Name: Florida Mom
Victim: Adult
Location: In my home, Florida
Year of attack: 2018

Tell us about the attack

I adopted an adult female pit bull, Bella, from an animal rescue. She seemed very laid back and sweet. A few months after adopting she snapped. She was relaxing on her bed as my toddler played quietly a few feet away from her, not touching her or making any loud noises. Out of nowhere Bella tried to bite him in the face. Thank God she missed him. I instinctively jumped between them and went to grab her collar to remove her from the room. She turned on me and attacked me. She was only about 40lbs but fought with a crazy amount of strength and latched on to my hand. I had to sit on top of her and even with all my weight she didn’t seem fazed. I blacked out after I heard my bone crunch in her mouth, but I remember the blood splattering on the walls. I had to have stitches and now have permanent nerve damage in my left hand.

How has your life changed as a result of the attack?
I don’t trust pit bulls. I fear my children will be attacked by a loose pit bull. After a pit that was sweet as can be, that my family bonded with and my sons would cuddle with, could turn on us unprovoked in a split second I know there’s that same potential in any of the breed.

Legal Consequences
It was my animal so I chose to have her euthanized.

What would you like people to know as a result of your attack?
There’s a reason pit bulls have this stigma and saying “it’s not the breed it’s the owner” is total baloney. I was raised with dogs and am an experienced owner. I’ve had so many various breeds of dogs that pit bulls just seemed like another dog to me. They’re not. I’ve never had any other breed of dog turn on me. It’s especially frightening that my pit bull attacked completely unprovoked.