Posted on 04/03/2009 7:25:12 PM PDT by Chet 99
Sabillasville woman attacked by family pit bull
Originally published April 03, 2009, 8:40 PM - Updated
8:40 PM, April 03, 2009
From Staff Reports
A Sabillasville woman is being treated for cuts and puncture wounds after she was attacked by the family pit bull Friday evening, according to Frederick County Animal Control.
Animal Control Officer Rachel McVey said that the victim was cleaning up her dog’s food scraps when the 5-year-old male pit bull came downstairs and bit her left thigh.
While the woman tried to restrain the dog, she was bitten on the face, leaving her with a cut through the middle of her lower lip. She was taken to Washington County Hospital in Hagerstown, McVey said.
According to McVey, the victim’s husband reported that this was not the first time the dog had bitten his wife. McVey said the dog may be put down after a 10-day quarantine period.
I believe this is the fourth or fifth report of a pit bull attack in as many days! As much as I’d like to believe that pit bulls are really terrific dogs and the vicious ones are rare, that’s getting harder and harder to believe. I would never, ever own one.
What the hell? If your dog did that much damage to you, would it still be alive? Mine would be dead before I even considered stopping the blood flow.
The kicker is “...this was not the first time the dog had bitten his wife.”
The prevalancy of pitbull ownership is the main reason why I’m considering becoming a gunowner (as a single homeschooling mother). There is something intrinsically flawed about people who own them, IMHO — knowing the risks, knowing the fear they incite in the public. In our town they’re the new gang-banger status symbol, which is, I’m sure, true in many other towns across this country. The arrogance and denial that accompanies pitbull owners is a danger to every community, supporting a legal ban on ownership in my opinion. Yeah, yeah — tell us how friendly and playful your pits are around little children all day long. But just ask ANY emergency staff about what it does to the medical profession each time they have to treat children(primary victims of pits) — the horrific wounds, and the apathetic response of pit owners, when anyone dare hold them accountable for their dog’s actions.
It’s a scary enough world we live in. Why make it worse by owning a pit, when there are so many dog breeds that make awesome pets, even larger breeds, who need loving homes?
Bring it on...i know you pitowners want to go to the mat on this issue. You should pick topics worth fighting for.
And to the poster who put up the playful pug dogs on top of the pitbull — that pit could eat all of those dogs for dinner in a heartbeat. Show us THOSE pictures.
You are over-reacting. It was not the dog’s fault, anyway. Besides, attacks like these from pit bulls are very very rare.
Or so I have been told.
the victim’s husband reported that this was not the first time the dog had bitten his wife.
~~~
Put him down too,,,
Typical Thug!!!...
You think attacks by pit bulls are “very, very rare”?????
Are you kidding? You’re kidding, right? Do you know that a pitbull (the REAL ones) are physiologically incapable of unlocking their jaw once they’re clamped on to an animal or a person? Do you know that even multiple gunshots might not even drop an attacking pitbull?
Some education without the hysteria might be good. Sometimes the reputation matches the actual FACTS. In the case of breeding pitbulls, it absolutely matches.
When do you ever hear about a shitzu or a dachsund or a golden retriever mauling an animal or person? Ya don’t...that’s the point.
That's only because Chet99 is incredibly obsessed with this subject, and goes out & finds these articles to post over & over again. He ignores attacks by dogs of other breeds, and ignores the positive pit bull stories, even though many of been presented to him.
You're statement - "As much as I’d like to believe that pit bulls are really terrific dogs and the vicious ones are rare, that’s getting harder and harder to believe." is probably making him jump up & down with glee right now, because that is what he is trying to do ~ poison your mind with this one-sided garbage.
Check out my post:
Dog Hero! Pit Bull Saves His Family From Intruder
& you'll see the OTHER side of the story ~ the side Chet doesn't want you to see.
I actually have to laugh, because I can see the only reason Chet chose this particular story as this time is because I just posted that story of the pit bull who saved his family from an intruder ~ so he has to re-poison everyone's mind with this story! LOL!
Don't get me wrong...I feel very bad that the woman got hurt, but Chet is just playing a game here, & like I said, he is obsessed with poisoning people's minds with this one-sided garbage.
Also, check out this website:
http://www.bestfriends.org/vickdogs/ ~ It's the story about how Michael Vick's pit bulls (including his "best" fighters) were taken in by Best Friends Animal Society & were completely rehabilitated! Some of them are even getting adopted out into loving homes, & some are now serving as therapy dogs for the elderly.
LOL! You have to see the video of one of the Vick dogs, now named Halle...check her out hamming it up for the camera about 35 seconds in:
THAT is the reality of the majority of pit bulls out there, not this... like I've said many, many times ~ yes, there are bad dogs in the pit bull breed, just as there are bad dogs in EVERY single breed out there. BUT, there are many, many more good than bad, but thanks to people like Chet here, only the bad ones get noticed.
I thought I didn’t have to add the /sarc tag to my post. Obviously, you must be new to the Pit Bull threads;)
I hate Pit Bulls and, after my own little special rendezvous with one, I firmly believe it should be illegal to breed the beasts.
Also, here’s the comments from the original page of the post I made of the pit bull hero saving his family:
Mar
31
2009
3:08pm
As a dog lover/animal lover/pit bull lover/pit bull attack victim I always love to hear the good stories.? They are wonderful, it’s the owners that are stupid and unfortunately the owners aren’t the ones that get put to sleep.? People need to be educated and made aware of the innocent victims - the dogs!? Nice story...
Flag
View EllieMae Profile EllieMae Roebuck, SC
Mar
31
2009
1:45pm
Why wouldn’t a rescued pit that is shown real love by a real family not defend them.? Come on people, it’s not the breed that is a vicious breed, it’s the stupid people who make them fight and give the loved ones bad names!
Flag
View SweetOcean10 Profile SweetOcean10 Fresno, CA
Mar
31
2009
3:48am
Finally a positive and REALISTIC view into a Pit Bull Terrier’s life!
Flag
View SweetOcean10 Profile SweetOcean10 Fresno, CA
Mar
31
2009
3:47am
I totally agree with the comment below me! I own a Pit myself and he’s the sweetest dog there can be! I’m sure any of these dogs would save their family if they needed to.
Flag
View napoleonsmom Profile napoleonsmom Louisville, KY
Mar
25
2009
10:31pm
I am so glad to see this type of story about a Pit Bull! All you see on the news “ Pit Bull attacks blah blah blah” As an owner of a Pit Bull, I know the loving, loyal and gentleness of the breed. I have 8 grand children ranging from 14 years old to 8 months old. They can do ANYTHING to my Pit, he lays there and lets them all the while loving it up! My family refers to the children as Napoleons kids. You say to him “your kids are here!” and that dog goes nuts! He loves those babies. And since my husband died, that dog has been more thaan a dog. He is my companion. He grieved as much as I did when his “daddy” passed away! THANK YOU FOR PUBLISHING THIS ARTICLE!!!!!
Myths vs. Facts—The Truth About Pit Bulls
What are pit bulls really like? How did they become such “underdogs” in the first place? Is there any truth behind their terrible reputation? Find the facts here!
Fact 1: Surprise—A “pit bull” isn’t even a breed of dog
“Pit bull” is a generic term that refers to a number of breeds, including American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and others. At Midwest Rescue, we’re dedicated to helping all of these breeds, including pit bull mixes.
Fact 2: Pit bulls AREN’T mean and vicious
Pit bulls do carry a terrible stigma, and we’ll get to the reasons why in a minute. For the moment, put your preconceptions aside and read this description provided by the United Kennel Club—one of the most-respected authorities on dog breeds:
“The essential characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier are strength, confidence, and zest for life. This breed is eager to please and brimming over with enthusiasm. APBTs make excellent family companions and have always been noted for their love of children. Because most APBTs exhibit some level of dog aggression and because of its powerful physique, the APBT requires an owner who will carefully socialize and obedience train the dog…The APBT is not the best choice for a guard dog since they are extremely friendly, even with strangers. Aggressive behavior toward humans is uncharacteristic of the breed and highly undesirable. This breed does very well in performance events because of its high level of intelligence and its willingness to work.
Eager to please? Extremely friendly? Noted for their love of children? Yes, that’s the real pit bull!
Fact #3: Pit bulls make great family pets (and we have the numbers to prove it)
The American Temperament Test Society, Inc. (ATTS) is a professional organization that objectively tests the temperaments of various dog breeds.
They do this by methodically exposing members of a breed to a series of confrontational situations, then measuring their reaction. The more aggressive the reaction, the lower the score the dog receives. The score is based on the percentage of dogs in a breed that passed the test:
Here are some of the most recent results available. We’ve included some widely considered “most friendly” (like beagles and poodles) and some labeled “dangerous” (like Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and of course, pit bulls.
Warning: you will be surprised by the results!
ATTS Scores by Breed
Afghan: 72%
Australian Shepard: 79.2%
Beagle: 78.2%
Cairn Terrier: 70.7%
Chihuahua: 70.6%
Cocker Spaniel: 81.5%
German Shepherd: 82.8%
Golden Retriever: 83.6%
Labrador Retriever: 91.1%
Rottweiler: 82.3%
Toy Poodle: 80.9%
Yorkshire Terrier: 80.0%
Now, compare these to the pit bull breeds:
American Pit Bull Terrier: 83.4%
American Staffordshire Terrier: 83.3%
Staffordshire Bull Terrier: 93.2%
For this study, the ATTS evaluated more than 25,000 dogs and more than 200 breeds. The average score for all breeds together: 81%. As you can see, when it comes to having a reliably friendly temperament, the pit bull breeds well exceed the average!
You can find these scores and more at www.ATTS.org
Fact #4: Pit bulls are widely abused by dog fighters (and therein lies the problem)
We don’t understand why anyone would take pleasure in watching animals fight for their lives, but apparently some people find this high entertainment. Shame on them!
Hundreds of years ago, our ancestors enjoyed bull baiting and bear baiting, other bloodthirsty forms of animal abuse. Similarly, ancestors of the pit bull were bred for this purpose—to fight in a ring against bulls and bears, generally to the death.
In short, bull dogs (known for their strength) were bred with terriers (known for their agility and feistiness) to produce the pit bull breeds. Today, these dogs continue to be a favorite with dog fighters, for several reasons: they are very strong, supposedly have a high pain tolerance, and have a strong desire to please their owners, even if it means dying for them.
At Midwest Rescue, we have participated in rescuing puppies from the hands of dogfighters. We believe these sweet babies were going to be used as “bait.” The good news is, these pups are now on their way to good homes. This is the horror we are up against. This is why we need your help.
Fact #5: Yes, some pit bulls are “animal aggressive”
Because of dog fighting, some pit bulls have been bred to be “animal aggressive”—i.e., aggressive towards dogs and other animals.
A dog that is animal aggressive may still make a fine pet. The key is socialization and training.
All our dogs undergo socialization and obedience training. Before we make any dog available for adoption, we test it. If a dog needs to be in a one-pet household, we clearly state that upfront.
That being said, many pit bulls are quite friendly with other animals. Our volunteers tend to own multiple pets—pit bulls, other dogs, cats, even kittens—and they get along just fine.
Fact #6: Very few pit bulls are “human aggressive”
Pit bulls have never been bred to be aggressive toward people. As the United Kennel Club notes, this is uncharacteristic of the breed.
So what about those headlines you see in the newspaper? For the media, printing a “pit bull attack!” headline is like yelling “shark!” on the beach. It draws attention.
Putting sensationalism aside, it is nearly impossible to get objective statistics regarding dog attacks and specific breeds.
However, we do know this: dogs that are abused are more likely to become human aggressive. And in urban America, pit bulls in great numbers have been grievously mistreated in an attempt to make them fighting dogs and guard dogs.
When we rescue a dog, we observe, test, and train it. We firmly believe human aggressive dogs should never be placed in a home. If a dog is found to be human aggressive, we will arrange to have it humanely euthanized.
Fact #7: Another surprise— pit bulls were once the #1 family dog!
In the early part of the 20th century, pit bulls were the most popular breed of dog. Think of the RCA dog, the Buster Brown dog, Tige, and Pete the Pup from the Li’l Rascals.
Helen Keller, President Teddy Roosevelt, and General George Patton all owned pit bulls. Were these very smart people somehow unaware of the pit bull’s dangerous reputation? No, the pit bull’s bad reputation is a recent development.
Fact #8: Pit bulls are indeed “underdogs!”
It is estimated that there 60,000 pit bulls in the city of Chicago alone! Tragically, urban pit bulls are at very, very high risk of abuse. The majority shelters won’t even accept them (we’ve listed some pit bull-friendly shelters—see Links). As a result, instead of finding loving homes, hundreds of friendly, loving pit bulls are euthanized every month.
At Midwest Rescue, our goal is to explode the myths, improve the statistics—and secure a brighter future for pit bulls, one dog at a time.
<< Do you know that a pitbull (the REAL ones) are physiologically incapable of unlocking their jaw once they’re clamped on to an animal or a person? >>
Myth - “Pit Bulls have locking jaws.”
Fact - The jaws of the Pit Bull are functionally
the same as the jaws of any other breed, and this has been proven via
expert examination.
The few studies which have been conducted of the structure of the
skulls, mandibles and teeth of Pit Bulls show that, in proportion to their
size, their jaw structure and thus its inferred functional morphology, is
no different than that of any [other] breed of dog. There is absolutely
not evidence for the existence of any kind of ’locking mechanism’ unique
to the structure of the jaw and/or teeth of the American Pit Bull Terrier,
says Dr. I. Lerh Brisbin of the University of Georgia (from the ADBA
booklet, “Discover the American Pit Bull Terrier.)
I went to your link. Please correct me if I am wrong but I didn't see:
where is says they were completely rehabilitated? I saw a bunch that were still in therapy!
where it says that any were adopted?
where it says that some are now serving as therapy dogs for the elderly.
Myth - “Pit Bulls attack more people than any other breed.”
Fact - Bite statistics are
difficult to obtain accurately. Dogs that are referred to as “pit bulls” in
statistical reports actually are a variety of breeds and mixes all lumped
together under the “pit bull” heading. Also, many people have a difficult
time properly identifying a true Pit Bull, so added to the statistics are
those dogs that have been misidentified. Considering these factors, the
actual number of attacks attributable to American Pit Bull Terriers is
considerably lower than represented. Also important to understand is
the extreme popularity of the Pit Bull and pit bull-type breeds. By some
estimates, numbers-wise they are the most popular of all dog breeds. It
is only logical to assume that the breed with the higher number of
individual dogs would be represented with a higher number of bites.
Viewing older statistical reports for the Center of Disease Control, one
will see that trends in breed popularity reflect in the number of bites
attributed to a specific breed during a specific period of time.
Uh, pit bulls are widely used as fighters because, well, uh, they are vicious fighters?
Excellent example for your side showing that pit bulls are not vicious. He didn't even attack the intruder!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.