Name: Brittany Brazelton
Victim: Pet
Location: Horse boarding facility, Washington State
Year of attack: 2000

Tell us about the attack

My best friend at age 14 had a loving, family-friendly pit bull they had owned for years. He would often accompany us to the boarding stables where we kept our horses. This particular day, I tied up my mini horse named Apple Jack and my regular size horse to groom them. The pit bull approached the mini, started sniffing him, then suddenly with no notice or warning sign grabbed him by the muzzle. My friend and I tried our best to fight the pit bull off but he wouldn’t let go. We finally broke him off, and put him in a room in a nearby shed.

The pit bull quickly broke out of the shed and went straight back to mauling the mini horse. This time he had the horse by an upper back leg. The horse urinated and defecated in fear. Again we fought hard to get the pit bull to let go, but all efforts failed. Only with a broomstick did we finally pry the pit bull’s jaws open.

How has your life changed as a result of the attack?
Even since I have had anxiety and fear around dogs. The mini horse was a basket case moving forward. It’s a miracle he survived, but he looked extremely disfigured. I now advocate against pit bulls being around kids or animals. I will never allow them around mine!

Legal Consequences
The pit bull owner was requested to pay the vet bills, but this wasn’t enough.

What would you like people to know as a result of your attack?
This pit bull was raised in a loving, Christian home. He had displayed NO signs of aggression prior to this, he merely — snapped. Just snapped, with no warning, or provocation.