Pitbull mix attacks 89 year-old woman near my home

This happened two blocks from my house. I've posted up a couple times on different threads about being afraid to walk my dogs because of the pit bull that runs around out here. I've called the Sheriff's office and animal control a number of times and the fact that nothing's been done because I won't contain it until animal control can get here. Huh? I'm scared to death of the dog, it snarls and growls at me, yet I'm supposed to contain it? Since this happened two streets away, I have to wonder if this poor woman was attacked by the same one. It's backed me up into my house several times. It's horrible to live in fear of leaving your house because of a vicious dog. It's horrible to not be able to walk your own dogs due to this.

From the article: "A family member of the woman told Channel 9 that the dog has attacked before."

I am an animal lover but have to say that pit bulls scare me to death. My prayers are with this poor woman that she recovers soon.

89-year-old woman in serious condition after dog attack

Anyone with any advice on what to do in situations where you are confronted by a vicious dog? Is there a particular posture or reaction that should be used? Is pepper spray good to use or something else? There have been a number of dog attacks the past couple weeks and it's really unsettling to me. Thanks in advance.

Reality Orlando said:

Anyone with any advice on what to do in situations where you are confronted by a vicious dog? Is there a particular posture or reaction that should be used? Is pepper spray good to use or something else? There have been a number of dog attacks the past couple weeks and it's really unsettling to me. Thanks in advance.

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Give the dog calming signals...i.e. glance sideways (not straight at the dog), turn your head sideways, yawn etc... These are signals dogs use with each other and humans that say "Calm down, I don't want conflict", they understand what those signals mean.

Other than that slowly back away out of the dogs territory. Pepper spray is a RISKY business, some dogs will NOT be put off by it and introducing pain can turn a bad situation into an even worse one. I know using pepper spray during dog fights can lead to an even more serious fight as pain encourages a frenzied reaction (especially in pits -- they were bred to be excited by the fight and keep going at all costs).

If it were a dog that I came across a lot and couldn't avoid I would probably try to bribe the animal with food to make friends with it while giving calming signals and using a happy voice.

Also if you have dogs with you do your best to keep them from making eye contact and get them the heck out of their. Having dogs with you is scary, little ones can be picked up and have their faces covered with a jacket or something.

Your link didn't work so I couldn't tell if the dog that attacked the elderly woman was caught or not.

This is just horrible and you would think that animal control would hunt down this dog. I am a animal lover but not to the point that I would spare the life of a dog that is vicious towards others and poses a threat to life. I hope they catch the dog before it harms anyone else. I would keep pressuring animal control, going up the chain of command, especially after this incident. A small child may be next.

I would probably be one to take things in my own hands to protect the neighborhood if the authorities refused to do their job.

(ducking)

Thanks Sonya. I have a yorkie, a dorkie and a golden retriever. I stopped walking them about 18 months ago when this dog started showing up in my neighborhood. I was walking to my car one day and he was in my driveway. His hackles raised and he started to growl at me. Luckily my car was right there and I was able to set off the alarm which startled him enough for me to jump in the car. That was the first time I called the sheriff's office. I was just starting to feel comfortable about a month ago since it had been some time since I'd seen him but then I saw him again about 3 weeks ago about a block away from my house. I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable walking my dogs again. So sad as my golden loved to go for walks every day. I really would hate to use pepper spray on any animal so I"ll definitely heed your advice on that. Is there a whistle or something that spooks them?

Oops, try this one and yes, they said the dog was "confined" when they arrived.

http://www.wesh.com/news/central-florida/seminole-county/89yearold-in-serious-condition-after-dog-attack/-/17597106/20271174/-/lb86n3/-/index.html

If it's the same dog, try to contact the victim's family and give them some help...your witness statements might allow Animal Control to take the animal out of the area.

Hon, I'm so sorry...I don't have any hints. I tend to do things "my" way which doesn't always work, and I couldn't even describe what I do when dealing with an aggressive dog. And I usually have my big, protective Gracie with me, and she will get right in the middle of things to keep people/dogs off whomever she believes is at risk - me or the other two dogs.

Hugs, hon. I am so sorry.

Best-
Herding Cats

Does that look like the same dog that you encountered? I hope that it is and you can rest more easy and enjoy your walks again.

That poor woman, with her age she may not survive the attack. I think about infection as well as the injuries and trauma. I can see a dog being protective of it's owner and property but terrorizing the neighborhood is a whole different story.

Herding Cats said:

If it's the same dog, try to contact the victim's family and give them some help...your witness statements might allow Animal Control to take the animal out of the area.

Hon, I'm so sorry...I don't have any hints. I tend to do things "my" way which doesn't always work, and I couldn't even describe what I do when dealing with an aggressive dog. And I usually have my big, protective Gracie with me, and she will get right in the middle of things to keep people/dogs off whomever she believes is at risk - me or the other two dogs.

Hugs, hon. I am so sorry.

Best-
Herding Cats

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I just saw a picture of this dog and it is NOT the same dog. Troubling to think we have two vicious pits in the area. Ugh.

Reality Orlando said:

Anyone with any advice on what to do in situations where you are confronted by a vicious dog? Is there a particular posture or reaction that should be used? Is pepper spray good to use or something else? There have been a number of dog attacks the past couple weeks and it's really unsettling to me. Thanks in advance.

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If you want to know the God's honest truth, for a dog like that I'd carry a gun and shoot it if it came toward me snarling. Legally? I'd worry about that later.

I wouldn't try pepper spray, you could carry a bat but you would literally have to beat it to death if it came for you, which I doubt you'd want to do.

Also==I love animals also, I don't believe every pit is bad, but this one doesn't sound as if it should be loose at all.

BeginnersLuck said:

Does that look like the same dog that you encountered? I hope that it is and you can rest more easy and enjoy your walks again.

That poor woman, with her age she may not survive the attack. I think about infection as well as the injuries and trauma. I can see a dog being protective of it's owner and property but terrorizing the neighborhood is a whole different story.

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The news link said she had "massive tissue loss". How horrible that she had to go through this.

Well, I definitely wouldn't go with pepper spray. None of my Pits (my big dog babies) have ever had aggression issues (even though one was adopted from a life of being a "bait dog" for fighting dogs) but they do have remarkably high pain tolerances. I recall one time when my dog wagged her tail into something and cut it, sprayed blood everywhere and she didn't even notice or stop wagging. I'm thinking pepper spray would probably bring out aggression in the dog. I would say if you're afraid of it, avoid it if necessary and if it's making any sort of aggressive movements or sounds/gestures (hair on the back of the neck up, teeth bared, growling, etc) then back away. Using a soothing tone of voice and saying "good dog, nice dog" might sound stupid, but it has worked for me with strange dogs in the yard before. Don't run unless you have to.
The specific reason I say not to turn your back if the dog is showing signs of aggression is that historically terriers have been bred and trained to take down larger animals by biting the back of the leg or the back of the knee, it's how they took down bulls 200 years ago and it's remained as an instinct.
Now that the scary part of the conversation is over, let me reassure you from one responsible dog owner to another, not all Pit's have idiot owners. Anyone who lets their dog roam free, regardless of breed, has absolutely no respect for their animal or other peoples animals. Particularly irritating is the fact that most of the dogs that are out roaming around aren't fixed, adding to the overpopulation problem, and overpopulation is a big big problem when there are a lot of shelters that won't even adopt Pits out, they just euthanize them right away.
I think there should be a point system for dog licenses like drivers licenses, after a certain number of "dog at large" tickets, you lose your license. Get convicted of animal abuse or own an animal that attacks a human, lose your license.

Reality Orlando said:

I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable walking my dogs again. So sad as my golden loved to go for walks every day. I really would hate to use pepper spray on any animal so I"ll definitely heed your advice on that. Is there a whistle or something that spooks them?

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You can probably find safe places to take your Golden for walks, I prefer cemeteries or state parks as I am very paranoid about loose dogs when I walk my own. Neighborhoods are not suitable for us because it is impossible to tell when a dog will suddenly appear from a yard, if they are near their own homes they see it as their territory, they don't understand that a sidewalk is public property.

Fact is if you have a larger dog with you, one you can't pick up easily (especially a male dog) and you come across another aggressive dog there is often NOTHING you can do to control or dissuade the other dog. You can try to back them off with a deep commanding voice before they are too close (while blocking the view to your dogs face, they will be trying to make eye contact with your canine) and that may work but if they are really dominant/aggressive they will probably just ignore you entirely.

They won't see you or hear you in many cases, their eyes will be fixated on your dog and that is all they care about. I have had many aggressive dogs of my own and when they get into that mind set it is like "tunnel vision". That means your only hope of controlling the situation is to try to hide your dog's face and get someplace safe fast.

Lalettab, there are many, many responsible pit owners. One of Finn's bestest buddies at the dog park is a pit named Bob. Those two wrestle and play for hours, and have a ball.

And not all vicious dogs are pits, either. I've never been bit by pits, but have by toy poodles, dobies, and shepards. JIMHO, it's the individual dog that is the problem, not the breed wholesale.

Still and all, in this case, it was a pit who mauled the elderly lady. And it is a pit who scares RO. I'm wondering if it's the same owner...?

Best-
Herding Cats

When hubby got home last night and saw the pic and name of the dog, he reminded me that the woman who owns her was at our house a while back looking for this same pit. They were pretty frantic to find her. Not sure if this was before or after she bit someone in the past.

This after 3 people were attacked and seriously injured by pits last week in Holly Hill, FL. I just hate to see so many of these dogs having to be put down due to how aggressive they become, and I also feel bad for the people like those in my neighborhood who can't even enjoy a daily walk for fear of being attacked.

Dogs quarantined after attacking 3 people in Holly Hill

"HOLLY HILL, Fla. - Two aggressive pit bull mix dogs were taken to the Halifax Humane Society after attacking three people early Friday morning in separate incidents.

The Holly Hill Police Department began searching for the dogs after a man walking near State and Walker avenues suffered severe injuries to his left lower leg. Billy Boles, 42, tried to flee from the dogs before the 5:30 a.m. attack, police said.

Police were unable to locate the animals at that time, and then, around 5:30 a.m., another attack occurred. Frank Andrsano, 69, was attacked in the 1200 block of Ridgewood Avenue by the same dogs as he walked to work. He suffered bites to both arms and legs.

About 30 minutes later, a third victim showed up at Halifax Hospital with multiple dog bites.

Anthony Lewis, 23, was attacked and knocked off his bicycle near Ridgewood and Flomich streets.

"He bit all the way through my skin and these are the claw marks," Lewis told Local 6 on Friday."

"...Roxy, has a prior incident on file involving a dog-on-dog attack.

Neighbors of the owners tell Local 6 they think the pit bulls are good dogs.

"We've gone over there both of the dogs, they just come, lick us," said Danielle Krinsky. "They're friendly to everyone."

Herding Cats said:

Lalettab, there are many, many responsible pit owners. One of Finn's bestest buddies at the dog park is a pit named Bob. Those two wrestle and play for hours, and have a ball.

And not all vicious dogs are pits, either. I've never been bit by pits, but have by toy poodles, dobies, and shepards. JIMHO, it's the individual dog that is the problem, not the breed wholesale.

Still and all, in this case, it was a pit who mauled the elderly lady. And it is a pit who scares RO. I'm wondering if it's the same owner...?

Best-
Herding Cats

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I was wondering the same thing. If IRC from the video, wasn't it mentioned that the owner had multiple dogs? The owner should have secured his fence a long time ago. Now he will most likely pay a huge price for what could have been a simple fix. You would think that if his other dogs are that vicious animal control would have taken them also.

I would still put heavy pressure on animal control if you see this other dog again. I would call them everyday and go above heads if I had to. I'm sorry your having to deal with this, that wouldn't be tolerated in my city.

Seems like it's been an ongoing problem in the neighborhood. Besides carrying a gun in my pocket I'd carry some dog treats and see if I could change the dogs temperament by letting it associate me with something good when it sees me. I'd throw the treat in one direction while heading the other direction.

Then I'd be in touch with animal control and the dog warden or possibly the courts to address the loose threatening dog.

JMO

Reality Orlando said:

Anyone with any advice on what to do in situations where you are confronted by a vicious dog? Is there a particular posture or reaction that should be used? Is pepper spray good to use or something else? There have been a number of dog attacks the past couple weeks and it's really unsettling to me. Thanks in advance.

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I used to be terrified of dogs. I got bit by one when I was 12 running down the street. I watch a lot of the dog whisperer and learner how not to be afraid of dogs. Here are a few good articles I suggest. http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/problembehaviors/understanding-aggression http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-training/the-basics/How-to-Be-Calm-and-Assertive and http://www.cesarsway.com/askthevet/dogwellness/Dog-Bites-101-Why-Bites-Happen

I'd ask a mail carrier how they are taught to handle threatening dogs.

Really a shame! You shouldn't be afraid to walk your dogs when some dog owner is careless with their Pit bull dog! I'd be afraid the pit bull might attack me or my dogs too. Keep calling animal control and remind them of the old lady attacked.

In my state any loose dog can be picked up by animal control...however they have to catch them loose to begin with!

I guess I shouldn't complain about our neighbor's dogs who gets into the trash, walk in the middle of the street almost causing car wrecks, chase kids on their bikes and dump in our yard. (Mr. Show Me is proud of his green law and poop scoops our fenced backyard constantly since we have three dogs.) It took 3 phone calls to animal control before they caught one of the dogs loose outside and animal control warned the owner. No one else in the neighborhood lets their dogs roam free.

If I was the old lady attacked by the dog I'd sue the heck out of the owner.