Attack by Pit Bulls at park

Question
Hello Kristen,
My wife and I walk our dogs frequently. Always on a leash unless
we take them to the local dog park.
This particular incident happened at a local park near where we
live around 8:30 PM. This park is located in a residential area.
There were no people or any other dogs around when we got
there. We had our two dogs with us. Our larger dog is a male 7
year old golden retriever mix and our other is a female 2 year
old dalmatian blood hound mix.
Out of the blue we were surprised by 2 Pitt Bull dogs. One older
and one still a puppy. They were not leashed and they had no
collars and no owner in sight. The older dog attacked my
retriever. Everything happens so fast. My wife started retreating
with our female dalmation with the pitt puppy aggresively
following. Meanwhile I was having all I could handle. My retriever
was fighting back "but" his leash was restricting him as I was
trying to shelter him and not get bit myself. I did not want to let
my retriever go because I would have had no control whatsoever.
I tried to yell and kick the Pitt. I had no stick, knife, club or
anything to defend myself with. On pure instinct I did all I could
think of to do. This dog had no collar so I could not grab him or
pull him away.
I am a very big man {270 lbs} so I yelled to my wife to take hold
of our retriever at which time I litterally threw myself on top of
the Pitt by grabing his neck and smothering him with all my
strength and weight. This dog was not after people as he quickly
settled down when he realized that I would not let go. In fact I
was shocked that he did not turn on me which leads me to
believe that these 2 Pitts were somebodys pets. My wife made it
to our car with both our dogs with the little pitt in tow "but" the
puppy Pitt just sat there watching her. I had the keys to our car
and my wife was locked out. I HAD A REAL SCARE NOW---- how
was I going to get the keys to her when she was 50 feet away
and I was stuck holding this dog down. Once I felt he calmed
down enough I slowly let go and let him up. The funny thing is
he followed me wagging his tail. BUT, the minute I got close to
my wife and dogs he went after my retriever again. I could not
keep up and my wife was in the middle of trying to hold both
our dogs and now the little Pitt started in on our Dalmatian mix.
Our female dalmatian mix is a little chicken and was yelping
horribly which attracted the older Pitt. I arrived and quickly
moved into help when my retreiver got ahead of me and started
fighting with the older Pitt. Meanwhile I managed to get one car
door open and yelled for my wife to try to get our female in.
Being worried for my older retreiver I yelled for him to get in the
car. He started over with the Pitt after him. I know it was foolish
of me "but" on instinct I grabed the thickish part of the Pitts
neck fur and held with all my might. Funny thing is he did not
turn on me again.
Unbelievably niether my wife or I got bit "but" our dalmation had
a small puncture on her neck. My big retreiver came away with
no injuries which I figure is because he has very thick fur and he
fought back.
I am a big man "BUT" I must tell you I was scared and foolishly
acted on instinct. I could have been severly bitten.
My questions and I really need your advice:
Why did these dogs seem to be more interested in attacking our
dogs than us ?
It seemed as though the Pitt was use to someone holding him
back which is what I did along with throwing myself on top of
him. Why do you think he didn't turn on me.
What do you suggest if something like this happens again ?
You may not agree with me "but" until somebody tells me how to
get out of this very scarry situation I will now be strapping a
knife to my belt or at the very least a walking cane or stick of
some kind. We tried screaming and even kicked and the Pitts
would not stop. I truly consider ourselves lucky under the
circumstances.
Please offer you advice on how to protect ourselves when our
dogs are leashed and the other dogs decide to attack with no
owner or way to stop them.
Also, my wife walks our dogs in this neighborhood by herself
and I am now very worried about her safety. For your info: We
had never went to this particular park before and will never go
back.
I apologize for the long email "but" until you have lived this
experience it is hard to explain in the shortest terms with
regards to the behaviour of these Pitt Bulls and our own dogs
behaviour to being attacked. I could of let my retreiver loose to
fight without my holding him back but I knew that he would get
to far away for me to be able to help and I truly believe he was
outmatched and would have been killed right in front of me.
I LOVE my dogs and my retriever was a big reason we were able
to live through this. After it was over I hugged my 7 year old
hero and quietly whispered in his ear "you crazy old fool" you
took on a Pitt Bull and could have gotten killed. Dogs are TRULY
mans best friend. Our female deserved a big hug also.

Thank You ! for your time !
Ron

Answer
Ron, I am truly sorry you, your wife, and your dogs had to go through an experience like this. Be very careful when taking your dogs out now, because they *might* become defensive towards other dogs as a result of being attacked.

I would recommend getting some OC spray and carrying it with you whenever you walk your dogs. It is usually a good deterrant if you can get the spray in the other dog's face and eyes. If possible, carry a sturdy walking stick as well, in case the OC spray has no effect on the approaching dog or if the wind is blowing and prevents you from using it. I also think you need to call your local law enforcement and/or animal control organization and report the two loose dogs in the park. I cannot say whether or not they were, in fact, pit bulls, because many breeds of dogs are often mistaken for being pit bulls (please visit http://www.mnp13.com/FindThePitBull/FindThePitBull.aspx and see if you can pick out the real pit bull), but their behavior does indicate that they might just have been.

True pit bulls do usually have some degree of aggression towards other dogs, but not towards humans. This is because of their history. They were originally created to fight bulls and bears for the entertainment of people. When that became outlawed, "dogmen" began breeding them to fight each other. However, dog fighting of the past was nothing like dog fighting today. The dogs involved in dog fighting back when it was a legal 'sport' were their owners' prized possessions. They were not put into a ring to fight to the death. Matches often lasted no more than 20 minutes. During the fight, there were people all around the 'pit' or 'ring' and at least three people inside it. Two of those people were the owners of each dog, and the other person was the 'referee' or 'judge.' Because of this, the dogs were bred to NOT be aggressive towards people, because if they were, no one would be able to be around or in the pit during a fight, and how would they be able to break the dogs up if the dogs would turn on them? Any amount of aggression towards people and the dog was usually culled immediately. Dog aggression was good; people aggression was bad.

That is why the dog probably did not turn on you - and then tried to follow you wagging his tail.

Nowadays, pit bulls are owned by all kinds of people, including lowlifes that breed FOR people aggression because they think it makes them look tough to have a mean dog, or because they need a mean dog to guard stashes of drugs inside houses. Many of these dogs are not even real pit bull dogs, but instead, have been crossed with breeds like mastiff, dogo argentino, fila brasiliero, etc. to make them bigger and more muscular. Then, they are often abused and mistreated in order to make them mean towards people. It is because of these people that the pit bull breed is getting a bad reputation and becoming the victim of breed specific legislation (BSL). Responsible pit bull owners who try to raise their dogs to be social, friendly dogs, are suffering, as a result of BSL, because they are the only ones that will follow the law anyway. The lowlifes will continue to have pit bulls, and when it becomes more difficult for them to have pit bulls, they will move on to another breed, such as the rottweiler, and the cycle will begin again with that breed becoming the victim of BSL.


So, in closing, get you and your wife a can of OC spray, and some good walking sticks and don't be afraid to use them if another dog approaches in an aggressive manner. Report the incident to your local law enforcement and/or animal control organization. Make sure to tell them exactly what happened, including the fact that neither dog exhibited any aggression towards you or your wife - just your dogs - even when you grabbed them and jumped on them. They might be someone's pets, and they might not, but if they are not, then they may be put up for adoption to a better home if it is clear that they are not aggressive towards people. And lastly, watch your dogs closely and make sure their behavior towards other dogs has not been affected. If it has, then you may need to work with a trainer for a couple of weeks to re-teach your dogs that they do not need to become defensive towards every other dog they encounter in the future.

PS - The best and safest way to separate two fighting dogs is to grab the aggressor by the hind legs, lift them up off the ground (like a wheelbarrow), and swing the dog around in a circle away from the other dog (his front legs should remain on the ground). This keeps the dog from being able to turn and bite you, and effectively gets the two dogs apart. If both you AND your wife are there, or if there is another person nearby, they can do the same with the dog that was attacked. If you keep circling, while moving your feet so that you are going further and further away with each circle, you can quickly put some distance between the two dogs, and it usually serves to get the dog's brain functioning well enough again so you can stop and the dog will not turn and attack you. He becomes focused on trying to keep his footing instead of on fighting the other dog, and so his level of aggression decreases with each circle.


Good luck and please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with!

Kristen