My Pittbull Attack Part One

Today is January 30th 2012.  Somewhere around 5 or so this evening I was attacked by a Pitt bull.  Although this is the first time I've been attacked by a Pit bull, this is NOT the first time I've been attacked by a dog.  I have actually been attacked several times thruout the years.  Sometimes the animal was quite determined to take a bite out of me.

Due to the never ending Grace of GOD, I have not actually been bitten yet.  However they do manage to rip my clothes once in a while.  In most cases, the attack never should have occured the first place.  When it does occur, it's not the animal's fault... the fault usually lies with the owner.  If an animal is on a leash, or behind  a fenced in a backyard somewhere, the owner is behaving responsibly.

Animal off the leash... not good.  Animal roaming the neighborhood alone... even worse.  When an animal is left without supervision,  chances are... he WILL get into mischeif.  Which could mean anything from tipping over a few trash cans, scraping with other animals... and worst of all, attacking or killing someone.

As I said at the begining of this blog, I was attacked by a pitt bull.  Now... what exactly do I mean when I say attacked?   Does attack mean the animal actually bit into me and tried to rip my arm out of it's sockett?  ( And believe me, that can happen with pit bulls)

In this case... the animal approached me in a very aggressive way.  It got in my face like a guy in a bar room brawl looking for trouble.  It tried to charge me to make me to run.  I do believe it was trying to position me so it could bite me.  Fortunately for me, I was able to take care or myself.  ( And as I said earlier... the Grace of GOD had something to do with it )

From time to time, I find myself in an unfamiliar neighborhood with some dog running around loose, then it comes after me.  I don't think most dogs don't actually want to bite you.  I believe they just want to scare you away.  If you just ignore them and keep walking, that's usually the end of it. 

However, sometimes it goes up another level.  The dog does not think you're moving fast enough, so he will charge you a little to see if he can make you speed it up a bit. If you turn around, face him, maybe yell, then throw a rock, he will back off. 

Next there is this other kind of dog that wants to take it up still another level.  He really really wants to mix it up with you.  He wants to get ahold of a pant leg... and maybe bite you a little if he can  get away with it.
He is probably not going to be a huge dog, but he has chased people before.  Sometimes they run, and he likes it.  Kick him and he will leave you alone.

Then last... there is this kind of dog that is just not scared and will challenge you as though you were another animal.  Make no mistake, he will bite you, he will hurt you... or even worse.  It's usually one of the larger breds, like a German Shepard.  Unfortunately, sometimes People mix  German Shepards with some other huge bred.  Then unfortunately you can end up with some kind of hybrid Frankinstine Monster in a dog collar.

I don't mind if people want to own something like that. More power to you. Just don't leave it on it's own to roam the neighborhood where it can cause trouble.  Very least... keep it in the back yard where it can't get into trouble.  That's the LEAST you want to do. 

Just remember, even if you do have a fenced in yard... someone can still climb over your fence  and get malled.  Even though you have a fence... there are 365 days in a year... a dog can live for 15 years or more. That's 5475 days.  Listen to carefully to what I'm going to say.  Even if I'm wrong, it may save you a lawsuit some day.

One day you will bring a cute little furry bundle of joy home from the pet shop, animal farm, shelter or whatever. Do yourself a favor.  Just assume that at least 1 of those 5475  days... that dog will get out of that fence... period.  Prepare for it. Make sure your fence is reinforced so the dog can not jump over, pry through or dig under the fence. 

It only takes one day for your dog to get out, then get into a fight with another dog.  Dogs kill or injure each other sometimes.  It only takes one day to ruin your life with a lawsuit.  It only takes one day to have animal control seize your dog so it can be put to sleep.  Even if your dog has 5000 good days, he can be put to sleep for one bad day.

In my opinion... ALL DOGS... ALL DOGS should be trained.  Especally aggressive breeds like pit bulls.  Dogs should be taught to respect people.  They need to know how to behave in social settings.  They need to be taught how to get along with people... not bite them so their owners can get sued.

Sometimes  I see a dog leading it's owner.. that is... draging the person walking the dog.  There is tension on the leash.  To me, that means on some level, the dog is in charge.  The dog is telling the person what to do.  On the other hand, when I see a dog walking along side it's master, and there is no tension on the leash, that means the dog understands respect. 

The dog is saying,  I will go when you say it's OK to go, not "I'm in charge here, come with me."  A well behaved dog does not become well behaved on it's own. Dog owners must make time to ensure their animal is trained properly.  It's a matter of common sense.  like buying insurance.  Sooner or later something will happen.  Like car accidents, jury duty or taxes.
In a nutsshell.  You are responsible for the actions of your dog.