Pit bull attacks

Between 1979 and 1998, over 300 Americans were killed in dog attacks, and countless thousands were injured. Pit bulls accounted for about a third of these deaths. Defenders of the breed say that pit bulls are no more likely to attack than any other type of dog. Whether or not that is true is open for debate, but the extreme severity of the attacks, their sheer strength, and the reluctance of the dog to stop attacking even when badly injured makes it more dangerous than your average toy poodle. All it takes is a quick search of “pit bull attack” in Google News to see how many maulings occur every week across the U.S. and around the world.

Case in point: a 12-year old boy was mauled to death on June 3, 2005 in his San Francisco home by one or both of the family’s pit bulls. According to the Associated Press, the attack was so bad that counseling was made available to the police officers who investigated at the scene. What makes this story even more shocking is that the boy’s mother, who had gone out to run errands, had left her son armed with a shovel to protect himself from the dogs. One of them had bitten him earlier that day.

The city of San Francisco is now considering a ban on the breed, and they wouldn’t be the first. The city of Denver, Colorado has had a ban in effect since 1989 and at least three states, Georgia, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, are considering a pit bull ban. The province of Ontario, Canada already legislated a full ban on March 1, 2005 – the first state-equivalent jurisdiction to do so in North America.

One of the problems with enacting and enforcing these laws is that the “pit bull” is not any one particular breed of dog, but in fact is a loose group of breeds. Generally – though not always – accepted in the group are the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the American Bulldog, and others. To confuse matters more, there are cross breeds like the Bull Terrier, and general cross breeding between pit bulls and other dogs.

Whether Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL) can reduce the number of pit bull attacks remains to be seen. But regardless of the breed, dog owners should be held responsible for the actions of their pets. If you have been bitten or attacked by any dog, you could be eligible for compensation for your injuries to cover medical costs, lost time from work, and also pain and suffering. Contact a Jim S. Adler & Associates personal injury attorney for a free case review. We’ll let you know what your rights are – and help you protect them. Contact us right now by clicking the link on this page for a free case review.

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