Pit bull attack -- gun arrives almost too late

[Andrew Rothman]

See? Here's a good reason to carry all the time, even in "safe" neighborhoods (Deerwood has a population of 590).

A big, fat "bravo" to 37-year-old mom Teresa Catlin, for taking on two attacking Pits armed only with a flashlight. But then subtract some points for not carrying something more effective.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5515758.html

Survivor, rescuer recount pit bull attack in Deerwood
Associated Press
July 20, 2005

DEERWOOD, Minn. -- David Deziel never imagined when he set out on his morning walk June 23 that it might be his last.

Deziel was attacked on the walk by two pit bulls. He survived, thanks to Teresa Catlin, who helped the 60-year-old stranger and called 911.

Deziel spent 16 long and painful days at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis before being released. He's now recovering at his home, wrapped in bandages from his abdomen down to just above his feet.

Sitting in his recliner with his feet up and with Catlin by his side, Deziel recounted his ordeal Tuesday in an interview with the Brainerd Dispatch.

"This was the last thing in the world I'd ever would have thought would happen to me,'' Deziel said. "I never anticipated to be attacked by two dogs.

"It was so frightening. I couldn't comprehend this and I still can't. If a wild animal would have attacked me I could have handled that, but two pets?''

He said he had just turned around to head home when he looked ahead and saw a full-grown pit bull rushing at him. He said the dog had been hiding in the tall weeds on its owner's property and he suspected the dog was waiting to ambush him.

Deziel said the pit bull which was the larger and stronger of the two, grabbed his right knee with its teeth.

"I told it to stop and I was being nice to the dog,'' said Deziel. "I didn't want to panic. And before I knew it a second dog came and attacked me. That is when I started to panic.''

The second pit bull attacked Deziel's other knee. A third, smaller dog was also present and ate pieces of flesh that had been torn by the other two dogs.

Deziel punched the dogs and tried to tear the pit bulls off his body. He was bitten all over, with both legs suffering the most damage, but the dogs also bit his mouth under his lips and also chewed on his ears, tearing a piece of one ear off.

"It seemed like an eternity,'' Deziel said. "It all happened so fast. I thought I was going to die. And when Teresa came here with the flashlight all I wanted to do was die and for it to be over.''

Catlin, 37, said it was a coincidence that she was driving by. She first saw the dogs, but not Deziel. When she got closer she slowed down and saw him lying in the tall grass. It took her a moment to realize what was happening.

"I pulled the van over, put it in park and looked around for something to use on the dogs and I found a flashlight,'' she said. "I ran out of the van yelling and waving the flashlight and one of the dogs backed off. I got right between the dog and David and called 911.''

When she arrived, one dog was at Deziel's feet and he had the other by the collar.

"I didn't have time to be afraid,'' she said. "I had to do something. Otherwise this guy was going to die.

"I don't know why I was not attacked. All I do know is that God was with us and he helped us. The dogs were panting and they laid down like nothing happened. I sat there with David and I prayed.''

One dog fled when emergency personnel arrived. Officers shot the other dog to allow medics to treat Deziel.

"When the police came I shut my eyes and was on the verge of giving up. I then heard a gunshot by my head and it scared me to death,'' he said.

He was taken to the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby and then to HCMC, where he said he came close to death on his fourth or fifth day in the hospital.

Deziel, who bit his tongue a few times in pain during the interview, said doctors at HCMC told him it would be a few months before he would be released. He got out in 16 days.

He said he's been overwhelmed by the support from his family, neighbors and the community — and Catlin.

"How do you repay someone for saving your life?'' Deziel said. "What is a human life worth? There are no words to describe my feeling about her ... I'm so proud of her, she's my hero. I don't know how to thank her.''

Catlin said the dogs had caused problems before. She said her son was biking on the road last summer when one of the pit bulls ripped his pants. She said she called authorities, but nothing was done. She said the pit bulls also broke into her neighbors' kennel and killed their dog.

Crow Wing County Don Ryan said the case is being reviewed for possible charges against the dog owner.

Ya think?

 

[TheGoodLife]

What a brave lady to come to the guy's aid with a flashlight. He must have been a mess lying on the ground being eaten alive by those dogs.

Catlin said the dogs had caused problems before. She said her son was biking on the road last summer when one of the pit bulls ripped his pants. She said she called authorities, but nothing was done. She said the pit bulls also broke into her neighbors' kennel and killed their dog.

Crow Wing County Don Ryan said the case is being reviewed for possible charges against the dog owner.

Yeah, maybe the owner ought to be prosecuted. And what about the authorities who didn't deal earlier with this problem, if they were negligent?

 

[crofrog]

Catlin said the dogs had caused problems before. She said her son was biking on the road last summer when one of the pit bulls ripped his pants. She said she called authorities, but nothing was done. She said the pit bulls also broke into her neighbors' kennel and killed their dog.

Crow Wing County Don Ryan said the case is being reviewed for possible charges against the dog owner.

Those dogs would have been shot by me long before it comes to this. They break into my kenel obviously they run around a lot by themselves. It would suck for me to see them in my back yard and have to take a 12gauge 00buck to them.

Chris

 

[Imaginos]

Every Day Thing

In less than 2 years I have had to draw a gun in 3 different situations where dogs have come after me and my kid when we were walking in our subdivision. In each case the dogs left their yards to come after us, and they backed down when they saw I was not going to act like prey.

I have also seen some dogs shadowing joggers like they were about to try to run them down. In those cases, I yelled at the jogger and pointed out the dogs.

I have animal control on my celphone speed dial, but they are just not interested. I have asked them what I should do, and they said "Do what you feel is necessary to protect yourself."

So far I have not had to shoot a dog, but I am very afraid that could change suddenly.

 

[roo_ster]

Nope, I'm not a nut for packing heat while walking in the neighborhood. (I'm a nut for entirely different reasons. )

The city I live in has a wonderful animal control dept. They respond to complaints and round up doggies who get out of their fenced yards. They don't kid around if a dog has threatened a person.

 

[wingnutx]

Phoenix animal control is a joke. Several large dogs (chow/pit) chased me and one bit my heel while I was walking home. The bite only bruised me, not breaking the skin, so animal control said there was nothing they could do but log a complaint, even thought I know exactly where the dogs live and who owns them.

 

[MudPuppy]

The austin statesman had a write-up about what to do if dangerous dogs were after you (this after a kid was mauled by a pack of dogs normally not considered too dangerous--like a dalmation and beagle type of thing, not pit bulls).

Anyhow, lots of stuff about firm voice and crap--no word one about the one real thing that would help. Trust me, I don't get dog bit...its a rule for me.

 

[mete]

Deziel has some mental problems !!! He said he could recognize an attack by a wild animal but a pet ,who had it's teeth in his knee he tried to TALK to !!

 

[Ellie]

Pit bull mama

Pit bulls don't -normally- attack people. They were bred to be fighting dogs, which means that in order to be safe to handle, they have to be very stable and love humans. The breed standard states that they must be put down if they show any signs of human aggression.

Sometimes there will be one with a genetic defect or who has been abused into being dangerous - in which case, it is a very dangerous animal, indeed, as they are incredibly strong and don't let go, and any person who would keep such a dog should absolutely be held fully liable.

Sometimes, too, people/the media call other mastif breeds 'pit bulls' when they are in fact some mixed breed.

I take the point, though - that guns save lives. I was once walking on a country road in rural Ohio having a lovely day, when a big ol' Rottie came screaming at me and, while he didn't attack, scared the bejesuz out of me.

 

[Taurus 66]

"I told it to stop and I was being nice to the dog,'' said Deziel.

Did you rub it gently behind its right ear while singing Rock-a-by Baby? Oh the dog especially loves that one. You would have lulled it into submission.

The second pit bull attacked Deziel's other knee. A third, smaller dog was also present and ate pieces of flesh that had been torn by the other two dogs.

Um, now would be a good time to either pull a long sharp blade and start hacking away (while singing Rock-a-by Baby of course) or you may prefer to pop it repeatedly using your caliber of choice. It's all good.

Deziel punched the dogs and tried to tear the pit bulls off his body. He was bitten all over, with both legs suffering the most damage, but the dogs also bit his mouth under his lips and also chewed on his ears, tearing a piece of one ear off.

Punched the dogs? With fists?? I hope there's never a next time, but if there ever is, take a buddy along (tuck him away) and let him do the punching for you. Save your strength.

Alright, I'll shut up now.

 

[Waitone]

The dogs owners are the problem. The animals have a history of attacking and killing. The owners have a history of doing nothing. I hope the gentleman has a brace of good lawyers.

 

[Jim March]

On a related subject: dogs that chase cars are eventually going to kill some kid on a bicycle.

As a motorcyclist, I can assure you that dogs chase those sorts of bikes, and I can remember as a kid madly pedalling away from several dogs.

I'm serious: car chasing as a behavior should equal euthanasia.

 

[Taurus 66]

I'm serious: car chasing as a behavior should equal euthanasia.

It's fun to lead the dog on at about 15-20 mph, keep him close behind, then in an instant, HIT THE BRAKES! Ol' Scrappy kisses my bumper.

 

[hifi]

She said the pit bulls also broke into her neighbors' kennel and killed their dog.

I would have shot the S.O.B. myself.

 

[Libertyteeth]

"I'm serious: car chasing as a behavior should equal euthanasia."

Tie a hand towel to the hubcap so it flops around as you drive by.

 

[4play]

I'm a dog lover, but I'd have no problem with Pit's & Chow's being wiped out. I know of a few exceptions, but these dogs are like a loaded gun except with them you can't be sure where the trigger is.

 

[CARRY'IN]

Pit bulls are land sharks. They have killed half a dozen people (mostly kids) in the SFbay area over the last few years. They are a big status symbol here, along with pants that don't fit, tatoos, and peircings (I take classes at a junior college and it is like a carnival). They may not be common much longer; alot of laws being passed and soon people wont be able to have them for various reasons (mostly insurance liablility for renters, etc.). They are interesting animals but I dont want them around people. There is a pitbull underground railroad in some city that banned them I read. Whatever.

 

[Hardware]

Carry'in, name the kids. Unless I missed a lot of news stories it was NOT a half dozen.

You know I hear all the rhetoric about pit bulls and how several people here would like to say good riddance to them forever. Wilmington, DE did just that. They passed laws that made it very difficult for people to keep their pets and the law was supposed to prevent any new pit bulls from being brought into the city. Here's what happened;

1) The folks that could afford it moved out of the city. What did they get for their trouble? A lower tax rate, they lost a city wage tax and they got to keep their family pet.

2) The folks that couldn't afford to move got punished by having to pay a large registration fee on top of their county pet tag fee and had to live with some draconian rules about their dogs.

3) A bunch of dogs got rounded up for not being registered. They were euthanized immediately.

4) Problem dog owners switched to other, larger breeds. If you think a 50 pound pit bull can do a lot of damage you should see what a German Shepherd, Rottweiler or Doberman Pinscher can do. Those problem dog owners continued to be a problem with their new dogs.

5) Dog fighters did nothing as they were already underground.

6) The money for enforcement dried up and the police patrols stopped. The law is seldom enforced now.

7) Pit bulls keep showing up in Wilmington now that public attention has been directed elsewhere.

A lot of money got spent, a lot of law abiding people were inconvenienced and the law breakers continue to do their thing. This was do-nothing, feel-good legislation of the worst sort. A government that can't even enforce dog licensing laws isn't going to be able to effectively enforce a breed restriction. If you can't compel people to register their dogs you have no hope of identifying and punishing the owners when a dog bites someone. I am a pit bull owner and I say if your dog, any dog, bites someone off your property you should be looking at jail time not a monetary penalty. If your dog kills someone you should be looking at manslaughter or murder charges. That's the one thing San Francisco did right in the Diane Whipple killing. (Presa Canarios, not pit bulls.)

 

[Hellion Productions]

My two-year-old son and I check the mail everyday, as part of our daily routine when I get home from work. I CCW everywhere anyway, but with a pit bull two doors down from us, you bet I pack even to the mailbox just down the street. Thank God we're moving soon.

Best,
John Bear Ross

 

[cpileri]

OW! my knees hurt BEFORE reading this thread...

So lets say you're the unlucky one who just realized he has a problem: a pit bull is biting off pieces of your knee large enough for another one to consume.

You have nothing in your hands immediately, but are (for whatever reason you can imagine) carrying one of each of the following:\
1. Glock 17, 17-rd mag loaded, one in the chamber , 'ready to fire' with whatever effective hollowpoint you like, and
2. a fixed blade knife, say a 4-5" blade ro whatever is long enough to stick a pit bull hypothetically, and
3. a canister of Fox Labs 'people' pepper spray, and
4. a canister of Gaurd Alaska 'bear' pepper spray (hey, make up a reason OK?), and
5. a spring-actuated (but collapsed) baton

and of course, your fists are there. Both hands are free, and not being bitten as of yet.

What do you reach for? the dogs collar? one of the weapons? which one?
Clasp your hands to protect your throat? clasp hands and pray for mercy?

No, you dont have a cell phone. And don't say you always do cuz this is my game and you can either play or not. ) ) The above are the only items you have to reach for.

So which is it?

C-

 

[stolivar]

pitt bulls

Pitt bulls are the number one dog to kill people. You are more likely to get serious injured 1 out of 16 attacks compared to 1 in 296 attacks by other types of dogs. These are facts that can be looked up on the internet. I have carried mail for over 24 years, and I can attest that pitt bulls are my biggest worry's.


steve

 

[silverlance]

it seems that

a lot of threads here are people hopping up and down touting the virtues of CCW.

i too believe in CCW, but all this talk of CCW makes me (who lives in CA) so hurt =( lol*

anyway, I carry a 3.5" boker g-10 folder with me everytime i go running with my dog.

and if a dog threatened me more than once outside of its own house, i wouldn't hesitate to accidentally run it over.

because im absolutely certain that here in cali (or in many other states) shooting a dog (or even stabbign) will probably result in loss of said firearm & weapon, and probably criminal charges as well.

stupid laws.

 

[onerifle]

This might be the only recurring topic that hacks me more than a good ol' "stopping power" thread...

I had a pit bull for nearly 16 years (when I finally had to put her down due to a debilitating tumor) that didn't so much look at a human being crosseyed her entire life- she was one of the sweetest dogs I have known, and definitely the sweetest dog around people I have ever had. AWFUL guard dog. Great around kids, babies, adults, and in most instances, most animals. She wasn't too fond of bigger dogs, though...musta been a Napoleon complex kinda thing...

That said, there are some pit bulls (and probably some pit bull owners), that need to be double tapped with extreme prejudice.

Painting a breed with a broad brush requires the same (lack of) logic as painting gun owners with the same brush.

These are facts that can be looked up on the internet.

-That may be the single funniest line I have ever seen on this forum.

 

[sully]

Some things I know from personal experience are that a firearm will not always stop a agressive determined animal. A moving dog is an extremely hard target to hit, especially when you have the startle factor and it is coming at you. We do animal attack training in some of our training courses, and it is always a real eye opener for attendees. If it gets ahold of you or someone else, then you have to be concerned with what a bullet will do after it enters its intended target. Handgun bullets have been known to change their path after entrance. Something that I preach to all of our students is that a can of pepper spray does wonders on four legged critters as well as humans. Get a can and carry it religiously, make sure you get some training on the sprays as well as there is more to know than most people think. There are some other great options as well, like a Taser that works extremely on four legged critters.

CY6,
Greg Sullivan "Sully"
Chief Instructor
TheDefensiveEdge.com

 

[sieve]

Happened in Iowa City, IA

Have a sister that lives in small development in town, neighbors were taking care of son's rotweiler who just had pups and was kept in the garage. My niece and nephews were out in back yard playing when the neighbor returned home. There is a dense line of pine trees and about 30 to 40 yrds distance between where the kids were and the neighbor's garage. When the garage door was opened the dog took off straight for the kids. The owner yelled at it but nothing. My sister was just coming out her back door and ran to intercept the dog which then grabbed her by the coat and tried pulling her down. The kids ran to the house and owner came out and pulled the dog off my sister. Dog just got her coat and no flesh. She called me about it and I told her to call the sheriff's department. SHe said the neighbors were moving soon and she didn't want to make a fuss. I told her to call the sheriff or I would. She did call and their response was good but she didn't want them to pursue it. I would have had a tough time letting that dog live. Unprovoked and doing what it did. What if my sister didn't happen to come outside when she did? This was a big dog and my oldest nephew was about 7 at the time. The youngest was probably 4. Could have been really ugly. I will never put up with a dog that attacks unprovoked, even my own...