Name: Cynthia
Victim: Pet
Location: front yard, Massachusetts
Year of attack: 2020

Tell us about the attack
Two loose pit bulls charged out of a wooded area and circled me with my horse as I rode down my street. Upon returning home, while trying to alert my family including elderly parents and young nephews who were waiting outside in my yard, the pit bulls stopped circling the horse and ran straight for the 4 family dogs (2 Welsh corgis, one golden retriever and one black lab). Before the humans and animals could be rushed inside to safety, the two pit bulls attacked the black lab, latched onto and bit his hind leg. The police were called and the pit bulls were trapped in a nearby fenced horse paddock. The pit bull owners were out of town and the dog sitter had not noticed their escape. The black lab was transported to emergency vet for treatment and the pit bulls were ordered to quarantine.

How has your life changed as a result of the attack?
I was convinced these pit bulls would attack me and the horse as we traveled down the street. They circled us and I was fearful for them to attack me at any moment. They bit at the horse’s hind legs and when I tried kicking them away, they didn’t care. This is an event I won’t soon forget. The police department was not cooperative (these attacks are not common in my town) and they said we don’t have any power to do anything as there is no leash law. I discovered where the pit bulls lived only by knocking on doors in my neighborhood. One neighbor told me these pit bulls had chewed a bumper off his car while they were trying to get at a rodent that had made its way into the engine area. I am now afraid these pit bulls will return since they know where my animals live and my other dogs, family and horses.

Legal Consequences
The owner tells me she will pay my $1,000 vet bill but I still have not seen the police report I requested. I will write to my local paper and explain the incident to get attention if she doesn’t relocate the pit bulls. I will also need to take her to court if she doesn’t pay the vet bill. My dog is traumatized from this experience and I can no longer feel safe allowing him outside within his own invisible-fenced yard.

What would you like people to know as a result of your attack?
Pit bulls are not family pets and have no place in suburban neighborhoods.