"...Great reflexes OBG..."

Thanks. My back is shot, I can't hear, shoulders are shot, got high blood pressure, high cholesterol, enlarged prostate, far sighted, you name it, I got it. But my reflexes (tested from time to time on those internet reflex tests) are still super fast. Saved my bacon more than once over the years...

Actually, I have a story about that, from late night ER duty, but chose not to share it because I could not make it conform to the Kavanaugh criterion: Can sister mary-clarence explain it to the class without blushing.

Maybe. Maybe some other brand of idiocy. Results would have been more devastating if the victim was taller or uphill of the dog.

Yeah...

When my brother goes to a customer's place, if he sees a dog, he stays in the truck and calls them. They come out and they put it away from where he'll be working, or he'll come back tomorrow.

Considering he does heating and plumbing, they usually oblige. But if they want to live with a busted pipe or no heat, no skin off his back.

From what I read of the article, it didn't appear the guy did anything to provoke the dog, but the owner was negligent in controlling the dog and assumed because it had never attacked anyone before it would not do so at that time.

I believe were it me that got bit, I'd be going on a road trip to Seattle soon. Better still, I'd have done him in on the spot, and there'd have been no further question of jurisdiction, or self defense.

I cannot accept that the parents would be that stupid or naive to think that it was okay to take that dog after an attack. I liken that to hit and run.

A beer belly? Nope

It is always hard to tell from an article what might have actually happened. Either way the owner is (should be) responsible since if anyone on the scene should have been aware of the animals anxiety/stress levels it would be the owner.

That being said there is a right way to introduce yourself to a strange dog and oh so many people get it wrong. I have been amazed at how many people want to run over and say hi to my german shepherd. Talk about asking for it. Female shepherds are great dogs but they are very defensive of the pack. Even more amazing is the hurt looks I get when I pull my dog away from them and make them slow down and do things correctly (assuming they haven't pushed me or the dog too far with their well meant lunacy).

That leads to my last point - Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity (Hanlon's razor). I can easily believe that the parents didn't even think about the ramifications - just continued on as planned.

Oh and to address the original question - I grew up wrestling with large dogs (labs, shepherds, misc. mutts) and have broken up some dog fights the hard way, so maybe- pit bulls have more jaw strength than sense.

- Eric

About the stomach thing: the dog was a breed that stands about 18" at the shoulder, the guy was 6'3". That was about as high as the dog could reach on a jump. Pits grab the first body part they can get, they're not particular. Sometimes you're lucky there was no major blood vessel or nerves where they get you.

Unstable dogs often don't require provocation. I was attacked by an Old English Sheepdog while I was standing quietly in front of him. I turned my head to speak to one of his owners and he clamped down on my hand. A few months later, he cornered his owner in the yard and kept her there for two hours before he lost interest.

Another dog, a large Doberman, was lying quietly on an exam table. I was standing at the counter nearby, again not moving, and someone in the next room banged something against the wall. The dog went from passive to lunging at my face, snarling, faster than I thought was even possible. If the owner had not been alert and strong, he would have clamped down on my face.

There are many nice Pits and Staffs around, but with the great proliferation of aggressive dogs bred to fight illegally, there are a lot of them out in public that are incredibly unstable. Most people don't care about the breeding/temperment of a dog as much as they're looking for a low price.

SOP for a dog that bites someone: if the dog has been rabies vaccinated at any point in it's life, it is put in quarantine for 10-14 days and checked for rabies. If the owner can show no proof of vaccination, the dog is immediately euthanized and the brain is checked for rabies.

Note: if someone is bitten by a dog that is possibly rabid (your decision), NEVER shoot it in the head, go for the heart. Blowing the brain apart can mean the bitee gets the rabies treatment, which is no fun whatsoever.

Sue, 13 years as a vet tech, only bitten twice by dogs