Sharon Athanasiou really likes pit bulls. And she really hates
Now, Sharon and her husband, Tommy, of Hollywood, have a business that they hope will help show people how wonderful the dogs are and, possibly, how horrible the quarterback is.
Their business, a designer T-shirt company called pitbullshirt.com, produces a line of pro-pitbull, tattoo-inspired, biker-style shirts. Tommy, an artist by trade, designs all the shirts -- there are 24 available, including infant sizes -- and Sharon does promotion for the company. She says they give 10 percent of all sales to various pitbull rescue organizations.
"I love it when people look at the shirt I'm wearing and ask, 'You like pitbulls? Really?'," she says. "I love to talk about my personal experiences with pitbulls -- all of which are incredibly positive." She says she thinks of pitbulls as the "ultimate underdog" and is fond of pointing out how gentle the animals are, a contrast with their brawling image. "They are frequently referred to as 'The Nanny Dog,'" she says, "because of how patient and gentle they are with small children."
In addition to marketing her company (and her other work as a pet sitter and dog walker), Athanasiou uses social networking and her circle of activist friends to tell anyone who will listen that they wish Michael Vick would go away.
Despite Vick's success and resurgence in popularity this year, Athanasiou says she wishes he were still in prison. Or dead maybe. Like many activists, she does not forgive Vick for his role in a dogfighting ring, in which he personally killed several dogs and for which he spent 18 months in federal prison. The crimes also cost Vick, who frequents South Florida in the offseason, more than $100 million in lost salary and endorsement deals.
So far, they don't have any specifically anti-Vick shirts. But if Vick's recent popularity continues, they might make some. In the meantime, they hope their shirts will inspire more adoptions and more donations to pitbull rescue organizations.
Meanwhile, you can check out their shirts here.
