Name: MK
Victim: Pet
Location: At a house on a defunct horse ranch, California
Year of attack: 2018

Tell us about the attack

A pit bull from an adjoining property attacked my land mate’s lab while it lay on its own porch. The pit bull had to come a fair distance to find the lab to do this! It did minor damage the first time and weeks later came back to attack him a second time to kill him!! My land mate came out of the house and beat the pit off with a tail end of a rifle. There was blood all over the porch walls. The lab was taken to the vet with extensive puncture wounds. The vet said the only thing that saved him was he’s got a big, jowly neck.

How has your life changed as a result of the attack?
Well, the lab is their dog but my “god dog”. I take care of him all the time and love him like my own. It got me reading about pits. That’s how I ran into Kenneth Phillips and then dogsbite.org. Boy, what an eye opener.

The dog lives in the house full time now, ever since the second attack. He preferred being outside but he has adjusted over time.

The owners always carry pepper spray and guns now when they take the dog for a walk on the property.

Legal Consequences
Animal Control was called. They put a food-baited catch-crate in front of the lab’s house, to no avail. Nothing else happened to help from any agency so on my own I found out the name of the owner of the adjoining rental property which had the pit bull. I told him he could be liable for their irresponsible behavior. Also, there were all kinds of nefarious folks coming and going over there so I think the place was already being “watched” by the DEA. Then there was a huge raid and the property owner got rid of everybody there and all the dogs. Thank goodness!! I had stopped walking my own dogs on the ranch because of the various dog packs roving this ranch, spilling over from that place.

What would you like people to know as a result of your attack?
I am an absolute animal lover. I have taken care of other people’s animals and property my whole life. I am even fully aware that it’s possible there are people who may have had a bully-type dog that was never a problem its whole lifespan. Having said all that, there is no safe pit bull because it is never guaranteed, and the devastation and disfigurement and trauma and financial ruin caused by these animals is NOT WORTH THE RISK.

I would like pit lovers to understand that it is possible to love a bully a breed and/or an individual dog of a bully breed. There is nothing wrong with loving them. At the same time one can step back and see what is ACTUALLY GOING ON, and agree to banning and eventual extinction of this dog type.