[The Macs]

Pit bull attacks man, kills dog



UPDATE 11.13am: THE RSPCA has renewed calls for a ban on American pit bulls after a man was attacked and his pet dog killed yesterday.

The 30-year-old Reservoir man was walking his two small dogs on Arundel St, Reservoir, about 7.20pm last night when he and his dogs were attacked by an American Pit Bull.

The pit bull killed one of the small dogs before attacking the other. When the owner attempted to his help his pets, the pit bull bit latched onto his arm and it took over 20 minutes for the dog to release - it only released when it was injected with a sedative

RSPCA Victoria president Dr Hugh Wirth said the dogs were a menace and were not suitable as pets for anyone.

"They are time bombs waiting for the right circumstances,'' Dr Wirth said.

"The American pit bull terrier is lethal because it was a breed that was developed purely for dog fighting, in other words killing the opposition.

(another case of a negligent owner making it harder on everybody else - always bad stories make the national paper front page never any good stories)

On line poll has 85% of respondents saying to ban the breed.

[The Macs]

UPDATE 12.08pm: A PARAMEDIC had to use medical supplies to put down a pit bull after it locked its jaws around a man's arm during a horrifying attack yesterday.

The 30-year-old Reservoir man was walking his two small dogs on Arundel St, Reservoir, about 7.20pm last night when he and his dogs were attacked by an American Pit Bull.

The pit bull killed one of the small dogs before attacking the other. When the owner attempted to his help his pets, the pit bull bit latched onto his arm.

Intensive care paramedic Robert Voss said he couldn't believe what he witnessed. Two policemen were trying to restrain the dog and free the injured man's hand when Mr Voss arrived.

"Usually that fear and terror you see after a major disaster,'' Mr Voss told ABC Radio.

Mr Voss' immediate reaction was to ask the police officers how he could help.



Thanks for voting!
Should pit bulls be seized from their owners in Victoria?

* Yes, they should be taken away and destroyed 60.16% (385 votes)
* Yes, they should be taken and cared for at a specialist facility 16.88% (108 votes)
* Maybe, depends on how responsible the owner is 18.28% (117 votes)
* No, if people want to keep a pit bull it's their business 4.69% (30 votes)

Total votes: 640


"They said they had called the ranger to come and euthanase the dog,'' he said.

"I said that we could assist with that. As a last resort, we euthanased the dog for them.

"We used some sedation and then some paralysing agents.''

He said even then everyone was still "scared and frightened''.

"I've got to say all the gentlemen were reluctant to get off the dog, even though the dog was deceased, they were a bit apprehensive because they thought the dog was going to come back again,'' Mr Voss said.

He said the police were loath to fire their weapons at the dog.

"They were going to euthanase the dog with one of their firearms but unfortunately, it was too dangerous to do so,'' he said.

"There were people there, the bullet could have ricocheted and hit somebody.

"It was a frenzied attack. You probably couldn't have got a clear shot anyway.''

Yesterday's attack has renewed calls for American pit bulls to be banned in Australia.

RSPCA Victoria president Dr Hugh Wirth said the dogs were a menace and were not suitable as pets for anyone.

"They are time bombs waiting for the right circumstances,'' Dr Wirth said.

"The American pit bull terrier is lethal because it was a breed that was developed purely for dog fighting, in other words killing the opposition.

"They should never have been allowed into the country. They are an absolute menace.

Dr Wirth said local councils were not doing enough to enforce strict laws on pit bull terriers.

Restrictions for owners include confining the dogs to their property, ensuring the property is escape-proof, while a signpost warning of the dog's existence must be displayed outside the property.

The dog must also be desexed, with the RSPCA hopeful this will eventually wipe out the breed.

"While the dog breed is allowed to remain in the country, unless the law is strictly enforced, we are going to see more and more and more of these attacks,'' Dr Wirth said.

"Local government has got to spend some money going around identifying these dogs and forcing the issue.''

Sen-Constable Julie-Anne Newman said police and ambulance officers were not able to release the man from the dog's grasp for at least 20 minutes.

"The sergeant at the scene said there was a lot of children playing on the street at the time of the attack so it could have been a lot worse,'' Sen-Constable Newman said.

"A dog left to roam the streets is a concern and we are looking into how the dog came to be by itself.''

"The attack was awfully frightening for the the man involved and quite an upsetting ordeal.''

Since 2005, three Victorians have been fatally mauled by dogs and another 1445 were admitted to hospital.

Earlier this year a toddler was scared for her life after she was mauled by a pit bull a home in Melbourne's west.

The owner of the pitbull involved in last night's attack attended the scene and assisted police with their investigation.

The victim was taken to the Northern Hospital with lacerations.

It is believed yesterday's attack is not the first one carried out by the dog. A caller to 3AW said she believed the same dog was responsible for an attack on her cat yesterday afternoon

[fherrada]

I would like to start a new poll :
How many of you would like to enforce euthanasia on iresponsible dog owners??? Maybe that would stop iresponsible *beep* from letting their dogs becoming unstable, mean or plain stupid.....
Thank you

[k84]

fherrada wrote:

How many of you would like to enforce euthanasia on iresponsible dog owners???

And irresponsible journalists ! !

[ckramer]

I second both of those options!

[peeds13]

Yep me 2! At the rate we are going in oz wit all these sh***y laws ther bringin in I wouldn't be surprised if we wer all wearin the same clothes in 10 years time.

[SadMushroom]

I want to know where the poll is for the irresponsible pet owners and irrespnsible reportes!!!!

BTW, some areas in Australia APBT are banned and they have restrictions on pit type breeds.
Some areas have bans on the whole lot.

I know an old guy lived about 2 hour from me. After retirement he was bored so poored all his life savings into setting up breeding kennels and began breeding APBTs. He did it all legal. Had attending vets and all done right. He was doing great until the ban came in in his area. Police and Animal control stormed his property removed all his dogs and put them down.

Where I live if you had a pit type before the ban and followed the laws you could keep it,,BUT noone can bring a new pit type or breed them in the area. If you are caught with a pit that is not registered/microchipped it is taken and put down. IF you have a legal pit BUT it is outside your yard without a muzzle and/or leash it is taken and put down.
Authories often pull up people with 'pit' looking dogs and scan for the microchip. If the chip is non-existant or the details do not match the info on the chip the dog is taken until proven otherwise.

[k84]

SadMushroom wrote:

I want to know where the poll is for the irresponsible pet owners and irrespnsible reportes!!!!

This will cause problems again: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/8391844.stm

British newspapers will start campaigning again, but no one can prove that this was a "pitbull type" dog. When a dog attack happens, British news always say that a "vicious pitbull attacked..." even if the dog is a labrador.

[AMdedicated]

Wow that news report really *beep* me off. Some people are so stupid. Why does everything get ruined for the people who are responsible owners.

Like what was said they always publish the bad things about the breed and not the bloody good things. Really angers me. Clearly the owner of the pitbull who attacked the man needs to be charged or investigated. He was obviously doing somthing wrong with his dog from the very start.

My friends pitty MOTHERS smaller dogs and actually WANTS to look after them.

Its a bloody shame that these people are going to ruin it all.