This am, a St Cloud little girl was bitten by a pit bull. Her family was apparently holding the dog for a friend. She was taken to the hospital due to multiple puncture wounds and torn flesh. It is hoped that she got needed medical care and heals quickly.
Here at the Injuryboard, a number of members have written about not only these type of bites, but also the injuries particular to pit bulls. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs. In Minnesota we have a solid dog bite law that imposes strict liability on the owner of the dog, unless the dog was provoked.
Good advice to avoid getting bit is:
♦Never approach an unfamiliar dog.
♦If you are approached by an unfamiliar dog, remain motionless until the dog leaves the area. Do not scream or run from dog.
♦If a dog should attack, throw something at it; a purse, jacket, backpack or anything that can come between you and it.
♦If you are a dog owner, have your dog spayed or neutered, take your dog to obedience classes and avoid chaining your dog.
If you are bitten:
♦Children should tell an adult right away.
♦Wash the wound with soap and water and consult a doctor. Serious bites can cause permanent scarring, so ask for a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
♦Report animal bites to Animal Care and Control. Be prepared to provide as much information about the animal as possible.
If you or a family member is bitten or injured by a dog, get the name of the owner. See a doctor. If you need help, get the advice of attorneys who are knowledgeable in handling these cases. Early investigation, needed photographs, and proper evaluation can be the difference between an appropriate recovery and inadequate justice.
A founding partner with Bradshaw & Bryant, Mike Bryant has always fought to find justice for his clients—knowing that legal troubles, both personal injury and criminal, can be devastating for a family. Voted a Top 40 Personal Injury "Super Lawyer" multiple years, Mr. Bryant has also been voted one of the Top 100 Minnesota "Super Lawyers" four times.
8 Comments
NoPitLoverHere
It would be nice if you made a public statement about the attacks by pits and take a stand. According to www.DogsBite.org, newspaper reports show that pits and pit types are killing people on average of one every 21 days. This is not acceptable. This doesn't count the numerous attacks that leave people with life altering trauma and scars. Instead the humane community continues to mislead the public by saying pits are "nanny" dogs, the most loyal, blah, blah. So families are unaware of the threat of pits and adopt them. It will only get worse because of the humane community assuming the role of "saviors" for the pits rather than thinking of the safety of people. The "No Kill" movement strives to tell the public that pits get a "bad rap". Misleading the public with this nonsense is only leading to more maulings and killings. Now they have released a "study" done by the same agents that lead the fight for the tobacco companies against smoking bans, of how much BSL costs the taxpayer. It costs us considerably more to not have BSL in the form of hospitals, medical, and funerals. Please take a stand against the misinformation and let people know about these injuries.
Mike Bryant
I believe we here at the Injury board have written a lot about the damage that Pit bulls have done, I'm not sure if that is what you are looking for or not. I do appreciate you taking the time to read and comment.
Daniel 8791
Many, many cities all across the world have bans on them because of the inherent danger surrounding them. Unfortunately so many people that have this breed of dog train them to be aggresive or at least very protective. This is not always the case though. But seemingly the numbers show these dogs to be troublesome and it's making the breeds future much more bleak. It's a tough call for these dogs, and only time and numbers will tell if they'll be able to survive in our society.
pitlover
pitbulls are definetly get a bad rap. i have two at home and they are the sweetest pets. if you want to prevent causualities and fatalities look to the owners of the dogs. and if the dog is normally not agressive, then it the victims fault. its never the breed fault. ive been bitten by chihuahuas more times than other dogs, but i dont know of any place in the world that has a ban on chihuahuas. bans are not the answer. if a pitbull trainer whos taining dogs to attack people gets his pitbulls banned he could move onto onother breed. to stop this trainers activities you would either have to ban every breed of dog or go strait to the owner.
Mike Bryant
I have seen bits from all types of breeds, but rarely the amount of damage as with large pit bulls. You are correct that owners play a big roll and Minnesota does have strict liability exceptions when the dog is provoked, but seems to me they shouldn't be harming 11 year olds like this. I love my dog, as it sounds you do yours, I would assume we will never have an issue with your dogs. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
Facebook User
NoPitLoverHere,
I love it when someone mentions DogsBite.org because it gives me the opportunity to inform more people of the mental state of Colleen Lynn, the founder, designer, publisher and leader of that site.
Lynn is an admitted paranoid delusional with irrational fears and mental collapses that have to be managed through medication.
It amazes me that people put any value in anything that comes from DogsBite.org. That site banks on reports of pit bull bites to raise money to support Lynn's "freelance lifestyle". That is no evidence that any of the donations received have ever been given to a bite victim.
Let's assume that your "one death every 21 days" is accurate. That is approximately 17 deaths a year from a population of nearly 2 million pit bulls. That is about 1:100,000. Hardly an epidemic.
Facebook User
Mike Bryant,
This is not a pit bull problem. This is a basic parental education problem. Children should never be left unsupervised with any dog.
I often board and puppy sit for people and I never leave a child alone with an unfamiliar dog. Guess what? I have NEVER had a family member bitten.
Mike Bryant
Sounds like you are doing a good job of following the notes I posted. Great to hear, the goal is for less people to get bit. As to pit bulls, they do do a lot damage when they bite. I don't know much about what you said about the db website, but seems like a odd occupation. Take care, I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. Keep being safe.
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