Abilene Woman Loses Both Arms In Dog Attack

Wow---this was her OWN dog, too.

Ya know, I've always defended pit bulls with the logic that a dog behaves in the manner that it was raised. If you raise a violent dog, you will have a violent dog. However, I'm really beginning to change my point of view on that----I mean, this woman was simply trying to break up a fight between her dog and another dog, and her dog totally turned on her.
 
julianne said:
Wow---this was her OWN dog, too.

Ya know, I've always defended pit bulls with the logic that a dog behaves in the manner that it was raised. If you raise a violent dog, you will have a violent dog. However, I'm really beginning to change my point of view on that----I mean, this woman was simply trying to break up a fight between her dog and another dog, and her dog totally turned on her.


They were both her dogs. She's lucky to be alive. I just saw a teenaged boy on television who was attacked by a pack of pit bulls. He's lucky to be alive too. I hate those dogs.
 
No way I'd step into the middle of a fight between two dogs of ANY breed and especially not one known for it's killer jaw clamp. How very sad for her; I'm sure she never expected to be attacked herself.
 
julianne said:
Wow---this was her OWN dog, too.

Ya know, I've always defended pit bulls with the logic that a dog behaves in the manner that it was raised. If you raise a violent dog, you will have a violent dog. However, I'm really beginning to change my point of view on that----I mean, this woman was simply trying to break up a fight between her dog and another dog, and her dog totally turned on her.

You really cannot have more than one pit at a time; they will form a pack almost instantly and one of them will be "alpha" dog.....if you have just one dog, YOU can be alpha, but not with two. I have seen two pits who had never met before become an instant "pack" and corner a cat. It was incredible to see how well these dogs worked together--you'd have sworn they'd been trained together for years.

Pit or not, you do NOT intervene in a dog fight. Once the dog is fighting, they will simply think you are another player in the fight......This woman, bless her heart, wandered into a situation she simply had no chance to win.
 
I have a coworker with a very sweet Pit, but the dog has attacked (though not overly seriously) injured a smaller dog. Seems to get along with larger dogs. Fortunately she gave the dog to her sister when she herself had a baby. Don't think I'd trust this dog around children or infants even though she has always been people friendly. Small kids can move and look like small dogs. They now let her play with a Great Dane pup (LARGE pup, not baby anymore) but I'm not so sure I'd trust her with ANY other animals since she has a history of attacking at least one (maybe two) other dogs. Maybe supervised play though this story makes me think I wouldn't even take that chance. I don't really like to get on the "this breed is dangerous" bandwagon, but I think Pits should likely be owned with EDUCATION, dog training skills of more then novice levels and caution.

There was a huge fight/discussion on another message board about Pits - some defending but several saying if they were out with a family member (esp kids) and saw a Pit running loose that began to approach them, they'd shoot it immediately. While I think that's over reaction, at the same time the damage they can do in seconds, part of me thinks "well.............?"
 
What a tragedy. Dog behavior is a complex combination of genetics and environment. It is rarely just one or the other. In turn, both genetics and environment are complicated and include many factors, some of which are in turn intertwined.

This could be a case of redirected aggression, a case of the larger dog attacking its owner to put her in her place (although the severity of the attack indicates more than that as the sole reason), a case where the larger dog felt a new threat by the interference of the owner, or a combination of all three. And, there may be other factors involved. Sexual aggression, possession, and excitement, are also possible contributing factors.
 
LionRun said:
What a tragedy. Dog behavior is a complex combination of genetics and environment. It is rarely just one or the other. In turn, both genetics and environment are complicated and include many factors, some of which are in turn intertwined.

This could be a case of redirected aggression, a case of the larger dog attacking its owner to put her in her place (although the severity of the attack indicates more than that as the sole reason), a case where the larger dog felt a new threat by the interference of the owner, or a combination of all three. And, there may be other factors involved. Sexual aggression, possession, and excitement, are also possible contributing factors.


Excellent post! Dogs see the owners as another dog, usually the alpha dog. With more and more households trying to raise their dogs as "part of the family" and not putting them in their place, its even harder for some dogs to realize that they're not the alpha dog of the pack.
 
Don't even talk about Pitbulls as Gentle.We got stuck with one from my son's friend.Was told till they can find a new place to live. Tuesday my wife gave all threee dogs bones. Once the Pits was done he attacked one of two dogs.. We tried Kicking it no luck. My son had the pit in a headlock and was using his fist on it head. Still no luck.Finally the two of us got her to let go. Took our dog to the vet. Nick an vessel in his leg needed surgeryalmost lost him. That Pit bit her last dog. His friend came and took her to put her down. Cost us $1000.00 and were told Lokie had about 15 mins to live if we had not reacted so quick.
 
I know these animals have their defenders and I am sure they'll show up here, but these types of stories so often involve pit bulls....I would never want to have one.


My prayers to this woman and her family.
 
What a horror story--poor woman--but its another cautionary tale--get another breed of dog--or get a kitty cat
 
Sheromom said:
No way I'd step into the middle of a fight between two dogs of ANY breed and especially not one known for it's killer jaw clamp. How very sad for her; I'm sure she never expected to be attacked herself.
I'd never get in between a dog fight or a cat fight. I learned that long ago. My kid learned the hard way with a few scars from a cat fight.
 
Peter Hamilton said:
What a horror story--poor woman--but its another cautionary tale--get another breed of dog--or get a kitty cat
I love the way you said "kitty cat", sounds much more docile and cuddly than a "pit bull".:p
 
Not here to defend pits in general however, it is only their fault by association that they have gotten such a bad rap. They used to be good, gentle, dependable dogs. Breeding by despicable backyard breeders just to make a buck as well as inbreeding and breeding only the most aggressive males to the most aggressive females for fighting purposes is why we have this problem. It isn't like the pits wake up every morning thinking, "Hmmmm..... who can I attack today? I think I am in the mood for..........poodle legs." We as a human race caused this problem. Every time someone buys a dog from a petstore, goes to a dog fight or sponsors one, beats their dog or breeds animals without doing tests on them just to make a fast buck, the problem worsens. I myself would not own a pit with 3 children. But if they are a bad breed or a dangerous breed, we have only our fellow lowlife humans to thank.

ETA: I have broken up many dogfights in my home. Yes, I know it is dangerous and it isn't a decision I have ever consciously thought about. It is just that I see 2 of my babies getting into a fight and without thinking, I jump in to break it up just as I would with children. My 2 females often fight without warning and we can't just keep them separated all the time as our house setup does not facilitate it. We just are very careful when we have them together. I have only gotten bitten once and it was my own fault.
 
kidzndogznme said:
Not here to defend pits in general however, it is only their fault by association that they have gotten such a bad rap. They used to be good, gentle, dependable dogs. Breeding by despicable backyard breeders just to make a buck as well as inbreeding and breeding only the most aggressive males to the most aggressive females for fighting purposes is why we have this problem. It isn't like the pits wake up every morning thinking, "Hmmmm..... who can I attack today? I think I am in the mood for..........poodle legs." We as a human race caused this problem. Every time someone buys a dog from a petstore, goes to a dog fight or sponsors one, beats their dog or breeds animals without doing tests on them just to make a fast buck, the problem worsens. I myself would not own a pit with 3 children. But if they are a bad breed or a dangerous breed, we have only our fellow lowlife humans to thank.

So sad, yet so true. I am in total agreement with you.
 
kidzndogznme said:
Not here to defend pits in general however, it is only their fault by association that they have gotten such a bad rap. They used to be good, gentle, dependable dogs. Breeding by despicable backyard breeders just to make a buck as well as inbreeding and breeding only the most aggressive males to the most aggressive females for fighting purposes is why we have this problem. It isn't like the pits wake up every morning thinking, "Hmmmm..... who can I attack today? I think I am in the mood for..........poodle legs." We as a human race caused this problem. Every time someone buys a dog from a petstore, goes to a dog fight or sponsors one, beats their dog or breeds animals without doing tests on them just to make a fast buck, the problem worsens. I myself would not own a pit with 3 children. But if they are a bad breed or a dangerous breed, we have only our fellow lowlife humans to thank.
That is sad, but so true! the power of these dog's jaws was taken advantage of for fighting and unfortunately the potential for a good fighter took priority to a good pet. I agree with what Southcitymom said about these types of stories so often involve pit bulls....I too would never want to have one."
 
kidzndogznme said:
Not here to defend pits in general however, it is only their fault by association that they have gotten such a bad rap. They used to be good, gentle, dependable dogs. Breeding by despicable backyard breeders just to make a buck as well as inbreeding and breeding only the most aggressive males to the most aggressive females for fighting purposes is why we have this problem. It isn't like the pits wake up every morning thinking, "Hmmmm..... who can I attack today? I think I am in the mood for..........poodle legs." We as a human race caused this problem. Every time someone buys a dog from a petstore, goes to a dog fight or sponsors one, beats their dog or breeds animals without doing tests on them just to make a fast buck, the problem worsens. I myself would not own a pit with 3 children. But if they are a bad breed or a dangerous breed, we have only our fellow lowlife humans to thank.

ETA: I have broken up many dogfights in my home. Yes, I know it is dangerous and it isn't a decision I have ever consciously thought about. It is just that I see 2 of my babies getting into a fight and without thinking, I jump in to break it up just as I would with children. My 2 females often fight without warning and we can't just keep them separated all the time as our house setup does not facilitate it. We just are very careful when we have them together. I have only gotten bitten once and it was my own fault.
Great post and I agree 100%.
 
kgeaux said:
You really cannot have more than one pit at a time; they will form a pack almost instantly and one of them will be "alpha" dog.....if you have just one dog, YOU can be alpha, but not with two. I have seen two pits who had never met before become an instant "pack" and corner a cat. It was incredible to see how well these dogs worked together--you'd have sworn they'd been trained together for years.

Pit or not, you do NOT intervene in a dog fight. Once the dog is fighting, they will simply think you are another player in the fight......This woman, bless her heart, wandered into a situation she simply had no chance to win.
Exactly what I was going to put. I love animals and am generally not scared of any, and I have owned many pits, and I would NEVER get in the middle of a dog fight. I might have turned the hose on them, but not try to pull them apart.
 
you could not pay me to have a pit bull. The safetly of me and my family is just too important.
 
and what about the safety of other people's kids, dogs, and animals as well?

it never ceases to amaze me how volatile people get in defense of these dogs.. they actually turn it into something like a race issue... "don't practice breed discrimination"... uhh, yeah, right. i WILL practice breed discrimination, thank you.
the fact is that yes, humans have obviously bred these dogs into monsters, and they still do.. but whoever's fault it is, the fact remains- that these dogs are dangerous. and i want to slap anyone who says "oh it all depends on how you raise them". . just because your darling little pitty-poo sleeps in your baby's crib and is the sweetest thing ever, doesn't mean that 90% of pit bulls, as a general rule, are not potential psycho killers who will snap at the slightest provocation (or, sometimes none!) and do serious damage to an innocent and unsuspecting victim.
i have heard too many stories of pits who were lovingly raised FROM BIRTH who suddenly snap and go berzerk on another dog (even ones who are their best buddy, who they live with)- or a person-- for NO reason... and cause far more damage than other dogs could do.

and you cannot depend on "education" to save this breed. because there are too many thugs, wanna-be thugs, drug-dealers, white trash jimbos, rebels, outlaws, wiggers, and other assorted idiots with a chip on their shoulder against society who want to have these dogs and act like the world is against both of them (hhmm... wonder why?). but unfortunately there are also many intelligent, cultured dog rescue folks who love pits too... who are only contrinuting to the problem, IMO, by perepuating LIES about the breed (that they're not dangerous, it's how you raise them, it's just the evil media making them look bad, their jaws DON'T lock, etc.. all these are outight lies... love alone can't cure everything.)

come on people,, there are so many OTHER fantastic dogs out there to choose from.. why on earth choose a pit bull?? why do you want the trouble?
 

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