Pit Bull Attack At The Dogpark (2)

Since my Toy Poodle was attacked by a Pit Bull a couple of days ago, I haven't been able to stop obsessing about it.

Maybe it's an urban myth, maybe it's true but I've heard Pit Bulls' jaws can lock during an attack. I've also heard if you try to interrupt the fight, the dog can turn on you.

She was shaken-up, but unhurt, fortunately. However, all I can see is the body of that little white dog lying bloodied in the snow. Or else my own face or hands covered with slashes. It's true I have a vivid imagination but the scenarios are real. Fighting is embedded in Pit Bulls' genes. They have the potential to be brutal and they do kill.

The majority of the attacks at the dogpark are by Pit Bulls.

And you know what? I'm f-ing tired of them. I'm tired of being wary: suspiciously, fearfully watching any Pit Bull play. Two of them, Missy and Tuxedo, apparently "nice" dogs I've known for several months have become aggressive and been forced to leave the park.

Yesterday I was walking around the perimeter and I saw a Pit Bull approaching. My heart skipped a beat and sure enough, the dog turned on my Great Dane Maggie, who is only eleven months. There was no provocation. Maggie yelped. The incident was short-lived and the owner reprimanded the offender. They always say, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Or, "WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?" as if the dog had never behaved viciously before. Sure they have. And the owners know it.

Are they hopelessly naive? Do they think each altercation is the last one? Or are they simply arrogant, filled with a perverse sense of entitlement that their dog, notwithstanding he/she isn't trustworthy, has a right to be at the park? Are they waiting for a mauling, a death, a lawsuit?

Ontario, the province in Canada where I am from has put into place legislation banning Pit Bulls. Because of a "reasoned apprehension of harm", the law prevents people from breeding the dog, or acquiring one. Current dogs must be neutered, muzzled and on a leash.

France, Britain and Germany have passed similar laws. And also in Canada, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Pit Bulls have been banned for 14 years. The last known Pit Bull died in 2004.

I don't know. Maybe that's a bit extreme. But I don't think people are breeding Pit Bulls for their docility. They mostly get bred randomly and irresponsibly and given away to just anyone, usually people who have no idea how to control dogs, let alone Pit Bulls. The shelters are full of abandoned ones.

There is something precipitately fierce about them. It's a kind of hard-wired savage insanity that can break out at any time. Even the best-natured of Pit Bulls has erupted. How often after an attack have you heard the owner say, "He/she was always so gentle and affectionate."

The four-year-old nephew of a woman at the park was shredded by two Pit Bulls he'd been playing happily with for two years. They got his jugular and several of his internal organs. Miraculously, the child lived, but no-one thought he would.

You just never know with a Pit Bull. It's true, you never really know with any dog but Pit Bulls are notoriously and continuously hazardous. They should be muzzled and on a leash, even the most loving of them. They're a gun with the safety release off. Actually, they're a gun that has been cocked.

I am so happy I didn't lose Gracie. I am so glad I didn't get injured myself. I still feel frightened when I think of the incident. All I can see is my dog's, my own helplessness.

But I also feel really, really angry because it never should have happened.