My Dog was Savagely Attacked by Two Pitbulls

7/3/2006 | GVnana

[GVnana]

My sweet little cocker spaniel dog was nearly killed by two pitbulls who jumped a fence to get to her. She crossed a nearby driveway and they got her.

By the time my neighbors got the dogs off, (within seconds) the pits had grounded my dog, tore out her left eye, dislocated her left leg, and left ten gaping wounds in her body. She couldn't move or even howl in pain. That's how I found her.

My dog weighs 40 pounds. She's large for her breed. She's AKC registered and pedigreed. She was a very beautiful dog.

This happened 10 days ago and I'm still stunned at the viciousness of the attack. I don't know if a human child would have survived what those animals did.

I have since learned that homeowner's insurance will not cover pitbulls.

I'm posting this as a warning and also as an invitation to comment.

[BJungNan]

Your full of BS. An honest jury hearing ALL the evidence would put the blame where it rightly belongs.....on the owner of the dog that was breaking the law by allowing their dog to roam loose, especially since this appears to be a regular habit. This person just doesn't want to face responsibility and admit they were the guilty party so are trying to shift the blame.

The is the most insane post I have ever read on FR if you are saying the dog that was attacked and that owner of that dog are to blame.

Chinese saying rings true: my face did not hit your fist.

[SwankyC]

Damn...... I bow before the master. You're flavor of sadistic puts mine to shame.

[Sensei Ern]

I have had all sorts of dogs, all my life.

When I was 8, I was at a friend's house. I had been there countless times. One day, while we were playing with his great dane, he was called in the house by his mom.

Once I was by myself with the dane, he seemed agitated. Not concerned, I didn't pay much attention when it was me he was growling at. Until he grit his teth and barked loudly at me.

I got up and began to run away. He chased me down and bit my back, drawing blood. He knoclked me to the ground and was only prevented frominjuring me more because I kicked the crap out of him as he lunged. My friend came out with his mom and draged the dog off me.

I had upper teeth mark near my neck and lower teeth half way down my back.

I said that to say this, dogs are dogs, and must be handled responsibly. I did not fear all dogs, and I did not feel all danes are killers, but I learned all dogs must be kept in control by someone capable of controlling them.

By all dogs, I mean all dogs, except Poms. Poms should be attached to a broom handle and used for mops, right, Clint?

BTW, Petey on the original Little Rascals was a Pitbull/AmStaff. They have been a recognized breed in the U. S> for about 100 years.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

You're flavor of sadistic puts mine to shame.

I'm not proud of it but I have a dark streak of nasty in me.

I am well able to keep it in check to allow me to live among civilized folk.

I do keep it handy, though. Driven by sufficient emotion, it can make a formidable weapon when needed.

[GVnana]

all dogs must be kept in control by someone capable of controlling them

Problem seems to be, what is meant by control? Two dogs growling, barking, biting over turf may not be acceptable to some people. To me, that kind of behavior is normal dog stuff and not a threat to humans or the life of the animals involved.

The difference with some dogs (sometimes referred to as "vicious dogs")is the aggressive nature of their attacks and the willingness to kill. That is what moves their potential for harm into the loss of other animals and possibly human beings.

I'm no dog authority, but Danes wouldn't be my first choice to have around children. Danes are a hunting dog bred to take down prey. I don't think they have the attributes of pitbulls which -- let's face it -- were bred to kill. I knew a St. Bernard once who was the most docile loving animal you'd ever want to see. It isn't just the size, it's the nature of the breed and that is not the fault of the animal. Human beings breed them for certain purposes.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Problem seems to be, what is meant by control?

IMO, actually, control is NOT a problem. There is a definite control that would work for all dogs. Leashes and fences that hold. Any dog, at any time could bite, human or other animals. As you say, that is just the nature of dogs. Taking someone's word for it that a certain dog will never bite is stupid.

Becky

[Sensei Ern]

My pits are not allowed to show any aggression, even a grunt. They are not the determiner of turf. That is the owner's(me) role as the leader of the pack.

In turn, I do not allow other dogs to be aggressive near my dogs. Any time a foreign dog growls for turf, I step to the challenge as the pack leader.

Despite all of the dialog about how to be a responsible pet owner, you should not allow your dog to roam free. There are way too many things you cannot control that can injure or kill your dog.

[Wristpin]

Thanks for your input. With your heavy math background I'm sure you are familiar with Risk Management and Trend Analysis. You know as well as I do what the projections are. As an Engineering type you should get a kick out of this heartwarming Pit Bull story. Good thing it didn't have access to the hydraulics! 8/21/02 Dog creates chaos in cargo hold Dallas - American Airlines banned aggressive dogs from its planes after a pit bull escaped from its cage in the cargo hold of a Boeing 757, and chewed up electrical cables. The damage knocked the plane out of commission for repairs for nine days, but never placed the July 22 flight from San Diego to New York in any danger, officials said. Crew members said they heard thumping from the cargo hold and discovered that backup radio and some navigational equipment wasn't working. After the plane landed, ground crews opened the cargo hold doors and spotted the pit bull running free. The dog had gnawed a hole in the bulkhead, damaged the cargo hold door and chewed through garden hose-size electrical cables. The airline said the ban was a matter of safety and would apply to all pit bulls, Rottweilers and Doberman pinschers and any other dog that exhibits aggressive behavior. The American Kennel Club called the airline's move an overreaction. "There is broad agreement among canine experts that aggressive or dangerous behavior is not breed-specific," the club's chief executive, Alfred L Cheaure, insisted in a letter this week to American officials. Cheaure said the pit bull's rampage was caused by a problem with the container, not the dog. He said American should upgrade standards for cages instead of banning some dogs. But Carla Restivo, a Dallas breeder of American Staffordshire, a type of pit bull, said she found it hard to fault American Airlines. "Airlines have enough to deal with, and it's pretty scary to have a dog come out of a crate and wreak havoc," she said. So far, the airline has not sought reimbursement for repairs from the dog's owner, who paid $177.78 to ship the animal. - Sapa-AP

[GVnana]

If you're the "leader of the pack" 24/7 well, god bless 'ya. But, don't you ever worry about the possibility that you'll fail to excercise your power effectively and your leadership position will be challenged?

[GVnana]

Update. The report that the owners took the dogs to the pound has turned out not to be correct.

Their landlord called me today. She was VERY VERY polite. VERY apologetic about our first conversation. Said she was caught off guard by my phone call because she knew nothing about the incident. (I think she had a conversation with her insurance agent and quite possibly a lawyer.)

Anyway she knew about the tenants having one dog. She didn't know anything about them having two.

She is giving them a three day notice to remove the dogs or quit the premises. One dog is still on the property.

[sinkspur]

BTW, Petey on the original Little Rascals was a Pitbull/AmStaff.

Petey was a Pit Bull Terrier, not an AmStaff.

[sinkspur]

She is giving them a three day notice to remove the dogs or quit the premises. One dog is still on the property.

It is likely her attorney informed her that she would be dragged into any lawsuit you filed against the tenants for the behavior of their dogs.

Homeowners Insurance Companies are going to take care of the vicious dog problem, to a large degree, by denying insurance coverage to anyone with one of these beasts.

[Donald Meaker]

keep in mind that poodles are also bred as a hunting dog.

If fact, nearly all dogs were bred as hunting dogs.

[Wristpin]

The Dog Lobby is pushing for rules that don't allow the companies to charge higher rates, decline coverage or drop customers due to breed.

The good part is that if you own a 9lb toy poodle you'll now pay the same as someone with a wolf-hybrid.

[solosmoke]

Both of my dogs are female. They currently get along, and they are both spayed, as I am not an idiot. I never allow them to be alone together.

[solosmoke]

It stands to reason that they will continue to cause deaths as long as idiots own them. Not to mention the fact that they are now either the first or second most popular dog in the United States.

Dogs will always be responsible for a certain negligable amount of human deaths as long as we continue to keep them as "pets". Before pit bulls, other dogs took the #1 spot, and the overall death rate has NOT increased since pit bull became popular.

Let's look at these situations:

Charles Dalton, North Carolina: Two dogs found nearby, described as "pit bulldogs", whatever that means. Are they pits, bulldogs, boxers? Who described them as such? Why were they just running around?

Juan Garcia, New Mexico: Was told by the homeowner that he wasn't supposed to be at her house unless she was there. He was found next to a beer can, and authorities don't know exactly why he was there, or whether he had been drinking.

Raymond Tomco, Maryland: Three dogs in the house, four CHAINED outside, all unaltered. Wow. Why so many dogs? Why chained? Why UNALTERED?

Javlyin Anderson, Mississippi: Chained dog, 15 month old, parents were not present. Enough said.

Of all of these horrible tragedies, every single one of them had a seedy element. Not a single example here of responsible ownership. Who wants to bet money none of the dogs involved had been altered?

With all of the tragedies I listed earlier, you know, the non-pit dogs, they too had the same elements of irresponsible ownership. THAT is what they all have in common, NOT the breed of dog, whose popularity changes year after year.

I've said it before, and it needs to be said again: If it was a breed problem, why exactly aren't there four to six million deaths from these dogs??

Another FACT to chew on: When the CDC published their oft-used dog breed death statistics, they combined all "bully" breeds together to use their numbers. This is a combination of the American Staffordshire Terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the English Bull Terrier, the miniature English Bull Terrier, the American Bulldog, and any of these mixes. What, you thought someone went over all these accidents and made sure the "pit bulls" had their registration papers? Come on. They look like pits, they get called pits. Simple as that.

If you took this apart by breed instead of lumping an entire group together, you will see that labs and pit bulls tie. That would be like lumping all sled dogs together. There are Huskies, all the Spitz dogs, Malamutes, Canadian Eskimo Dog, Chinook, Greenland dog, Samoyed, and many others. Imagine if you counted the deaths caused by all these dogs and lumped them into a category called, for example, Samoyeds. They would be the most dangerous breed.

And just because some homeowners insurance companies don't insure pits doesn't mean anything except that dog bites can be sued over. Look at car insurance. If you're a male and you aren't 50, you are likely going to pay more than the 20 something ditz that wrecked her first three cars. Doesn't mean some men don't drive crazy, but all of them?

[GVnana]

nearly all dogs were bred as hunting dogs

Even cocker spaniels!

[Donald Meaker]

Good points.

I encounter this all the time at work. People take their favorite problem with an aircraft, and make the subsytem that holds it really big (like an engine) and then take the "control" subsystems down to 12 digit levels, like electrical resistors on the flight control actuators.

Figures don't lie, but Liars are always figuring.

There are reasons why Pits are popular. Some good, others bad. They are one of the few large dogs which don't mind lots of time indoors, with, or without their owners. They tend to be great with lots of children, because they don't react, not to mention over-react to ear pulling, tail pulling, riding like a horse, and other child play.

I did come close to being fatally chapped. Nearly licked to death by mine when I came home after a trip. Dear little Janus. It sure was nice to know that she was with my wife and younger kids when I was gone.

[sinkspur]

And just because some homeowners insurance companies don't insure pits doesn't mean anything except that dog bites can be sued over.

It means that some homeowners are going to have to choose between a pit bull, a rottweiler, or some other big nasty breed, or their home.

[GVnana]

This from a neighbor:

My attitude is, if they were taking care of [your dog] and paying all the bills, they would have a more empathetic view of this whole thing! Thank God it wasn't a couple of boy scouts selling fair tickets that crossed over into their property that day. I still believe [your dog] was our sacrificial lamb...that warning was way too big to go unnoticed...it was probably their child [your dog] ultimately saved....