Attacked by Pit Bull (Page 3)

One bite if provoked.  After that, I'm out of free passes.  Aggressive attacks as mentioned receive no free passes.

Absolutely correct!  I would only add that ALL DOGS BITE.  I have a Rott mix that is probably the friendliest dog I have ever owned but she is not allowed to play alone around children and don't make any assumptions about how she would react if she felt she, my family or I were threatened.  Even a playful or warning bite from a larger dog can inflict serious damage to someone.

There is no truth in that statement.  Google is your friend here.

I'll admit the way I worded that is misleading.

http://www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/Breeds/AmericanPitBullTerrierRevisedNovember12008

"The American Pit Bull Terrier’s many talents did not go unnoticed by farmers and ranchers who used their APBTs as catch dogs for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt, to drive livestock, and as family companions."

The only time I've ever been chased was by a small dog while I was on my bike and it was trying to bite.  Fortunately I can ride faster than a dachshund.  If I had been on foot, or it had been a kid the results could have been very different.

Any dog is dangerous depending on the owner.  My bichon used to try to bite people who came to close to me even in our home.  He's been trained and doesn't do that anymore, but if we hadn't trained him he would be quite a menace.  My sister owns a rottweiler/mastiff mix who is as gentle as a cotton ball but people cringe when they see her walking down the street side by side with my sister on a slack leash.  It's not the dogs we should fear, it's their owners.

OP, this incident is terrible and I hope you heal fully.  I agree that the owners should face criminal charges and prosecution.  Things like this should just never happen.

x2

Glad you are doing all of this.  Sorry for your injuries and I hope you heal quickly!!

Sorry to the OP and I hope the recovery goes well. I have broken a dogs nose before for chasing me. If a pit chased me he would get a .45 slug to the face in a big hurry.

But I feel I should respond to the above posts and posts like it. Yes, I am an insurance agent (hate if you will ). Yes your medical expenses, time off work, any money you are out should definitely be compensated. But when people advocate that you sue the hell out of the insurance company so you can get a new bike they are really saying, "hey, sue the hell out of the rest of us". Insurance companies don't have a magic pot of gold they pay everything out of. They take the money that we all pay in to pay out claims.

So if a person advocates suing an insurance company for a new shiny dream bike, they have no room to complain when their own homeowners insurance rate goes up.

I personally would go with shoot the dog and the owners.

I despise this ignorant attitude towards the breed.  As many others have said, hate the owners...not the dog...or breed.  When raised properly, pit bulls and pit mixes are great pets.

Sorry this happened.  I am a dog owner and love dogs.  When will people realize that Pitbulls are ANIMALS and not family dogs.  There is a reason you keep hearing these type of stories.  I don't care that people come out and say "There great dogs" "Great with kids" but don't those families who own lions say the same thing until they attack them.  I wish this country would ban them as pets.  I am NOT a violent person, but I would not hesitate in killing one these animals.  I live in a neighborhood who has a policy against them, but if I ever saw one in my yard I would shoot it just as I would a panther, bobcat, gator, bear, etc...

Take them for everything you can, and heal fast!! 

Very sorry to hear about the attack, the dogs aggressive history proves that the owners are just plain ignorant.  I hope you heal fast and sue for as much as you can get.  See if there is anyway you can keep these people from owning another dog (should this dog be put down) as they do not deserve to own a dog.

I would like to address the "pits are an awful breed".  Pits ARE great dogs when trained properly... in fact ANY dog is a GREAT dog when trained properly (and exercised properly which is often forgotten... you have to WALK YOUR DOGS PEOPLE!  If you don't they will use the energy that is pent up on other things, such as chasing bikers/people).  Pits are VERY powerful dogs and dog fighting has given them this terrible reputation, people want them because of their negative conotation and raise them thusly.  HOWEVER you can do that with any dog, the thing that makes pits particularly dangerous is their strength.

Cesar Millan (One of the most sought after dog behavioral experts) has pits as his personal dogs (all adopted).  He brings them in to train other dogs.  The other dogs that he is usually dealing with are labs, chihuahuas, and other small breeds of dogs.  I'd stretch to say that 80% of the cases are a lack of exercise for the dog.

Hate the owners, not the dog breed.  There is no such thing as an "aggressive dog breed" just dogs that are raised to be aggressive.

Agreed.  As my boyfriend (vet for over 20 years) says, "There are no bad dogs, only bad owners."  The scariest dog around here is actually a RETRIEVER, believe it or not.  I've had to kick him to get him to back off before (and we HAVE a leash law here).  I shudder to think if I ever BIKED by him and couldn't use my martial arts skills.

To the OP: Definitely file a report and then contact a lawyer.  This should be easy pickings for any legal eagle since the dog has a history.  (Also photograph your injuries ASAP.)

Famous last words until the dog rips a childs face off.  I've seen it personally.  Family pet...pit bull....well behaved animal....one day the family's 12 yo girl did something that the pit bull did not like and he rips a big gash on her face.  Beautiful little girl that will carry a big ugly scar across her face the rest of her life because someone thought pit bulls made good pets.

So despise all you want.  Pitbulls broke INTO my fenced backyard and attacked my dog.  I should have killed 'em when I had the chance.  Had I not been home, they'd of killed both my dogs.  Worthless f'ing dogs!  Pit bulls are one of 3 breads that are responsible for 75% of all dog attacks - 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings.  Get pets?  Sorry, ain't buying it. 

Sorry but you contradict yourself big time in your last sentence. You state that pitbulls are not agressive if trained correctly. Then you say there is no such thing as an agressive dog, just a dog that is raised to be agressive. So if as you say the only dogs who are agressive are those who are generally ignored and not trained by their owners, how do they become agressive if the only way a dog is agressive is if they are taught to be agressive? It would seem that perhaps, with no training, some tends have a tendency to be agressive all on their own.

I might believe that pit bulls can be trained and can probably be a decent dog to have, but they REQUIRE that training. My sister has a dog who has never be trained or told to do anything, she does whatever she wants. The dog is a golden retreiver and has never and I would almost gaurantee will never bite anyone, and has never shown any sort of agression toward man or fellow beast. 

Stats show time and time again that pits attack more than other dogs. Yes they can be trained to behave, but statistically speaking they are more agressive than a golden retriever.

Of the breeds most often involved in incidents of sufficient severity

to be listed, pit bull terriers are noteworthy for attacking adults almost

as frequently as children. This is a very rare pattern: children are

normally at greatest risk from dogbite because they play with dogs more

often, have less experience in reading dog behavior, are more likely to

engage in activity that alarms or stimulates a dog, and are less able to

defend themselves when a dog becomes aggressive. Pit bulls seem to differ

behaviorally from other dogs in having far less inhibition about attacking

people who are larger than they are. They are also notorious for attacking

seemingly without warning, a tendency exacerbated by the custom of docking

pit bulls' tails so that warning signals are not easily recognized. Thus

the adult victim of a pit bull attack may have had little or no opportunity

to read the warning signals that would avert an attack from any other dog.

http://www.dogbitelaw.com/Dog%20Attacks%201982%20to%202006%20Clifton.pdf

You really should make sure a police report was filed, and  seek a lawyer quickly !

I know our society is heavily litigatious, but in this case the owners are blatantly negligent and need to (a) pay for your medical costs and suffering caused by their dog, and (b) get this dog locked up or put down.

Other people have been bitten, and they are getting away with it. That dog could've ripped your face off, really. Press charges !

Hope you heal fast.

Wow! Now there's a post just waiting to get pulled.

First to the OP - I am so very sorry this happened and so glad your daughter was not with you.

To the insurance guy - sorry don't remember your name - I would say sue the insurance company, maybe then they will not take on policy's where owners have aggressive dogs or cancel their insurance at the first incident.

I survived a mauling at the age of 12 - 250 stitches in my face and 10 in my finger. Had the facial scar revised as an adult with 100 stitches. This dog was not a Pitt and lived with a family and knew me, I was not provoking the dog. All of this to say I do not think it is the breed. However, we all know Pitts have a bad reputation. Just last week a toddler was attacked by her family's pitt after years of no aggresion. There is a good percentage of pitt owners that are not responsible. I think the breed should be limited, not outlawed completely but here in Houston you can buy a pitt bull on every 3rd street corner on the weekend. It seems this is the beginning of the viscious circle. Any idiot can buy the dog/puppy. It would be nice if pitt bull purchase was limited and owners had to go through training though I have no idea how we could do that. Yes, other dogs do bit, actually a lot of small dogs have bad reputations, the difference is I can pick up a poddle and throw it across the room a pitt is just so strong and can cause so much damage.

A few weeks ago I was cornered by a pitt in my own neighborhood and terrified. I was able to walk away but he followed me, barking for 1/4 mile, I also wondered what would have happened if one of my children was with me. Just last weekend another dog in the neighborhood was attacked by 2 pitt bulls roaming around.

I really hate that this is such an issue and won't leave my house for a run without Halt! In case I come across an unfriendly dog.

WOW.  Got out of control in a hurry!

Just some links that are worth referencing... CDC and Humane Society (about dog bite statistics, breed specific legislation, and rules of behavior (which should probably be added to the other post about what to do)... 

http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/stop-animal-abuse/fact-sheets/dog-bites.html

http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/stop-animal-abuse/fact-sheets/breed-specific-legislation.html 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/10150239/Breeds-of-dogs-involved-in-fatal-human-attacks

I believe everyone is welcome to their own opinions and therefore allowed to like or dislike pit bulls, but I'm sorry but this website is driving me crazy...  It's written by a woman that was bitten by a pit bull in 2007 and she puts up everything and anything she possibly can against pit bulls.  I don't believe half of her 'statistics'...  reference prior post with links to CDC and Humane Society.  Oh, and this too... it's just a blog but kind of how I feel about it...    http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2010/03/the-truth-behind-dogsbiteorg.html 
(google it and you'll find a lot of others with the same type of opinions...)