Revised: November 3, 2015; 21:21 GMT
National Pit Bull Awareness Month began with a half-hour "feeding frenzy" attack on two young cousins, Isabella George and Rebekah Forgey, on a country road near their homes in rural Indiana.
Cousins Isabella George, 19, and Rebekah Forgey, 20
Attacked by four pit bulls on October 1, 2015
Attacked by four pit bulls on October 1, 2015
The month celebrating pit bulls ended 30 days later, after forty or fifty known attacks on humans, two of which were fatal, and dozens of attacks on our More Vulnerable Animal Companions. A few of the more notable attacks are listed below.
This astonishing 31-day sampling of pit bull attacks is a tip-of-the-iceberg indicator of the many attacks that actually occurred. It is difficult to know with certainty the true number of pit bull attacks. Dog Attack Statistics, the authoritative, cumulative report, is a log of the most serious attacks.1 The new victims' advocacy web page has compiled a compendium of statistics from 45 states.2
The list below is a one-month sample of what should be undertaken, on a comprehensive scale, for an entire year, by an impartial public safety or victims' organization: a database which logs every pit bull attack requiring a visit to a doctor, gleaned from public health offices, state veterinarians, and other uncensored sources.
City councils and legislatures have been intimidated by advocates of fighting breeds. The sheer weight of evidence such a database provides would compel even the most timid politicians to pass public safety legislation.
Sources:
The list below includes only a few of the more notable pit bull attacks during October 2015, National Pit Bull Awareness Month. The list begins with the most recent attack, listing the attacks in reverse order.
Mom told son to lie about pit bull attack to save dog, complaint says
October 30, 2015; Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee WI)
A woman whose 3-month-old son was mauled by her pit bull when she left him alone with his 8-year-old brother told the brother to lie about what happened in order to protect the dog, which had previously bitten the older boy in the face, according to a criminal complaint.
Infant in critical condition after being mauled by family dog
October 30, 2015; WISN 12 Milwaukee WI
Woman bitten trying to quell dog fight in her car
(October 30, 2015; Greenwich CT)
Man shot pit bull after it attacked his dog
October 30, 2015; Times News
Fall River man hospitalized after pit bull attack
October 30, 2015; Herald News
Officer suffers bites to face, hand trying to save woman from dog attack
October 29, 2015; WBTV (Davidson, NC)
Animal control officer severely injured in pit bull attack
October 29, 2015; WSB TV 2 (Columbus GA)
Man hospitalized after pit hull attack
October 29, 2015; KGWN Cheyenne WY
Pitbull euthanized after attacking Clearfield boy
October 28, 2015; Salt Lake Tribune
. . . the boy sustained broken ribs, a facial bite that nearly removed an ear, and multiple slashing wounds on his stomach so severe that paramedics found him with his intestines on the point of spilling out.
Pit bull attacked police dog as it chased a suspected car thief
October 28, 2015; KOMO News (Centralia WA)
Pit Bulls Attack Alpaca in East Windsor
October 28, 2015; NBC Connecticut
Florence dog attack investigated (WI)
October 27, 2015; The Daily News
Girl attacked by pit bull in Pocatello
October 27, 2015; Idaho State Journal
Deputy shoots, kills pit bull after dog attacks him, HCSO says
Pit bull was 1 of 3 dogs that bit women, 2 men
October 26, 2015; Click2Houston
Three People Attacked by Dogs in North Houston
October 26, 2015; ABC 13
Child bitten by family dog in central Brevard
October 26, 2015; Florida Today
Cumberland mother could face charges after dog bites boy
October 25, 2015; WRAL (Fayetteville NC)
Boy, 6, bit by dog in Cocoa (FL)
October 25, 2015; Fox 35
Pit bull day coincides with day for attack victims
October 24, 2015; WVTM 13
Dog Killed By Police After Attacking Owner In Baltimore Park
October 23, 2015; CBS Baltimore
Dog killed, woman hurt after pit bull attack in Glendale
October 23, 2015; WSAU 550 AM (WI)
El Paso sheriff's deputy bitten by stray animal
October 22, 2015; KFOX 14
Pit bull attack sends Montreal woman to hospital for three days
October 23, 2015; CBC News
Dog seriously injured in dog attack in Bow
October 22, 2015; WNUR 9 ABC
Women recovering from pitbull attack
October 22, 2015; Great Bend Tribune (KS)
FATAL ATTACK
OKC Man Dies After Being Mauled By Five Dogs
October 21, 2015; News 9 Oklahoma
Jogger attacked by pack of pit bulls
October 21, 2015; My Panhandle (FL)
Pit bulls, owner sought in Fort Myers Beach attack on girl, dog
October 21, 2015; News Press (FL)
Dog attacks man at Richmond Hill car wash
October 21, 2015; Savannah Morning News (Bryan Cty, GA)
FATAL ATTACK
Texas boy, 5, mauled to death by two pit bulls at home of family friend
October 20, 2015; Daily News
Lorain dog owner cited after multiple dog attacks
October 20, 2015; Lorain Morning Journal
2 pit bulls attack off-duty Lima Police Department officer
October 20, 2015; LimaOhio
Proceedings delayed against man watching dogs when they attacked people
October 20, 2015; WIBW Topeka
Police investigating pit bull attack on woman
October 20, 2015; WHIO Dayton
Woman says pit bull charged her, killed her dog
October 20, 2015; ABC 10 San Diego
Vidor child dies from injuries sustained in dog attack
October 19, 2015; The Orange Leader (CA)
Woman and daughter attacked by 2 pit bulls in north St. Louis
October 19, 2015; KMOV St Louis
Family Searches For Dog That Mauled Daughter In Long Island City
October 19, 2015; CBS New York
Pit bull mix that killed puppy in Hollis had previous attack
October 18, 2015; WCSH 6 (Hollis ME)
Pierce County pit bull owner charged after vicious mauling
October 16, 2015; KOMO News
Man shoots, kills dog during attack
October 15, 2015; Post-Crescent
Local woman recovering after being mauled by pack of dogs at cemetery
October 14, 2015; News-Bulletin (Valencia County, CA)
Pit bull mixes kill 2 dogs, bite 2 people, police say
October 14, 2015; Lehigh Valley Live
Two pit bulls bite man walking past airport neighborhood home
October 14, 2015; Modesto Bee
Dog attacks housekeeper in San Luis Obispo
October 14, 2015; KSBY
Baby injured in Johnston County pit bull attack
October 13, 2015; WRAL 5 (Kenley NC)
34 dogs impounded in sweep after fatal attack
October 13, 2015; Desert Sun (CA)
Officers shoots, kills 2 pit bulls during attack
October 12, 2013; MyFoxBoston, Wichendon NH
Bayonne police kill pit bull after it attacks 4 people, cops say
October 9, 2015; Jersey Journal
Police shoot, kill dog after it attacks young girl, others
October 9, 2015; New Jersey Herald
Father of girl attacked by pit bull: 'I tried to protect my daughter'
October 9, 2015; NJ.com
After pit bull attack, mom worries about how Clermont County identifies problem dogs (Batavia OH)
October 9, 2015; WCPO 9 Cincinnati
Pit bull attack leaves man injured in Southeast DC
October 6, 2015; WUSA 9
Appleton couple attacked by pit bull they had brought home
October 5, 2015; Niagara Gazette
Man saves woman from pit bull attack
October 5, 2015; 13 WMAZ
Police Shoot, Kill Pit Bulls in Corona After Dogs 'Terrorize' Neighborhood
October 5, 2015; NBC 5 Los Angeles
(Previously unreported October 4th attack on 8-year old Zion, IL child noted in Oct 27 Chicago Tribune story)
Dog Allegedly Mauls Goats Leaving Ten Dead
October 2, 2015; KWTX
Pit bull attack still haunts North Shore victim
October 1, 2015; Desert Sun
Vicious pack of pit bulls maul cousins out for a run, ripping most of woman's scalp off in horrific 30-minute 'feeding frenzy'
October 1, 2015; Daily Mail
Women ‘fight for their lives’ in vicious pit bull attack
October 2, 2015; WLFI 18
* * * * *
Notes:
1 Dog Attack Deaths and Maimings, compiled by Merritt Clifton, logs only the most severe attacks in which the victim is killed or disfigured. See the following paragraph to view or download the report.Vicious pack of pit bulls maul cousins out for a run, ripping most of woman's scalp off in horrific 30-minute 'feeding frenzy'
October 1, 2015; Daily Mail
Women ‘fight for their lives’ in vicious pit bull attack
October 2, 2015; WLFI 18
* * * * *
Notes:
2 Bites, Bans, and Deaths by State
Statistics:
Statistics quoted on SRUV are from the nation's authoritative source for current dog attack statistics, the 32+ year, continuously updated Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada.
View or download the current PDF
2014 Year-end report of dog attacks
Animals 24-7; January 3, 2015
32 years of logging fatal & disfiguring dog attacks
Animals 24-7; September 27, 2014
How many other animals did pit bulls kill in 2014?
Animals 24-7; January 27, 2015
This page may also include information from Dogsbite & Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.
Google News: Today's pit bull attacks
2014 Dog Bite Related Fatalities on Daxton's Friends
Index of canine fatalities on Daxton's Friends
Definitions:
SRUV uses the definition of "pit bull" as found in the Omaha Municipal Code Section 6-163. As pit bulls are increasingly crossed with exotic mastiffs, Catahoula Leopard Dogs and other breeds, the vernacular definition of "pit bull" must be made even more inclusive.
Sources cited by news media sometimes refer to "Animal Advocates" or sometimes "Experts." In many cases these words are used to refer to single-purpose pit bull advocates who have never advocated for any other breeds or species of animals. Media would be more accurate to refer to these pit bull advocates as advocates of fighting breeds.
Similarly, in many cases pit bull advocates refer to themselves as "dog lovers" or "canine advocates" and media often accepts this usage. The majority of these pit bull advocates are single-purpose advocates of fighting breeds.
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2014 Year-end report of dog attacks
Animals 24-7; January 3, 2015
32 years of logging fatal & disfiguring dog attacks
Animals 24-7; September 27, 2014
How many other animals did pit bulls kill in 2014?
Animals 24-7; January 27, 2015
This page may also include information from Dogsbite & Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.
Google News: Today's pit bull attacks
2014 Dog Bite Related Fatalities on Daxton's Friends
Index of canine fatalities on Daxton's Friends
Definitions:
SRUV uses the definition of "pit bull" as found in the Omaha Municipal Code Section 6-163. As pit bulls are increasingly crossed with exotic mastiffs, Catahoula Leopard Dogs and other breeds, the vernacular definition of "pit bull" must be made even more inclusive.
Sources cited by news media sometimes refer to "Animal Advocates" or sometimes "Experts." In many cases these words are used to refer to single-purpose pit bull advocates who have never advocated for any other breeds or species of animals. Media would be more accurate to refer to these pit bull advocates as advocates of fighting breeds.
Similarly, in many cases pit bull advocates refer to themselves as "dog lovers" or "canine advocates" and media often accepts this usage. The majority of these pit bull advocates are single-purpose advocates of fighting breeds.
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