Woman mauled by pit bull

Being a proud owner of a pitbull, it is sad that people feel the need to raise their pits to be mean animals. If you are ever around a pit who has been raised in a loving mannor you will find that these dogs are very sweet. I hope this lady gets what she deserves in court.

Available in both english and spanish is information on the history of pit bulls located at www.pitbull411.com/ Any dog can be taught to be vicious, any dog can be taught to protect, even the mildest tempered of dogs when provoked can lash out. As a dog owner the responsibility is to raise a dog to be loving and protective of its family but knows the difference between company and an intruder. As someone just walking down the street we also have to take the responsibility to be aware of our surroundings and avoid a stray animal, unfortunatly when an animal becomes stray it also becomes frightened and becomes very protective over itself. If the pit bull was so awful it would not be recognized by the American Kennel Club, it would not be trained as a K-9, they would not be trained in search and rescue and they certainly would not be used as therapy dogs, however, they are all those and more. Our sympathy to the woman who was attacked and we hope her recovery is quick, to the owner, take the responsibility to know where your animals are, think of them as you would your children, I know where mine are, do you?

I am also the proud owner of an American Pit Bull Terrier and am afraid incidents like this continue to aid people's unfounded prejudices toward this incredible breed.

Anytime you read "Woman mauled by pit bull" in the paper, it is not a good thing for pit owners. Mine is actually a trained therapy dog and has been a big hit at events such as the Relay for Life.

Responsible pit owners know it is their duty to train and socialize their dog properly. It's too bad this one's owner didn't. Now, a lady has been injured, a dog has been killed, and countless other people continue to believe pits are vicious. Sad.

I understand pit bull owners wanting to come to the defense of a breed of dog they love. However I don't see why pit bulls are somehow different from any other breed when it comes to both nature and nurture, both are components. You can have improper temperament in any breed, but just what were pit bulls bread for? The excerpts below are from a self acclaimed pit bull lover and the link to her web page has been included. I guess the point I am trying to make is if I want a dog bread to retrieve ducks from the cold Snake River in the middle of the winter I wouldn't choose a dog not bread to do so. I would choose a dog typically bread for such a job such as a Labrador Retriever. The service dogs used by police and military are not Chihuahuas are they? Pit bulls naturally are very strong, tough dogs and whether their owners like it or not they tend to have the traits of a fighter. It was bread into them; their place in urban settings is questionable at best!

'This breed is descended from pit dogs one way or another, and, given the right circumstances, most Pit Bulls will fight and against any other breed, they will win (you really don't want to see that!)â**¿½*¿½'. It is common knowledge however, that the Pit Bull breed was developed for blood sports: Bull baiting, bear baiting, and later, dogfighting.'

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/breedinfo.php

I love animals and I think Pit Bulls are a beautiful breed. However, they are originally bred to be pit fighters against bears and bulls, hence the name. I think it is not the dogs fault, IT IS THE OWNERS. Shame on Tania James. Teach your pet better or get a better pet!

Wrong. Pit Bulls were originally bred to be guard dogs. They are extremely loyal in nature and a very protective breed.

Do some research and you'll see Pit Bulls are actually the fourth most likely dog to bite you. According to the statistics, do you know what's No. 1???

Cute, little Dalmations. Things are not always as they appear.

What happened to Ms. Martin?

According to Pet Resource the Pitbull is the most dangerous dog. Dalmations are #10 on the list. Pitbulls are being outlawed in many cities around the country.

Great, Skeeter. What the hell is the Pet Resource? Some sort of an Internet blog?

Check with the AKC â*¿½*¿½ that's the American Kennel Club â*¿½*¿½ or some other credible source. And yes, Pits are being outlawed because of stories like this. What a silly country we live in.

Well put, bazookaman. It's all on the owners.

And for the record, I hate wild cats. My neighborhood has about a million of them. Maybe I should let my Pit out for a smorgasbord sometime. :)

If you hate wild cats, do something about them. Trap them, have them fixed and then set them free again, this would at least stop them from breeding, or take them to the shelter where they can be put down in a humane way.

Even saying you would let your Pit Bull get them, puts you in a bad light!

Woman mauled by golden retriever.

Woman mauled by poodle.

Woman mauled by basset hound.

These are just headlines that we do not often see. Pit bull maulings on the other hand, wow, count them up.

This is why a pit bull no matter how lovingly it is raised is always a risky dog:

Dangerousness of dogs is categoried in two ways. First, how arousable are they? Second, what action do they take when aroused? Pit bulls are highly arousable dogs, and the action they take when aroused is to attack. Dogs like small terriers, collies, etc. are also highly arousable, but what they do is bark or yap. There are dogs like goldens or labs who may have a tendency to protect or bite, but they are not highly arousable.

Other dogs which are highly arousable and tend to attack when excited...rottweiler, German shephard.... These are beautiful, noble dog breeds, but if you don't understand that owning this type of dog is risky and that you need to take special training precautions and restraining precautions, then you are not in reality.

Haha, like I care what kind of light it puts me in, Justmeagain. Get a grip.

I've trained my pit like a responsible owner and if you had read my previous posts, you'd see he's actually a therapy dog. Don't get ur panties in a bunch just cuz I don't like wild cats roaming the neighborhood.

And Mthomemom...you have no idea what yer talking about. All my pit DOES is bark when he gets excited. He likes to lick, too...ooohhh, sounds dangerous!

The point is you can't group one breed of dogs together, it's all how they're raised.

I must say I am guilty in the respect that Pit bulls scare me. I've never actually seen a nice Pit I guess, I mean I've seen them before: this aquaintance I had when I was about 18 had two pits that he raised to be mean and vicious and the couple of times that I went to his house they were always covered in blood and bit marks. I've always kept that mental picture and have always had a bad opinion of them. Now I want to get a dog and the boyfriend wants a pit and I've been fighting him every step of the way. All I keep thinking about is that dog turning on my 3yr old and it makes me want to cry....But the boyfriend tells me the same thing, that Pits are only mean if they are raised that way and, they are protective of their family. He said if we got a pit we'd get it as a pup and raise it to be a loving caring dog....I am still scared though

Listen to your boyfriend, Missy. And I could put you in touch with some good breeders who raise pits to be loyal family dogs, not fighters.

If you raised him right, that pit could save your child's life someday. It's normal to be scared but one day with a pit like mine will squash all of your fears.

Listen to your gut instinct Missy. There are too many reasons to protect your daughter from that breed of dog. At best nothing will happen, at worst something terrible will happen. The odds are over 1000 to one that something bad will happen before that breed of dog would save your daughter. My flabber was gasted that someone would advise a mother with a three year old to get a pit bull. And to recommend a breeder. In today's world I can see a law suit in the future if soemthing terrible goes wrong.(I'm still trying to figure out the therapy angle).

Reading some of these comments makes me ill. To judge a dog based on bread is ridiculous. This bread is a wonderful; loving bread. It's the owners who make a dog mean. If anyone here would do any research it is actually the smaller dogs that have a reputation of biting people. Pit bulls have been branded because people have not ever heard of one in the papers being nice. The owners of this bread should be the ones getting this reputation because they don't take care of their dogs. I have a pit bull and can speak from experience. I have a 2 year old little girl who tugs, lies on, and plays with this dog.

Before you make ignorant statements about this bread, take the time to do some research and start blaming the owners for their dogâ??s behavior.

P.S.

I wonder if a news reporter would find it as 'news worthy' to write about the poodle who bit a person causing serious injury? What about that 'scary' pitbull who "oh my" was seen licking a childs face?

Oh snap, skeeter, looks like someone just put you in your place. Haha, kudos to usedtoberice for her post about pits and kids.

And if you're inferring I could be sued for giving advice and offering a breeder's contact info, you are more ignorant than I thought.

As for the therapy angle, check out the Red Cross sometime. They take dogs of ALL breeds all over the world to help people cope with disasters. We have taken our pit to several Relay for Life events, nursing homes, and pediatric wards at hospitals. Each time he has been a big hit and, shockingly enough, no biting. Just licking.

Imagine that.

You are correct, bazooka my man. You definitely have to do your research when looking for a good breeder. We got our blue-nosed pit from a breeder in Washington who only produces 1-2 litters per year and uses their very own children to socialize them. He is a great family dog.

ok..staying on the topic:

I am a first hand friend of the woman who was MAULED (an understatement)by TWO Pit bulls. Not one..but TWO! One was put down..another is in confinement (I know that isnt the word I am looking for). Actually the dog went after a young boy and the woman yelled to get them away from him..getting attacked herself. She saved this boys life! These dogs ripped her shoes off and bit her feet so bad she can not walk right now! I wont even mention the extreme hardship this has caused this family, emotionally, physically and finacially!

I am a dog owner and lover! I have owned a pit bull and I NEVER taught it to be mean, although it bit my 3 year old daughter as they played. This dog I removed instantly from my house. I didnt wait til it bit again, like the dog owner in question! I also NEVER let my pit run loose in a trailer park or in my neighborhood. This is not about the breed, it is about the owners of these dogs and the landlord who "told them to get rid of the dogs" after the first incident but didn't follow through. Yes there is alot more to this story, whether it is gossip, hearsay or WHATEVER..the owner, landlord and the VICTIM knows the truth and SHAME ON the dog owners. Do you even know how to check on the woman, send her flowers or have any concern or help with her medical bills????

Boy...that shut everyone up!

No, I am ashamed to say, I don't know how to check on her or to help her.

If you know, please tell us.

Good show, tchtc5! And the word you're looking for there is most likely "quarantine."

That's what they usually do with dogs deemed vicious, unless of course they put them down. I hope the owner of those dogs get sued back to the stone-age.