If your dog was attacked by a Pitbull...

[Scoobz0202]

Apologies for the long post. Thanks to those who read it.



What would you guys do in this circumstance.

Here is the story from what I understand:

On Saturday night, my mother let her dog outside. It's a minature schnauzer. She lives in an apartment, where there are five in a row. So basically there is one long, rectangular building, with five apartments in it.

|_|_|_|_|_|

Well, anyways, She let her dog out and she stood out back to watch her. She watched her look over at the neighbor apartment back door. Her dog started to bark. Next thing she knew, the neighbors back door opened up, and a full size pit bull came charging out. The dog attacked her dog. The neighbor must have been right next to the dog inside because he was out straight behind it. He struggled, but was able to pull the dog off. Unfortunately, my 5 year old niece was outside with my mom so she had to witness that, which upset her extremely. Luckily my mom right away rushed her inside when she saw the dog charging.

Right afterwards the neighbors, which consist of a guy and I presume his girlfriend, were outside. The girlfriend was visibly upset, sorry about what happened. The guy was storming around saying, " That damn dog is going to the pound. That damn dog is going to the pound. " My mom then took her dog inside. She was bleeding from her chest and she was limping really bad. My mom decided at that point in time to not call the police, because obviously, the people who owned the pit, no matter of their irresponsibility, seemed genuinely concerned.

The next day her dogs chest was swollen pretty bad. She would put no pressure on her leg.

I came over at 10:30 Am. I was not there for more then 20 minutes before the neighbor girl rang the doorbell. I walked outside to talk to her and she was still upset about what happened, and was checking to see how our dog was doing. She explained that the dog was not theirs, that their friends moved to Florida and they took the dog in until they could find someplace to give it to. She said the dog was going to be either given to the pound or given away right away because of what happened. This is Sunday morning.

Throughout Sunday my mothers dog still would put zero pressure on her leg and the swelling had worsened on her chest.

Sunday night she looked uncomfortable sleeping, and her breathing seemed kind of hard.

Monday morning her dog seemed a little better, but still was definitely hurting very badly and the swelling was still the same. My mother called the vet to make an appointment. She took her at 1PM Monday. The vet decided to keep her all day and night, and to put a drain in her chest. The vet believed the swelling on her chest was a result of blood building up inside. And the limp was also a result of that.

Monday also we noticed the pitbull was still there.

Tuesday. My mom gets her dog back, and she is doing a lot better. The limp is minimal. The swelling is still there, and the wounds still look rough. But with antibotics, an ointment, and a cold pressure wrap, that will get better. But she is in a lot better mood.

When my mom returned she talked to the neighbor about paying the vet bill. The girl was very respectful. Understanding. Except for the guy. Who was outside, but was sitting about ten feet away. He made comments like,

" Our dog is actually a good dog. If your dog didn't provoke ours, and bite it first, this never would have happened. "

Totally ridiculous. First off, the size difference in these dogs is laughable so he makes these dogs sound like humans. How can he not realize the unpredictable behavior of a pitbull. Second, my mom witnessed the whole thing. Her dog never stood a chance. The dog stormed hers, and was on top of it in no time.

" We are moving so we can keep the dog."

By this point, my mom was already mad. So she didn't ask when they are moving, but this is obviously already not a good sign.



Couple things I forgot to mention:

1. My mom had asked who previously owned this dog. Surprisingly, she knew who the person was. It was one of her best friends nephews. She called him in Florida. He apologized for the accident. Explained he gave his friends a couple hundred dollars to take care of the dog. He said he was also upset at these people because they had told him two weeks prior it bite somebody. He told them they needed to get rid of the dog before something serious happened, but obviously they didn't listen.

2. This couple have a baby. A dog of this type with a baby is a bad thing.

Now we come to right now. This evening after talking to my mom she is unsure on what to do. She doesn't want to start anything with her neighbor, for she has to live next to these people. She also isn't even sure if it's too late to file a police report. She also is afraid if she angers them they will not pay the vet bill, which she really does not have the money to just throw away. But at the same time, she feels that something needs to be done. She is afraid for the baby next door since this dog has already proven before its unpredictablility. And, not to mention, a full size dog is not allowed in the apartments, let alone a pitbull. And, I am sure in Ohio you have to have insurance on a pitbull of which I am unsure they do not have.

Would you guys still call the police three days later, or take another path? Seriously though, would it be better to just say screw being friendly with the neighbors and going straight to the police?

[MrBug708]

Why didnt your mom take her dog to the vet right away?

I think you could take the guy to small claims court to get the money for the dog, can't see how he has a case for it. "Your dog provoked our dog?" What did your mom's dog do, look at it the wrong way?

I would report it to the cops for the sake of it. One of our dogs was attacked by another dog and we called the cops right away.

I would also take out that last comment just in case something does happen as far as legality goes...

[sabotai]

Tell her to be very nice to them until they pay the vet. Then inform the landlord that they have a full-sized dog and get them evicted. Mwahaha.

[Scoobz0202]

Why didnt your mom take her dog to the vet right away?

I think you could take the guy to small claims court to get the money for the dog, can't see how he has a case for it. "Your dog provoked our dog?" What did your mom's dog do, look at it the wrong way?

I would report it to the cops for the sake of it. One of our dogs was attacked by another dog and we called the cops right away.

I would also take out that last comment just in case something does happen as far as legality goes...

In all the information I had to put in that message I thought I addressed the why she didn't take the dog to the vet right away, but I see I didn't.

This happened after the vet was closed, so she couldn't take the dog to the vet. But, she did look up the vets house number and called his house. He told her to give her dog half of a baby aspirin, and apply ice to the swelling if swelling did develop. He said to bring her in on Monday, unless there was an emergancy, in which we were supposed to call his house. He would have been able to come in to the office on Sunday if it was an emergancy.

And for that last comment. I'll remove, but I doubt it would matter anyways. Better safe then sorry though, right.

[Scoobz0202]

Tell her to be very nice to them until they pay the vet. Then inform the landlord that they have a full-sized dog and get them evicted. Mwahaha.

Hopefully the girl is actually as nice as she seems and coughs up the money.

That might be a good idea though if they do not hold up their end of the bargain. Maybe a police report might be too late, but at least that will do the trick with the landlord. The vet bill was not as expensive as we expected (It was 120$), so if we get stuck with it, it will not be the end of the world, but times are a little rough right now, so it would be nice to see the money from them.

[Scoobz0202]

One thing I also forgot to mention now that I think about it. I don't even know if this matters, but my mothers boyfriend made sure to have the couple next door come over and look at my moms dog right after the accident so they could see the damage done. Not sure if that was smart, or just something he thought would be smart, but that did happen.

[Swaggs]

One of our lawyers may want to clarify this (particularly if they are familiar with Ohio state law), but I am pretty sure that homeowners' insurance covers dogbites. And, routinely an injury-causing dogbite is one of the more routine reasons that people lose their homeowners' insurance, as carriers do not want to be susceptible to dogs biting children. Now, whether or not an irresponsible couple that lives in an apartment has renter's insurance or not is probably 50-50, at best.

My opinion is that your mother should feel obligated to call the police and animal control, as the dog is clearly a danger to others. The fact that her dog was not hurt worse or that the dog has not yet attacked and injured a small child should be warning enough. I'd feel bad about what might happen to the pit bull, as it is likely the owner's treatment of the dog and their negligence that has allowed it to become dangerous, but I'd feel ever worse if a young child were disfigured or worse by it.

[thesloppy]

What is your intent here? If you just want the vet bill paid I'd imagine the threat of a police report or a call to the landlord would be enough to motivate the neighbors to pay the vet bill. If you want the dog removed than I'd start with a call to your local animal control and failing that I'd call the landlord.

Considering that the dog now has a history of biting people and animals, and the owners now have a history of doing nothing about it, or restraining their dog, I'd personally consider reporting them....even if they ARE moving, all the better, then who cares what they think. Doesn't sound like the fellow should be owning a dog in the first place.

[Scoobz0202]

Really, I'm not entirely sure what my intent is. :) Mainly just seeing what the general FOFC population would do.

The vet bill would be nice if it was paid. But, if they don't, it's not like my mom won't be able to pay the bills because of that. But yeah, it would be 110$ that will be missed.

I don't know if maybe I am saying, do we really want to stir up more trouble. The guy from what I remember ( He used to go to High School with me) was in and out of trouble. Drugs, in and out of juvie, and then from what I recall, his brother was in jail for awhile. His brother also either lives there, or is just there a lot. My mom lives by herself, so it's one of those things that I would kind of feel guilty to not say anything at the risk of the dog harming somebody else, but I would hate for my mom to be afraid of her neighbors. Already since then she is constantly locking her doors for fear of that guy, and he hasn't even threatened her. She just hates to be by herself, and that little bit there makes her nervous.

But, in the end, I know she will take whatever advice I give her and she will pretty much do what I tell her to do. So I would just like to see what you guys say.

[Schmidty]

I'm not even going to read this thread. I already know that it'll turn out to be 75% of the responders screaming that all pitbulls should be destroyed no matter how tame they've been. The other (reasonable, imo) responders will present a more balanced and compassionate response.

By the way, I'm sorry about your mother's dog. I'm glad it looks like it'll be ok.

[thesloppy]

I'm not even going to read this thread. I already know that it'll turn out to be 75% of the responders screaming that all pitbulls should be destroyed no matter how tame they've been.

Surprisingly, I think yours was the first post, besides the initial one, to mention the dog's breed...but you're right that's usually not the case.

This dog's owner sounds like the kind of asshole that bring on that kind of behavior. When assholes seek out breeds because of their aggressive reputation, they're going to produce an aggressive dog no matter what, and it's too bad that breeds like pits and rotts have to suffer because of it.

Which brings another option to mind...some localities have rescue shelters specifically for aggressive dogs and breeds, and if you can find such a thing locally you might give them a call and pick their brain for advice on this situation.

[Karlifornia]

I'm not even going to read this thread. I already know that it'll turn out to be 75% of the responders screaming that all pitbulls should be destroyed no matter how tame they've been. The other (reasonable, imo) responders will present a more balanced and compassionate response.

By the way, I'm sorry about your mother's dog. I'm glad it looks like it'll be ok.

While I understand how you feel, as I think the mere mention of a pit bull can conjure up thoughts of a unnecessary pitchfork takeover in some people's minds, everyone has been pretty lucid in this thread, and you might be underestimating the general quality of the people in this community.

[wade moore]

Lots of different angles and things to address in this thread.

First of all - as far as general liability/police report/etc. Was your mother's dog on a leash? I'm not sure what the actual law is - but I know it gets fuzzy if neither dog is on a leash. While it may seem crazy to you, from what you described in your post in the "dog world" it is quite possible that the Schnauzer "instigated" - but this is why dogs should always be on a leash if they're not inside/fenced in. Someone joked about "what, did he look at him wrong" - well, quite possibly yes. You said that the Shnauzer started barking and growling and THEN the pit came out. So anyway, I'm not saying it makes what the Pit did right - I'm just saying it makes something like Small Claims Court a little more grey - and the potential of paying for a lawyer to hopefully get back $110 seems risky.

As for the "mean old Pit" thing that Schmidty alludes to - clearly this thread had not gone down that path which makes me happy. thesloppy has it right - it's about the owners. Certainly there is a factor of the breed, but a Pit (or any dog) raised correctly is not a danger. Clearly this Pit was not raised correctly.

So. What do you do? If it's me I call Animal Control. I don't worry about the police report, I eat the $110 (unless they for some reason offer), and I get the dog out of the home for a) the neighberhood/baby/etc's best interest and b) for the dog's best interest.

General piece of advice - ALWAYS have your dog on a leash. I don't care how well trained they are, it's just safer for everyone involved if your dog is on a leash.

[Marc Vaughan]

I'd definitely try and report the dog attack to the police - ignoring costs from a moral standpoint I'd personally not be happy knowing that a potentially dangerous dog was in a house with a baby and I hadn't done everything I could to ensure that childs safety.

[Subby]

They should destroy the dog, the guy, and Schmidty, in that order.

[Subby]

Did I say destroy? I meant sensually massage.

[Dr. Sak]

It really makes me mad when people don't take a conscious effort to keep their pets in line. Like someone said earlier, all pets when outside should be on a leash or if you have that electric fence for the dog, that is fine also.

I had a problem with my neighbor when he got his latest dog. It would always run down into my yard and tease my dog. By teasing, he would stand just one foot away from where my dog's leash would extend to. The neighbors would always laugh and say they were getting an electric fence...yadda yadda. Six months go by and this shit is still happening. Plus the dog is now crapping in my yard.

Finally I got fed up. They were out looking for their dog one night (once again) and asked me if I saw it, I said no but if they would have that electric fence or the dog on the leash they wouldn't have to worry about looking for it 3 or 4 times a week. Needless to say, we haven't spoken much since.

I hope your mom's dog is ok. I hate to stereotype the people that owns the dog but they seem the type to tell you want you want to hear at first then deny all wrong doing...like how dare you blame their dog for doing something. If I were her, I'd inform the police.

[Lathum]

So these people have someone elses pitbull in their apartment with a history of biting people and they have a baby?

are you fucking kidding me?

Most apartment complexes have rules about what breed of dog you can have and pitbulls are always the top of that list. ( sorry Schmidty, thats the truth)

IF that was my dog that got attatcked I would have been on the phone with the cops/ animal control the second I walked in the house. Next time it may be your niece. Not worth the risk.

[Mustang]

I'd call the police. If you accomplish nothing at least there will be a start of some type of record about what is going on.

If you really want to ratchet it up, I'd suggest calling protective services about the attack and the previous biting.

[lordscarlet]

What Wade said.

[sachmo71]

Saturday morning we were at a T-ball game. Gobs of people and kids running around everywhere. Apparently some douchbag left his gate open, and two pitbulls came loping though the crowd.
Before anyone can react, these beasts go after some lady's poodle. The dog is screaming and running and everyone is freaking out. Kicks do nothing. The dogs chased that poodle, in front of about one hundred shocked parents and kids, before two parents with bats beat to dogs across the head and back. The dogs ran away up an alley.

[Kodos]

Get the police involved, get the dogcatcher involved. Get the dog out of this guy's hands before something worse happens.

[Scoobz0202]

First of all - as far as general liability/police report/etc. Was your mother's dog on a leash? I'm not sure what the actual law is - but I know it gets fuzzy if neither dog is on a leash. While it may seem crazy to you, from what you described in your post in the "dog world" it is quite possible that the Schnauzer "instigated" - but this is why dogs should always be on a leash if they're not inside/fenced in. Someone joked about "what, did he look at him wrong" - well, quite possibly yes. You said that the Shnauzer started barking and growling and THEN the pit came out. So anyway, I'm not saying it makes what the Pit did right - I'm just saying it makes something like Small Claims Court a little more grey - and the potential of paying for a lawyer to hopefully get back $110 seems risky.


Yeah, she was on a leash. No fence there.


She called animal control. After reading some responses and what not I decided that would be more effective then the police. And if that doesn't accomplish anything she can go to the landlord.

Thanks guys.

[Drake]

My typical reaction in this circumstance is just to shoot the neighbor's dog.

[Kodos]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HCH661YDL._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

[Cringer]

Don't forget to see about banging the neighbor chick, she sounds hot. Then call the cops and see if anything can be done by them. Make sure you bang the chick though.

[Synovia]

Why didnt your mom take her dog to the vet right away?

I think you could take the guy to small claims court to get the money for the dog, can't see how he has a case for it. "Your dog provoked our dog?" What did your mom's dog do, look at it the wrong way?

I would report it to the cops for the sake of it. One of our dogs was attacked by another dog and we called the cops right away.

I would also take out that last comment just in case something does happen as far as legality goes...

Barking is a sign of aggression in many cases. Theres a (non-trivial) chance that your dog was barking in such a way that challenged the Pit-Bull's dominance/territory/etc. The MAY have just been defending its territory.


These ARE animals.

[Cringer]

Barking is a sign of aggression in many cases. Theres a (non-trivial) chance that your dog was barking in such a way that challenged the Pit-Bull's dominance/territory/etc. The MAY have just been defending its territory.


These ARE animals.

As I understand it the dog was in the middle of taking a dump, the neighbor's door opened, and the pitbull came charging out. Or close to that anyways. Doesn't sound like much happened in way of interaction before this happened from the story above, which I am sure there had to been some kind.

[Scoobz0202]

My mom's dog actually did initiate the "verbal dialogue" :D

Maybe the story above isn't clear. My mom's dog must have seen, or heard, the pit inside. Because she looked over at the neighbors back door and started to bark. No growling or anything, but if you have ever had a terrier you know how they bark at anything that moves.

That is when the back door opened up and the pit came charging out.

I'm not sure if barking is considered instigating or not. Something to find out thats for sure

[Synovia]

As I understand it the dog was in the middle of taking a dump, the neighbor's door opened, and the pitbull came charging out. Or close to that anyways. Doesn't sound like much happened in way of interaction before this happened from the story above, which I am sure there had to been some kind.

I suggest you read the first post again.

Her dog started to bark. Next thing she knew, the neighbors back door opened up, and a full size pit bull came charging out.



Size has absolutely no impact in this. The size of his dog vs the pitbull is irrelevant. I've got a 120lb bernese mountain dog. Hes a giant teddy bear. Least aggressive dog I've ever seen. No problems with anything/anyone.

Theres a chihuahua that wanders around our neighborhood, smaller than a cat. He's an unneutered male, and is a little on the aggressive side. I can't tie my dog out back when the chihuaha is arround because the chihuahua makes aggressive overtures at the 120lb berner. If the berner went after the chihuaha, there'd be nothing left. Dogs ARENT people. Thinking that they are is a mistake.

[Cringer]

My mom's dog actually did initiate the "verbal dialogue" :D

Maybe the story above isn't clear. My mom's dog must have seen, or heard, the pit inside. Because she looked over at the neighbors back door and started to bark. No growling or anything, but if you have ever had a terrier you know how they bark at anything that moves.

That is when the back door opened up and the pit came charging out.

I'm not sure if barking is considered instigating or not. Something to find out thats for sure


Are there any leash laws in this town? Although both parties would be wrong in that case....

[BrianD]

According to Scoobz, the dog was on a leash. There is only so much provoking and territory infringement a leashed dog can do.

[Synovia]

According to Scoobz, the dog was on a leash. There is only so much provoking and territory infringement a leashed dog can do.



In general, dogs are much MORE aggressive when leashed. A dog that is leashed doesn't have the flight option, and often will preemptively show a fight responce (growling/barking/etc).


I'm not saying this happened, but theres pretty much no way to tell without being there. I just think its silly when people make comments like "First off, the size difference in these dogs is laughable"

[Kodos]

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.

[lordscarlet]

My other question is this: Why did the neighbors open the door for their dog to charge?

[BrianD]

In general, dogs are much MORE aggressive when leashed. A dog that is leashed doesn't have the flight option, and often will preemptively show a fight responce (growling/barking/etc).


I'm not saying this happened, but theres pretty much no way to tell without being there. I just think its silly when people make comments like "First off, the size difference in these dogs is laughable"

I wasn't commenting on the size difference, just mostly the thought of a leashed dog justifiably provoking another dog. The real tragedy here is not that the bigger dog was allowed outside without a leash, but that the dog was able to get outside without a leash.

[rkmsuf]

nuke the pitbull from space

[Honolulu_Blue]

nuke the pitbull from space

Only way to be sure.

[Synovia]

I wasn't commenting on the size difference, just mostly the thought of a leashed dog justifiably provoking another dog. The real tragedy here is not that the bigger dog was allowed outside without a leash, but that the dog was able to get outside without a leash.


There is no "justifiable" to dogs. Thats my point. Its an entirely human construct. We need to stop ascribing human emotion/motivation here.

To the pitbull, the fact that the other dog is on a leash is irrelevant. The fact that the other dog is smaller is irrelevant. If the other dog is making aggressive overtures, the pitbul has to respond, or he is giving up territory.

[Kodos]

Just make sure he doesn't sneak into your ship before you take off.

[Toddzilla]

No shot, dog bite.

Woof, Woof! Not bang, bang!

[Lathum]

To the pitbull, the fact that the other dog is on a leash is irrelevant. The fact that the other dog is smaller is irrelevant. If the other dog is making aggressive overtures, the pitbul has to respond, or he is giving up territory.

which is why the pitbull in question needs to be destroyed.

[rkmsuf]

No shot, dog bite.

Woof, Woof! Not bang, bang!

Snowball? You were afraid of Snowball?

[BrianD]

There is no "justifiable" to dogs. Thats my point. Its an entirely human construct. We need to stop ascribing human emotion/motivation here.

To the pitbull, the fact that the other dog is on a leash is irrelevant. The fact that the other dog is smaller is irrelevant. If the other dog is making aggressive overtures, the pitbul has to respond, or he is giving up territory.

You seem to not be getting my point. I'm not ascribing human emotion or motivation here. I'm saying that if a dog runs up to a leashed dog and then gets attacked, too bad for that dog. If a dog is leashed and gets run down by an unleashed dog and attacked, there is a problem. Either the dog is wild and needs to be removed/secured somewhere, or the owner is unequipped to handle the dog and steps have to be taken to correct that.

The leashed dog is free to do pretty much whatever dogs do. An unleashed dog needs to be very well behaved and any slip will rightfully cause people to come down on the dog an the owner. I don't care what normal dog interaction is, a pitbull (or any other dog) cannot be allowed to chase down and attack another dog...especially one which is leashed.

[Synovia]

which is why the pitbull in question needs to be destroyed.
A dog should be destroyed because another dog made was aggressive towards it?


If the miniature shnauser had been an 80 lb dog, and had growled at the pitt, and the pitt attacked, we wouldn't even be talking about this.



The only real issue here is that the Pitt wasn't being properly restrained, IE the owner let it outside without looking outside.

[rkmsuf]

so don't walk near a homicidal leashed dog

[Synovia]

You seem to not be getting my point. I'm not ascribing human emotion or motivation here. I'm saying that if a dog runs up to a leashed dog and then gets attacked, too bad for that dog. If a dog is leashed and gets run down by an unleashed dog and attacked, there is a problem. Either the dog is wild and needs to be removed/secured somewhere, or the owner is unequipped to handle the dog and steps have to be taken to correct that.

The leashed dog is free to do pretty much whatever dogs do. An unleashed dog needs to be very well behaved and any slip will rightfully cause people to come down on the dog an the owner. I don't care what normal dog interaction is, a pitbull (or any other dog) cannot be allowed to chase down and attack another dog...especially one which is leashed.


Hold on, you're saying that a leashed dog is free to attack an unleashed dog, but an unleashed dog is not free to respond?

[Lathum]

A dog should be destroyed because another dog made was aggressive towards it?


If the miniature shnauser had been an 80 lb dog, and had growled at the pitt, and the pitt attacked, we wouldn't even be talking about this.



The only real issue here is that the Pitt wasn't being properly restrained, IE the owner let it outside without looking outside.

no. The issue is the dog was improperly trained, aggressive and has history of biting.

What if had been his niece out there playing with a toy that made a noise that the dog felt threatened by and the dog attacked her?

[BrianD]

Hold on, you're saying that a leashed dog is free to attack an unleashed dog, but an unleashed dog is not free to respond?

No, I am saying that if your unleashed dog runs up to a leashed dog and gets attacked, it is your fault for not keeping your dog properly restrained. If your unleashed dog runs up to a leashed dog and attacks it, it is your fault for not keeping your dog properly restrained.

Dogs should never attack each other, but no matter how domesticated they are, they are still wild animals. Leash your dogs or be prepared to accept the consequences for their actions if you don't.

The question of whether or not the dog needs to be put down lies in the circumstances. If the dog has already bit a person and now opened a door to attack another dog, there is evidence to suggest that this dog is an imminent threat. Any dog can get scared at bite once, but a pattern of biting is troubling.

[rkmsuf]

A leashed dog with a preponderous of tendacies to cause harm should be blown into little pieces by the proper amount of explosive charges.

[Kodos]

Stuff a Teddy Ruxpin with C4, set it outside, and let justice take its course.

[wade moore]

Synovia has a whole lot correct in this thread.

I think people are thinking that he's saying this gives the Pit Bull owner a free pass. I don't think he is. He is trying to explain dog behavior and why the Pit Bull would react the way it does to a much smaller dog.

I don't think we know enough about this Pit to even come close to saying that it should be destroyed. The main thing I know is that these people do not know how to properly restrain a large, strong dog - so they shouldn't have the dog. I have heard nothing to make me think that the dog itself has serious issues.

Many dogs, even nice, cute, oh, let's say labs will attack if provoked. I have been to many a dog park and seen it happen. The owness is on the owner to read the signs and prevent the action from ever happening (things are a little different in a dog park, but i'm not going to bother getting into that now).

Point being - clearly the Pit owner needs to have the dog removed. Then a trained specialist should be evaluating the Pit to determine whether it is able to safely be a domestic pet.

[Toddzilla]

Snowball? You were afraid of Snowball?
He runs on batteries :)

[Lathum]

All dogs nip at each other but this sounds more like an attack.

I am of the opinion that if a dog has the potential to violently attack another dog then it has the potential to attack a child.

[Synovia]

Dogs should never attack each other, but no matter how domesticated they are, they are still wild animals. Leash your dogs or be prepared to accept the consequences for their actions if you don't.


I'm not disagreeing with you on this. In fact, I completely agree.


I just don't think the behavior is all that strange. We can't know exactly how agressive the OP's dog was being, so theres no way to tell whether or not the attack was warranted. Remember, theres not a whole lot of difference between and outright attack and "your turf is now mine" where animals are concerned.

[Synovia]

All dogs nip at each other but this sounds more like an attack.

I am of the opinion that if a dog has the potential to violently attack another dog then it has the potential to attack a child.


EVERY dog has the potential to attack a child, and must be treated with caution. The vast majority of reported dog attacks and fatalities are the elderly, or children.


A very large percentage of them are kids attacked by dogs that are chained out.

[Lathum]

EVERY dog has the potential to attack a child, and must be treated with caution. The vast majority of reported dog attacks and fatalities are the elderly, or children.


A very large percentage of them are kids attacked by dogs that are chained out.

some more then others, considering this dog has a past history of aggression I would say the potential is higher then usual

[BrianD]

I'm not disagreeing with you on this. In fact, I completely agree.


I just don't think the behavior is all that strange. We can't know exactly how agressive the OP's dog was being, so theres no way to tell whether or not the attack was warranted. Remember, theres not a whole lot of difference between and outright attack and "your turf is now mine" where animals are concerned.

Does it matter how aggressive the OP's dog was being? I thought we just agreed that intentions and dog-emotions didn't matter. It may be that the behavior isn't strange, but that doesn't mean it is OK the pitbull was allowed to run free in that agitated state. If the dogs are having a "your turf is now mine" fight by barking like crazy at the ends of their respective leashes, we aren't having this discussion.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I got bit by a dog a couple weeks ago. My wife's cousin's German Sheppard/Akita mix bit my face. She came over to me, sat on my foot, I was scratching her head and neck, I bent over to look down at her and she snapped and bit my face. Left a good cut from under my nose to my upper lip. 8 stitches.

The dog is 8 years old and has never bitten anyone before.

[wade moore]

All dogs nip at each other but this sounds more like an attack.

I am of the opinion that if a dog has the potential to violently attack another dog then it has the potential to attack a child.
Me thinks you don't know a lot about dogs.


I'm not saying you're 100% wrong here, but your combination of posts in this thread shows me you don't know that much about dog behavior and are going by what you've learned on the local news.

[dickysty]

Your story is very similar to what had happened to my Labrador Maddie about 7 years ago. I’m just letting her outside for a quick pee (off Leash) and out of nowhere this pitbull attacks her.

The pitbull and Maddie where about the same (60Lbs) size. Within about thirty seconds the pit had her down by the neck. I was literally kicking that pitbull as hard as I possible could in the ribs and finally after I guess 8 kicks he let go of her neck, but that’s not the end of the fight.

Maddie takes off running down the street , yelping, bleeding when the pitbull attack her again, my head was spinning. Here I am chasing these dogs down the street in my socks!

I again proceeded to kick the shit out of the pitbull. Finally the pitbull lets go again, second time around I certainly conflicted some good damage on the pit and my foot.

Oh yeah as all of this is happening the owner of the dog a girl, is crying her eyes out as I’m going nuts yelling at her trying to figure out what was more important, taking my dog to the vet or killing the pitbull. It was tough decision but I opted to take Maddie to the vets.

A few things I learned during all this is. Pitbulls are tough mother fuckers. If it had been my wife out there instead of me I would not have Maddie right now, I’m fairly sure of that.

Another thing, when it comes to life or death of a family member or even your pet the strength that comes over you is unbelievable, I was exhausted after the whole ordeal. I could have easily finished the pitbull off, glad I didn’t I guess.

This whole ordeal left such in impression on me I always carry a key chain type mace spray to ward off any chance of this happening again when I take her for walks.

The owner bitch paid the vet bill and of course the dog was a saint to other people.

I reported the incident to the Animal control and that’s about all you can do.

It’s all about the owners of these types of dogs. They have to be so responsible and unfortunately I find most pit owners lack in the responsibility department.

[Synovia]

This whole ordeal left such in impression on me I always carry a key chain type mace spray to ward off any chance of this happening again when I take her for walks..

As much as that sounds like a good idea, if you check the list of dog-on-human attacks, there are quite a few where one dog attacked another, human maces dog, blinded dog attacks human.


as much as it sucks to have another dog maul your dog, having another dog maul you is much worse.

[Synovia]

It’s all about the owners of these types of dogs. They have to be so responsible and unfortunately I find most pit owners lack in the responsibility department.
Its kind of downward spiral.


Pitts/Rotties/Dobies/etc are all extremely effective hunting/fighting/war dogs. The people who are attracted to those sorts of dogs for that reason, tend to be the same people that will teach a dog to attack.


So you've got very effective fighting dogs in the hands of people who are training them to be more aggressive.

Just as many of these sorts of attacks happen with Labs, collies, etc, they're just not nearly as effective when they do attack.



I've got a couple of friends with pitts/rotties, who are great owners, and they dogs are big mushballs.... the sort of dogs that wear sweaters.

[Synovia]

Does it matter how aggressive the OP's dog was being? I thought we just agreed that intentions and dog-emotions didn't matter. It may be that the behavior isn't strange, but that doesn't mean it is OK the pitbull was allowed to run free in that agitated state. If the dogs are having a "your turf is now mine" fight by barking like crazy at the ends of their respective leashes, we aren't having this discussion.

You're misunderstanding me Brian.


I think the owner (of the pit) is absolutely at fault here, and the dog should have been on a leash. I just don't think that the dog itself was necessarily doing anything strange/overly aggressive. My point is that the situation was the problem, not necessarily the dog.



And for the record, I'm someone who happens to have a scar on his nose, and another one on his ear, from the upper and lower canines of a 140lb dobie.

[Lathum]

Me thinks you don't know a lot about dogs.


I'm not saying you're 100% wrong here, but your combination of posts in this thread shows me you don't know that much about dog behavior and are going by what you've learned on the local news.

I've owned dogs my whole life and understand their behavior well.

If I can't feel comfortable with my child around a dog the dog has to go.

[Lathum]

dola- I'm not blaming the dog or the breed. It is the owners/ caretakers responsibility.

But when it comes to violent attacks there are no second chances. Or third in this case.

[BrianD]

You're misunderstanding me Brian.


I think the owner (of the pit) is absolutely at fault here, and the dog should have been on a leash. I just don't think that the dog itself was necessarily doing anything strange/overly aggressive. My point is that the situation was the problem, not necessarily the dog.



And for the record, I'm someone who happens to have a scar on his nose, and another one on his ear, from the upper and lower canines of a 140lb dobie.

With this we are probably generally in agreement. The situation and the owner are definitely at fault here. It does worry me a bit though that the dog would bust out of the house (I'm assuming the owner didn't open the door), run across the lawn and attack another dog. That seems rather aggressive to me. I don't know how, or if, that translates to a safety concern for a small child in the house. I'll leave that determination to people more up on dog behavior than I am.

[Synovia]

(I'm assuming the owner didn't open the door),
See, I think thats where our issue lies. The initial post isn't very clear on that point.

if the dog busted down/open the door, theres probably an issue here.

[thesloppy]

I got bit by a dog a couple weeks ago. My wife's cousin's German Sheppard/Akita mix bit my face. She came over to me, sat on my foot, I was scratching her head and neck, I bent over to look down at her and she snapped and bit my face. Left a good cut from under my nose to my upper lip. 8 stitches.


If a dog perceives itself as the Alpha dog, it may not take kindly to a hand on the top of the head, which can be perceived as an attempt to dominate and subvert position. Even a scratch or pat on the top of the head, which seems like an affectionate action, can be taken as an aggressive action if the dog thinks that you're trying to challenge his position.

Obviously I know nothing about your particular situation, so that could be entirely unrelated....but it's a good rule of thumb to avoid the top of the head, when dealing with strange dogs you aren't completely familiar with.

[Scoobz0202]

I can't clarify if the dog, or the owner opened the door.

It was a screen door that the dog, or the owner opened, so if the screen door was not closed all the way in the first place it probably was not that hard to open for the dog.

And at this point, it's not a question that I would even ask the pit's owner because I think he has proven to not be totally truthful.

[Drake]

dola- I'm not blaming the dog or the breed. It is the owners/ caretakers responsibility.

But when it comes to violent attacks there are no second chances. Or third in this case.

I agree with this completely...which is why I've ended up putting down so many dogs. There are no leash laws out here where I live. Everyone in the "neighborhood" (can't really call it that as I'm extremely rural and most of our houses are 1/4 to 1/2 a mile away from one another) pretty much just lets their dogs run, and for the most part, the dogs behave themselves. We all feed one another's pets, play with one another's dogs, etc. I have a miniature dachsund and a 20lb mutt. My neighbors tend to go with german shepherds, pit bulls, etc. (i.e., big dogs).

I'm completely friendly and tolerant with all of these dogs until they attack my dogs or cats or snap at my kids. The moment either one of those happen, I get out the shotgun and take care of it. You just can't untrain that behavior out of a dog once it's decided that it likes the taste of cat/dog/kids.

Honestly, 99% of the problems we've had are new people moving into the area from more urban settings, getting their first "outside" dogs and expecting those dogs to essentially raise themselves.

And yes, it always makes me feel like crap, because I understand that it's just dogs being dogs. That's why I don't make a big deal out of it if they get into my garbage and scatter it all over the yard or whatever. That's my fault for not securing the garbage well enough.