A co-worker of mine was attacked by 3 pitbulls Tuesdays. She was picking up a friend to take to the store and was attacked walking to the porch of her friends house. 34 stiches all togehter, they did leave parts open so the infection could drain. One bite was very close to her eye, part of her ear was torn and had to be re-attached and a very severe bite to the leg that caused some muscle damage.
She came into the office today and seems to be dealing with it well, but a very scary situation. Animal Control is still looking for the dogs. The man that helped get the dogs off her has not come forward so we think he could have possibly been the owner and keeping them hidden. It happened in a pretty scetchy area of town so who knows if they will ever find them.
Kind of an eye opener for me I think I will start carrying some kind of protection when walking my dog there are alot of loose dogs running around this town.

http://stjoechannel.com/fulltext-news/?nxd_id=197797

What a terrible thing to have happen...& the woman was doing a 'kindness' going to take the friend shopping. WOW.

It is very possible the dogs are being hidden. Can imagine that if they are found...it's a 'done deal' for them. The needle for sure.

I'm not personally a bully dog fan, but there is another nail in the coffin for the already bad-rep'd bully breeds.

Oh my gosh, I can not even begin to imagine the terror she must have felt... Hopefully the dogs will be found before this happens to someone else (a child?? Yikes!!).

 Quote: Anne Jones

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I'm not personally a bully dog fan, but there is another nail in the coffin for the already bad-rep'd bully breeds.

Admittedly, I am not either. But I sure wish a large portion of people who have them would act more responsibly. Even my mom's neighbor, who has two pits that are beautiful and well-trained, let's them roam off leash in a neighborhood filled with kids, older people and dogs. The risk that he puts his dogs into just pisses me off, because all they would have to do is chase down a kid on a bike and they would be done for. Not fair to the dogs

I am so sorry to hear about your co-worker. How absolutely horrifying for her...

Melissa is absolutely correct. Every dog bite account like this gives me a gut check-but sometimes an opportunity to open a dialogue.
There are a few bully enthusiasts on the forum (come back Howard!)-Brad, Kristi, etc., and we all know that as responsible stewards of the breed we are now, more than ever, challenged to work even harder to preserve the balanced, functional working bulldog.
So what's going on with all the news stories and "attack" accounts? Are some sensationalized by the media? Of course...many dogs bite -the lady with the complete face transplant awhile back had a retriever. But I firmly believe that as informed owners and stewards we do a public disservice by not looking the aggression problem squarely in the face.
The pit bulldog breeds are not new "designer" attack dogs. They are one of the oldest of breeds that stretch back to the mid-1800's in Ireland and England. They have a long history of service to man and have titled in all dog sports.
So what's happening now? It takes time and careful study to fully understand a breed, its history and present challenges. My rescue group, http://www.badrap.org had done a yeoman's job of public education. But honestly, if all I knew of the animal were stories like this, or worse, if I were the unfortunate victim of a bite like Brent's friend, I can easily understand the perception.
So I sometimes get sick at heart at what's happening to this magnificant breed.
In my opinion, the bored, restless and unemployed dog with strong drives, strength, and physical stamina is a recipe for disaster. This dog is loyal to a fault and tenacious (hence its storied military history) -also smaller and relatively easy to care for -perfect for corruption in the wrong hands. And this, I believe, is the key.
My beloved breed has now caught the fancy of high risk owners. Society must hold up the mirror and hold the PEOPLE accountable.
But the breed continually displays resilience in the face of tremendous odds. They have shown (most famously with the Vick dogs) that taken out of the hands of high risk owners who train them to engage in aggressive behavior, their rehabilitation is astounding. They can and do become beneficial members of the canine community, even with the hardest of backgrounds.
In the meantime, the enthusiasts must continue the often uphill battle against public perception. In many ways our dogs must be held to a higher standard than our neighbors.
I have somewhat big goals for my shelter girl, in a variety of disciplines. But whatever titles may be achieved in the future, no goal is more important to me than her excellent breed ambassadorship.
Thanks (if you've read this long post!) and thanks to everyone at Leerburg for making me an even better owner...

Hilarie...I know exactly how you feel. It makes me sick to my stomach. I often feel its a battle we will never win.

So sorry for your friend. I hope she heals quickly.

..we'll get there Kristi -there just needs to be more of us to turn the tide. For some inspiration check out how Tim and Donna are bringing some California concepts to Ohio:
http://badrap-blog.blogspot.com/

I went to the movie and the talk! Movie nearly killed me, but it was worth seeing. Discussion afterward was great. I'm afraid that the audience was such that they were "preaching to the choir", but even if a few minds were changed...

Oops. Not referring to the conference in Cleveland, but the screening of the film "Beyond the Myth" in Columbus. http://www.beyondthemythmovie.com/

Thanks for this Meredith -and mostly thanks for attending! It looks like Rep Barbara Sears was there also -hope it makes it to Cleveland...and beyond!!