Tag Archives: North Carolina

Nurse sitting on floor

Trauma-room nurse speaks: life flight required after 2-year-old boy severely mauled by family pit bull

Name: RRT
Victim: Child
Location: Home, North Carolina
Year of attack: 2022

Tell us about the attack

I work in the emergency room of a rural hospital and witnessed the aftermath of a mauling caused by a pit bull. The victim was a 2-year-old little boy who had the majority of his cheek ripped off and his left ear partially severed. The victim had to be airlifted out of our hospital due to the extensive nature of his injuries and the doctor’s suspicion that a facial nerve had been severed due to left-sided facial drooping. Truly a horrific thing to witness. The pit bull belonged to the boyfriend of the boy’s mother.

How has your life changed as a result of the attack?
I see trauma cases but seeing the cheek tissue of a little boy hanging off his face was very hard to witness.

Legal Consequences
Unknown

What would you like people to know as a result of your attack?
Pit bulls should not be allowed around small children

Nature trail

Pit bull attacks on nature trail

Name: Dee
Victim: Adult, Child
Location: Hiking on a trail, North Carolina
Year of attack: 2022

Tell us about the attack

My boyfriend and I, along with our one-year-old child, were finishing up our hike at the end of a trail. Suddenly, an aggressive pit bull appeared from around a bend in the trail and immediately charged us.

I’ve never been afraid of dogs. I was even still in denial as it came at us, but seeing its snapping jaws and wide eyes made me realize that this pit bull was going to attack.

In a “paranoid” moment about wildlife attacks a few weeks earlier, I had bought pepper spray, just in case, not even thinking I’d have to use it against a dog, and had it in my pocket.

The pit bull got within five feet of us still running at breakneck speed when I sprayed it.

It didn’t even stop, or yelp in pain. It just changed its path and tried to come at us again from another angle. By then, the owner caught up to it and managed to restrain it as we walked away. Did he apologize? No. He said that his pit “is a big baby and didn’t mean any harm.”

How has your life changed as a result of the attack?
Like I said before, I’ve never been afraid of dogs, but this incident woke me up. I started reading about aggressive behavior in normal dogs vs. pit bulls and realized that the  genetics of pit bulls make them completely different from other dogs.

I keep seeing the “blame the owner argument”, but that shows a severe lack of self- accountability and awareness. I refuse to accept such excuses if what someone thinks is a “big baby” can suddenly snap and threaten my family.

From now on, I will be paranoid around every single pit bull and their clueless owners that I cross paths with .

Legal Consequences
Due to me still being in denial about the “bad owner, good dog” trope at the time, I failed to report this.

What would you like people to know as a result of your attack?
Protect yourself. My paranoia saved us an uninsured trip to the hospital at best, and a funeral for me, my boyfriend, or our child at worst.

The average pit bull owner is NOT responsible enough to keep their pit bull from attacking. Letting them off of their leash, around children or other dogs, even leaving them untethered in their backyard for them to get the opportunity to escape IS irresponsible. Their wilful denial of reality is part of the problem.

Beach

Repeat-offender rescue pit bull attacks again on beach, owner completely unable to control it

Name: Lisa Melita
Victim: Adult, Pet
Location: Corolla, NC. Ocean Sands, North Carolina
Year of attack: 2022

Tell us about the attack

July 4th weekend 2022 at the beach in Corolla, North Carolina. My husband was walking our Maltipoo & Morkie home from a quick walk to the beach. An older woman attempting to walk & control two “rescued” pit bulls was approaching. The pit bulls broke free and one of the pits attacked my Morkie, ripping off his back foot like a glove. The Maltipoo was bitten several times but only puncture wounds. My husband sustained cuts, scrapes, bruises trying to keep the attacking pit bull from doing more damage. The owner just stood there… literally just stood there. Dozens of witnesses. Police report. She later admitted this had also happened the year before at the beach. Another small dog was seriously injured by the same pit bull. My Morkie is slowly recovering. Twice a week trips to the doctor (2 hrs away), 2 surgeries.

How has your life changed as a result of the attack?
I am reluctant to walk my dogs away from my own neighborhood now. Just seeing a pit bull sickens me. I have nightmares about the attack. My Morkie may never run, play, hike and jump again like he loved to do. But, he is alive. Traumatized, but alive. My husband is almost completely healed from his injuries.

Legal Consequences
A report was filed. Charges will be filed (although it was an out of state visitor) once I make sure all of the major medical bills are covered by the pit bull’s owner. She has been covering the medical and travel expenses for both pets. My goal is to make sure the pit bull is euthanized.

What would you like people to know as a result of your attack?
This attack could have been prevented if the owner had not been negligent and ignorant. She was not capable of controlling the pit bulls. She really had no business being allowed to “rescue” the dogs since she could not control them. Literally just standing there while her pit bull mauled my dogs. No effort to de-escalate the situation. No attempt to help. She was negligent bringing a known aggressive animal to the beach on her vacation… again. There were so many children and pets out that weekend and this could have been worse. She is literally out there walking a ticking time bomb.

Country highway

Exercise walk along country road turns deadly thanks to pit bulls

Name: ADG
Victim: Adult
Location: I was out for a walk, North Carolina
Year of attack: 2021

Tell us about the attack

I was walking along the shoulder of a highway. As I approached a house, two pit mixes from that property came out charging at me.

I tried to remain calm. I kept walking. I could feel the breath from their barks.

Then out the corner of my eye I saw three more pit mixes charge at me. The white one didn’t hesitate: it bit my right thigh. I tried to keep moving but the other four instantly started biting me as well.

They began dragging me into the woods, which was easy for them, as I only weigh 105 pounds [47 kg]. I knew if they got me all the way into the woods I’d be dead. So with all I had, I ran a few feet back out of the woods so I could at least be seen. For five excruciating minutes I was bitten and mauled by these pits. I screamed and screamed for help, begging anyone to help me.

A 71-year-old women saved my life. I was air-lifted to Chapel Hill, where I got 78 stitches, 13 staples to the head and a ear sown back on.

How has your life changed as a result of the attack?
I am a survivor, but my body is covered in scars. I cannot wear shorts without being embarrassed the whole time. In my right arm the tendon was so torn that I now have POPEYE syndrome in it. I have permanent nerve and tissue damage to my right arm and thigh. I can’t use them like I used to be able to, so I can’t work.

I am in constant pain.

The worst is the mental part. I loved dogs before this, but now a puppy barking sends me into panic attacks. I’ll never be the same again physically or mentally. I can’t sleep. I have nightmares. I don’t like leaving my home most days.

Legal Consequences
The pits were seized and put down. Well four of the five anyway: they tried to tell me there was only four. The owner received a ordinance violation for not having the pit bulls properly enclosed.

What would you like people to know as a result of your attack?
Pits should all be put down or kept under lock and key. If there are pits in your area, and you go out walking, take mace or a blunt object to defend yourself. Be mindful of your surroundings at all times.

Lurking pit bull

Neighbor’s pit bull launches unprovoked attack

Name: TW
Victim: Adult
Location: Neighbor’s Driveway, North Carolina
Year of attack: 2022

Tell us about the attack

I was attacked by my neighbor’s pit bull with no prior warning or known reason. Before the attack, I had even petted the pit bull occasionally over the past year and my neighbor kept insisting that it loved me.

On Monday evening, my neighbor was talking with me.  She opened her screen door, inviting her American pit bull to come outside of her house to say hello.  The pit bull charged out of the house at me and clamped down on my left forearm.

She was yelling at her pit bull, but it kept biting for a few minutes until she finally managed to leash it and get it off me.

At that point, she wanted to bring the pit bull back towards me, and despite blood oozing out of multiple puncture wounds in my arm, she tried to insist that I pet the pit bull and show it that I was its friend. I refused and asked her to keep it away from me.

How has your life changed as a result of the attack?
Since the attack I have had heightened fears and anxiety that the pit bull may be waiting to charge at me whenever I leave my house or get out of my car.

Legal Consequences
I had the wounds checked by my primary care doctor, and the doctor insisted that I report the incident.

When I did, the police simply told the owner to quarantine her pit bull at home for 10 days.

What would you like people to know as a result of your attack?
I no longer believe any pit bull owner that says, “my pit bull would never hurt anyone who is kind to it.” Despite close to a year of kind affection from me, my neighbor’s pit bull still decided to turn my arm into its chew toy.

I couldn't save my lab from the pit bull that wanted to kill it

I couldn’t save my lab from the pit bull that wanted to kill it

Name: Eileen
Victim: Adult, Pet
Location: My neighborhood, North Carolina

Tell us about the attack
I had walked my black lab Sammie every day in our neighborhood for four years. One beautiful fall morning, a pit bull escaped a neighbor’s yard, chased us down the street and attacked Sammie. It latched on to her chest wall and would not let go. I screamed and kicked it and kicked all the while my Sammie looking into my eyes for help. I tore apart a neighbor’s landscaping wall and hit the pit bull over the head repeatedly with the brick, it still wouldn’t let go. The only way to save her was to leave the scene and start banging on neighbor’s doors screaming for help. My Sammie watched me leave her. I kept running back to try to fight the dog off and then run again for help. No one was home and my poor sweet black lab was mauled to death.

How has your life changed as a result of the attack?
It took me months and months to recover emotionally from the attack. I also ended up with a torn meniscus and rotator cuff and was unable to work as a hospital nurse for months. I lost 20 to 30 thousand dollars worth of income because of it. On top of that were my medical bills.

Legal Consequences
The pit bull owner got a vicious dog letter from the county. That’s it.

What would you like people to know as a result of your attack?
Your right to own a pit bull doesn’t trump my right to not have my pet murdered by yours.