Odd situation - What would be an appropriate gift?

Everything that doesn't fit anywhere else!

Postby katiek0417 » December 3rd, 2007, 12:36 pm

On December 03 2007, 11:34 AM, cheekymunkee wrote:
On December 03 2007, 6:11 AM, SisMorphine wrote:
On December 03 2007, 6:59 AM, amazincc wrote:You guys sound so ... jaded... or I'm just too gullible... :(

Unfortunately it's not jaded, it's realistic with these kids. Though I will say, most of my kids wouldn't go as far as selling material gifts for money for drugs, but if given cash it definitely wouldn't be used to buy clothing and pizza.


Sure they would! Back in the day ( long, long ago when I sold pot) I took gift cards for 50 cents on the dollar. Food stamps too. if there's a will, there's a way. :wink:


Uh oh, a glimpse into Cheeky's sordid past :wink:
"Rumor has it, compulsion is evil."

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Postby TheRedQueen » December 3rd, 2007, 12:37 pm

On December 03 2007, 11:36 AM, katiek0417 wrote:
On December 03 2007, 11:34 AM, cheekymunkee wrote:
On December 03 2007, 6:11 AM, SisMorphine wrote:
On December 03 2007, 6:59 AM, amazincc wrote:You guys sound so ... jaded... or I'm just too gullible... :(

Unfortunately it's not jaded, it's realistic with these kids. Though I will say, most of my kids wouldn't go as far as selling material gifts for money for drugs, but if given cash it definitely wouldn't be used to buy clothing and pizza.


Sure they would! Back in the day ( long, long ago when I sold pot) I took gift cards for 50 cents on the dollar. Food stamps too. if there's a will, there's a way. :wink:


Uh oh, a glimpse into Cheeky's sordid past :wink:


:shock:

My delicate moral values have been corrupted!
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Postby lellis34 » December 3rd, 2007, 12:37 pm

On December 03 2007, cheekymunkee wrote:
On December 03 2007, 6:11 AM, SisMorphine wrote:
On December 03 2007, 6:59 AM, amazincc wrote:You guys sound so ... jaded... or I'm just too gullible... :(

Unfortunately it's not jaded, it's realistic with these kids. Though I will say, most of my kids wouldn't go as far as selling material gifts for money for drugs, but if given cash it definitely wouldn't be used to buy clothing and pizza.


Sure they would! Back in the day ( long, long ago when I sold pot) I took gift cards for 50 cents on the dollar. Food stamps too. if there's a will, there's a way. :wink:


How much will you give me for $12 on an Outback Gift Card?
Ming Ming: “celery is great after a good pee”
Tuck: “you can say that again”
Ming Ming: “celery is great after a good pee”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW-ZxcPE33w
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Postby katiek0417 » December 3rd, 2007, 12:40 pm

On December 03 2007, 11:37 AM, lellis34 wrote:
On December 03 2007, cheekymunkee wrote:
On December 03 2007, 6:11 AM, SisMorphine wrote:
On December 03 2007, 6:59 AM, amazincc wrote:You guys sound so ... jaded... or I'm just too gullible... :(

Unfortunately it's not jaded, it's realistic with these kids. Though I will say, most of my kids wouldn't go as far as selling material gifts for money for drugs, but if given cash it definitely wouldn't be used to buy clothing and pizza.


Sure they would! Back in the day ( long, long ago when I sold pot) I took gift cards for 50 cents on the dollar. Food stamps too. if there's a will, there's a way. :wink:


How much will you give me for $12 on an Outback Gift Card?


She already said she did 50 cents on the dollar...so, that would be $6...of course, you have to take inflation into consideration... :wink:
"Rumor has it, compulsion is evil."

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Postby lellis34 » December 3rd, 2007, 12:42 pm

I think it's $12 and some change - I'll throw that in to cover postage and what not.
Ming Ming: “celery is great after a good pee”
Tuck: “you can say that again”
Ming Ming: “celery is great after a good pee”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW-ZxcPE33w
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Postby katiek0417 » December 3rd, 2007, 12:52 pm

On December 03 2007, 11:42 AM, lellis34 wrote:I think it's $12 and some change - I'll throw that in to cover postage and what not.


well, then you'd probably get more than $6!!! :wink: :twisted:
"Rumor has it, compulsion is evil."

Katrina
Sacha CGC - Dumb Lab
Nisha CGC, PDC, PSA TC, PSA 1 - Crazy Malinois
Drusilla SLUT- Pet
Nemo - Dual-Purpose Narcotics
Cy TC, PSA 1, PSA 2, 2009 PSA Level 3 National Champion
Axo - Psycho Puppy
Rocky - RIP My Baby Boy
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Postby cheekymunkee » December 3rd, 2007, 12:54 pm

On December 03 2007, 10:37 AM, lellis34 wrote:
On December 03 2007, cheekymunkee wrote:
On December 03 2007, 6:11 AM, SisMorphine wrote:
On December 03 2007, 6:59 AM, amazincc wrote:You guys sound so ... jaded... or I'm just too gullible... :(

Unfortunately it's not jaded, it's realistic with these kids. Though I will say, most of my kids wouldn't go as far as selling material gifts for money for drugs, but if given cash it definitely wouldn't be used to buy clothing and pizza.


Sure they would! Back in the day ( long, long ago when I sold pot) I took gift cards for 50 cents on the dollar. Food stamps too. if there's a will, there's a way. :wink:


How much will you give me for $12 on an Outback Gift Card?


Because it's YOU, I would give you a well stuffed dime bag. :wink:
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Postby lellis34 » December 3rd, 2007, 12:59 pm

On December 03 2007, cheekymunkee wrote:
On December 03 2007, 10:37 AM, lellis34 wrote:
On December 03 2007, cheekymunkee wrote:
On December 03 2007, 6:11 AM, SisMorphine wrote:
On December 03 2007, 6:59 AM, amazincc wrote:You guys sound so ... jaded... or I'm just too gullible... :(

Unfortunately it's not jaded, it's realistic with these kids. Though I will say, most of my kids wouldn't go as far as selling material gifts for money for drugs, but if given cash it definitely wouldn't be used to buy clothing and pizza.


Sure they would! Back in the day ( long, long ago when I sold pot) I took gift cards for 50 cents on the dollar. Food stamps too. if there's a will, there's a way. :wink:


How much will you give me for $12 on an Outback Gift Card?


Because it's YOU, I would give you a well stuffed dime bag. :wink:


YES! :rock: I'll PM you with my address.
Ming Ming: “celery is great after a good pee”
Tuck: “you can say that again”
Ming Ming: “celery is great after a good pee”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW-ZxcPE33w
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Postby katiek0417 » December 3rd, 2007, 1:03 pm

Yikes...my virgin ears!!!! :wink:
"Rumor has it, compulsion is evil."

Katrina
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Nisha CGC, PDC, PSA TC, PSA 1 - Crazy Malinois
Drusilla SLUT- Pet
Nemo - Dual-Purpose Narcotics
Cy TC, PSA 1, PSA 2, 2009 PSA Level 3 National Champion
Axo - Psycho Puppy
Rocky - RIP My Baby Boy
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Postby amazincc » December 3rd, 2007, 1:08 pm

:lol3: @ Cheeky... I knew I liked that girl for a reason! :wink:
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Postby Hoyden » December 3rd, 2007, 3:41 pm

Katie - I'll email it to you too.

There is a lot more to this, but being that this is a public forum, there is only so much I can say right now.

I just realized that I didn't mention that there were several other kids there too, but it was Jamal that stepped in and really went beyond what most would do in this situation.


Now I am going to hop up on my soap box for a minute here because right now, I'm so mad at a few people that I will probably never speak to them again.

My husband and few others are giving me so much garbage about this incident for reasons that just boil down to narrow minded bigotry.

When people express interest in Birdie, if I have a minute to stop and let them pet her, I will. If not I acknowledge their interest with a smile or nod or what ever seems appropriate. I don't give a rat's behind what friggin' color they are, what they are wearing or how they talk. All I see is a kid, not a black kid, not a hispanic kid, not a gang member - A KID!!! I treat them the same and talk to them the same way I would anybody else I meet.

I train at this park for many reasons, among them, the distractions. Small animals, a highway not to far away (you can hear the big trucks) lots of kids riding bikes and scooters, joggers, other dogs, several fields, basketball courts, a pond, birds etc.

So about a month ago when I was walking Birdie and I realized that these kids had paused their game to look at Birdie, I acknowledged their interest and asked them if they'd like to pet her. Of course they did and they asked me a ton of questions about her job and pit bulls, and I answered them as best as I could. Since they were interested in how I trained her, I asked them if they wanted to help me. Several said sure.

Since I was working on Birdie ignoring people unless I told her it was okay to visit, I explained what I was doing and why. So we worked on that for a few minutes, then I released her and let them pet her and play with her for a couple minutes before we left.

Then I saw them again a few weeks ago and waved. They stopped to come say hi. One kid was finishing up some chips and was going to throw the bag away, so I asked him to sprinkle the crumbs on the ground first. After Faire season, Birdie is really bad about snagging food on the ground and I had been working on putting a stop to it. So again, I explained what I was doing and why, including the correction that I used if she went for the chips and why I ended training sessions on a good note for her.

They played with her for a few minutes when we were done and then we were on our way.

Between both times, I'd say I spent maybe 25 - 30 minutes in all talking with these kids and letting them pet Birdie.

The next time I saw them was the day I got bit.

Now my husband and a few others tell me I'm stupid for spending the amount of time that I do answering questions and letting people interact with Birdie. In my mind, if I've planted just a seed of doubt about all the media BS they hear about this breed, it's worth it to me.

In this case, the 25 - 30 minutes that I "wasted" probably saved us both from being seriously injured. I'd say that was well worth the half hour I spent, wouldn't you??

Damn! People make me so mad sometimes. >>> Off my soap box now.


Someone had suggested basketball tickets on another forum, so I'm looking into getting several UCONN Husky Men's Basketball tickets for Jamal and a few of his friends.

I called his Probation officer this morning to find out if he had any restrictions and to see if he had any suggestions because I don't want to do something that will cause him more trouble. I ended up leaving a message for him.


BUT, I had an idea this morning. I remembered that the back boards and hoops where these kids play are shot. My next door neighbor is a cop in the city, so I went over and asked him what he thought of replacing them for the kids and what I'd need to do to get permission to have them replaced with new ones. He thought it was a great idea and said he'd help me buy them. He is going to call around at the city to find out for me.

One of our clients at work is a recreation store, so with permission from my boss, I called her about the back boards. She knows the whole story and will donate one and give us the other at the wholesale price. She's also giving me two nice basketballs for them.

So if the city gives us permission, I think this is a great gift for all of the kids.
Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men ~ General George S. Patton, Jr.

She taking all the stars down from her sky to hang them up someplace new, where there's better weather and the sky's a different blue. ~ Autumn Fields
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Postby lellis34 » December 3rd, 2007, 4:14 pm

Stay up on that soap box lady, I think your time was very well spent. :rock: I do the same thing so I can't argue with you. If you can change someones mind or influence them a little it can sometimes make a world of difference.
Ming Ming: “celery is great after a good pee”
Tuck: “you can say that again”
Ming Ming: “celery is great after a good pee”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW-ZxcPE33w
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Postby amazincc » December 3rd, 2007, 4:20 pm

Wow, Hoyden ... you are an awesome person!!! I feel the same way you do - and of course you make a difference to those kids. Not too many people would even bother to talk to them, never mind explaining anything or engaging them in a conversation/dog training session!
And what you want to do for them - just... super-great!!!
I applaud people like you... I sneer at the rest. :wink:
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Postby Hoyden » December 3rd, 2007, 4:41 pm

On December 03 2007, 3:39 AM, gayrghts wrote:I work with similar kids.... sadly no matter what you give him.... gift card, money, etc it can/will be changed into money that can be used to buy drugs or gang color's stuff etc if he wants to.

Is there something that you can do, with your skills... ie your collar making skills..... maybe to put his name on something.... in NON gang colors.... lol if you know what gang i may be able to help with color suggestions.... maybe a cap, or a messenger bag, or something that would have meaning.... along with a note.... plus if you put his name on it.... there's little or no chance that he'll be able to sell it...

Also.... if you have it in you.... you might want to offer to be a "resource" for this kid... ie allowing this kid to assist you with something... either for a small amt of pay, or just for the time spent with you and the dog.... etc

Kids like this often need healthy adults who care.... and it sounds like he cares enough to help.... so you may have a way to reach out....

BUT please do it safely, these kids also have ways of harming people... ie getting in as friends and then stealing etc because that's all they know.


My next door neighbor, John, is a cop in the city and briefed me thoroughly on being safe when interacting with at risk kids. I am always very careful about what personal information I share with them and I keep my wits about me.

But as I found out last year, sometimes just a little bit of your time can go a long long way.

Some may remember Mike, the kid that called me "white bread". That post is here, for those that don't. http://www.pitbulltalk.com/viewtopic.ph ... hite+bread

I see him once in awhile at the mall on friday nights or the weekend if I'm there shopping. When Mike or a few of he kids I talked with that time at the mall see me, they always ask me if I need any help. Mike has helped me shop a few times and carried all the bags out to my truck for me. Mall security follows us around, so I'm not really worried.

I took Mike and his girlfriend with me to the Buckland Mall once with out any issues. His girlfriend had been talking about being a nurse and taking care of elderly because she takes care of her grandmother. So I got permission to bring them with me when Birdie and I went to the VA Hospital to do our visit and asked the nurses to talk to her about a career in the nursing field. Mike had a blast hanging out with the male patients in the rec room and they started to teaching him how to play chess.

One of the nurses lives one town over from us, so she has been mentoring Mike's girlfriend and helping her get her grades up to get into a nursing program and from what I hear, she is doing well.


John told me that Birdie breaks the ice, and once the kids realize that I don't stereotype them or treat them differently and will answer their questions, I'm "all good" with them. I told him then the people who work with these kids need to get social dogs or classroom dogs.
Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men ~ General George S. Patton, Jr.

She taking all the stars down from her sky to hang them up someplace new, where there's better weather and the sky's a different blue. ~ Autumn Fields
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Postby airwalk » December 3rd, 2007, 4:45 pm

Hoyden...unfortunately sometimes those that love us the most worry the most unnecessarily about us. They're convinced that we aren't smart enough to know when we are in over our heads and to know the difference between kids wanting to talk and gangbangers looking for trouble.

So ignore the hubby and others they love you and are worrying unnecessarily.

I think the backboard idea is a really great idea...that is something that the boys use and keeps them constructively busy.
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Postby amazincc » December 3rd, 2007, 4:52 pm

Most times, if you treat a human being like a human being... they will respond in kind... :)

I wish Mick was more social... I would love to "educate" some of my younger neighbors... so far I'm hanging out w/a four-year old who just "looooves them Pitties" (his words)... his father owns a Pit Bull who is bred on a regular basis... I'm pretty sure it's for fighting purposes. :cry:
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Postby Hoyden » December 3rd, 2007, 4:56 pm

On December 03 2007, 3:45 PM, airwalk wrote:Hoyden...unfortunately sometimes those that love us the most worry the most unnecessarily about us. They're convinced that we aren't smart enough to know when we are in over our heads and to know the difference between kids wanting to talk and gangbangers looking for trouble.

So ignore the hubby and others they love you and are worrying unnecessarily.

I think the backboard idea is a really great idea...that is something that the boys use and keeps them constructively busy.


My husband is a bigot. Period.

He, better than anyone, knows that I am pretty street smart. I'm a military brat who grew up overseas, so I've got that "target" mentality permanently ingrained.

He's usually the one complaining because I know about 16 ways to get to any place I go to regularly and rarely go the same way from a place as the way I went to get to the place. It drives him nuts.
Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men ~ General George S. Patton, Jr.

She taking all the stars down from her sky to hang them up someplace new, where there's better weather and the sky's a different blue. ~ Autumn Fields
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Postby airwalk » December 3rd, 2007, 4:59 pm

On December 03 2007, 3:56 PM, Hoyden wrote:
On December 03 2007, 3:45 PM, airwalk wrote:Hoyden...unfortunately sometimes those that love us the most worry the most unnecessarily about us. They're convinced that we aren't smart enough to know when we are in over our heads and to know the difference between kids wanting to talk and gangbangers looking for trouble.

So ignore the hubby and others they love you and are worrying unnecessarily.

I think the backboard idea is a really great idea...that is something that the boys use and keeps them constructively busy.


My husband is a bigot. Period.

He, better than anyone, knows that I am pretty street smart. I'm a military brat who grew up overseas, so I've got that "target" mentality permanently ingrained.

He's usually the one complaining because I know about 16 ways to get to any place I go to regularly and rarely go the same way from a place as the way I went to get to the place. It drives him nuts.


military brat..what branch..grew up Air Force here, and yep you get the target mentality permanently ingrained.
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Postby Hoyden » December 3rd, 2007, 5:05 pm

On December 03 2007, 3:59 PM, airwalk wrote:
On December 03 2007, 3:56 PM, Hoyden wrote:
On December 03 2007, 3:45 PM, airwalk wrote:Hoyden...unfortunately sometimes those that love us the most worry the most unnecessarily about us. They're convinced that we aren't smart enough to know when we are in over our heads and to know the difference between kids wanting to talk and gangbangers looking for trouble.

So ignore the hubby and others they love you and are worrying unnecessarily.

I think the backboard idea is a really great idea...that is something that the boys use and keeps them constructively busy.


My husband is a bigot. Period.

He, better than anyone, knows that I am pretty street smart. I'm a military brat who grew up overseas, so I've got that "target" mentality permanently ingrained.

He's usually the one complaining because I know about 16 ways to get to any place I go to regularly and rarely go the same way from a place as the way I went to get to the place. It drives him nuts.


military brat..what branch..grew up Air Force here, and yep you get the target mentality permanently ingrained.


Navy. My dad was a Cryptologic Technion with a high security clearance, so there was always that acute awareness of everything around us.

Plus I was in Italy in the mid 80's when all the "fun" stuff was happening around us.
Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men ~ General George S. Patton, Jr.

She taking all the stars down from her sky to hang them up someplace new, where there's better weather and the sky's a different blue. ~ Autumn Fields
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Postby airwalk » December 3rd, 2007, 5:09 pm

Ewww...we did just outside of London in the early 60's the period when it was actually fairly quiet.

Unfortunately we were active during Vietnam, so many of our issues came locally.
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