very long story short...I have known this friend of mine for about 10 years & as long as I have know him he has had a pit bull named Tank. about 8 monnths ago I went to his house to visit. I was standing next to my friend outside & I saw through the storm door...Tank.
I said "hi puppy!" he wagged his stumpy little pit bull nub & his ears perked up, he was always such a friendly dog with me...but always had a problem jumping, so I was prepared for that. he is huge (half boxer if you ask me, but what do I know)
so I put my hand on the door handle, not so unusual...& the dog bursts through the door, jumps up on me & I guess from what they tell me...I squeeked! like a mouse, like I got a paper cut! but when I stood up & looked at my friend Lisa, she said "OH MY GOD WE HAVE TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL!" I remember looking in the mirror on my Tahoe, I dont remember what I saw, but I remember agreeing with her & got in to drive to the hospital in shock. I bled through an entire box of kleenex, got lost, onstar couldnt find my vehicle & now so it turns out that my "friend" who owned the dog doesnt have homeowners insurance because they dropped him for 2 other dog bites from the same dog. and its possible that he is fighting dogs....I never would have guessed it. you never really know about people.
the hospital called in a team of trauma plastic surgeons & put my face back together with over 80 stitches in 4 layers. http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a130/leah1003/Photo_111409_004.jpg
and this is a normal picture of me...
(on the right)

Good lord. How scary. Can I ask what became of your former friend?

*mods* Can we get a graphic tag on this thread?

Scary indeed. I do not trust pit bulls, but it could happen with any dog I guess.

I too would like to ask what happened with this "friend" whose dog had a known history of
biting ...

I wonder how it happens that his insurance carrier knew enough to drop him but the dog with the
history was still there in his non-control, to bite again ...

I'm so sorry this happened to you.

Leah, first of all let me say that I am sorry this happened to you.
It is always a scary and bad thing when a situation turns bad like this.

But let me just say this seems to say it all:

 Quote:

now so it turns out that my "friend" who owned the dog doesnt have homeowners insurance because they dropped him for 2 other dog bites from the same dog. and its possible that he is fighting dogs....I never would have guessed it. and its possible that he is fighting dogs... you never really know about people. .

Unfortunately, your "friend" is entirely at fault here.
Please, let us not go down the road of blaming the BREED
but realizing this situation for what it is.
Entirely handler's fault in my opinion.

You said it best Leah:

 Quote:

you never really know about people.

 Quote: Joyce Salazar

Please, let us not go down the road of blaming the BREED
but realizing this situation for what it is.
Entirely handler's fault in my opinion.

I definitely second this. And it does sound fishy because pit bulls don't generally have docked tails. This is terrible. I am so sorry this happened to you and I hope that if this person is involved in something like fighting that he gets the punishment he deserves and more.

everyone always ask's what has become of this former friend of mine. The truth is: he has moved back into the ghetto that he was always so against going back to... the dog has dissapeared-so far as I know.
he has more dogs now 3 or 4 and now openly brags about their viciousness. I can not really say much more about the situation but it's a matter of time before they catch up with him & lock him up for hopefully a long long time. From what I hear from the PD they are building a case & wont go near his house because of the dogs!(and other things...) however; my attorney has abandoned me & no one wants to take on my case because-even if we win...who do we get the money from. he has closed all his accounts, moved & changed his number. even if we are able to garnish his wages-all he has to do is file bankruptcy and its all for nothing-save for the part where I make some dangerous people really mad! this is why the last few dog bite cases from his house didnt go anywhere....
also: let me be clear about the breeds. I have had Dobermans, GSD, rescues, AKC champs, hunting dogs, little dogs, big dogs you name it! I have petitioned in certain counties & cities where I live to ban breed specific laws & still would.
last week I was in a humane society and saw a vicious dog that looked just like the one that tried to snack on my face and I was almost hysterical in the pound!
I was also at a bonfire this past week, where a few friends brought their dogs (people I just met) there were three boxers, a mastiff and a shepherd. I was friendly with all of the dogs, they were all great-but when they got a little rowdy, I just went inside.
I will get over my fear of dogs and go back to bringing home every stray I see, Im just a little gun shy right now.
I fully intend on searching for and finding the perfect GSD for me (and my Daughter) because I think that all kids should grow up with a dog (providing the family can handle it, afford it & care for in a responsible way
hopefully my scar, will be a good lesson for my daughter to always be aware of other people animals and be cautious/ but not afraid. this is a case of a bad person, doing horrible things with dogs and its not their fault. I feel sorry for the animals.
hopefully we can somehow make dog fighting a more severe crime.
you never really hear anyone say anything about dog bites until it happens to you and then everyone "knows someone" that its happened to. If no one ever talks about it-things like this will just go on and on and on....
it's just a sad situation, but yes I agree with everyones posts
NOT THE DOGS FAULT!!! not the breed's fault, but in the hands of the wrong person.....any dog could become that way.
and on that note, I'm off to find a new addition for our family! a fuzzy furball of a puppy! to love the way all dogs should be