Dog Attack

[Oldengineer]

I’m a dog lover. My neighbor was walking her two pups, on leash, after she got home from work yesterday. I was returning home from errands, and out of no where came a pure white pit bull that absolutely attacked one of her dogs. I saw it happen in slow motion. The pit bull grabbed the victim dog by the throat and would not let go. I stopped the car in the middle of the road and attempted to assist. At that time the pit bulls owner arrived and tried to disengage the bitter. No luck as he lifted both dogs off the ground. There was a lot of blood and my neighbor was in full panic mode. The pit bull was trying to kill the other smaller leashed dog. I came very close to breaking leather and shooting the pit bull. I was successful at getting the pit bull to release by giving him a full power karate chop across the nose. The police were called and I didn’t go to jail for shooting the unleashed attack dog. A very disturbing incident. One of my dogs could just as easily been the victim. I expect the pit bull’s owner to be cited and his dog euthanized. I wonder what the consequences would have been had I shot the pit bull and ended the attack?

Tom H.

 

[Rudi]

Good self control. Pits are dangerous. Did the little dog make it?

 

[Oldengineer]

We think the smaller dog will make it if there’s no infection. There were puncture wounds and soft tissue damage to the throat area. My neighbor is still traumatized and her doggie is not herself. It’s a waiting game for now.

 

[444 Magnum]

Locally, a pit bull just attacked a woman who was feeding her pets in her own back yard. The woman was seriously mauled. Her face had to be reattached and her arm was broken (crushed) in several places.

I'm a dog lover and I like pit bulls...but something can snap in their minds. I have two friends who both had to put theirs down because they attacked neighboring animals unprovoked. Both dogs had been faithful companions for years with no signs of agression. These were not "chained" dogs either.

I don't understand it, but it makes me more watchful.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Don’t trust them. Never will.

I’ve had many, many interactions with them over the years. None of them good. Came close shooting a few of them.

I suppose someone will tell me that it’s all how they’re treated by their owners. Baloney. Pits were bred for one reason and one reason only.

I’m glad the OP didn’t have to shoot.

 

[Timothy2700]

I wonder what the consequences would have been had I shot the pit bull and ended the attack?

Tom H.

My general-public opinion? If you were defending your life (or the dog owners life) from the pit bull attack it would be a no-brainer. But shooting an attacking dog to save another animal … that is a slippery slope that depends on your jurisdiction and circumstances. I’d think twice for sure.

Hope all turns out well, and am thinking you did well to use discretion under that pressure.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

As an old Telco guy I have been bitten many times. All breeds but the worst were the Pit Bulls, they really hurt. Almost tore my new my new Levi's apart. Never trust one, they are bred to kill. Just my opinion. Also I love dogs.

 

[rwsmith]

That's awful....

Thanks for saving the lady's dog. Wow. tough call, good choice.

My wife is like Elly Mae Clampett. She gets along great with animals and didn't have any problems delivering the mail for 25 years. One day she got out of her truck to deliver a package and a pit bull charged around the truck and chewed her up. Lots of stitches.

 

[sigp220.45]

I volunteer at the local shelter and have come to like the pitties we get in. I would never own one, though.

I’ve had to kill two of them that were trying to get my daughter’s 4H rabbits. It was on our land and I don’t know where they came from. No tags. I just put them in contractor bags and threw them in the trash.

I’d shoot a dog if it was attacking my dog. I’m not sure I’d do it for someone else’s.

This is Dino, my current shelter favorite. He’s a big slobbery sweetheart, but I still wouldn’t bring him around my own dogs or grandkid.

 

[A10]

I've known pitties that were sweethearts and wouldn't hurt a fly. I've known others that would kill another animal on sight.

They're strong dogs and once they get clamped on to something it's hard to get them to let go. They can be choked out. Grab them by the scruff and ram your thumb into the notch at the base of their esophagus. Puts you right in the middle of things though.

 

[jeffrefrig]

Three people got “pit mauled” on Halloween night by two pits, one pretty bad, just as trick or treating began up in New Kensington. They cancelled it for the night.

 

[Alk8944]

I know many just love Pit Bulls, but everyone needs to read this article from Wikipedia about fatalities due to dog attacks. Pit Bulls are responsible for 28% of human fatalities during the period 1979 to 1998 where there were 66 documented human fatalities. This is out of all the other "vicious" dog breeds, Rotties, Malamutes, German Shepherds, Dobies, etc. Not a big number, but a very high percentage of the total was Pit Bulls.

Read the article!!!

There are many on-line dog attack and fatality articles, Google dog fatalities and you will be amazed/disgusted.

 

[Tom S.]

In Michigan, you can legally shoot a dog attacking livestock or a human, but not if it's attacking another dog. I have used mace which stopped them in their tracks, but I don't know if pepper spray would have the same effect or not, plus sprays are not as precise and you could spray more than just the attacking dog, such as your dog or the other dog's owner. Maybe a taser?

 

[jimmyj]

I shot three attacking Pit Bulls with a Sig-Sauer P-229 .40 using Speer 180 grain JHPs. All three were double tapped center mass chest. They acted like they were not shot. The sound of the gun fire made them retreat. Later all three were finished off with 12 gauges.

 

[quikdraw67]

Being we have the Castle and Stand Your Ground laws here in PA, and I live in a rural county, I would have taken my chances and shot the pit.
Hop the little dog survived, and the owner is going to sue the *** off the pit owner.

 

[Bald1]

So here’s the thing. Dogs are labeled as Pitbulls if they have a certain look. Most of them are not purebred. Because of this they are by far the most popular dog in America. They out number other breeds and it’s not even close. So naturally there’d be more attacks by them. As with any dog they are what you make of them. They are an extension of their owner. I’ve seen and herd of Dalmatians attacking people often. But they are the “Fire truck” dogs so they’re ok. Blame the owner , not the dog. Not much different than guns. My dog has never attacked anyone and my guns have never shot anyone. My 87 year old mother takes care of him when we go out of town.

 

[Beemerguy53]

In 1997, I was attacked and bitten by a pit bull mix while I was working. It happened on a public sidewalk, and was totally unprovoked. The dog's owner was at work, and was in the habit of letting his dog run loose while he was gone. The dog got me in the right thigh, midway between my knee and butt.

A medic unit took me to the hospital, where the ER staff cleaned the wound, administered antibiotics, and injected me with gamma globulin. The next day, the police called me to advise that they'd contacted the owner and learned the dog was not inoculated...so I had to undergo rabies shots.

I love dogs...but I hate pit bulls, especially after that experience. Every time I see one of them, I look at it like it's a grenade with the pin pulled, just waiting to explode...

 

[Yendor357]

If I was attacked by any dog, and had the opportunity, I would most certainly shoot the mongrel.

Then I’d sue the socks off the owner.

For what are people with big dogs compensating?

 

[jaguargolf]

A 77 yr old woman I know was walking with her 4 year old grandson and his new puppy on a country road when 2 German Shepards wanted to kill the puppy. The woman was severely mauled on her arms and legs.
Nothing happened to the German Shepards or their owner.
It was the beginning of the end for the woman. She worked until that day as a sports massage therapist. Guys would go to her because she was strong and got into the big muscles. Her previous career had been massaging race horses. Her arms were damaged, she couldn't work. She had a saying "If you stop moving, you stop moving." She stopped moving.

 

[Pisgah]

A neighbor had a nightmare of a dog a few years back -- a pit bull/Great Dane mix, no less. About the size of a Shetland pony, mean as a snake, and constantly escaping from his fenced yard. The wife and I came home from a dinner out one evening and found the dog running loose in the neighborhood. As we exited our car and began to walk to our front door, he came running from across the street in full attack mode. My wife made it in the door but I was left with a choice of shoot or be mauled, so I pulled my Beretta Nano 9mm and fired two shots, one of which went right between his eyes, and it was over. Cops were called, neighbor angrily threatened to sue, cops issued him a citation for a violation of the county dog ordinance -- and the rest of the neighborhood pretty much thinks I'm a hero...

The neighbor did sue me -- what a joke. At the first hearing, representing myself, the judge heard the story and dismissed the lawsuit in 5 minutes.