What to do if a Pit Bull Attacks

Thanks for all the concern yesterday. A good lie-down seemed to fix all ills. I went to bed at 9pm and feel much better today. Onwards!

I'm glad so many of you liked the article on Pit Bulls from the New Yorker. I was thinking more about the subject of pits last night, and I thought would share my experience with you on this subject.

What to do if a Pit Bull Attacks

About a year or so after Charlie and I successfully rescued our dog Hammer from the mean streets--a pathetic starving mess--we tried to help another pit bull.

Charlie was walking Hammer in the park when a small and very thin young pit bull started following the two of them.  The stray seemed very sweet and friendly, so Charlie brought him home. When we got him into the house, we dragged him up the stairs to the office, planning to lock him in there alone with food and water until we figured out what to do.

On the way up the stairs, the stray saw the cats and looked at them curiously, but made no move toward them. Until we got to the office where my cat Fifi was sitting on the desk chair. I yelled at Fifi to "GO!" and the dog suddenly went still (apparently, I hit on the dog's "trigger" word) . When Fifi ran by, the dog grabbed her by the butt. I was still holding onto the dog. Fifi turned her body around and began biting the dog's face--and when I tried to stop her, she bit me. Badly.

Luckily for us, when we rescued Hammer we'd read all we could find about pit bulls. Plus I'd been a vet tech for eight years, so I knew how to handle a dog. I got my arm under the dog's neck, and with my other arm I scruffed Fifi. I then lay on top of the pit so he couldn't shake Fifi. Then I yelled for Charlie.

Charlie came upstairs and saw the situation. I yelled, "Get a breaking stick!" and he grabbed the ruler off the desk. He then slid the ruler between the pit bull's teeth--behind where he had hold of the cat--and pried the dog's mouth open. He then grabbed Fifi while I continued to hold on to the dog.  Once Fifi was out of the room, the dog lost all interest and began wagging his tail at me. I was able to let him go and shut the door.

We then took him to the SPCA, where he was most likely put to sleep (in my state, pit bulls cannot be adopted from shelters). While this made me sad, I think it was the best choice.

Fifi, luckily, only had a few puncture wounds in her skin. She recovered before the bites she gave me healed.

People who train pit bulls to fight are often use cats and small dogs to incite "blood lust". We imagine this dog had been trained to fight, so, as sweet as he was to people, he would have always been a threat to other animals. Humane euthanasia was the best choice.

So, should your dog or child be attacked, I would suggest you follow a course of action that may seem completely counter intuitive. But as I'm sure you've read in news reports, hitting a pit bull--even beating it with a baseball bat--NEVER stops the attack, so that clearly doesn't work. I hope my suggestions offer an alternative.

 

First off, a couple of basic suggestions:

If a dog runs at you--ANY dog--the first thing you should try is to yell in a deep commanding voice at full force, "NO!". This should make any dog pause and can often slow down or even prevent an attack.

Also, do NOT pull on what a pit bull is biting in an attempt to get it away (this can work with other dogs, however). The pit will think you are playing "tug" and pull harder. Very, very bad.

**DISCLAIMER: These are just suggestions, and ONLY apply to pit bull attacks. I do not claim to be an expert in anything except infertility. Heh.**

If a pit bull attacks, try the following:

1.  While the dog bite causes a lot of damage, shaking of the "prey" that the dog is biting causes much more, and excites the pit immensely. The most important thing to do is prevent the dog from shaking what it's biting.

2.  Slide your arm under the dogs neck so that you can keep his face away from you (this picture shows proper arm positioning), and then lie down on top of the dog to prevent it from shaking or pulling away from you (here is a shot of how to use your weight to restrain the dog--a knee on each side of the dog, with your arm around the neck--even both arms can be used). Chances are the dog won't even attempt to buck you off. Do not put your arm OVER the dogs neck--it must be under! Your hand should reach between the dogs ears. Use the crook of your arm to brace the dogs head away from your face (although it will feel like your face is entirely too close to the pit's face). And hold on HARD.

3.  If you are alone, you will have to yell for help. Once someone arrives, DO NOT let that person begin whacking the dog in the head with anything. Trust me--pit bulls could give a shit about being hit in the head. Really. It will only make them tighten their grip on whatever they're holding. Instead, ask the person to get something to slide between the dogs back teeth to pry the mouth open.

4.  Once you find something that can be used as a breaking stick (must be at least 12" long, and strong--a tire iron, ruler, etc is ideal. If a cop shows up, a slim jim is perfect, and depending on the size of the thing the dog is biting, a nightstick could even be used), slide it between the dog's back teeth. The you use it as a pry--push down on one end while pulling up on the other. This will crank the dog's mouth open enough to get it's prey out. DO NOT USE THIS ON OTHER BREEDS. Other breeds will just bite you. Only pits are stubborn enough to not let go (by the way--NO, they do NOT have a jaw-locking mechanism--just very strong jaws).

5.  NOW you are at risk of being bitten. Whoever is holding the dog should continue to hold it, and continue to lie on top of it. A second person reinforcing the position is ideal. DO NOT LET GO.

6.  Someone nearby should attempt to fashion a muzzle for the dog. Your best bet? Duck tape. Wrap the tape around the dog's muzzle (allow it to breathe, no matter how angry you are--you'll feel better in the long run). Once the mouth is secure, use rope (or if a professional is nearby, a snare pole or something like it) or a choke chain to hold the dog. Once the lead is around the dog's neck, and dog is muzzled, everyone holding the dog can let go.

I understand that what I am suggesting is dangerous. But, honestly, if a pit bull has a hold of your child, wouldn't you rather put yourself at risk than allow your child to be further injured? I know I would.

I should probably have some sort of liability disclaimer here, so I will say this again: I am NOT an expert or an animal professional (any longer). All I am offering here is a suggested alternative to the typical (and unsuccessful) "beat the dog in the head repeatedly" method of getting a pit bull to let go of what it's biting. If you try this and it doesn't work, I'm sorry, but don't sue me. I didn't bite anything.

Also, this will NOT work in multiple dog attacks (unless you have multiple people to all do the same restraining technique). Try, instead, using a hose and spraying the dogs in the face full blast--and then try to keep the dog from biting again (a rope loop ready to slide over the dog's head is the best bet). If you are alone, this will be a mighty challenge.

Pit bull attacks, no matter what, are horribly scary and I hope you never have to experience one. But if you do, I hope these tips help slow down the damage.

Good luck.

Comments

[wix]

1.

disclaimers fully understood, this is EXTREMELY helpful advice, particularly since it's so apparent that what popular wisdom says will work to defuse an attack by a different breed won't work on pits.

thanks so much, and i'm glad you are feeling better!

[Christine]

2.

Excellent advice. The only other point I'd make is that pit bulls are terriers at heart. I've known plenty that I know for a fact were not trained to fight but they still will go after cats or small dogs. My garden-variety terrier does the same thing, but she is 1)slow, 2)weak, and 3) kind of dumb (look the cat went that way!).

[kim]

3.

Thanks for the tips - never know when you might need them. It is a little hard to imagine sitting over the dog with your arm under its neck and hands between the ears though - unless with an extremely long bend arm or one arm under the neck and the other between thew ears (?). Glad to hear you are better today.

[Sunny]

4.

Great advice. We have a rottweiler mix, and he gets a bad rap too. We take it with a grain of salt, at least we don't have drunken teenagers knocking on our windows at midnight like some of the other neighbors, we'd send Porter out to get them. Everyone is sure he's vicious.

[Julie]

5.

Wow! Very interesting.

[Lala]

6.

It's good to hear advice from someone who understands the "breed". Now if someone could tell me how to avoid a Golden Retriever bite I'd be REALLY happy.

[KidKate]

7.

What do you think of The Dog Whisperer? He seems to think you can train agressive dogs to be submissive to other animals--but I wonder if that is something everybody can do on their own. What do you think?

[Liana]

8.

Poor Fifi!

[Sarah]

9.

Great advice, but I am guessing that you are one of very few people who might actually wrap their arm around an attacking dog's neck and sit on him! LOL.
Most of us would be frozen in terror.
XO

[Sarah]

10.

Editing my comment to add, in response to what Cec just emailed me:
Yes, if a dog was attacking my daughter, I would do whatever it took!
Good point.

[Heatherg]

11.

Your blog is just full of useful info....

Movie reviews, baby update and reviews, infertility news, politics, music reviews, and other various tips and opinions.

I really enjoy the diversity.
Thanks!

[anglophilia]

12.

Here's hoping that I never have to take this advice! But glad to know what to do just in case.

Really glad to hear you're feeling better! (My 18 week cramp is now sitting on my floor dumping out alphabet beads to string on a necklace.)

[Carrie Jo]

13.

Thanks for the great advice and very well put. I'd like to add that if you can't find any stick around, as crazy as it sounds, shoving your fist down their throat will also prevent them from clamping down.

[Amy]

14.

The New Yorker article was really great. Thanks for the link. I forwarded it to all my friends with dogs.

I read a great piece about preventing dog bites not too long ago. I'm going to try to find it and post it here. As I'm sure you know kids often unwittingly do things that make them easy targets for a dog attack. Not all dog attacks can be prevented but many can. By teaching your kids how to behave around animals (simple things like never staring a dog in the eyes, teaching them how to approach animals properly and how to interpret an animal's body language, and helping your kids be confident around animals instead of fearful and skittish) you can at least know you are doing everything you can.

My own advice for what it's worth (not an expert, just an animal lover blah, blah, blah...)
- Always report strays in your neighborhood and suspected animal neglect and cruelty to the proper authorities.
- Don't let your kids walk your dog around other animals. Very small kids shouldn't be handling the leash at all without your assistance. But when two dogs are meeting (especially for the first time) adults should handle them and kids should stay out of the way.
- Don't assume a dog is safe because of its breed or it's size.
- Don't assume a dog is safe just because the owner says it is.
- Don't let your child behave with a "safe" animal in a way that you wouldn't want them to behave with an unknown animal. That is just because your dog lets your kids pull his tail and climb on top of him doesn't mean you should let them do it no matter how cute it is!
- NEVER let your child play at a house where there is a chained dog. If there is an ordinance in your town that prohibits chaining, report chained animals. A dog that is chained in a yard 12 hours a day (or god forbid all the time) can be as dangerous as a loaded gun.

Disclaimer again - not an expert, just a dog lover blah, blah, blah...

Great info Cecily! Thanks.

[gingermog]

15.

I hope I never have to use them but thanks for the tips, you never know when you might need to know something like this.

Glad to know you are feeling better.

[Adi V.]

16.

Thanks for the tips.
If only I had known about breaking sticks when I was living with some friends of mine when I was 18! It would have made breaking up the fights between the two intact males sooo much easier. Instead (the two times it happened when no one else was around) I had to drag the two of them (who together weighed more than I did) around the side of the house, grab the hose, turn it on, open the back gate, wedge the neck of the more annoying of the two little bastards between the gate & gatepost, pin the less annoying dog between my knees just above his hips, get a damn good hold on everything, shove the hose into annoying dog's face full blast and slam the gate shut as soon as he let go. When all that was done and annoying dog was stuck in the yard the rest was very easy (stash one dog in the house while I took the other one back to his own turf) because their first fight broke out over who got to play jump-for-the-stick-with-Adi and all the others were because they both still had their balls and had never agreed on who won that disagreement.
*sigh*
I guess that's just what I get for being so lovable. (These were not the only dogs to fight over whose human I was while I was living there.) Damn dogs. Annoying little bastards sometimes but the rest of the time they make great pals and foot-warmers. They also make great big grummbly teddy bears to snuggle with. (Remind me to tell you about my pal Buddy sometime.)

Adi V.
PS. I would rather help break up five pit fights in one day while trying to move house (been there, done that) than have to deal with an angry, vicious, snappy little ankle-biter even once. Now THOSE beasts are NASTY little shits who don't care who they bite when they are feeling pissy.

[ccw]

17.

Thanks for all of the information. It's good to know that "common" methods will probably not work with this breed.

I agree with Amy's comments and what they boil down to is responsible pet ownership and supervising your children.

I have a laid back basset hound, but I still remove him when other children are around just to be safe. Odds are he won't bite, but he is getting older and one never knows.

Glad your kitty survived virtually unharmed. We had a border collie that killed one of our cats in just that manner.

[Sheri]

18.

amazing. You have so much knowledge and I'm going to file that away incase I ever need it. Responsible dog ownership is key and I think you do a great job of always re-enforcing that.

Glad you are feeling better today.

[Amy]

19.

Thanks for the link to the pink video. LOVED! IT!

All this talk about pit bulls reminds me that the woman in France who had the face transplant was attacked by her black lab. Not a pit bull. A black lab.

[dee]

20.

Here's another tip from an non-animal expert/animal lover in preventing dog bites. Please remind your children to never try and break up a dog fight. If their sweet, loving dog should get attacked while out for walk, the kid's instinct is often to try and save Rover, which is a sure way of getting hurt. Please remind them that the best thing they can do if their dog is attacked is to drop the leash, move away, and go get adult help. Rover is better equipped to handle the situation than your child.

[Mel]

21.

Very fascinating! My hubby is a cop, so I'm gonna show this to him for his reference. For myself, I'm gonna especially remember the hose trick since I'm more likely to come across other breeds in my neighborhood. (We're loaded with labs and retrievers around here. Sheesh!)

Working for a pediatrician, I always teach kids to NEVER bother a dog that is eating or sleeping. EVER. I get so tired of parents telling me "but she's just a sweet big ol' lab and lets the kids do whatever" or some other irresponsible thing like that. A dog is a dog. It's an animal. When kids and animals are involved, you need to be careful. Period.

I grew up with dogs - first with a beagle then a rottweiler. The beagle was more likely to nip at someone. The rottie would've probably licked someone to death before biting. Definitely not the usual stereotype. But then again, when are stereotypes correct? ;)

[Kathleen]

22.

Here's what to do if a Great Dane attacks your small dog:

1. Kick the Great Dane as hard as you can in it's side.
2. Throw up from the fear and adrenaline as it runs away.

I was in an isolated area when my dog was attacked. The idea that my only hope if it had been a pitbull type dog would have been to correctly wrestle the dog to the ground, hold on for dear life while screaming my head off and hoping whoever responded had a breaking stick and something we could fashion into a muzzle is very frightening.

I do not support bans. But reading what must be done in the event of an attack is certainly sobering.

[maria]

23.

I cannot believe how accurate your advice is! 15 years ago, my daschhound puppy was attacked by my horrible neigbour's pitbull. The friend who came to the rescue did EXACTLY what you suggest. The position you described, the stick (she used a sharp rock and her bare hands to open the bulls'mouth) everything matches, move by move. Your post recalled a very intense memory. In the (unlikely) event of a pitbull attack, your instructions should taken very, very seriously.
PS. The puppy lived.

[Timi]

24.

Hi Cecily, glad you're feeling better.

I think it's really great that you wrote this post. Not just for the information you give, but also because it shows the responsibility of being a pet owner. Even you who loves your dog as part of the family knows that when it comes down to it a dog is a dog and you need to know how to deal with it. You have to know your dog, understand what he or she is capable of, and know what you have to be able to do as a responsible pet owner. People above gave great advice as well.

[susan]

25.

Having trained police dogs with my uncle during summers while in college, I learned another trick that works especially well on pitt bulls. One person has to scruff and cover him to stop the shaking. Another can grab a dishtowel or any cloth about that size and get it soaking wet. Wrap the wet cloth around the nose and eyes of the pitt pulling tight enough in back that the dog cannot breathe unless he unlocks his jaws. Then you can remove the other animal.

Oh, and people who fight animals for sport and profit. should be lined up and shot in the back of the head. Just my humble opinion. ;o)

[shelli]

26.

cecily - thanks for sharing this info. In our lovely Harlem neighborhood, we sadly see LOTS of pits used for exactly the WRONG purpose.

It breaks my heart, and once, I saw a puppy who was just beginning his "training" (grrrr) - But I saw him on the street, with his "owner" and as I am often caught doing in public, I started talking to the puppy in a person to puppy kind of way (use your imagination here-think baby talk) :)

Anyhoo, the puppy lit up, wagged his tail, and pulled at his leash in my direction. His "human" (if you can call him that), YANKED his leash, glared at me, and YELLED at the puppy, who then put his tail between his legs and his head down.

I turned the corner quickly and began to cry.

It is an EPIDEMIC here in NY, and I only wish I knew how to help these poor sweet puppies that are so terribly being abused by people that are less than human.

[Hope]

27.

Great tips, if I ever run into something like that I hope I have common sense enough to remember what to do.

Just last night I had my dog in the back yard of my apartment complex (they have a pet exercise area that's fenced in). There was a new dog out back, he came up and sniffed Sherlock (a 20 month old OES) and the yellow lab mix attacked him. He had Sherlock flipped onto his back. At that point ANOTHER large dog who's attacked several tiny dogs got into the mix. I pulled Sherlock out (he wasn't hurt thank god, but shaken). Though I did get bit in the finger, nothing seriously thanks to my winter gloves but the black dog who bit me had no bite inhibition because she was trying to clamp down, not just give warning nips.

All in all it was an adventurous night for me and now I'm going to start carrying around my remote correction to startle any dogs who my go into attack mode. It's a container filled with screws, nails and other things so it makes a lot of noise when I throw it.

[Moxie]

28.

Thanks for putting this up. I read it so I'd know what to do if it happened (instinct of a former Girl Scout), but once again I'm glad to be a cat person.

[Peggy Nature]

29.

Cool.

I love dogs, but am, of course, pretty cautious around them. Once I was walking my (old, deaf, feeble, dying-of-cancer) dog, when a young rottweiler-mix approached us. My dog was sniffing some bushes behind me and had no idea the other dog was there, and remained blissfully unaware throughout the entire encounter.

Anyhow, the young dog stopped a couple of feet away from us and began growling, snarling, barking, and making little charges at me.

I was terrified. I didn't really know what to do, but my first thought was to protect my poor old dog. So I kept my body between them, and then, to my great astonishment, found myself growling and barking back at the young dog. It started to back off a little, so I knew my technique was working, and then I lunged forward, as if to attack. The dog ran off with its tail between its legs, yelping, like in a cartoon.

I watched where it ran to, and across the street a guy was standing outside his house who'd seen the whole near-attack and not done anything. I presume it was the dog's owner, because the dog ran to him (in a non-attacking way.) I wanted to throttle the guy for not calling his dog off.

[Karen]

30.

Great post about dealing with pit bulls. I've been reading up on this recently because we had a fight at the dog park last month involving a pit and a boxer. From what I've read online, from pit bull terrier breed sites, dog parks are not a great place to take your bull terrier. Why do people do it? I guess out of ignorance for the breed that they own. I wish that there were more responsible breeders out there that educated their puppy buyers. Puppy mills and backyard breeders are a scurge on all dog-dom!

I asked our county parks commissioner to post a sign at the park entrance advising pit bull owners that dog parks were not a good choice for entertainment for their dogs, but the parks commissioner refused. I'm glad that the dog fight I witnessed did not result in the death of the boxer, but I imagine that at some point, someone's going to lose a dog in a similar situation. Then we'll have all kinds of backlash against the breed, when it's the bad choice of the owner that is really to blame.

[debe]

31.

Your story just made my heart break for that poor dog. People suck

[Mia]

32.

Pit bulls are illegal in the county I live in (because of so many attacks), yet I see them w/o leashes, a few feet away from their owner. I have a 9 month old son and won't even chance that they'll be friendly - I just go the opposite direction. Unfortunately it has ruined many a walk, however, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

[Lael]

33.

I agree completely.People who fight dogs should be lined up and shot in the back of the head.

We have a neighborhood pit bull who loves my kids.She goes out of her way to play with them and has become our adopted dog,along with her 'brother' a collie.
Knowing what I know about her breed and just her personality and heart and knowing what I know about the assholes who abuse these sweet creatures,makes me all the more disgusted.

ANYways,thanks for all the info!
Thanks too to your readers for their comments and wisdom.
I adore how people here are completely open minded about this topic. As the owner of a rotti cross and lover of all dogs,it sure is nice to see.

[verna]

34.

Thanks for this info - I don't have Pits; I have an Irish Wolfhound and 2 Pyrs - the info will come in handy at some point in time!

Funny story (to me, anyway): When we moved here 2 years ago, the neighbor down the street had 2 Pits that he let roam the neighborhood (we're rural - very rural). The other neighbors were petrified of them..me? I'm blonde. *g* I took my (then puppy - she was only 36" at the time) IW for a walk. Stupid neighbor (who, we later found out, was dealing) stood on his porch and watched me as I introduced the Zoey-monster to his across the street neighbor (I try to make nice with everyone - that way if the dogs *do* get out, no one is scared of them and will help me catch them. Pyrs run. A lot. *sigh*) As we left her driveway, I heard him tell his dogs "Go get 'em!".....and both Pits came running toward me, barking and growling. Me? I froze. Zoey?? She looked at them...sat down...and "boofed" at them. Just once.

Both Pits slammed on the brakes, stood there a minute, then turned tail and ran back under his porch. *g* He was pretty...pissed, as I guess you can imagine.

Funniest thing? 2 days later he moved out - lock, stock, and barrel. He left 1 of the dogs (stupid idjit - NO animal should be dumped!); animal control finally came and picked it up a week later.

Zoey is the gentlest dog I've ever owned. She's also the *biggest* dog - I think she's right at 42" at the top of her head now. *g*

[Naomi]

35.

Cec, I can't see the picture that shows how you put your arm around the dog's neck -- it brings up a "forbidden" error message -- and I can't visualize it. Can you find another picture?

[Lioness]

36.

You know, just yesterday I heard that woman in France who was given the face transplant talk abt how she came to lose her face, I had no idea. She woke up and put a cigarette in her mouth and realised she couldn't hold it so she took a look in the mirror and her lips and nose and what not were gone. Her pitbull had chewed her in her sleep and she had felt NOTHING! I cannot imagine the state she must have been in for this to happen!

Anyway, I learnt something from our dog police unit, if you are attacked, be it pittbull or any other breed, while walking your dog, and you have one of those retractable leashes, hold it by the cord and swing the heavy plastic bit around. I actually had to use it a few days after I learnt it when a pack of dogs started following us and it worked, much to my surprise. Now, a pitbull may be something else entirely, I don't think a knock to the head would dissuade them, but it's something to consider for other breeds.

Also, he said we should stand sideways to the dog so as not to challenge him further.

[Lioness]

37.

Oh sorry,am stupid w exams, meant to write lab, it was a labrador that attacked her.

[Danny]

38.

Mel, you are an idiot for kicking an animal in its side. That's not funny. This story may have some good advice in it -- but the most important advice you should have given and followed was that you should have never, EVER introduced a pitbull of unknown origin to other animals. What kind of idiot are you, anyway? Hoping for the best? Please! All of you who are saying the breaking stick advice is so good, you should at least pay attention to the fact that Zia should have cleared all of the animals out before bringing in a strange dog. That was dumb.

[brilly]

39.

I just wanted to add that if you can't reach a breaking stick and there's no-one to do it for you then increase the pressure around the dogs throat and block off it's wind pipe. It will let go when it loses conciousness.

Also teach your kids to drop to the ground face down with their hands curled over their ears. Sometimes the dog will still try to bite and other times it will lift it's leg and pee on you

[Christine]

40.

"Also, this will NOT work in multiple dog attacks (unless you have multiple people to all do the same restraining technique)."

Just imagining this made me laugh for some reason. Sot of picturing an "everybody-was-kung-fu-fighting" scene with canines...

[Christine]

41.

ugggh.."sot" s/b "sort"...

[love my bully]

42.

Couldn't agree with Amy more. It all boils down to personal responsiblility. Wish more folks had it, be it kids or dogs. Both require knowledge and lots of responsibility.

I'll agree, while the intention was nice, all other pets should have been secured before bringing a new animal inside. That's just Rule One common sense. Pretty much ANY dog instinctively chases cats and other small creature. And if the cat (or rabbit, or squirrel) doesn't move, the dog usually won't even notice it's there.

But what really sucks about this story is the sad fact that the pup won't even have a chance for a good home simply because of it's breed. Rescued bull breeds, including pits, can and do go on to make wonderful companion pets. I have one now, with two rescued greyhounds and use careful observation during roughousing to keep the level from escalating past a certain point instead of worrying about having a breaking stick at hand. Besides, in many places simply having one is illegal and marks you as a dog fighter.

Bull breeds were designed to be tough, intelligent, tenacious, courageous, loyal, and PEOPLE-LOVING animals who could go out and snatch a much larger animal (cattle, etc.) by the snout and hold on no matter how badly they were thrashed around so the farmer could do what he needed to do. This was a good thing. The remaining trait of possible dog agression doesn't make them a dangerous breed to own or that they're suddenly and randomly going to attack anything that moves. It DOES mean if you choose to own one you need to know what you are doing and socialize and exercise it properly. They need to be indoors with the people they love so devotedly, exposed to other dogs early and often, and their magnificent muscles exercised well to be happiest.

I am thankful to live where I can adopt one. She's the best cainine addition to our home we've ever made and amazingly tolerant and gentle with the impetuous younger greyhound. They are inseparable.

Lots of abandoned pits and bull breeds are rescued and then go on to do police work (they are, after all, creatively clever, courageous, and absolutely tenacious workers). What a damn shame not to at least let them have the chance to help apprehend the criminal element that put them on the street to begin with.

[catherine]

43.

hi you gave out very good info, but lease think about what you said that pitbulls are not good to adopt from shelters. i ahve bought one from the spca and was rescued and i have one more that i got from a shelter. and dont just all pitbulls are bad because fo ones mistake. thanks..

[amber]

44.

I totally disagree with your choice about the dog probably being taught to fight. I am not saying that the dog was not taught to fight but if you really had read as much as you lead us to think then you should know that pitbulls have a very high prey drive. Since the dog didn't attack your first cat and did attack the one who ran by her it sounds to me as though she simply was reacting to her instinct of you run and i chase. You should have given her more time to see if she was truly aggressive towards animals. Though i do agree with your technique on avoiding or stopping an attack. I am happy also that you or your cat were not hurt in this ordeal.

[Lola]

45.

I agree with love my bully. I am a little disheartened that you used the general term pit bull which covers 37 different beeds (depending on the area), don't they already have a bad enough rap? I have a pit that I rescued from fighting and they can be rehabbed. view the website, you'll see her with my infant and with 4 other dogs (2 same sex). Euthenasia is not a standard cure all.

[Charlie]

46.

One piece of advice for all dog owners especially pit bull owners for complete piece of mind carry a can of MACE / CS Gas one spray and the dog will drop what its holding. I am a loving pit bull owner and dont condone use of this on animals but if it saves another dogs life more importantly yours from being put down thats the main thing.

One other suggestion but only if your PIT is 100% submissve to owner is blow down the nostrils obviously last resort for the OWNER!

[charlie]

47.

I disagree with the above comments the lady in this article had a house full of cats. I dont agree with euthinasia but she couldnt have rehabbed the dog in her home environment

[brizzle]

48.

Another thing that works...... Use the palm of your hand (the bulge, where your thumb meets your hand) and grab the bottom of it's nose and lift. It has to be quick so he won't bite your hand.

[kaz]

49.

My advice to any dog owner...make cerain your homeowners insurance is paid up.
My old dog was attacked by a pitt bull about a year ago. This was an unprovoked attack. I tried to reach in to save my dog and was bitten on the hand by the pitt bull.
I spent 2 days in the hospital, had a pic line attached to my hip for 3 weeks, missed 4 weeks of work, had 3 surgeries on my hand and finger.
My right index finger has been
fused and I
can no longer use it.
The owners of the dog were sued and had to pay my medical expenses which amounted to almost $35,000.00 . I was awarded much more.
So dog owners be advised....I don't care how "nice" your dog is...keep it leashed at all times or you could possibly face a nasty lawsuit.

[Morgan]

50.

Thanks for the information. I hope I will never have to use it, but a new pitt bull just moved in next door so i'm happy I know what to do if he attacks.

[Lil Lee]

51.

Thats good advice because i love pits. I witnessed an attack b4, only my pit was attacked by two rottweilers out of nowhere.. eventhough he stood his ground, i stood there in shock and excitment kind of.. i felt there was nothing i could do except get someone else.. any advice to that situation?

[naynay]

52.

I don't think you should've taken the pit to the SPCA, everyone knows that pitbulls attack randomly and it was your fault to take it into your home. No one takes a pit off the street into their house, especially by their cat.. anyways, I think it was wrong for that poor dog to be put to sleep just because of your dumb mistake of taking it into your home. I hope you learned from this and won't have other dogs killed, too.

[Emma]

53.

I Have a pit bull who is just over 1 year he was never taught how to fight or even have a reason to even get angry, i also have 2 cats with are much older then my pitty, and nothing his as sweet as pie we have never even seen a bad side to him, he plays with my cats and on a daily basis he plays with my 8 year old niece and my 2 year old niece and still nothing.. so for you to take a stray pit bull into your house is just straight forward stupid but to take it near your cats you were ore a less asking for trouble. so to put the dog down due to your stupidity thats horrible...

[attacked]

54.

hey i guess that well work cause i got attacked by a pitt bull while i was wih my cosin but he didnt help he has bad experiance with a pitt bull cause his shoulder skin got torn off. and if it ever happens again i wont try hiting it with a water hose like i was thinking but i wont bring my to rotts and lab either like i was thinking. that was a law suit prevented.THANk YOU

[psychology student]

55.

You knowingly gave that dog to the SPCA to be destroyed? That's disgusting.

Do me a favor and leave these animals alone; they are better off without you condemning them to death because you were too stupid to properly set up your house when bringing an unpredictable animal into it, while already having other animals.

People like you should not be giving out advice.

[trent]

56.

its funny how everyone is so against pittbulls.... its the owner not the breed.