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.

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't want to pile on, since the mistake of leaving her out has already cost you, but hopefully now you realize your dog should have been in it's own fence. Even in small towns there are cars.

[AmeriBrit]

No jury in the world will side with the owner of these dogs.

---

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.

[HairOfTheDog]

They were both loose. That blame is on both sides.

[GVnana]

I was not breaking the law. We don't have leash laws in this town.

You would be well advised to not jump to conclusions and consider some facts. These dogs had been cited before, they jumped a fence -- which they had done before, and the owners did not chain them or rebuild the fence -- and they've amply demonstrated that they would be capable of killing a human being.

Wake up.

[GVnana]

She'll be fenced from here on out. Wish I could say the same for the pitbulls.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, fence as if you're fencing for them, unfortunately.

And do take them to small claims court if they won't pay your vet bill willingly.

[Badray]

A neighbor in my condo has an 90 pound pit bull. It never even barks. It is a friendly and gentle dog.

[saleman]

GVnana, this thread is going downhill quickly. This didn't start out as "For someone to argue that humans should tolerate a threatening environment because of the rights of a dog is ridiculous." It started out as you dog getting mauled. Now, Maybe I'm DRUNK, as some have stated, but somehow I don't understand how you are in a threatening environment. Stuff happens. You've had good advice given on both side. Don't slide into victim status.

[potlatch]

I'm so sorry that happened to your dog, I can imagine how you feel. I hope you reported it and the police have done something about it. I have come to really dislike Pitbulls!

[AmeriBrit]

Her dog was put out to roam around loose throughout the neighbourhood, a regular daily practice apparently. The two PitBulls were enclosed inside a fenced yard till her dog wandered into their territory.

Read post #30.

[tracer]

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

Lawsuits and criminal prosecution are attention-getters.

And it's OK to shoot the dogs, but don't forget the owners while you're at it.....

[HairOfTheDog]

I read all the posts. Her dog was loose, but if the pits could get out of their fence, they were as good as loose too. You're taking a position that they never would have got out but for this dog, and I don't think you can say you know that's true.

A fence means the dogs can't get out, or it's worthless. If you want to argue that dogs should all be contained, then be consistent. The pit bulls were not contained.

[tracer]

" They have told other neighbors that they are fortifying their fence and trying to locate a home in the country for the dogs."

The country in which their new home will be should be Vietnam, Korea, or China. "Pit bull -- it's what's for dinner".....

[HairOfTheDog]

and trying to locate a home in the country for the dogs

Just what people in the country need. I'm sure they'll be thrilled.

[AmeriBrit]

I was not breaking the law. We don't have leash laws in this town.

---

Your town council hasn't had to make it a law because it's already covered by County Law.

It's the Law – Sacramento County Code § 9.36.061 (d) requires dogs to be on a leash.

It's the same law practically throughout California.

[GVnana]

I contend that those dogs create a threatening environment by their nature. If their owners were capable of keeping them completely restrained, that would be one thing. (Although I can't see the value of having a pet that must be constantly chained.)

According to the woman who filed the earlier complaint (something I didn't know anything about until after my incident) those dogs jumped their fence once before during a thunderstorm. (Again, the owners were home, but didn't realize the dogs got out until later.)

The dogs entered the house of a woman four blocks away. She had her door open because she was unloading groceries. The dogs entered her kitchen and started growling at her. She started screaming and that alerted the other neighbors. The dogs left her house and went running down the street. A group of neighbors corralled them into a gated driveway and closed the gate on them. The owners arrived at the same time the animal control officer did. The owners were cited, but allowed to take the dogs home as they did not physically harm anyone, just scared the living daylights out of the woman whose house they invaded.

Now, knowing this, knowing about my incident, and knowing that another woman in the same general area has had her dog attacked by a pitbull, knowing the kind of harm these animals are capable of, would you not say these animals were creating a threatening environment?

I know I've got a big emotional investment here. If my dog were chasing another dog out of my driveway (and she's done it) I would call it a natural act. And it may be a natural act for a pitbull to simply want to kill. But that's going farther than anyone should expect to live with.

[Torie]

These pit bull threads are just so bizarre. If I were in charge, the pits would all be put down now - all of them. It is not a close case.

[GVnana]

Well, thanks for that. I'll tell all my neighbors. But I don't live in Sacramento County.

[GVnana]

I never had strong feelings about pitbulls one way or the other. Never knew anyone who owned one.

The way I was brought up, you never allow animals to be a threat to human beings. Animals have natural defenses and senses that human beings don't.

After seeing what they are capable of, to my mind, they're just not-so-little, anti-social killing machines. I'm sorry that human beings ever created them.

For the life of me, I don't understand why anyone would choose that breed of dog.

[Flyer]

Best wishes for your dog.

Yesterday I took my Golden out for his mid-day walk in my townhouse complex. This was a 90% "business" walk and I wanted to take our usual route and get back inside.

As I turned a corner, there was a teenager walking two young (8 - 10 months) pit bulls. There were on long,thin leashes and they were leading the way, with the leashes straining.

Well, crap. My dog and I turned and went another direction. I kept an eye on them and crossed back to where I wanted to be when I lost sight of them. They came around another corner and we ended up on the same sidewalk. I pulled my dog close and waited off to the side for them to pass. He took his sweet time and let his dogs wander the full length of the leashes.

The kid wasn't walking his two loving companion dogs - he was showing off his pit bulls. He had poor control over them and didn't have the respect to keep the unfamiliar dogs apart.

I don't have an unfounded fear of pits, but I can easily recognize the combination of untrained dogs and someone that owns them for the macho status. The kid has dogs for all the wrong reasons.