in a day, apparently, and it was basically a star turn, one of the best-acted cameos I’ve ever seen. Bernthal currently stars in Netflix’s The Punisher, playing a Marvel “superhero” with no supernatural special powers. He’s just an angry guy who kills people with whatever he can get his hands on. To celebrate and promote this show, Esquire gave Bernthal the February cover. And woooow, this profile is CRAZY. I came into it cold, not knowing anything about him. He is a man who has committed a lot of violence in his real life. His nose has been broken fourteen times. He lived and breathed brutality and violence for much of his life, much of it violence that he f–king started. You can read the profile here.
Currently, he seems to have chilled out and he lives a quiet life with his young family. But he will still talk (brag?) about all of the violence and craziness in his life, like how to best subdue an angry/attacking pit bull – by putting your fingers up the dog’s ass – or how he threatened Oliver Stone with violence one time. My favorite part – I guess? – was this passage about guns, The Punisher and the alt-right:
The Punisher is so brutal that its debut was pushed back a month because of the massacre in Las Vegas in October. Not surprisingly, Bernthal is conflicted about the role that will likely define his career. He confessed that he spent days before we first talked thinking about how to address his character’s obsession with guns. The more he thought about it, and the more people he talked to, the more uncertain he became.
“I’m a gun owner,” Bernthal told me one afternoon in Ojai. “I have a gun in my house to keep my family safe. I’m trained in that gun’s use. I know how to keep it away from my kids, and I know how to use it if I need to.”
With Boss [his pit bull] at his feet, he went back and forth talking about the cowardice of those who hold absolute positions on either side of the issue. “Should there be a way that a guy with mental issues like the a–hole in Texas can’t get guns? Absolutely. We have to have a dialogue, and that’s not happening.” I noted that the Punisher’s symbol, a skull with long fangs, has been spotted on military helmets in Iraq and biker jackets, and was seen on the shoulders of alt-right protesters at the white-supremacy rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“I feel honored to play a guy who people putting their life on the line identify with,” Bernthal said. And the alt-righters? “F–k them.”
Well, that’s good at least. This profile was like a window into Angry White Guyism, and Bernthal comes across – at various moments – like a rebel without a cause. He came from an affluent, educated DC family, he went to good schools, his brothers went on to become good people who don’t answer every question with their fists. Bernthal spent much of his life with a hair-trigger temper and a chip on his shoulder… about nothing in particular. The anger and rage of the white dude from a good family, you know? It seems like he would be ripe for becoming some kind of poster child for the alt-right. So good on him for saying that they should f–k off at least.
Cover courtesy of Esquire, additional photo courtesy of WENN.
Well call me a coward. Nobody needs pitbulls and guns in a house with kids.
I agree on the guns.
He was fudging hot in Sicario. That is all.
Sounds like something I will have to watch! He is h.o.t.
You will die… he’s so sexy in it… migod!
He first came to my notice in the Accountant with Ben Affleck. So glad I’m not the only one who thinks he’s hot.
Don’t think I’d date him but I’d be dtf for a night or two.
Yes! He was SO hot in the Accountant. I’m so ashamed.
He is a good actor. Shane has been dead for years on TWD, yet he left an indelible mark on viewers. Very few people had a neutral opinion of the character. Either he was a true villain, or a misunderstood, troubled anti-hero.
He has my everlasting admiration for his pit bull advocacy. My Am Staff died last year, and I see her beautiful face on Boss. Those far-set eyes and semi-erect ears melt my heart, even after mine had to have an ear pinna removed due to cancer.
I rage quit TWD at the end of season 2. Shane was the most interesting character on the show and I was pissed when they killed him. Judging from the way the series has gone since, sounds like I made the right choice.
sorry for the loss of your pittie. they are great dogs.
Oh good. A pit bull defender. Another one.
They deserve it.
NO..no they don’t.
@Kelly You are right! It depends on how they (or any dog) are raised. My sister has a pit bull and he is the sweetest, gentlest cuddler. Meanwhile some states have laws demanding that any pit bull found wandering outside their owner’s property are destroyed immediately. And it doesn’t matter what type of pit bull. If it looks part pit bull, it can be killed on the spot. No exceptions. I’m sick of people’s ignorance about them!
Yes, I am so over this. Every account of pit bulls who’ve mauled or killed someone reads the same. He was a charming teddy bear of a dog…until he wasn’t.
The daughter of a previous neighbor was mauled by a Black Labrador. Should we ban all of them too?
I have seven rescue dogs, including chihuahuas and pit bulls. I think saying how a dog is raised does a disservice as there are dogs that come from horrible backgrounds that are lovely. Character and behaviour depends on the individual dog. Pit bulls are strong dogs and, like every strong dog – EVERY strong dog – they need consistency and a good owner who pays attention to their needs.
The dog-love of my life was a rescue, who was a pit bull-great dane-something fluffy mix, and he was the most gentle, submissive, friendly dog you’d ever meet. BUT out of fairness to him, I’d never have him unsupervised or running wild; that is, I’d never create a situation where something terrible could happen in an instant.
All dog attacks are fundamentally preventable and it’s the owners’ responsibility to prevent them. This means understanding dog behaviour, knowing your particular dog’s triggers and quirks, constant socialisation and clear rules. Also, sufficient exercise and stimulation to avoid a stressed, insecure, hysterical dog. Unfortunately, terrible things happen because people don’t take the time to educate themselves, don’t care enough to do so, or worse – and sadly this is the case with a lot of pit bulls – want a ‘tough’ looking animal that essentially foams at the mouth and pulls.
That theme of this has never happened before, ‘he was a charming teddy bear of a dog’ pisses me off too. You know what? Don’t give your goddamn dog a chance to show this other side of him. All dogs have the potential for aggression, and if a pit bull or any other big dog bites, then chances are that bite is going to be serious. So don’t let a situation where it could happen occur. SImple as that.
@Ems
Thank you. You are so right. I love dogs and know many lovely pit bulls and pit mixes and their owners. I thought it was interesting when I read on a pit bull rescue site that they don’t recommend just anybody to go out and rescue pits. They stressed that it’s very important that potential owners be experienced about caring for dogs and dog behavior. Reason being that well intended people wanting to help the breed sometimes make their job worse because they don’t fully understand what they’re getting into. They are very powerful dogs and require positive and firm training. But also, as you said, they require knowledgeable, diligent owners that don’t allow situations to occur. Unfortunately when these folks have a mishap with the dog, they figure the dog is dangerous and turn them back into the shelter.
As you said, each dog, each pit has it’s individual personality and temperament. Unfortunately people who breed pits to be fighter dogs are hurting the breed. There are successfully adapted fighting pits. But there’s a lot of factors involved. Is it an alpha or is it a submissive used for alpha fighters to train on? People should also try to find out if a puppy was bred from fighter pits and from how many generations of fighters the puppy is from.
There is a range of degrees of latent, dangerous behavior. Some dogs might be at the very low end while others might be at the high end and require very experienced dog handlers if they are rescue-able at all.
Basically you’ve got to understand what you’re signing up for, and be up for it. That’s really the case for any dog though. Just more so for pits bulls. For first time dog owners, pit bulls might not be the best choice.
Pit Bull owners are so over your obvious ridiculous discrimination. I have a 12 year old 85lb. Am Staff who just happens to have a very docile temperament, to the point where he’s been bitten several times by other dogs and didn’t even fight back. I have known 2 people afraid of ALL dogs who ended up dog-sitting for me because he’s so gentle. I would, without qualm, leave him with ANY other dog, animal or child and be legitimately worried the HE might end up hurt. I got him at 6 weeks old, from a friend (not a breeder) and he has never known any hardship in life, except for when he can’t get on the couch with me. He has never even scratched someone. In fact, I have 2 scars from my brother’s pit bull – one because he got excited as a puppy, jumped up on me and ripped my skirt and one because I was playing with him and scratched my hand on his tooth – but NO injuries at all from mine.
Let me say this once again, for the people in the back, PIT BULLS ARE NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN OTHER DOGS!!! They are just more prevalent in the news. They do not have locking jaws. They do have hooked, dinosaur teeth that can rip flesh. So do a lot of dogs (and other animals!). They do not speak human and go off of instinct, and can be threatened, tired or traumatized, leading them to respond by biting.
So, your assumption is bull. Every dog is different; just like people. I have known bitey dogs and non-bitey dogs, and there is a little correlation to breed, but it ain’t causation. You cannot claim that pitties are inherently dangerous any more than you can prove Black people are. Now, there’s a correlation there, but I don’t have the wherewithal to get into all THAT right now…
@Tracking – many dogs in attacks are mis-identifed as “pit bulls” and the corrections are buried or non-existent in the papers who reported the attacks. If a bull breed is attacked by another dog, it’s the “pit bull” part that makes the headlines
thanks to that and willful ignorance on the part of many, you are woefully misinformed about the bull breeds. I run a dog rescue, we find that we are contacted most often about labs with aggression issues/bite histories. For the most part, the problem is that people will get a puppy because they “don’t want to deal with issues some other irresponsible dog owner created” and then they proceed to ruin a dog by (a) not doing any training with it (sorry, a petsmart socialization class & house training is not all the training your dog needs); (b) expecting puppies and teen dogs to not need exercise or mental stimulation (sorry – a 5-10 minute walk just to do its business isn’t enough); (c) not understanding their own lifestyle or limitations or that what they have time and patience for when they’re 50 and have a full time job may not be the same as when they last had a puppy to train during summer break when they were in high school. I could go on ad nauseum
we are very picky who we will adopt a bull breed dog to (and that includes bulldogs, boxers, mastiffs, and other dogs people apply for when saying “but no pitbulls because they’re vicious”). While all dogs need to be properly socialized, the bull breeds should continue to be socialized with other dogs and have positive experiences with them on an ongoing basis as they can become dog-aggressive if they become desocialized with other dogs.
The sheer ignorance some people display when it comes to pit bulls really grinds my gears. If you raise it correctly with love, affection and proper training, they can be well adjusted, happy dogs. The problem is too many people raise them to be angry and agressive and then act surprised when they hurt or kill somebody. That isn’t the dog’s fault. Stop blaming the breed because ignorant jack holes don’t raise them properly
Therein lies the problem when one encounters a pit bull how do you know how the dog was trained or raised?
My greater issue is also with some of their owners , not everyone is cut out to own certain types of dogs and if you do it is only responsible to invest in proper training how best to manage that dog.Bad owners range from cruel and overaggressive to plain clueless
There is however no “sheer ignorance” in plain statistics . Pit bulls make up relatively small percentage of the canine population and are responsible for a
disproportionate high amount of severe or fatal maulings , there are other breeds that bite more but the consequences are less disastrous from say a Chihuahua than a pit bull
At the end of the day , when a 4 yo has their face torn off the net effect to that child is the same whether its the fault of the dog or the owner
@ Blogdis There’s no way to know how a dog was raised when you approach it, just as there is no way to know how a person was raised. My point was that when a pit is trained and raised properly those issues are non-existent because a responsible dog owner will keep the dog out of harm’s way.
The statistics are meaningless and only reenforce the opinions of their authors. As somebody who’s worked with them extensively I can say without a doubt that they’re often alarmist. The best example is big tobaco putting out a study that says cigarettes have no links to linger cancer. Again I would offer that maulings occur because of irresponsible dog owners, and not the dogs themselves
PLEASE just watch this video. It can express better than I, the true nature of this beautiful breed.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AsoXuyXedVE
I say this as someone who was bitten in the face at the age of 9, by a German Shepherd. My current fur baby’s are shepherd and chiweenie.
I’ve been a longtime reader but never commentor. It’s so frustrating to see the negativity towards pitbulls. I’ve had many dogs, different breeds, all rescues. The absolute sweetest dogs I’ve ever had or known have been pitbulls. The most vicious was a 40lb lab mix. Please don’t judge any dogs until you know them
No, I will, thanks. When pit bulls go wrong, they go very, very wrong.
When people who live in affluent communities say they have a gun to keep there family safe it always baffles me. I’m assuming safety (and good schools) is why you spent all that money on the house. While there are no guarantees in life, gun violence—at least in regards to external threats—is a rarity in affluent neighborhoods.
Think about that though. Where are you most likely to net the most expensive stuff plus a car or two worth a good bit of money? In the hood?
And yet, where does most gun violence occur? Poor neighborhoods.
In regards to robberies, particularly in affluent areas, they are attempted when people aren’t home. This is often why people “case the joint.” Affluent areas may also be gated communities or have security patrols. People who are attempting to rob homes in wealthy neighborhoods are the ones that are going to put thought/planning into it and make it seamless.
Also, this is why people have security cameras. You can recover/replace your possessions and catch the criminal; you cannot replace a life. Confronting criminals, especially when guns are involved is dangerous. You may not always turn out be the hero that saves the day.
Rapes and home invasions purposely take place when people ARE home. Or, when a criminal, often not the most educated of the bunch, mistakenly thinks no one is home and they’re wrong. I’m not saying shoot everyone, by all means, call 911. But recognize that they may not get there in time.
You just changed the scenario to specifically require someone to be home (ie rape + home invasion). So yes, that can happen. However, home invasions—again, focusing on affluent neighborhoods—particularly occur when people aren’t home due to work or vacations. Thieves prefer a “get in, get out” smooth operation. They are there for the valuable possessions and anything else increases chances of getting caught. Also, Affluent neighborhoods tend to be further away (ie suburbs and exurbs) which increases this difficulty. There is evidence behind this, so I can link if you’d like.
Again, not saying that affluent areas have no crimes, but the rates and types of crimes are vastly different than economically disadvantaged neighborhoods (ie where most **violent** crimes occur).
Home break-ins in the LA area have dramatically increased over the past 3 years. In California, the affluent neighborhoods aren’t always further away, especially in LA. Beverly Hills/Hollywood Hills are right in the middle of things. My aunt-in-law was shot to death on her doorstep when she came home and surprised the people who had broken into her home. She didn’t know they were there, she just opened her front door. In 2017 an LA hair dresser to the stars was shot to death when people tried to steal his Porsche out of his garage and discovered that he was home. So while robbers might TRY to get in when people aren’t home, if you have the unfortunate luck to be home when they are there, it can be very dangerous.
@Tiffany – Of course there can be exceptions or situations may vary. Again, the point is not that zero violent crimes, or in this case violent invasions happen, but trends show less likelihood in affluent neighborhoods. I aprreciate the LA + surroundings areas exception, but it is still an exception. In both of your examples, it’s not necessarily clear that a gun would have helped.
I guess my overall point is that a gun, in this instance, seems like paranoia or attempting to plan for all variables, which is impossible. I’m sure for as many instances where a gun has or would have helped, there are as many instances where a gun has/ would have made things worse, or even make/made no difference.
Also, I think I’m more critical of civilians with guns because we (US citizens) have too many police officers (ie those with training) who are not responsibly using their guns and lean on them a little too heavily. So, guns seem even more dangerous in the hands of civilians.
*appreciate
Uhhh..ok. So, basically he didn’t need to act much at all to play Shane on Walking Dead. He was good in Sicario, he had a small role but did it perfectly. But then he played a douche, so there you go. But- I’m not anti-gun. And I’m not alt-right. I voted for Hillary (unlike most of my dim-witted state), we own guns, we’re pro-choice and despise racists. And I’m not anti-pit bull either. My SIL works at a local APL so I’ve seen all sides. I wouldn’t have one unsupervised with a small child, but I refuse to categorize an entire breed based on a small percentage of violent behavior.
Pitbulls can be cuddly and are loyal and sweet, but if they get upset, you’re in serious danger, because they’re a strong and fighting breed like few others. I’d keep them out of my life, or away from kids, just to be on the safe side.
I know this is a stereotype, but I see it in real life a lot: the more violent the person, the more likely to own certain breeds of dogs (ETA: this dude here is another example, hence me writing this). And while “the dog isn’t the problem, the owner and the upbringing is” is mostly true, the fact that violent assholes always go for these breeds does them a disservice. They are then brought up to be dangerous. And they are freaking dangerous.
Finding their butthole before they kill you? Yeah, surely that works if you’re not familiar with them. Geez.
I find his methods highly unusual with pitbulls…I’m not entirely sure it’s always going to work and if you read the link to his interview he even says it didn’t work one time. However, he saved a pug’s life by startling the pitbull so maybe we can hold off on judging him. He rescues pitbulls, so I applaud him for that. I’m going to hazard a guess you either don’t have much experience with pitbulls or the experience you have had has been bad but what he states and others have stated is the truth…it’s not the breed, it’s the owner. If you are rescuing a bait dog, you have different behavioral issues than with a fighting dog hence the reason why his one dog wasn’t there for the interviews, he doesn’t play well for others. Now Jon’s past is highly problematic but it’s untrue that violent people gravitate to pitbulls. I suggest you read a little bit more about them.
+1
I also think it’s good to know if a puppy pit is bred from fighters. I think this might explain some of the “just snapped” accounts. But there’s always more than just one factor involved ranging from the owners/training to the breeding.
It’s not just the way dogs are brought up, no, it’s got a bit to do with the breed too. (And the breeding (of which you can never be too sure of), and the individual dog’s temperament. But that goes for all dog breeds and yet deaths by golden retrievers are extremely rare. Even though they’re one of the most popular dog breeds. Sure they bite but rarely with severe consequence.) Now look up statistics for casualties and severe injuries and you’ll find pit bulls, mastiffs, and other so-called dangerous breeds clearly ruling the polls. These are strong dogs that, if they decide to attack, put you in mortal danger immediately.
And I do have experience – with staffies (plural), to be precise, thanks to my cousin. At least he doesn’t pretend that they are not dangerous – and his are not even aggressive.
We all know there’s a reason why thugs prefer bulls to cocker spaniels, come on.
ETA: Other posts here, when defending pits, basicly tell you the same thing: they are difficult dogs. People bring them in because they can’t handle them anymore etc. Sure it’s not the dog’s fault per se, but it doesn’t make it any less dangerous. And if you adopt one from a shelter, it’s really important that you know what you’re doing. More than if you adopt a stray poodle.
Never liked him; now I know why. He played angry too well. Was soooooooo glad when Rick killed him on TWD lol. I enjoy Marvel’s Daredevil but when The Punisher showed up with this actor… well, I guess it made sense, but I won’t be watching Punisher. I don’t do ‘always angry’ well.
“I don’t do ‘always angry’ well. ”
Me too. That’s a problem I have with a lot of shows that think angry, shout-y, violence makes for good drama.
Nope. Hurts my ears.
This x 1000000! Good riddance to him on TWD and I won’t watch the Punisher. We have too much violence in our real life, don’t need it on TV, movies, etc.
I think he’s a great actor.
Lots of people are angry. He fought, he busted some ass, he’s mellowed out slightly and he loves his dog and his family. I have zero issue with pit bulls having grown up in a poor ass town, they were everywhere and I had many friends with loving, cuddly pit bulls and small children and the two kids I knew that were attacked by dogs were attacked by labs, not pit bulls. All dogs can attack, it’s in their nature. I had another friend, again, with a lab, he killed the neighbor’s cat. I guess what I came to say is I have no issue with him. At least he owns his past unlike Mark Wahlberg.
Labs like to mouth things and are very excitable. But I think when you look at the stats they rarely kill. They are up on the list as biters but the bites aren’t life threatening. When a pit bull bites it’s a different story, they mean it when they bite, it’s not playing. I wouldn’t have one around. Nor a German Shepherd or Doberman or a few others. I don’t want the work or responsibility needed to make sure the dog doesn’t bite or kill someone. My golden retriever on the other hand wants nothing more than to please me and play fetch. She won’t even bark at the mailman. So useless for protection but an easy dog to own. You have to know what you can handle.
“know what you can handle.”
+1
If you have experience with working dogs, then an evaluated and well trained pit bull can be a wonderful, smart, loving dog.
Please stop blamimg the owners. You domt know what goes on in every house where a pit has mauled and killed.
I work in rescue, it’s always the owners. They either ignore the signs of a problem- aggression, displacement, nervousness- because they “love” their dog. Or they handle it by hitting/alpha-rolling/aversives.
The amount of people that come into rescue and “need to give up their dog” because it “has been nipping for awhile but finally broke skin” makes me insane.
I posted up thread how pit bull rescue organizations advise people thinking of rescuing a pit not be first time dog owners and in fact be someone that understands dogs well, particularly the pit breed, for this very reason.
THIS absolutely this. And know what you can handle before you get one.
I do rescue and rehome for strays, mainly cats but the dogs I’ve come across usually come with owners or someone in the owner’s circle that’s problematic. Big powerful fighter type dogs need owners willing to put in the work. Because with them it only takes the one time they snap to be lethal. We actually have more complaints with small nippy dogs but they can bite dozens of times with non catastrophic outcomes.
And these big dogs are so loyal they put up with so much abuse from shitty toxic owners it breaks my heart.
P.S. I’ve to go check out an abandoned rottie in a couple of hours. Stupid owner left him at the park and he has been ‘guarding that bench for days. We gotta go get him before something happens once the Weeknd crowd go there and report him to the dogcatchers
From the header photo I thought that he was Miles Teller.
He presents an interesting case of privileged seemingly healthy upbringing with no reason to be hostile and yet the anger was there from a very young age. I think about this a lot as I see my children’s personalities develop and the age old debate of nature va nurture (or better said, genetic traits vs environment).
While I will probably get slammed for this statement, I do think some people are just born angry/damaged/sad etc. I wonder if it’s the toxic environment compounding these propensities that create truly sociopathic/dangerous personalities as adults. He sounds like someone I’d still be frightened of, regardless of ‘maturity.’
I adopted a pitbull 7 years ago, she had been left on the streets, hurt, and famished. She was 3 months old. She is the most loyal, water-fearing, thunder-fearing, sweet dog. But I knew how to train her. She scares people off, which breaks my heart, because she is very social. She also tries to give you her two paws, instead of one, and ends up falling all over the place.
But she was educated to listen to our commands, to respect our commands, to feel safe knowing my brother is her Alpha. Pitbulls are tricky because their temper is tricky and should only be owned by people willing to be trained alongside them.
There was a great interview on nerdist.com with him. He was pretty self-aware that he was a violent and privileged rebel without a cause. He seems to really not like that about his past and has moved on from it. I suggest a listen, it’s a fascinating interview about how he studied acting in the Moscow Theatre School and his evolution as an actor and a person. https://nerdist.com/nerdist-podcast-jon-bernthal/
Also IMO a total ride.
Well then that’s good to know.
I just finished watching the Punisher and he was excellent in it. The show, as a whole, was excellent, although if you aren’t into severe violence, you might want to skip it. The show tackled a bunch of issues and the story line was interesting and balanced. They focused on gun control, military and veterans, especially what happens AFTER they come back, family, and what that means, etc. IMHO, it really gave me more background into this character and even though I don’t agree with what he does, i understand WHY, not that it makes it right, but, you understand.
I wiki’d the origins of Punisher and they changed it quite a bit for the times. I think tying a military background in makes it more a story of our time.
That being said, I haven’t seen Berenthal in anything else and knew nothing of his background. I’m a bit saddened he has the violent, angry white male background but I can applaud his work for pit bull rescue and any guy who says f$%k the alt-right, even with his pro gun stance, I can get behind. I hope he has moved past his violent tendencies as I think he has a future in acting even beyond the Punisher. He had some incredibly sweet scenes in the show with his ‘wife’ so he does have range.
just my two cents (and he’s dang handsome)
Yeah, he’s amazing as the Punisher. I enjoyed the show so much. Definitely one of my favourites on Netflix.
He was great in Wind River. If you haven’t watched it yet you should!
We were vacillating on watching this. Thanks. RT gave it an 87 and an audience score of 91. Sheridan wrote the screenplay for Sicario, and I enjoyed that. It was nice to have a strong female lead for once in that kind of movie and not just the girlfriend role.
It’s a really well done film, but just a warning, it is very sad throughout, and has a few very graphic scenes.
It’s a film that has stuck with me though, via the story and performances.
He stood out to me ever since his Walking Dead days. There’s just something about him and I like it a lot.
Pitties are wonderful dogs. I have a pit bull jack Russell mix and he is the sweetest dog I’ve ever known. Weird looking but sweet.
The most angry aggressive dog I ever knew in my life was my grandfathers chihuahua. That little bastard bit me more times than I can count.
I admire his advocacy for pit bulls but poking a dog’s butt is not the best way to stop a dogfight. Wheelbarrow method is the safest – you lift up the dog’s back two legs and pull them away from other dog. It’s obviously better if there’s 2 people to grab both dogs but if not, try to grab the more aggressive one. The dog can’t turn around and bite you when you’ve wheelbarrowed them but definitely could if you’re near their butt. Also you didn’t just finger a dog butt…eww.
Yes! You are totally right. I worked at a dog daycamp for years and that’s the best way.
For a dog lover, I wanted to share this video. It’s a rottweiler grieving for his dead brother, who had just passed away. So moving how he lays with him and doesn’t want to leave him.
Dogs are capable of such emotion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vSevMjoFQE
My kids and nieces and nephews have been and are being raised around pit bulls (all animals on general). My son is an a final lover with a strong love of dogs. My sister at one point had 2 pits, one died (RIP Khia). The kids were heart broken. They are the sweetest things. Rack, the surviving pitt, is a big baby. He is gentle and loving and the kids love him especially the younger ones. My three year old niece thinks he is her baby. So we are Pit Bull proud.
He’s really good looking.