Dog Store sign Angers locals

[Sam]

Click here: Top News- Dog Store Sign Angers Local Residents - AOL News
 
Dog Store Sign Angers Local Residents
AP
 
Gilbert W. Arias, Seattle P.I. / AP
High Maintenance Bitch cofounder Lori Pacchiano said a goal is to reclaim the word "bitch" for its original meaning: a female dog.

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SEATTLE (Feb. 22) - A newly opened store catering to very pampered dogs, especially female dogs, is getting more than questioning looks for its name, High Maintenance Bitch.

The third word in the sign is widely visible at North 45th Street and Wallingford Avenue North, one of the main intersections in the Wallingford neighborhood business west of Interstate 5 and north of the Lake Washington Ship Canal.

"I am probably the most progressive liberal person in the world and I am personally offended by the sign," said Janet Stillman, executive director of the Wallingford Neighborhood Office. "It's so blatant and so in your face."

The sign is the issue more than products such as Gel-ous Bitch bath gel and Street Walker paw cleanser, said Kara Ceriello, co-president of the Wallingford Chamber of Commerce.

Ceriello said she supports the store but has heard complaints from about a dozen people.

"It is going to be a hot issue again when we get to our Wallingford Kiddie Parade and Street Fair," she said.

Stillman said the sign could wreck family photographs of the parade, scheduled for July 7.

"Walk by there with your 5-year-old and try to explain why that sign is there. Half of the sign is made up of the word 'bitch."'

Making no apologies, co-founder Lori Pacchiano, 36, said she planned to meet with the chamber Thursday. Meanwhile, she and her brother, Ryan Pacchiano, 27, hope to made the business name as commonplace in shopping areas as Victoria's Secret.

Over the next three years they hope to open 10 stores at a cost of about $200,000 each.

"Our company is probably the most high-end pet brand in the world," Pacchiano said. "We want to be known for growing from Seattle."

In the process, she said, one of her goals is to reclaim the word in its original meaning, a female dog, as opposed to a derogatory term for a woman.

"Our store is a dog store, but the concept and philosophy is directed specifically toward women," she said.


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2007-02-23 16:49:26

[Seamonkey]

I agree, make the word known for what it REALLY means. Things are getting way out of hand in this country, every time you turn around you are insulting someone, half the time you don't have to be even doing anything.

 personally having a VERY HIGH maintenance ( I won't say it, because I don't to offend anyone here) Canine Fashionista Diva , I LOVE the name and the product names and most dog owners will see the humor in it, especially if they too have females that "demand" only the best in wardrobe and bath bubblys.

And since when did Seattle get so uptight. You just explain to the little 5 year old what that word means. if you don't treat a word like it is nasty to say then niether will they.

[Anna]

Hi, Seamonkey,
Nice to finally meet you.  I breed dogs on occasion so am in one of the few professions where I can say words like "bitch" without raising eyebrows.  Of course, once in a while, one of mine will do something that does remind me of how the word came to have negative connotations, too.  While males will sometimes tend to openly fight, females have amazed me at their level of deviousness in sometimes dealing with other dogs.

For instance, I have one Alpha who does not want any others to mate or have puppies so she guards the only male of that breed that I have and won't let them near him.  

Another saves her treats until the others eat theirs then flaunts them.  One will bury the toys so the others can't play with them.  She plays then buries, digs them up, plays again then re-buries them each time she is through with playtime.

I suppose in their case, the word could be said to have duel meaning.

 

Anna

[MsVada]

It is getting a bit petty.....
I hear swearing on all sorts of tv shows and we aren't even supposed to bat an eye at it.  
It wasn't that long ago that you couldn't say you were "PREGNANT" on TV,  actors said "with child".  

I don't find it offensive if its in the context it is meant to be.

[Seamonkey]

Nice to meet you too anna

 Your dogs sound like quite the wonderful characters.

 We just brought home an 8 week old female Sunday ( my daughter's bday gift). Well, this female exhibits alpha tendancies, like going after my "diva's " favorite pillow, however my  diva Pommy will only put up with it so long before that pup is thrown off her "queenly" pillow lol.
 My male is acting all out of sorts with this new pup..he is not impressed at all, in fact I think he wants to eat it, too bad the new pup is almost larger than him or he would have lol...he's acting more like "that word" than even the females. lol

 Gotta love dogs, their antics are fun to watch.


MsDarthVada, Oh I totally agree. Last week I was talkin with my 16 yr old daughter about what words were NOT insulting while I was growing up. She was amazed at the things we could say without someone wanting to punch you out lol. I also told her the last 20-30 years have also changed the definitions to some of the words we use to say to something mean and insulting or totally different than what they were originally. Makes me wonder what the next 20 years will bring.
 And you are right about TV, even in cartoons I am amazed what they can say on these shows and yet no one else can..or would we even want to anyways??.
 Ya know even the "f" word was never intended to be a bad word. It is the intitials of a King's order I believe during the black plague. Fornification (sp?) Under the Consent of the King. See what that has become?? It has become the ultimate bad word to any child that first learns it and "test drives" it then has it stifled by gasps and a slap by Mommy at shock that little Johnny would dare utter the words he had just heard daddy say when he tripped over the skateboard little johnny left out lol.
  Like I said, I am curious to see what the next 20 years bring that is considered an insulting or "bad" word...ummm maybe the words "dust bunny" ?? I can see the future gasps at such unlady like words lol.

[Sam]

I agree, make the word known for what it REALLY means. Things are getting way out of hand in this country, every time you turn around you are insulting someone, half the time you don't have to be even doing anything.

 personally having a VERY HIGH maintenance ( I won't say it, because I don't to offend anyone here) Canine Fashionista Diva , I LOVE the name and the product names and most dog owners will see the humor in it, especially if they too have females that "demand" only the best in wardrobe and bath bubblys.

And since when did Seattle get so uptight. You just explain to the little 5 year old what that word means. if you don't treat a word like it is nasty to say then niether will they.

I guess that was my whole idea in posting that article. Alot of us grew up with the word bitch meaning a female dog. This is what Websters said it was. Why have we let society change that?

I see no problem with telling a child what the word means.

I must admit the F word is not the same to me. It seems like that word has became a catch all phrase of folks who have limited vocabularies.
Although I did hear it used where I burst out laughing and still smile at the experience.

[Seamonkey]

Oh lol I don't condone (sp?) the use of the "f" word only because of  what it means to us as a society. I was just pointing out, what was once an innocent word is no more as many other words.

 Why have we let society change anything?? I don't think we purposely have, I think it all slowly crept up on us before we knew what hit us in many cases, so by the time it hits us we are like..Ummm oh well, ok? Ya know? become numb to it all after awhile. Sad, but true, I think the majority of our country have thrown up thier hands at a lot of things.

sheesh i hope my mother doesn't look at my spelling errors lol.

[pdh3]

Great posts !

If you are matter of fact about your explanation to a child, there will be a great opportunity for a child to learn something important. Maybe parents are uncomfortable with having to deal with it.

[Leslie]

I thought it was Fornication Using Carnal Knowledge? I sorta remember the movie Carnal Knowledge from the 70's and the explanation of what it meant, etc.  It's just a word but I prefer "freaking".   I like the name High Maintenance Bitch - it is clever.

[Seamonkey]

Leslie, ah good point which the f-word was also used but for a different reason.

In colonial times, when someone would be punished for 'prostitution' It was an acronym for the words "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge"
"the F-Word"  was written on the stocks that held these criminals because For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge was too long to go on the stocks.

The one I was referring to was the one used in ancient England a person could not have sex unless you had consent of the King (unless you were in the Royal Family). When anyone wanted to have a baby, they got consent of the King, the King gave them a placard that they hung on their door while they were having sex. The placard had F.*.*.*. (Fornication Under Consent of the King) on it. I think it had to do with the black plague, if I remember correctly, I couldn't find anything on that though.

I swear I am not twisted lol It's just that you peaked my curiosity to get my facts right so I looked it up, because I too, recall what you posted. lol

 Here's your deffinition of it - It's not commonly known that the f-word originated as a medical diagnostic notation on the documests of soldiers in the British Imperial Army. When a soldier reported sick and was found to have V.D., the abbreviation F.*.*.K. was stamped on his documents. It was short for "Found Under Carnal Knowledge."

 And here is a comment from someone I looked up that finds it all imaginative bunk lol His reasons for saying so...

Having consulted the definitive reference work on this subject (yes, there is such a thing: "The F-Word" by Jesse Sheidlower, published by Random House in 1999), we feel confident in dismissing the above claims as imaginative bunk.

The word f*** did not originate as an acronym. It crept, fully formed, into the English language from Dutch or Low German around the 15th century (it's impossible to say precisely when because so little documentary evidence exists, probably due to the fact that the word was so taboo throughout its early history that people were afraid to write it down). The American Heritage Dictionary says its first known occurrence in English literature was in the satirical poem "Flen, Flyss" (c.1500), where it was not only disguised as a Latin word but encrypted — gxddbov — which has been deciphered as fuccant, pseudo-Latin for "they f***."

 So there we have it..a little bit more than I guess we were looking for or even imagined ever wanting to know about the word lol. Now I need a shower..I feel dirty lol  

 PS I hope I *'d all the f-words..if I didn't please whoever can edit the words do so, I do not wish to insult anyone.

[Seamonkey]

pdh3 --
  I always found if I am straight forward with my children, to the point, no big deals made, they take it in, then go on thier merry way. If we don't make a big deal neither will they and often even dismiss it because no big hoopla was made over it.

 I always felt too, if they are old enough to ask then they are old enough to be told. of course teaching them what is acceptable and what isn't at the same time but not in a harsh way that they would want to repeat it to get " a rise" out of Mom ..the good old "shock value" doesn't work on me, much to thier dismay at times lol.

[Sam]

pdh3 --
  I always found if I am straight forward with my children, to the point, no big deals made, they take it in, then go on thier merry way. If we don't make a big deal neither will they and often even dismiss it because no big hoopla was made over it.

 I always felt too, if they are old enough to ask then they are old enough to be told. of course teaching them what is acceptable and what isn't at the same time but not in a harsh way that they would want to repeat it to get " a rise" out of Mom ..the good old "shock value" doesn't work on me, much to thier dismay at times lol.

You are so correct Sea Monkey,
Things only become a big deal to children when we treat them that way.I think when children ask questions they should be answered as honestly as we can. JMHO

[pdh3]

pdh3 --
  I always found if I am straight forward with my children, to the point, no big deals made, they take it in, then go on thier merry way. If we don't make a big deal neither will they and often even dismiss it because no big hoopla was made over it.

 I always felt too, if they are old enough to ask then they are old enough to be told. of course teaching them what is acceptable and what isn't at the same time but not in a harsh way that they would want to repeat it to get " a rise" out of Mom ..the good old "shock value" doesn't work on me, much to thier dismay at times lol.

I use exactly the same approach! And it has always worked well. My kids have asked uncomfortable questions at times, but I always answer them honestly, and in an age-appropriate way. We have good communication, and they trust me to tell them the truth. It actually brings you closer to your children when you are open and honest.

[MsVada]

Around here, people say freaking or frikkin,
 I've even called them "F Bombs"

[pdh3]

Around here, people say freaking or frikkin,
 I've even called them "F Bombs"

Yeah....I've banned those words in my house. A substitute for the F-bomb is still not welcome in my children's vocabulary.