Pit Bull goes on attack (pit bull turns on owner and his friend)

Allston-Brighton ^ | 12.19

[ambrose]

Pit bull goes on attack

By Erin Smith/ Staff Writer

Friday, December 10, 2004

Blood drenched a hallway and one apartment inside a Commonwealth Avenue building last week after an angry pit bull turned on its owner and attacked the owner's friend and a police officer attempting to rescue the pair, police said.

Police Officer Timothy O'Sullivan responded to a call for a dog attack at 1411 Commonwealth Ave. on Dec. 2 at 6:27 p.m., but when he opened the apartment door to rescue the two women inside, a pit bull jumped out and sunk its teeth into his arm, police said.

Nine other police officers, including Allston-Brighton Police Captain William Evans, arrived to assist O'Sullivan and found a 51-year-old Allston woman lying in the hallway outside her third-floor apartment bleeding from dog bites to both her ankles, police said.

The pit bull's owner, who was visiting the Allston woman, was trapped inside the her friend's apartment when the dog entered into a stand-off with police and blocked the doorway, police said.

Police fired a beanbag at the pit bull's left side using a less-than-lethal shotgun, and the dog retreated to the back of the apartment, allowing police to drag the dog owner out of the apartment for medical treatment.

The dog owner, who was bleeding from bites to her arms and legs, was transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital along with her friend and O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan and the Allston resident were released from the hospital. The dog owner was still under hospital care and listed in "good condition" on Monday.

O'Sullivan's bite injuries were lessened by his protective leather jacket, although he will be absent from work for a couple of weeks until the swelling in his arm decreases, police said.

The carpeting in the apartment and surrounding hallway were blood-soaked when Boston Animal Control arrived to help police capture the dog, police said.

Animal Control also removed a larger black dog from the apartment that police describe as docile. That dog was not involved in the attack.

"It's just unfortunate the dog snapped," said Evans, who is a self-proclaimed dog lover. "Now, we're just hoping the owner does the right thing."

The right thing would be to put the dog to sleep, said Evans. If the dog turned on its owner, it might also attack an innocent bystander in the future.

Police are unsure of what caused the pit bull to attack.

No charges have been filed against the owner in violation of the city's Pit Bull Ordinance, although there have been questions raised about whether the owner had permission to bring the pit bull into the building, said James Cahill, director of Boston Animal Control. According to city ordinances, dog owners must muzzle pit bulls, except inside their residences or fenced-in areas.

Both dogs are being held at the Boston Animal Control Shelter. Cahill said Boston Animal Control is waiting for the owner to recover from surgery before they ask her to make a decision on the fate of her two dogs. If the dog owner decides to turn over the pit bull to the city, it would probably be destroyed. The second dog may be adopted if the owner releases it to the city.

[trinity912]

Pit Bulls DO NOT!!! Have an extreme atttack mode. They actually used to be the icon of America as they were gentle with tugging and teasing kids. PEOPLE have EXTREME attack mode. People plot murders. DOGS DONT. They are too far bred from the wild state to have a need to kill. I am a vet tech and I have worked with every breed in every situation imagineable. I also own two pits, an ekie, and a feline. The cat has my pits at bay. My furry little eskimo weighing in at 24 pounds bosses my 75 and 85 pound pits. My pit are neither spayed nor neutered. They love children, horses, dogs, and cats. I have to admit my female pit enjoys chasing around a laser toy dot. I am horrified by the "down with pit bulls" mentality Americans are adopting. This breed was our "work horse" family pet and now many people are buying into the lies the media publishes. I once worked for a news team. I will let everyone in on a secret. The news teams calls the hospitals and animal shelters each day asking about attacks. The only breeds news want to know about are the bully breeds....Pit Bulls, Rotweilers, Dobermans, and German Shepherds. Any other breed doesn't sell the news so it is not published.
In all my days as vet tech I have never been bitten by a pit bull. Nor have any pits ever been aggressive with me. However the number of bites I have received from small breeds is shocking. Cocker Spaniels are notorious for fear biting, as are Chuachaus, Min Pins, and mixed breeds. Mixed breeds often are a resulting of irresponsible ownership. Mixed breeds often have poor genetic traits. These traits usually are negative. Most often Pit Bull atttacks happen in lower income areas and the dogs are not pure bred, line bred, or in bred. Mixed pits are typically aggressive. I look forward to the day when "backyard breeding" laws are enforced. I am certain the number of all dog attacks will drop by 2/3 or more. Understand that every unprovoked canine attack is evidence of irresponsible ownership, not mean dogs.