Police: Pit Bull Attacks Man's Face

KPHO ^

[Chet 99]

UPDATED: 4:41 am MST February 27, 2010

MESA, Ariz. -- A pit bull attacked his young owner in Mesa on Friday, slashing the man’s face, police said. Friends of the victim described sounds echoing through their apartment complex that are the stuff of nightmares. “I just heard growling. I heard him say, 'Stop it,'” said Darrin Keser.

“Cops everywhere, ambulance,” said Malynzo Cofey. According to police, an 18-year-old man named Raul went inside his home to get a video game for a friend when his pit bull, named Chico, attacked.

“The 18-year-old suffered severe lacerations to the face. We got him out of the apartment and he was transported to Scottsdale Memorial Hospital,” said Mesa Police Sgt. Dan Butler.

Police said that initially, the victim was so traumatized by his appearance, he told officers to shoot him.

The victim’s father was also in the apartment at the time of the attack and initial reports from police were that the two got into a verbal fight that riled the dog. However, officers said they were having trouble confirming that.

“We don’t know where the father is at this particular point, so we’re still looking for him to get some kind of statement as to what happened ,” said Butler.

Darrin Keser identified himself as the friend who wanted to borrow the video game.

He said Raul always treated both of his pit bulls well, but Chico was known to have a temper.

“The dog does get vicious at times, and I heard the dog growling and then I heard Raul saying, 'Dad,'” said Keser.

Officers at the scene said the victim will most likely need multiple reconstructive surgeries to repair his face.

The attacking animal was taken to Mesa Animal Control. The family has not yet decided if Chico will be put down.

[freedumb2003]

“It’s not the breed (and ‘whah, Chet 99 hates us, statistics be damned!’)” in 3...2...1...

[Sister_T]

http://www.dogsbite.org/index.php

[RC one]

I gotta say, it’s kind of...poetic when the dog attacks the owner for a change.

[freedumb2003]

>>I gotta say, it’s kind of...poetic when the dog attacks the owner for a change.<<

May I suggest the word “ironic?”

[RC one]

I picked “funny” first but opted for poetic instead actually.

[freedumb2003]

GREAT SITE!

From that site (and I await a factual response).

In the 3-year period from 2006 to 2008, pit bull type dogs killed 52 Americans and accounted for 59% of all fatal attacks. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers accounted for 73% of these deaths.”

Here is the link to the underlying data, lovers of these weapons: http://www.dogsbite.org/reports/dogsbite-report-us-dog-bite-fatalities-2006-2008.pdf

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

Better the owner gets mauled than some kid,,,

The tax payer will still have to pay his bills...

[oldenuff2no]

I’ve posted this link and a few others. It doesn’t make any difference to the people who make excuses for these vicious dogs. They do not care to know the truth of see the facts in front of them. When it happens to them they will be front and center telling everyone how they never dreamed their gentle little pet could kill a child. Ya they know because we have told them. I would love to step onto a witness stand and tell a jury that I had informed them of the potential homicidal tendency of their pit bull. I’ll ask this question one more time. Can anyone give me a reason why they need a dog like this? Is there anything, anything at all that these dogs do for you that another breed of dog couldn’t do just as well? People own these dogs by personal choice. If I chose to own a gun and that gun causes someone else injury or death I will be charged as a criminal. This same set of rules should be applied to pit bulls.

[JoeProBono]

LOL!

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

I bet none of your guns ever chased anybody down the street

all by themselves and shot them...;0)

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

Why do people think they can play dog roulette with pit bulls? It’s only a matter of time before these dogs spin out of control and attack someone.

[calex59]

If I chose to own a gun and that gun causes someone else injury or death I will be charged as a criminal. This same set of rules should be applied to pit bulls.

This is an idiotic statement. Guns don't "cause" anyone's death. Careless handling or deliberately firing at someone can cause death, the gun itself can't. Poor analogy since the dog can act on it's own and the gun can't.

[oldenuff2no]

I'm a long time attack dog trainer and handler. Having a vicious dog around is in fact exactly the same as having any other weapon. It is dangerous, it is yours, and it is totally your responsibility.
If these laws apply to guns stolen from locked guns safes, and they do, then they need to be equally applied to people who own vicious dogs mo matter what!!!!!
If I take an attack trained dog out and put him on someone I get charged with assault with a deadly weapon. If I shoot at someone with a firearm I would get charged with assault with a deadly weapon. It is exactly the same.
I know exactly what my trained dogs can and will do. They will do what they have been trained to do. An untrained vicious dogs doesn't have that history of training, they have little of no track record. They just go off and do what they want to whom they want without trained in limitations or control.
I have used a dog as a weapon many times. In most cases they are considered less than lethal force. This is a fallacy. It is obvious that pit bulls are very lethal. I didn't say the gun would ever attack by itself, that is your slant on things. My analogy is about how the law should look at the back yard time bomb that is otherwise called a pit bull.

[Nachoman]

Expecting a pit bull not to attack is like expecting a labrador retriever not to jump in the water.

[kalee]

The family has not yet decided if Chico will be put down.

What’s to decide?

[solosmoke]

Dogsbite is a hate site. The woman who runs it has admitted to having mental problems which affect her ability to make sound judgments. She was also known by the name “bitbypit” a full year before she was supposedly attacked by one. The saddest part is, the reputable studies she has links to on her site contradict her claims, but she only takes certain quotes out of context to use for her cause. The Merritt-Clifton study she so proudly displays there is also the only “study” that actually supports her...too bad it has been dismissed by experts as biased, incomplete, and flat-out wrong. The man is the editor of a pet magazine, not a scientist, and is not interested in showing the full scope, much like Coleen Lynn (creator of Dogsbite). They have both refused additional information coming from highly reputable sources, and Dogsbite regularly erases messages on their site from others trying to give them information. It’s best to steer clear of sites like this one for sound advice. The woman is in it for the money, and not at all interested in learning about the causes of dog attacks. Here are some links to sources you will find more reputable:

www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com

www.cdc.gov

www.atts.org

www.chako.org

www.kcdogblog.com

Also, it’s interesting to note that the places in which breed bans have been enacted have not seen any decrease in serious attacks, but places that have instituted responsible dog ownership laws have seen dramatic decreases in attacks. Experts agree that the problem has so much more to do with the care the dog receives, rather than the breed. Pit bulls are one of the most popular breeds, outnumbering all others in some highly-populated areas. The same issue happened years ago with other breeds that became popular with the wrong crowd, and it will continue unless the right laws are passed.