the dog is probably brighter than the owner. One thing with dogs are they are like children, they act like they are raised and this pitbull was not raised or trained so now the owner should foot the vet bill costs. I wouldn't be afraid to bet the same dog owners that let their dogs run free at the park let their children run free too and not watch them.

I (and my dog) have been attacked and aggressively run after while walking in the borough I now walk with a whip and citronilla spray. 5 of the 9 were aggressive little dogs.

In Ohio last summer a pit bull took 12 shots from an assault rifle to kill. They are bred for a high pain tolerance and to NEVER give up the fight, even when their legs are broken. http://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs-pit-bull-myths.php

Yes, the story had me until the 6 shotgun shots. That 's gotta be bull so it makes you wonder about the accuracy of the rest.

Until they attack and badly injure or kill someone, or someone's pet or livestock. Katherine Houpt, VMD, DACVB, PhD, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Cornell and author of "Domestic Animal Behavior,” says: "Different breeds have genetic predispositions to certain kinds of behavior. The pit bull is an innately aggressive breed, often owned by someone who wants an aggressive dog ... I have seen so many pit bulls taken by very nice, very dog-savvy people who did all the right things. They take them to socialization class, they take them to obedience school, they are fine for a few years and then they kill the neighbor’s dog.”

That is the most idiotic thing I've heard in a while. I have owned numerous pitbulls and they have never hurt a thing. BUT my neighbor had Chihuahua and it bit me and I had to have 5 stitches! ANY breed can be taught to be a killer, just like any breed can be taught to be a lover.

agreed mom of 3, I have seen rotties pitbulls and dobermans that are more calm and friendlier than your little lap sized dogs. And one thing that can prevent an attack from any dog is never show fear when the dog shows aggression. The vet told us that when we had our dog, she did not like strange humans and she would sit and growl and the vet said for people coming to visit us to just basically ignore her, don't act afraid and don't chase her and she will eventually adapt to them, which she did.

One thing with our dog is she didn't like men, because when she was a puppy my uncle decided to get on his hands and knees and chase her. But for 14 yrs of hating men and showing aggression to them she never bit a single person, because they never chased her or hit her or anything to cause an attack, and how did this person try to stop the pitbull, by hitting it, not to smart, and they should know not to hit a dog to stop an attack when they own a dog themselves.

@Mom to 3 5 stitches from a Chihuahua my ass! How come it is pit bull owners and advocates are the only ones who get attacked by these killer toy dogs? I have put up your harrowing testimonial and survivor story at - https://www.facebook.com/SurvivorsOfToyDogAttacks

People with any common sense can see it is only a small minority of rabid, uncompassionate, indifferent pit bull owner cult flying under the banner of animal lovers that fight these bans. They would be giving up their fighting dog and their ego boost, of course they will fight it.

If every pit bull is psychotic, then there would be thousands more reports of attacks every year. Are any of you ignorant people aware of just how many pit bulls there are in loving homes, that are perfect family dogs? Every dog has teeth, every dog can bite. The sad thing is that us responsible put bull owners have to train our dogs to be perfect upstanding citizens, they cant even look mean, because of people like the owner of this pit bull, when every single person who owns a dog smaller then a jack Russell lets it run wild, no training whatsoever, because they think its cute, and they are little so it's fine. Ask your groomer or vet how they feel about your poorly behaved chihuahua that bites them compared to my perfect gentlemen pit bull who stands still and let's them do anything.

One other thing, PIT BULLS ARE DOGS! They aren't some mythical beast that can withstand a barrage of bullets. They don't have locking jaws like an alligator. Do some research before you make asinine statements.

I agree with you Vickie. I love when people tell other people what they should or should not have done. You are in panic mode when you and your dog are being attacked. I also agree with what you said about the breed in general. I know pit owners who have had great experiences and, unfortunately, 2 that didn't and had to get rid of the dog. It's just a fact.

Actually they've been bred for aggression for at least 1000 years. Collies by comparison have only been bred for herding for 300 years, but the inbred behavior is so strong that in the absense of sheep collies have been known to herd frogs, shoes, kids, and ants: http://www.thetruthaboutpitbulls.blogspot.com/

I agree, but any dog can be aggressive, any dog can bite, and they ALL need to be on leashes or confined to the owners property at ALL times.

Studies show that ONE breed that is less than 5% of the dog population accounts for 65% of the emergency room visits in the US: http://www.dogbitelaw.com/dangerous-vicious-dogs/serial-attacks-and-rampage-attacks.html

Yes because we all know the bites from toy dogs are just as severe as pit bulls. Where is the media? Do you even listen to what you are saying?
Nanny dogs, again another debunked myth, Find one reference to nanny dogs in ANY pre 1970 archive or periodical and I will eat my shoe. You cannot because that comment came from a pit bull apologist in 1971 and has no basis in reality, just like everything else pit owners and apologists say. I should say pit advocates because for you to be apologists you have to be apologetic about something and pit bull owners are not. 4 deaths already this year caused by pit bulls, NONE from other breeds. NO other dog kills and mauls on the scale pit bulls do. Call conspiracy and bias all you want, you cannot prove it because it is not true.

Nanny dog is a lie so huge, so OUTRAGEOUS, even pit advocates are backing away from it as seen here:http://www.thetruthaboutpitbulls.blogspot.com/search/label/nanny%20dog Written historical records for pit bulldogs exist going back about 1000 years-the first recorded use of the term 'nanny dog' was in 1971; out of the mouth of a pit breeder and nutter. Please educate yourself.

The myth of media bias has been debunked; yes pit bulls are in the news more-because they really DO attack people and other people's pets more: http://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs-pit-bull-myths.php

Pittie mom (what a ridiculous name!): YOU obviously don't do any research. Pit bulls are NOT nicknamed "nanny dogs" in England or anywhere else in the world. The whole "nanny dog" nonsense started with an article in a 1971 issue of the New York Times and was a direct quote by the president of a pit bull organization (no bias there, I'm sure!). Only a fool would believe any dog is a "nanny dog."

Pete Sparks, the “dean of Florida pit bull breeders” measured a puppy’s value by its fighting spirit and jaw power. Sparks said, “If he [the pit bull] can’t punish the other dog, and he doesn’t have the biting power, then he’s not going to be what you call a top dog.” Florida Humane Society officials blamed Sparks, along with other pit bull breeders in Florida, for vicious attacks by pit bulls on humans and animals. Marc Paulhus, director of the Tallahassee office of the Humane Society, said “Mr. Sparks really is the problem, he and people like him." Paulhus said most pit bulls which have attacked people in Florida are descendants of dogs bred by Sparks. Sparks denied breeding human-aggressive pit bulls, but conceded, “There are screwballs and some of these dogs are emotionally unstable.” In the past, screwball, emotionally unstable dogs were culled, but now they are allowed to live and breed and produce more screwball, unstable pit bulls and no one ever knows if he/she has a screwball dog until the monster attacks and tries to kill someone!

So KaD is obviously a troll, and the screen name probably stands for Kill all Dogs. Stop entertaining that person's idiocy. It's probably the same craven psycho that runs the dog bite blog/fake organization. Anyone who uses the term "nutter" is a person who spends entirely too much time on the internet trolling for articles where the pit bull topic will come up so they can rant and rave and regurgitate their links about all the negative pit bull 'history.' This person has no life, and more likely, no love in their life. Anyone who has a pit bull or any other breed of dog that they properly care for and manage responsibly does have love. You may want to relax on your slanderous agenda KaD, you will never win.

You should be suing the pit bulls owner: http://dogbitelaw.com/store/what-to-do-if-your-dog-is-injured-or-killed.html

People are out of work and losing their homes, children are going hungry and elderly people can't afford winter heating bills and YOU are asking people to donate their hard-earned money for a DOG?! You should be ashamed of yourself!

If the owner hasn't offered, you need to get a lawyer and file a suit against him. It is the law that the owner of a dog is responsible for any damages done by the dog, including injuries to humans or other animals. Of course he's not going to offer to pet the vet bills. He seems like an ignorant person, and terrible neighbor, and a horrible example of a dog owner. Get a lawyer.

Tammie- there are organizations that help people with emergency vet funds. You can find the list here:
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

actually some companies, allstate is one, will decline certain breeds. That is one question when my parents got their house and insurance specifically asked when we said there was a dog if it was the breeds you listed because they would not be able to insure the house if she was any of the breeds. When we bought our home they asked if we owned any of those dogs also.

You're saying the same thing all pit bull owners say until their sweet, loving, wouldn't-hurt-a-fly "pittie" attacks and badly injures or kills someone (usually a child). By the way, that must be one humongous dog if she's "licking" the DirectTV guy "in the face" as he's walking "all through her home."

I am not sure what you are trying to say but either way no one assumes their dog will be mauled to the tune of 4 grand, you cannot blame her. I hope she gets some donations to help pay for this but with a pit bull involved I doubt it.

Jon, to side with the people saying she should be able to afford vet bills. We live in an area with groundhogs, foxes, skunks and racoons, all which could maul a dog the size of oreo and cause well more than 4,000 dollars damage, which we as a dog owner, if we owned one, is something that we would have to consider. And being they are wild animals we would have no one to sue. Oreo could break a leg or injure a paw or anything and could cause a costly bill. All part in animal ownership comes vet bills.

You should be ashamed of YOURSELF, "roastpuppy". Basically, you are daring people to walk their dogs if there are pitbulls around.

It's the USA, and the last time I checked, I can walk my dogs anywhere I like, on leash, unless there are laws posted that I can't. If your pit is around, and loose, while I walk my dogs - no matter what size mine are - your pit will be met with deadly force.

RoastPuppy, indeed. Won't be mine.

And if a groundhog or any other wild animal was attacking my dog I sure wouldn't be beating it with a stick, because unlike my dog I could be exposed to rabies from those animals. That would just be stupidity to attack any animal after your pet.

To Vickie: You say, "I can walk my dogs anywhere I like, on leash, unless there are laws posted that I can't." To that, I say I can walk down the sidewalk in any street in New York City at midnight, but if I'm such an idiot that I choose to walk down a street in Harlem and I get mugged, or worse, it's my fault for not excercising good judgment. As long as there are pit bulls roaming the streets, people with barking rats need to keep their yap dogs at home! If you and other dog owners were really concerned about protecting your fleabags, you'd be contacting your elected officials and demanding these land-sharks be banned!

Are you defending pit bulls, or hating on all dogs? Either way, my two pit bulls currently live with "a dog the size of a rat" an 8lb Jack Russell Terrier/Dachshund mix, who is a foster. Small dogs aren't at risk just because they pass a pit bull. There are plenty of other breeds that maul smaller dogs to death. The one thing they have in common is that they are running at large, which means their owners are idiots. Anyone who lets their dog live in the yard and doesn't neuter or spay should be heavily fined. That's the only way these morons will start to care if their dogs get out. If you want a lawn ornament, get a garden gnome, don't get a dog.

I am NOT a pit bull owner!!!!! If I had my way, every pit bull in the United States would be rounded up and shot. However, as long as dog-owners fail to take action and demand that pit bull-type dogs be banned, I have no sympathy for them whatsoever because they aren't doing anything to help themselves! Ask Jesberger if she's ever called or written to an elected official about the pit bull problem, or even commented on a website that these hairy demons should be banned. The answer is, of course not, because like most people, she does absolutely NOTHING and then when something happens, she whines and wants someone else to pay the bills!

Also, in this day and age when you can get pet insurance for $40 a month, anyone who doesn't have it is simply a moron. You can literally save yourself 80% of major vet expenses, and any time a dog needs any surgery anymore, outside of a routine neuter or spay, you're looking at at least $2k. As others have said, if you can't afford the medical bills, don't get a dog. If you can't afford to be smart enough to get your pet insurance, don't get a dog.