My Pit Bull Attack Part 2 ( I Was Minding My Own Business )

The Pit Bull has a nasty reputation.  They are responsible for ruining many lives due to lawsuits, injuries and deaths.  Sometimes they attack other dogs without being provoked.  Sometimes they attack people as well.  This particular dog also has a very powerful bite to go along with it's bad reputation.

There are a lot of Pit Bull owners who seem to get offended when you say anything negative about Pit Bulls.  They say poor Pit Bull are just misunderstood.  They go on and on with excuses explaining  why some Pit Bulls attack and some don't.  At this point, it all sounds like blah blah blah, because I have heard many Pit Bull owners say... "He never attacked before, this is the first time".  So many people are shocked when their Pit Bull attacks someone.

It reminds me of a lady I saw in the news a couple of years ago.  She owned a chimpanzee named Travis who mauled a woman named Charla Nash.  Charla's face was torn off.  Her hands were torn off as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9fMo38k8K4 A chimpanzee is a dangerous wild animal, not a pet.  Just because you dress it up in a diaper and drive around with it in your car does not make it your baby.  As it turns out, Travis was a ticking time bomb that eventually went off without warning.

No matter how much you defend them, Pit Bulls are a Problem Breed.  So... am I saying Other dogs aren't problematic?  No, I'm not saying that... because I've been attacked by other dogs as well.  However, if you're honest, you have to admit, you hear about Pit Bull attacks more than any other dog... period.  That's just a fact.

I have been attacked by various breeds of dog before.  Doberman, German Shepard, Even Saint Bernard's, but I'm still here.  You may ask yourself... is this guy for real, or is he just  Blowing smoke?  I assure you, I'm telling the truth.

Most of the Stuff I am about to say happened a long time ago in different parts of the country. Say what you want, but if there wasn't a  GOD, I believe I would have gotten bitten a long time ago.

This first incident happened way back when cell phones were not part of the mainstream yet. I remember having car trouble just outside of Tucson.   I was many miles from the nearest town.  It was late in the afternoon.  The car was not going anywhere, so it was either stand there with my thumb out, or start walking.

I choose to walk.  While on this VERY LONG WALK, I encountered 2 Saint Bernard's Guarding a junk yard.  When they approached me, one charged me from the front, and the other positioned himself behind me.  Instead of backing  up, I faced off with the dog in front.  The dog in back started sneaking up on me.  So I turned sideways in order to keep each dog in  my peripheral vision.   For about 10 minuets there was a lot of back and forth, both dogs taking turns to see who could get ahold of me. It was a Mexican stand off.

Soon afterward, a car drove by and I heard someone yelling GET IN! GET IN!  So I did.  I was just a guy minding his own business, trying to get home. Thank GOD for the kindness of a stranger.  If he hadn't showed up when he did, I might still be there today playing "Catch me if you can" with those stupid dogs.

Another incident took place when I was walking with an 8 year old child.  A Doberman Pincher jumped over a fence and attacked us.  I positioned the child behind me for his protection.  When the dog decided to lunge at me, I side kicked him directly in his chest.  I made sure he could feel it.  I kicked him pretty hard because I was worried about the child.  The dog jumped back over the fence.

There were a few more attacks, but the one that stands out was the "German Shepard Mix" attack.  Mixed with what, I don't know, but he was a huge dog with a big barrel shaped chest.  At first, he was in his yard, but there was no fence.  He came after me and I had to kick him in the chest multiple times.  He was very insistent, so I had to kick him harder with each kick. He did not give up easily, but eventually, he left me alone. Later, I found out this same dog had successfully bitten several people.

This latest incident took place here in New York.  I was out for a walk.  I was minding  my own business.  In the distance, I saw a man with 3 dogs approaching.  One of these dogs happened to be a Pit Bull. ( Off the Leash )  The long and short of it... is the dog faced off with me two or three times and looked as though it were looking for an opening for a clear attack.

Every time I tried to back away casually,  the dog would move toward me in an aggressive way.  So I would stand my ground, in a fighting stance.  I looked directly into his eyes.  I frowned and spoke to him in a very angry growling tone.  Eventually, the owner got control of the dog.  This happened in a public place frequented by joggers.  What was going on in this dog owner's mind?

When I don't back down from dogs, I believe it signals the dog to show me respect.  If I ran from a dog, It would catch me.  My theory is, the dog will loose respect for me if I run.  If I show it I'm nervous or scared, the dog will see it in my body language.  People say animals can smell fear, but I think animals are just good at reading body language.  Another thing that is important to remember is I need to be prepared to back it up if the animal wants to ignore my body language.

It has taken me a lifetime to understand these things.  I remember  some kind of hound dog attacked me in one of the Western States.  I saw there was a stick on the ground about 15 feet in front of me.  I lunged for the stick... not because I was scared, but because I wanted something to scare him with.   In the dogs mind, I was scared, so he tried to bite me.  As a result, my shirt got a big hole ripped into it.  I made up my mind to never run after that.

I believe it can be a tricky business not getting bitten by a bad dog.  If you know what you're doing, perhaps you can walk away without getting injured.  However, EVEN if you are skilled at defending yourself, there's no guarantee you will NEVER get bitten.  Some day you could trip or something... giving the dog the advantage.  That's why I say there's a  GOD.  I've never gotten anything more serious than a tiny nip. Now,  I did work in a zoo for a while... and ... well that's another story for another time.

I know how to protect myself, but most people have a hard enough time  with human on human encounters... let alone viscous dog attacks.  Most people are just not prepared for that.

When a person gets attacked by a dog, the owner is liable.  Not only does the owner pay, ( as he should ) he also has to live with the guilt of a person  being damaged for life.  Sadly, he may even have to live with the death of another human being on his conscience.

I say again, as I said in part one of this blog... everyone should get their animal trained... everyone... irregardless of breed. Don't do it because someone makes you do it.  Don't wait until too many people have been attacked and they start passing laws to make you do it.  Do it be cause you are a responsible person.  If you happen to own a dog with predatory instincts... like a Pit Bull, get even more training. 

Too many people say they had no idea that their innocent little old Pit Bull would ever attack anything.  I get tired of hearing people say that.  That sounds like the lady with the chimpanzee.  Travis the Chimp was 15 years old when he mauled Charla Nash. That means Travis went for 15 years without attacking anyone.

It does not matter if a chimpanzee didn't hurt anyone for 15 years, 20 years or even 30 years.  It only took one day  for Charla to have her life ruined. It only took one day for the owner of a chimpanzee to finally realize she had mistaken a wild animal for a harmless pet.  For anyone  who feels they can lecture me on how "safe" it is to own a Pit Bull, watch these 2 YouTube videos:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8nVTctxUDE&feature=fvsr            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzkJOi_wdW4 

If you are a responsible person, and want to own a Pit Bull, don't live in denial.  Yes, any dog can attack that's true, but a Pit Bull IS A PROBLEM BREED.  If you can't see it, you are just ignoring the evidence.  If you don't take extra precautions when you get one of these animals, you are out of your mind.  I was attacked while minding my own business on an innocent stroll. That should not happen to anyone.