Posted on 07/10/2013 4:00:46 PM PDT by george76
Sitting in her hospital room at St. Josephs in Stockton, Samantha Williams can manage a smile despite the vicious Pit Bull attack that nearly killed her on Friday.
Williams says she was sitting in her boyfriends bedroom while he was at the store buying a soda, when his roommates dogs, Rhino and Watters, walked in.
They had me. They had me. I was just trying to keep my arms up. My face away. They had me. They had my leg, Williams told FOX40.
She says the attack lasted only 20 seconds before another roommate heard what was going on.
If Leo didnt come up there when he did, I would be dead, Williams said.
(Excerpt) Read more at fox40.com ...
There’s so many stories out there that frankly, I didn’t want to waste the time looking for Doxie/Schnauzer-only stories.
FWIW, the only dog that ever bit me [a mild nip] was my HS boyfriend’s miniature Schnauzer.
[but I never let my Dobermanns return the favor]
:)
That was instantaneous thinking on my part. I saw in my mind, my running and getting knocked down and killed. I knew I couldn't outrun that dog. My only hope was standing still so I wouldn't continue to be a target for the dog once she clamped down and I knew the owner was running toward the dog.
I do very well in an emergency - I don't freak out - I think instead how to fix it. Maybe that's why I am a prepper and why I got an EMT license - so I can “fix stuff”.
Pit bull trash is a disease caused by undeservedly high blood pressure.
I’m sorry about the poor kitty :-(
That breed of dog is simply too unpredictable to be tolerated. Unlike others who come into threads like this and praise the breed, I know from personal experience just what they are.
I wish everyone was like you...:)
For those who aren’t into such things, standing stock still defuses a dog’s “prey drive”.
Though you may still be bitten, by not reacting you are vastly minimizing the damage.
In fact, done properly, you can convey ‘alpha body language’ by not only standing still, but by turning to the side and not meeting the dog’s gaze, almost as if you are pointedly “snubbing” said dog.
Doing that really confuses a dog because the person is not displaying anticipated ‘prey behavior’ which causes the dog to reconsider that his target may in fact be a superior predator, instead.
The absolute worst things to do are running, screaming, flailing about, etc.
That excites an already agitated dog to the point of potentially serious damage.
A case in point, a rabbit happily inhabits my backyard, despite it being ‘infested’ with some really serious rabbit hounds.
She has learned that if she simply hunkers down and ~doesn’t move~, they will literally sniff her, poke her, then get bored and go away, after which she makes a dignified exit through the fence, unharmed.
She’s been doing this successfully for *years*.
[Chipmunks haven’ been quite so bright...I have to run interference for them]
At any rate, you are an excellent example to others.
:)
I wish I had known that. Didn't have enough time to think of anything except flee meant she could kill me and standing still meant I would be alive. I suppose it would be a "slow" turn, instead of a "fast turn" to present the side view. When I saw her, she was already close to me as she was hidden by a bush and was suddenly there, and she was ready to make that leap, so I was staring at her. That all happened within seconds. I was still for maybe two or three seconds before she was on me. I think I turned into stone - that was what it felt like. If I am ever in that situation again, I'm turning to the side. Thank you.
You did great for the time you had and you seem to have a natural talent.
Dog body language is infinitely subtle and watching dogs interact is like watching a hairy ballet.
The “big dog” is the one who stands still, disregarding the subservient sniffs, chop licks and stares of the other ‘lesser’ dogs.
Poor Odin, the big galoot, is completely unnerved by little Gypsy’s blatant disregard of his existence.
Right now she’s out with the puppy teaching her good manners.
She stands in the middle of the room while the pup play bows and barks into her face incessantly, trying to get a reaction.
Then, almost imperceptibly, she’ll slightly shift her eyes or her head and the pup ~leaps~ away, head low and tail wagging in dutiful obeisance.
To us, the signal’s nearly invisible.
To dogs, it’s a huge, blinking red neon warning sign.
Everybody should spend a day or two in a dog park, watching the intricate power plays, mutual agreements and running ‘conversations’ dogs have.
It’s cool.
:)
What? You mean dogs are governed by prey drives and pack social structure? I’m shocked. Shocked.
Don’t you know that dogs are unpredictable barely-domesticated wolves willing to maul and rend humankind without warning, break the necks of infants, and devour our children in the dead of night?
*Next* you’ll be suggesting responsible adults should familiarize themselves with canine behavior (if they are not already familiar with it).
But I know you wouldn’t be that radical. :)
Oh, my.
Sorry.
I should’ve prefaced that post with “I hope you’re sitting down”.
[apparently it doesn’t matter *what* I suggest to some people. they will generalize breeds because it suits them to do so, facts be damned]
Seriously, I’m surprised he hasn’t challenged her alpha-ship; but perhaps she cured him of that in his puppyhood.
It’s all about attitude and she has gobs of it.
She’s the rescue who was dumped in the high CA desert to fend off coyotes to survive.
Tough little gal, is Gypsy.
After packs of coyotes, some Dobe ain’t no big thang.
:)
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