My dog and I attacked by a pit bull today...

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

both of us are fine, thank heaven. But I suddenly have this terrible understanding of how awfully powerless I am in such a circumstance.

My Golden Retriever, Maggie, and I were having our afternoon walk. There was about a dozen kids across the street with what turned out to be a pit bull. I had a feeling I shouldn’t continue walking in their direction, but I dismissed it as paranoia.

Well, next thing I knew the dog was flying across the street and was on Maggie. I was FREAKED… I was screaming so hysterically that I hurt my throat and I was kicking the dog as hard as I could, trying to stomp its vicious little head into the ground, and having exactly no effect. (the first time in my life I can recall feeling that I wish I’d had a gun, I would have happily used it). I was also, stupidly, trying to drag Maggie back by her leash, which I afterwards realized just hindered her ability to defend herself.

The kids pulled their dog off, but it got away and attacked again, then they finally got it off for good.

We are both fine, except that my throat was badly trashed (I can’t recall every screaming that intensely before) and my stomach feels like someone kicked me very, very hard. It’s finally easing up, three hours later. Anyone have any idea what the hell I did?? Was it just the tension of fear? I swear, it felt like I got slugged.

So…all this to say: what the FUCK would I have done if the kids hadn’t been there? I don’t know. I did have pepper spray but I didn’t have time to reach for it. I also heard recently that that can just piss the dog off and make them more vicious. I was freaking out, I was not thinking straight, I was scared to death. Partly for me, but mostly for Maggie. I love my dog as though she were my child, and if that dog had hurt her…

My sister, who is something of a dog expert, says that if the pit bull had gotten a jawlock on Maggie the only way I could have unlocked the jaw would be to somehow render the dog unconscious or dead. Which means, I guess, that if I want to feel safe in the furture I will have to carry a baseball bat or at least a brick or a 2x4.

Scared the shit outta me… damn.

#2

Did you happen to notice the kids doing anything to the pit bull before you got near? For all the bad rap that pit bulls get, they don’t usually attack unless provoked or trained for it. Sometimes, though, you do find one that just goes off for no apparent reason.*

I’m glad that you’re okay, though. Man, that had to be terrifying.

*I don’t know much of anything about pit bulls. I get my info from a very good friend of my husband’s, who breeds and raises pit bulls professionally. His dogs have won numerous shows, and he’s been on the cover of a couple of dog-related magazines, so I trust his knowledge on this topic.

#3

I hope that you are able to get some sort of report on the owners of the pitbull. The animal needs to be on record as having attacked another unprovoked.

As to your physical symptoms, welcome to the wonderful world of adrenaline.

Sorry to hear about this. Sadly, pit buls are trained to veiw humans and other dogs as prey. At least, that’s what a pit bull owner told me. I tend to believe him. Consider obtaining a stun gun. The pit bul might have its jaws locked, but it ain’t gonna be doing any more biting while its nervous system is shut down.

#4

[sup]PS: What the heck happened to my spelling in that last post?[/sup]

#5

stoid, please do make sure this is put on record. And then tell us all about it so we can relax.

I just don’t get it. Pit Bulls were basically bred to be fighter/killers, no? I understand they are beautiful dogs. I agree. But I’ve also seen some beautiful guns and I wouldn’t send my kids to the park with one.

Anyway… I’m glad you are ok.

#6

Am I missing something?

I am glad your ok but the Pit Bull needs to be destroyed!!

Golden Retriever’s are a great dog but it wouldn’t have stood a chance. Call the cops or the humane society. If you didn’t provoke the dog and it attacked it is a menace and needs to be destroyed!

Also I would find out who the owner is so you know where to send your vet bills.

I can sympathize with your love for your dog. If another animal or human was hurting my dog I honestly don’t know what I would do. Well… yes I do know, if it was an animal I would kill it. If it was a human I would hurt them severely and hope I stopped short of killing them.

Maybe carry a sturdy lockback knife. You will be able to fold it up and keep it in a pocket.

#7

I’m glad to hear both you and your dog are OK stoid.

Issues related to Pit Bulls are already being discussed in other threads, so I won’t address those here, but this sounds like a classic case of an irresponsible dog owner. What on earth was that dog doing on the streets, unleashed, and in the care of children (who may or may NOT have been capable of handling it)?

Well socialised dogs of ANY breed do not attack humans, dogs, or other animals without extreme provocation. The more I read about these attacks, the more I’m convinced that people should have to complete a handler’s course before being allowed to own a dog.

I don’t know what options are open to you, but I would most certainly be reporting this incident to both the police and whatever authority is responsible for dog control in your area.

BTW - is any skin was broken, tetanus shots are in order.

#8

Zenster, some pit bulls are human agressive, but in general they are not. Dog agression and human agression are not the same thing, and a well bred American Pit Bull Terrier is generally more people-loving than most other breeds. They are not naturally agressive towards people. Considering you’re the owner of the much maligned wolf hybrid, I’d think you be a little less likely to make generalizations about pit bulls or other breeds.

Stoid, sorry this happened, and I’m glad you and your puppers are ok.

#9

well, I know for a fact that in Brinerd, MN if a dog attacks you or your property (other animls) you can shoot it on the spot, no questions asked by Police or DNR.

anyway, my advice to you is to have (a) kicked the dog right in the stomach, and (b) call authorities and ask the get a humane society shelter to put the dog to sleep.

this mutt is obviously a threat to society.

#10

It was your dog this time and that is absolutly horrible. Whats more horrible is that it could have been a 3 year old you were going on a walk with. I have no trouble believing that a pit bull that would run across the street to attack another dog with a person present would do the same to a small child, another dog sized “threat”. In my opinion any dog that was originally bred for one thing, fighting, no matter what its breeding intent now should be strickly regulated if not allowed to breed at all. A pit bull was bred for one thing, to kill. Don’t tell me a decades worth of breeding and “proper handling” has taken that instinct out. How many times has it been proven that it hasn’t? How many more times will people use the excuse that the owners are at fault. Its true that unfortunatly we can’t selectivly breed the owners, so we shouldnt breed the dogs.

#11

I am so sorry to hear about what happened to you. I own two pit bull mixes myself. One is a 40 pound scaredy cat who was abused by his previous owner and even left inside of the house while it when up in flames. The firefighters eventually got him out and the owners (who are my neighbors, and crackheads to bat) decided to let animal control take him. I stepped in and now he is the most loving and well-behaved dog I could hope for. Anyway, the other is a 140 pound grumpy old man. My point…these two tiff often since they are still getting used to each other and it can be very scary at times. I know the big one would ever hurt the other, just trying to show his place.

I live in Baltimore, MD and the problem of pit bulls attacking has gotten so bad that they are in the prcess of enacting legislation to limit ownership of them. My best friend is a veterinary technician and sees sad cases of attacks and fighting all the time, even at her hospital. The cat that lived in the hospital was actually killed by a pit. She recently informed me that in order to get a pit bull’s jaws to unlocked once they get ahold of something, you can throw rubbing alcohol on them. They will immediately let go because of the taste and burning. She had to do this in fact the very next day at work after we had discussed this.

The problem however, is not the dogs themselves but the owners. Dogs are a lot like children and how does that poem go…children learn what they are taught. Anyway, these animals are products of their enviornment and if you were chained up outside all the time with no food or water or shelter or beaten all the time, you would be a little bitter about it too.

I sincerely hope that you will report this dog to the proper animal control authorities if for no other reason that it may prevent it from happeneing to others. In the meantime, there is not much we can do about the ignorance and lack of compassion in other people.

#12

This is true… and until we can animals that were selectivly and deliberatly bred for violence in the past should be strictly regulated. A little kind upraising and a few years of temper breeding does NOT take out hundreds of years of breeding for agression. How many times have we heard of a pit that was as sweet as a lamb then just one day unleashed on someone or something… usually another dog or a toddler.

I know other dogs can be aggressive… I am a dog lover. Want a dog for protection? Get a German Shepard or the like, bred to be a great watch dog and protector, but ALSO bred to be easily trained and tempermentally reliable, not bred singularly to fight and kill.

#13

That’s horrible Stoid I’m glad you’re ok. Dog attacks are always incredibly frightening, the savegry and primalness displayed always gets your blood flowing. I’m glad you’re both ok.
As for everyone else, before you post rumours, or hearsay, please read this thread.

#14

I firmly believe that absent some congenital condition that predisposes an animal to violence, that aggressive behavior is learned from the owners.

I would tend to bet that this is the case for over 95-99% of all cases of viscious pets. Aggression is largely a learned behavior. I myself have had to deal with the preconceived notions and biases of people because my animal is half wolf. The fact that he is sweeter than honey doesn’t seem to matter.

In closing, I probably need to withdraw the statement above about pit bulls being trained to view humans as prey. The owner was not as reliable as I would like him to be for a cite at the boards.

#15

First of all, I don’t think it’s wise to trust kids with dogs, period. Big dogs especially. Definitely get this on record. Go to your town’s animal control officer. With any luck the dog is registered. Your complaint could help establish or confirm a record of bad behavior. I have had several near misses with dog attacks and one actual attack where some stupid mutt put a quarter-sized hole in my pup’s flank.

IANAL, but my understanding is that damages to a dog are limited to the price paid for the dog. If your dog is attacked and severely injured, the other dog’s owner will be responsible for paying only what you paid for your dog. The rest will be on you. With that in mind, I have decided that the best thing to do in an attack is to get between my dog and the other. If I get injured, the dog’s owner will be in a position of greater responsibility than if my dog was injured. Plus I’m insured. Plus I would be eligible for “pain and suffering” compensation, whereas my dog would not. I hope this doesn’t sound either cynical or irresponsible. I would appreciate any input from lawyers as to whether this sounds correct.

#16

Note: There were 2 attacks on Long Island in the papers yesterday, both involved pits, one of which it was the third time. In one case they attacked 2 kids leaving the house, and a golden stepped in and got pretty badly torn up.
The problem is the selective breeding for aggressiveness. Some dog breeders breed for size, markings, or disposition, etc. Many, not all, but many pits are bred for aggressiveness.

 Not all pits are aggressive. Many are, though. Yours may be nice, I've known some downright sweet tempered Sheps, Dobies, and Rotts.

 That one where it was the third time, the owner was under a court order to have it restrained at all times when out of the house. It jumped the fence. I hope the judge throws the owner in a cage, if just for contempt.

(I have no further info on the Golden. The report just said “bleeding profusely”)

#17

This sounds awfully familiar…

In this thread, I described a similar situation.

The only differences were that I was not present and our dog died as a direct result of injuries incurred in the attack.

What others have said in this thread and the earlier thread about the responsibilities of the pet owners certainly holds true. Maybe pit bulls can be loving, caring dogs just like any other breed. Maybe they have such a vile reputation because they are more often bred for violence than for love.

I’m sorry, Stoid, that this has happened to you. You probably don’t feel terribly lucky, but it could have been a lot worse. I feel bad that this has happened to you, and I don’t even know you. But the fact that you have a dog - and a generally nice breed like a retriever, too - makes you a good person in my book, FWIW.

I agree with Chrome Spot about not trusting kids with big dogs. That’s just asking for trouble. Kids don’t know exactly how to handle a dog, and the bigger the dog is, the more likely he or she will get away from the kid. It’s too much responsibility with such potentially dire consquences that I have to question the logic behind such a decision.

(BTW, to update my own situation, the vet bills were paid by the other owner. We have received our dog’s ashes and collar.)

#18

As I posted in the other thread, my son and I saw a pit bull kill a small poodile held by a little 70 year old lady (on leash) a few years ago.
I’ve heard so many news items of pit bulls attacking and killing children.
Then I started to carry a lighter with me (I don’t smoke) just in case I’d have to use it for defense.
Maybve lighter wouldn’t be enough. Maybe rubibng alcohol would be a great thing to have also. Then I could pour the alcohol on the attacking dog (if one ever attacked my son) then light it.
I would feel no sorrow for doing so.

#19

If you want to jump into the ‘aggressive dog/pit bull ban’ debate:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=57725

It’s three screens long already, though.

#20

BTW
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