Sam was attacked by a dog

[dab_20]

I feel so horrible for my sweet boy. :(

Yesterday we were walking Sam and Molli, and we walked by one of our neighbor's in the apartments. He's got two black and white pitties who have always been very friendly towards us and the dogs. They weren't on a leash, but we didn't think anything of it.

Out of nowhere, one of the dogs just attacked Sam. Molli got out of the way, but this dog was just ripping into Sam. It only lasted a few seconds before the owner got his dog off of Sam, but the damage was done. He was bleeding everywhere, we rushed into the nearest emergency vet and had to leave him there for several hours. He was okay, just needed tons of stitches. It was a gaping wound on his neck/shoulder, and another on his other shoulder. I mean, Sam was no match for this big of a dog. Molli would've been dead.

It wasn't like when Springen was bit in the face by the pittie at my brother's apartments. That was two unneutered males together, and the dog had been abandoned. They were staring funny at each other before it happened. It could've been avoided. And Springen did fight back. He was fine, just a couple bigger puncture wounds.

Anyway, Sam's home today, on pain pills and antibiotics. Been pretty spoiled today. The stress of the whole thing caused his fur to start shedding like crazy and he smells funny. Poor guy :(

Now about the dog and his owner. I just don't know what to think. This neighbor is so nice, always has been. He didn't know his dog was aggressive, and neither did we. But this dog literally attacked out of no where. I can understand a fight, staring and growling and all that. But this was completely unprovoked. We did choose to let the front desk know, I honestly felt a little bad because Pit Bulls are not allowed in our complex and I know he'll have to leave. But I just don't feel safe walking my dogs with a dangerous dog in the complex, whether Pit Bull or Golden Retriever or any other breed. Sam was very close to losing his life. I've never seen anything like it.

The guy came by today and paid us 300 of our 450 dollar vet bill. He wanted to see Sam, and I could tell he was about to cry. I felt bad for him, too. I know it's the owner and not the dog.... but in this case I just don't know. I know I don't see "behind the scenes", but this guy seems to really love his dogs. He didn't seem to do anything different than I would do.


Sorry for the long thread, this was just so upsetting for me. My dogs have been in fights before, but I have never witnessed such a.... ruthless attack. This dog seriously had something wrong with it. I don't know. And my poor Sam. He's so sweet and he didn't deserve this. Not only the physical but the psychological damage it can do.

Prayers and thoughts for my Sam, so he can heal with the least pain possible. He'll be okay, I just hate to see him in such pain. I'll post pics of my boy later on.

[kaycountrygal]

Oh No, HOW TERRIBLE for Sam and you. That had to be so scary. I am so relieved that Sam will eventually heal physically but I suppose he won't forget what happened. Poor dog was just minding his own business. Thank Goodness you or Molli didnt get attacked. Dont apologize for the long post; I understand you need to talk about what happened. Please dont feel bad about saying something about the attack to the front desk; they need to know. If you didnt, his dogs might attack and kill a dog or small child. Yes, of course, Sam will be in my prayers... and you too. It had to be a very frightening experience... Kay in NC

[*LabLoverKEB*]

I'm so sorry this happened to Sam. :( You are lucky that the owner paid for the vet bill (well most of it), I've seen numerous dogs come into the clinics that have been attacked by big dogs, and the majority of these owners of the big dogs are highly irresponsible and extremely uneducated about responsible dog ownership.:mad::mad: And they all have 'no money' which is another huge issue. Your dog attacks another dog, that is ON YOU!
Were the dogs off leash with the owner nearby? Or did they get out somehow? You said they appeared out of nowhere so I'm assuming got out somehow. Do you know if they are neutered/spayed? Bully breeds, as most of us know, are animal aggressive and have a very high prey drive. And unfortunately when they are off-leash and/or get out, they tend to 'gang up' and attack. This is not true with all bully breeds, but this tends to be the cause with the aggressive ones.

I hope everything turns out okay, and I hope that Sam heals up soon! Keep up updated, too!

[dab_20]

I am really glad the guy was willing to pay. He said he'd pay the rest in a few days.

Lablover, well I meant the attack came out of nowhere. I knew the dogs were there, but they ran up from behind when the attack actually happened. I didn't see them coming. The owner was nearby, he was playing with them. The rule is dogs aren't supposed to be off leash apparently. I'm guilty of breaking it myself, I often play fetch with Molli and Sam in some of the grassy areas. However, he wouldn't attack anyone.
If I remember right, the male is unneutered. The other dog I didn't notice whether it was male or female.

Here's a picture of my boy without his cone on, sitting on my lap while I'm here on PT. We found putting a cone on and just flipping it upside down keeps his back leg from itching the bandages. He won't stay in one place for long, he's so uncomfortable.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a22/dab_20/03050121021.jpg

[chocolatepuppy]

How awful for Sam. :( I hope he heals quickly.

[Alysser]

Oh Man, no Sam! I love that little guy:love: Heal up fast buddy!

I am so sorry to hear about this. :( So glad Sammy is okay though. I really don't have advice, but I will say I don't blame you for obviously not wanting an aggressive dog around. I wouldn't either, regardless of breed! Sam could have very well been a smaller animal(MOLLI!) or a toddler! Who knows what could have happened then? I am so sorry. Please keep us updated on the situation.

At least the owner is taking responsibility for this. Some people have major issues with dog fights like this from what I've heard.

Just a question..could it may have been out of play? I am sure this seems like a ridiculous question but Pitties are powerful dogs. I just refuse to believe that Pitbulls are "wired wrong" like some people think, and I know of course you never believed that about them. I am just bringing up a possible suggestion. I know it's a long shot, but ya never know.

[Taz_Zoee]

Awwww, poor Sam. He looks worn out. You are very lucky the owner is helping you out with the bill. It sounds like it was just a fluke thing. But I hope the owner will take this lesson and not have the dogs off leash. From the sound of it, they may not be there much longer anyway.
Please give Sammy a gentle hug and a kiss on his little nose from me. :)

[MonicanHonda]

:( sooooo sad to hear this. poor guy. I really hope he feels better soon. :(

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry that this has happened.:( I'm not a dog expert but I would think that any animal that isn't fixed would be more aggressive than one that is fixed. Hopefully this dog will be fixed soon. I hope that Sam will make a speedy recovery. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way.

[Bonny]

Good thoughts & prayers sent Sam's way.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Poor Sam :(. I hope he has a nice and quick recovery. Give him a hug and smooch from me!

[kaycountrygal]

Hello, I saw your thread last night and posted. I didnt see the photo until now; he looks so sad and probably hurting some but I'm sure he was glad to be near you. How is he today- Sunday? Did he sleep much last night... and did you? Wonder if he will be even more sore today? Kay in NC

[kuhio98]

I'm so glad that Sam is going to heal. And I'm glad the other owner has contributed.

But, I've got to ask -- why isn't anyone filling out a police report?
When I was 12, I was mauled by a St. Bernard. He grabbed me by the head (I had been down on my knees playing with my dog) and shook me like a rag doll. He put my entire head in his mouth and drug me around. He left. I played dead. He came back and mauled me some more. Almost 400 stitches later, they had my lip and ear sewed back on. Luckily, most of the scars are under my hair line.

My folks filled out a police report. When the police came to investigate, they told us that this same St. Bernard had already killed 2 dogs and I was the THIRD child he had bitten!

Fill out a police report! Get it on the record. As awful as it is -- imagine how bad you'd feel if the next time he kills a dog -- or a child!

[Freedom]

Sam, we are praying for you to feel better quickly, and have a super recovery - both physically and emotionally.

How scary, and for you to be right there, and not able to help your boy!

The owner sounds reasonable from your description, coming over to check on Sam, near tears. And neither of his dogs had shown this in the past, at least not that you know of. He (the owner) seems like he KNOWS this is a major issue, for him, for his dog, for living there, just all around.

I can certainly understand if he didn't have the whole amount handy, that doesn't surprise me, I seldom have much cash on hand.

Hugs to you, and gentle pets to Sam.

Keep us posted on his recovery!

[kokopup]

Sam will be in my thoughts and prayers. It is a shame this this little fella has to suffer through no fault of his own. I am glad to hear that the owner is taken some responsiblity and is helping with the vet bill. Hopefully his injuries will heal fast and this will not leave psychological scares in his future.

Alysser

Just a question..could it may have been out of play? I am sure this seems like a ridiculous question but Pitties are powerful dogs. I just refuse to believe that Pitbulls are "wired wrong" like some people think, and I know of course you never believed that about them. I am just bringing up a possible suggestion. I know it's a long shot, but ya never know.

EVERY bred of dog was created by man for a specific purpose. This was done by selective breeding over many generations. The Pit bull, or Staffordshire terrier was breed for the purpose of killing rats aboard sailing ship. It is true with the right control that they can become loving pets. The problem is the prey instinct is so deeply rooted the Pitty can NEVER be trusted in places where they are not under complete control. I have lived long enough to see to many heart breaking situations where this was the case. I am not a Pit Bull hater, just someone that has
lived long enough to see what happens when your back is turned. I hear Pitty lovers argue that Goldens or Lab bite more than Pit Bulls. Statistically this may be true but it is also true that theses Breeds outnumber the Pitty by Hundreds to one and there is a differents between a bite and a mauling.


According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks that were included in the study, 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings. In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question. Clifton states:

If almost any other dog has a bad moment, someone may get bitten, but will not be maimed for life or killed, and the actuarial risk is accordingly reasonable. If a pit bull terrier or a Rottweiler has a bad moment, often someone is maimed or killed--and that has now created off-the-chart actuarial risk, for which the dogs as well as their victims are paying the price.

From years 1989-1994.
57% of the deaths were in children under 10 years of age.
81% of the attacks involved an unrestrained dog.
22% of the deaths involved an unrestrained dog OFF the owner's property.
59% of the deaths involved an unrestrained dog ON the owner's property.
18% of the deaths involved a restrained dog ON the owner's property.
10% of the dog bite attacks involved sleeping infants.
The most commonly reported dog breeds involved were pit bulls (24 deaths), followed by Rottweilers (16 deaths), and German shepherds (10 deaths).

Sorry to hijack your thread. I just think we need to be informed.

[pomtzu]

Poor Sam. What a terrible thing to happen. Sending healing prayers to Sam, that he heals fast and without too much pain.

I do hope that this gets reported to the authorities, before one of those dogs injures or kills another animal, or a person. Being that Sam was treated at the emergency vet, aren't they required to report it to Animal Control? In Delaware it's law that it must be reported. Any animal or person injured by another dog, and that seeks medical assistance at a vet clinic or a hospital (for humans), then the incident must be reported by the treating facility.

Years ago, I was playing with (ok-more like teasing) one of my Lhasas, and I got right up in his face. He wasn't a mean dog, but he was growling at me and warning me to back off, but I didn't listen. Quick as a flash, he snapped at my face and grabbed my lip, which of course startled me and I pulled back, causing a rather nasty tear since he didn't let go. I had to be stitched up at the hospital, and they had to report the incident. I got a visit from AC the next day - checking on Scooter's shot records. He was one week overdue for his rabies (I had an appointment the following week for this), so therefore he had to be "house quarantined" for 6 or 8 weeks, and I couldn't take him anywhere except to the vet for his rabies shot. And AC did a couple of spot checks over that period of time too - just to make sure that I was complying. I was rather upset that Scooter now had a "police record", but it was no one's fault but my own.

Well, that might have been somewhat off subject, but the point I'm trying to make, is that this incident that Sam was involved in, should be reported, even if it isn't state law where you live. I know you don't want to get the guy that owns the attacking dog in trouble, but just consider that you could possibly be saving a life. Dogs like he has, do not belong in an apartment environment. Sorry - that's just my opinion - but if this attack came out of nowhere and had never happened previously - then it could just as easily happen again without notice. Dogs such as this, need a big fenced in yard to run and play and exercise in, not a little patch of green in an area where there are other people and animals.

I do hope that the situation gets resolved, so that something such as this can never happen again to you or you furkids - or anyone else's either.

Please give Sam a gentle kiss on the top of his head for me. Myndi and Sparky are sending out all the good doggie vibes that they can muster.


Get Well Soon, Sam

[kaycountrygal]

I just want to be on record that I too think the incident should be reported to the police. Even if the man moves to a different apartment (and your dogs are out of danger), his dog/s might attack someone else's dog... or even a child. Maybe they will never attack again but you never know. There should be a record on file at least. ... Kay in NC

[wolf_Q]

Poor Sam and poor you. :( That is so scary, I've had many off leash dogs come running up to me when I'm walking my dogs and I'm always afraid something like that will happen. Years ago we had a pit bull get loose at my work and attack another dog. There was no provocation at all, he went for the throat and tried to kill the other dog who was not even fighting back. I have friends with pitties and they are sweet with people but all are dog aggressive; not entirely, they get along with certain dogs, but they have to be careful what dogs they let around them. So sorry to hear this happened to Sam, hope he'll have a full recovery.

[dab_20]

Thanks for the good vibes everyone. My mom and I decided we wouldn't report it because we didn't want the guy (considering he does seem to be a responsible dog owner) to get in trouble... or anything bad happen to his dog. But if this is the first incident, I suppose the dog wouldn't. In Utah, I believe, it is only required to be turned over to authorities if it is a human. I think if an animal actually dies they have to, too. I am not sure about that though, so don't quote me.
With your thoughts on the issue, though, I'll talk to my mom about filling out a police report. It could've been a one time thing, but it might not be. Would I just call animal control to do that?




Just a question..could it may have been out of play? I am sure this seems like a ridiculous question but Pitties are powerful dogs. I just refuse to believe that Pitbulls are "wired wrong" like some people think, and I know of course you never believed that about them. I am just bringing up a possible suggestion. I know it's a long shot, but ya never know.

It certainly wasn't out of play. I know dogs can get pretty rough in play. This was a full on mauling.

I don't think pitties are "wired wrong" either, however, I think they are at higher chance of being aggressive. For one, they are often owned by irresponsible owners. The need a special owner because of their dominant personality, they're very strong dogs, and they have a high prey drive like mentioned.
It's sad though, because I was just talking to my brother about pitties the other day. He does believe not all, but many pitties are inherently aggressive and unpredictable. His last boxer was attacked by a Pit Bull, he was bit in the face by a Pit Bull, Springen was bit and hurt last year, and now Sam.
I know it may just be coincidence, and Pit bulls are able to do much more damage than other dogs when they get in a fight. I love Luna, my bf's pittie, to pieces. I just don't know.

[dab_20]

Hello, I saw your thread last night and posted. I didnt see the photo until now; he looks so sad and probably hurting some but I'm sure he was glad to be near you. How is he today- Sunday? Did he sleep much last night... and did you? Wonder if he will be even more sore today? Kay in NC

Sam's doing better today, at least mood wise. He was playing with some toys earlier. Begging for food like he always does (he's a pig!). He is more sore and very itchy I think.
He slept ok, kept moving around a lot though cause he can't get comfortable. I slept like a baby, just because I spent the night before with Sam at the vet and had to wake up at 4:30 am for work!

[dab_20]

I'm so glad that Sam is going to heal. And I'm glad the other owner has contributed.

But, I've got to ask -- why isn't anyone filling out a police report?
When I was 12, I was mauled by a St. Bernard. He grabbed me by the head (I had been down on my knees playing with my dog) and shook me like a rag doll. He put my entire head in his mouth and drug me around. He left. I played dead. He came back and mauled me some more. Almost 400 stitches later, they had my lip and ear sewed back on. Luckily, most of the scars are under my hair line.

My folks filled out a police report. When the police came to investigate, they told us that this same St. Bernard had already killed 2 dogs and I was the THIRD child he had bitten!

Fill out a police report! Get it on the record. As awful as it is -- imagine how bad you'd feel if the next time he kills a dog -- or a child!


How horrible!! I can't imagine how that must've affected you. This could be true- a good reason to contact the authorities. I'll let you all know what we end up doing.

[pomtzu]

I'm not posting this to make you feel bad or guilty about what you decide to do, but this is my take on the situation. After this - I'll just shut up! :p

I'm sure you're caught between a rock and a hard place. This dog's owner might be one of the nicest people imaginable, but it's his dog that is the issue here. What's to say another incident like happened to you and Sam, won't happen again. Perhaps if there is a next time, the animal (or person) that is attacked could be very seriously injured - or even worse. This guy could be sued for all he is worth, and then some, and would probably carry the guilt with him for the rest of his life. I don't know about you, but if this had happened to me and one of my dogs and I didn't report it and the dog attacked again - then I wouldn't be able to live with myself, knowing that I kept quiet about it. If I had reported it, perhaps another incident could have been avoided.

You said yourself the attack wasn't out of play, but was a full on mauling. The thought of that scares the hell out of me! I know it's a tough choice for you to make - to report or not - but consider the possible future effects, and not just the here and now. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

Okay - I'll step down off my soapbox now. Not trying to preach, but just hoping that perhaps you'll see beyond yesterday's unfortunate happenings.

Please deliver another kiss to Sam for me - and a big {{{hug}}} to you. :love:

[luvofallhorses]

First of all I am really sorry Sam got attacked and hope he will be OK.

The American Pit Bull Terrier was not to bred to kill rats, they were originally bred to bait bulls but in later years bred to fight other dogs. The APBT is naturally dog aggressive as they were bred to fight other dogs. Just like Labs were bred to retrieive and Border Collies were bred to herd sheep. You cannot train or love it out of them, it's what they are supposed to do.

I don't agree that they are more "inherently" likely to be aggressive. They certainly may have dominant behavior, because they are terrriers! It does not make them automatically aggressive. Heck I have met Jack Russells that are more pushy than an APBT. An APBT just wants to love you and please you.

These dogs should never be human aggressive, period. They should welcome all people who are strangers with licks and tail wags. Other dogs, not so much as they were bred to fight. They pass temperament tests a lot more than today's popular breeds according to the ATTS.org. Every APBT and mix I have met has been wonderful with people, but not so great with other dogs and other animals which is common.

I am not trying to ruin your thread as I feel for you and Sam, I really do; but I don't think it's fair to say they are more likely to be aggressive when they never should be with people.

From atts.org
American Pit Bull Terrier - 86.0% in passing temperament tests.

I sincerely hope Sam will be OK.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm not posting this to make you feel bad or guilty about what you decide to do, but this is my take on the situation. After this - I'll just shut up! :p

I'm sure you're caught between a rock and a hard place. This dog's owner might be one of the nicest people imaginable, but it's his dog that is the issue here. What's to say another incident like happened to you and Sam, won't happen again. Perhaps if there is a next time, the animal (or person) that is attacked could be very seriously injured - or even worse. This guy could be sued for all he is worth, and then some, and would probably carry the guilt with him for the rest of his life. I don't know about you, but if this had happened to me and one of my dogs and I didn't report it and the dog attacked again - then I wouldn't be able to live with myself, knowing that I kept quiet about it. If I had reported it, perhaps another incident could have been avoided.

You said yourself the attack wasn't out of play, but was a full on mauling. The thought of that scares the hell out of me! I know it's a tough choice for you to make - to report or not - but consider the possible future effects, and not just the here and now. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

Okay - I'll step down off my soapbox now. Not trying to preach, but just hoping that perhaps you'll see beyond yesterday's unfortunate happenings.

Please deliver another kiss to Sam for me - and a big {{{hug}}} to you. :love:

I totally agree with you on this one Ellie.

[cassiesmom]

Oh my goodness. My heart just took a dive when I saw the title of this thread. Big prayers for Sam and you.

[K9karen]

Sorry, I've been off the computer a few days, and just saw this.

The picture of Sam broke my heart. Oh, poor, innocent dear. I hope he recovers quickly.

Mz Logan is a sweetie, but there are times when I over rough house, or bother her and she'll give a growl warning. Since she can't stand up and bop me on the head with a hammer, I take it seriously. I've had a few deep bites from not heeding her warning. In Pa., if it's your dog that attacked you, there is no need for a police or AC report. So, of course any dog can "attack".

Having been through a vicious dog attack, unprevoked, and seriously hurt, I wouldn't give the owner an ounce of pity. Sorry to sound heartless. The neighbor was a nice guy, we said hello, we waved etc., but he was a lousy dog owner and even worse property maintainer.

I know you don't want to get the guy in trouble. He gave you some money. That's real nice. How would you feel if Sam was killed? It's every owner's responsibility to follow city, township, state laws. Are you going to be afraid to walk your dogs? How will Sam react? I think you should have made a police or AC report. In PA, my neighbor got to keep his dogs, but they could only be outside, leashed with the owner at all times, and muzzled.

I guess this incident hit home to me, as a human, and I don't want anything ugly to happen to your sweet babies.
Gentle kisses on Sam.

[cassiesmom]

Sam, Molli, Springen, dab_20 I am thinking of you tonight and sending you (((HUGS))) ---


elyse

[anna_66]

Gosh, your poor Sam. I'm very glad to hear that he's feeling a little better. I have to say I'm very surprised that the owner has already paid you some, that's really good.
Many hugs and kisses to your sweet Sam.

kuhio98-wow, I can't imagine. I don't think I'd ever own a dog after that.

[lvpets2002]

:( Aweee poor sweet baby Sam.. I sure hope you heal real fast & get well soon.. I would have been so horrified over this.. Sending Lots of Prayers & Huggss..

[Vette]

I am sorry to hear that Sam got attacked but i am so glad that it turned out the way it did. especially after reading about other dog/on dog attacks in other threads. pretty nasty stuff.

but the part where you said it looked like he was about to cry.... my heart went to the guy an to you. i know id have a really hard time reporting it... =/

[dab_20]

First of all I am really sorry Sam got attacked and hope he will be OK.

The American Pit Bull Terrier was not to bred to kill rats, they were originally bred to bait bulls but in later years bred to fight other dogs. The APBT is naturally dog aggressive as they were bred to fight other dogs. Just like Labs were bred to retrieive and Border Collies were bred to herd sheep. You cannot train or love it out of them, it's what they are supposed to do.

I don't agree that they are more "inherently" likely to be aggressive. They certainly may have dominant behavior, because they are terrriers! It does not make them automatically aggressive. Heck I have met Jack Russells that are more pushy than an APBT. An APBT just wants to love you and please you.

These dogs should never be human aggressive, period. They should welcome all people who are strangers with licks and tail wags. Other dogs, not so much as they were bred to fight. They pass temperament tests a lot more than today's popular breeds according to the ATTS.org. Every APBT and mix I have met has been wonderful with people, but not so great with other dogs and other animals which is common.

I am not trying to ruin your thread as I feel for you and Sam, I really do; but I don't think it's fair to say they are more likely to be aggressive when they never should be with people.

From atts.org
American Pit Bull Terrier - 86.0% in passing temperament tests.

I sincerely hope Sam will be OK.

I didn't mean that they are inherently aggressive with everyone, I specifically meant to say with other animals. I know Pit Bulls can get along very well with other animals, but often they just don't.
I know they are supposed to get along with people, I have never personally met one that was aggressive with a human. They are sweet dogs.

[dab_20]

Just thought it was time to update you all, I very much appreciated the well wishes for Sammy and the advice.

Sammy is doing well, his large wound looks great. However, there was a smaller stitched wound on the other side of his neck with a wound (that wasn't stitched) just above it. He WON'T leave it alone. He keeps scratching and scratching it. I have his bandages on still, however throughout the day the bandages slip down on his neck and this wound is exposed and keeps bleeding. He gets his stitches out around Tuesday-Thursday, so if it's not better by then I'll ask the vet for ideas to keep him away from it.
He was playing with his ball for the first time today, I was worried for awhile cause his ball is his absolute FAVORITE! He goes everywhere with it and sometimes I have to take it away cause it's such an obsession. So, he's doing better. The antibiotics have given him a lot of diarrhea. Poor boy.

I went to the front office to see what happened about the guy and his dogs. They told me they talked to him about keeping his dogs on leashes. They also told me his dogs are not pit bulls so they will allow him to stay here (anyone who knows anything about dog breeds know they are pitbulls:rolleyes:), but I suppose that doesn't really matter since I'm against BSL anyways... but I am surprised they allow plainly aggressive dogs to stay here. Doesn't matter the breed, if I was an apartment owner I just wouldn't tolerate it. There are TONS of other dogs here, and if that dog truly wanted to, no leash would keep it away from another dog. It could've been a fluke thing like I said before, and I think it was, but maybe it's not. It's a different situation if the dogs are kept on this guy's own property, but this is shared by many other people and animals.
I DID end up filing a complaint. I told them I just want it on record, since the guy has cooperated with us completely and has shown such remorse for what happened. They told me they would look into it, talk to the guy, and get back to me.

[Vette]

Thank you for the update :D

could try something like this for Sams neck if you got a t-shirt you can part with


I cut an old t-shirt about 4 inches long and made sure it went on so that it was not too tight to bother the dog but not too loose to fall off. You can also try an ace bandage wrapped loose enough and closed with tape. Ask your vet if they have or if you can use liquid bandage on it.

source: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080913090927AAyfbUV post by The-Mom


i was wondering about what would happen with the guy an his dog. like you thought,, im surprised the dog is still allowed. they should of at least made it mandatory for the dog to be muzzled an be leashed at all times when outside since a lotta people have animals about in the immediate area.

[kuhio98]

kuhio98-wow, I can't imagine. I don't think I'd ever own a dog after that.


After Gypsy died (my cockapoo that I was playing with when attacked), we've never had another dog. I'm not scared of them anymore -- and I prefer big dogs over little -- but Bobcat and I are definitely "cat people". :D

[kuhio98]

I'm so glad Sam is healing well. I hope he isn't afraid of other dogs after this. :(

[IRescue452]

I'm so sorry to read this. Its probably that the female is not spayed and she is going into heat. Dogs go into heat before they bleed so the owner might not know the signs.

Autumn got attacked by an offleash pug on our complex the other day so its not just pitties. It didn't make contact because she tucked her tail and ran back into the house before it could. The last time before that she was attacked was by a beagle and it did make contact and wouldn't let go of her ear.

[K9karen]

I'm happy to hear Sam is doing better! Good boy! His kingdom for his ball!

Hopefully the vet will come up with a wise idea to keep Sam from a-itchin' on his boo-boo.

[MonicanHonda]

To help Sam's stomach after the antibiotics are over with, you may want to look into probiotics to re flourish the good bacteria in his tummy. :) Lots of dogs come out wonky after antibiotics because of this. Probiotics help. ^.^ I'm glad to hear Sam is doing better. And I hope the vet can help with the wound problem...

[*LabLoverKEB*]

I'm glad to hear that Sam is doing better!

As for the scratching at his wounds, try putting a T-shirt on him. Or, you could put child socks (make sure they are not too tight) on his back paws. Hope this helps!

[buttercup132]

atistically this may be true but it is also true that theses Breeds outnumber the Pitty by Hundreds to one and there is a differents between a bite and a mauling. Umm what, go look in a shelter...pitties are by far more over populated than other breeds.


According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks Putting 3 very different breeds in one category doesnt help. Out of those 3 I can guarantee pits have the least percent. Presas are very aggressive thats what they are bred for I'd go as far as saying 50% of those attacks were Presas.
Rottis also bred as a gaurd dog and they are a very dominant breed .
Pitties are the only ones in that list that arent bred to be human aggressive in any way.


First of all I am really sorry Sam got attacked and hope he will be OK.

The American Pit Bull Terrier was not to bred to kill rats, they were originally bred to bait bulls but in later years bred to fight other dogs. The APBT is naturally dog aggressive as they were bred to fight other dogs. Just like Labs were bred to retrieive and Border Collies were bred to herd sheep. You cannot train or love it out of them, it's what they are supposed to do.

I don't agree that they are more "inherently" likely to be aggressive. They certainly may have dominant behavior, because they are terrriers! It does not make them automatically aggressive. Heck I have met Jack Russells that are more pushy than an APBT. An APBT just wants to love you and please you.

These dogs should never be human aggressive, period. They should welcome all people who are strangers with licks and tail wags. Other dogs, not so much as they were bred to fight. They pass temperament tests a lot more than today's popular breeds according to the ATTS.org. Every APBT and mix I have met has been wonderful with people, but not so great with other dogs and other animals which is common.

I am not trying to ruin your thread as I feel for you and Sam, I really do; but I don't think it's fair to say they are more likely to be aggressive when they never should be with people.

From atts.org
American Pit Bull Terrier - 86.0% in passing temperament tests.

I sincerely hope Sam will be OK. great post :love:

The fight to you might have looked un provoked but there are tons and tons of little things that can send dogs off. It could have been a noise that freaked the dog out and he took it out on the nearest thing (sam).

I'm glad hes doing so much better though, I can't imagine my dog getting in a fight let alone my little poodle cause she wouldnt have a chance (like molli)

[dab_20]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I ended up just putting child socks on his back paws and it worked pretty well. He get his stitches out yesterday and is doing great. Here's a picture from yesterday.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a22/dab_20/0317011137b.jpg

IRescue, that certainly could've been it. I know dogs go a bit nuts when another one is in heat.

I really haven't seen the owner since he paid us. Hopefully he's not hiding out in shame of what happened or anything, and I do hope his dogs are getting the exercise they need despite what happened.