Roody

This didn't happen to me, but to my stepson Jerry (33 years old). Last Tuesday, he was riding to a friend's house on a residential street about a mile from my house. A pit bull started chasing him and he tried to outride it. He ended up falling off his bike, but he's not sure if the dog pushed him or if he just fell (he has balance problems from a severe auto accident a couple years ago).

At any rate, when Jerry fell, he hit his face on the pavement. The pit bull bit down on his forearm and started shaking it around. Jerry reached under the dog and grabbed its testicles, giving them a good hard squeeze. The dog said "Yipe!" and Jerry was able to pull his arm out of the dog's mouth. He backhanded it real hard, and the dog ran away.

An old man helped Jerry sit up and rest a minute. He was able to get back on his bike and ride to his friend's house. (Being cyclists, you know that the first question I asked Jerry was, "Is your bike OK?") The dog had disappeared by then, and nobody was able to say where it came from or where it went.

I went with Jerry to the Emergency Room after I got off work. They cleaned the wound, did a CAT scan of his head and an X-ray of his arm, and put him on antibiotics to prevent infection. The wounds are healing well. Jerry's a very strong guy, but I can tell that he was a little shook up by the incident. I think he'll be fine in a little while.

The ER also filed reports with both Animal Control and the Public Health Department. An Animal Control officer came by the next day and started an investigation. He said that finding this dog will be one of their top priorities, but there are a lot of pit bulls in Lansing so it won't be easy. Luckily, Jerry was able to give a good description of the dog, including some scars on its head and neck.

Public Health called and explained that Jerry should have rabies shots if the dog isn't found within 10 days (this Friday). It was only after he talked with Animal Control and Public Health that the seriousness sunk in for Jerry. "So this is actually kind of a big deal, isn't it?" I could only say, "Yes, Jerry, it is a very big deal."

2manybikes

Wow !

I hear that rabies shots are plentifull and painfull. I don't know for sure. Quick thinking on Jerry's part, good move. I hope they find the dog. A mile away makes it your riding territory too. Yikes!

supcom

Actually, modern rabies shots are much less of an ordeal than they used to be. However, regardless, they should probably be administered even if a dog is found that appears to match the description of the one that attacked. Except for one case ever recorded, rabies is 100% fatal. And, as I recall, the one survivor will be seriously disabled for life.

I don't think that I would bet my life on IDing a dog that I saw one time under extreme stress.

The good news is that pit bulls are just naturally vicious so being attacked is not necessarily a sign of rabies!

uke

If you're referring to Jeanna Giese, she's actually expected to make a full recovery. And there are reports that the treatment used to save her (or a variant of it) was successfully used on a boy in Colombia this year. But yes, you should certainly get shots, and soon, if the animal isn't found. They're expensive, but more than worth it.

Roody

Yeah, Jerry's a total warrior. I thought the nut grab was pretty cool. The Animal Control officer said he had used it once. He said he always wondered if it would work on a pit bull. He told Jerry, "I'm glad you were the guy who tried it first instead of me." Jerry was kinda embarrassed: "I don't like to tell people that I touched a dog there, but that's what I did."

Lamplight

Glad to hear he's basically okay! I have to say, I would not have thought to grab the dog balls. I'd probably just beat the animal over the head as hard as possible, which probably wouldn't bother a pitbull very much.

cyclokitty 

I'm glad Jerry'll be okay!

I read somewhere that the new rabies shots are not as awful as they once were (a little girl in my grade school was bitten by a rabid dog and she said the treatment was even worse).

Torrilin

Very often pit bulls have owners who mistreat them, and that will make most dogs behave badly. Right now, it's pit bulls, when I was little it was Rottweilers. When my parents were young, it was Dobermans. People who want a big scary dog will find a way, and it's usually the dog who ends up dying for it. (and yes, if animal control finds the dog who attacked Jerry, the dog *will* die)

Roody, I'm glad Jerry was able to get away. That's a helluva situation.

Roody

I don't think pits are more vicious than other breeds. They're just real strong with crushing jaws and killer instincts.

But no, the dog won't be destroyed. It'll be quarantined for 10 days. The owners will probably have to pay a fine and a boarding fee for the 10 days. If they can find the owner. The dog had a collar so he probably has an owner.

Funny thing is, Jerry was worried that the dog would be killed too. He didn't want to tell Animal Control anything at first. I explained why he should tell and he finally agreed.

Platy

The nut grab shows great presence of mind in a very difficult situation. Sorry to hear about the dog bite.

uke

This will happen if the dog has verified and valid rabies shots. If it doesn't, it will have to be in quarantine for six months, or be destroyed.

Roody

I'm just going by what the Animal Control officer told me. I think I understood what he said.

uke

He's right if the dog's shots are current, but if they can't verify that the dog has up to date shots, procedure is to either isolate and watch for half a year or kill the animal outright. That's why it's really important for pet owners to keep their pet's shots up to date. It's much cheaper to do that than to go through the quarantine procedure. And of course, no amount of quarantining will help if the animal was bitten by a rabid animal while unvaccinated.

Roody

Thanks. I'll pass along everybody's good thoughts to Jerry. It really means a lot to him to know that people care. And he always gets a kick out of it when I talk about him on the internet. (He's such a character that it's fun to talk about him.)

I wondered about the shots too, so I looked it up on the CDC website and talked to a nurse at work who's given them. Currently they give a series of 5 vaccinations over about (IIRC) 2 weeks. They also give a rabies immunoglobulin shot to give some protection until the vaccinations start working. The shots are given in the deltoid muscle in the upper arm. I guess they hurt about the same as a flu shot. Bad reactions are rare.

Unfortunately, Jerry has a needle phobia. I'll go with him and hold his hand. I'm used to that because he's had so many health problems over the years.

Rabies is a very strange and frightening disease. The probability of getting rabies from a dog is almost zero. Almost but not quite zero. It's a very cut and dried disease. If you get it you will die. But with the right treatment you won't get it, and you definitely won't die. 100% lethal and 100% curable. That's weird!

wahoonc

My contention on the "bad" breed of dogs is that people breed them to make a quick buck, with non thought to blood lines and the worst of the breed comes out in them. There are owners that abuse them also, but that happens with every breed. My wife's half brother has a beautiful pit bull female that is just as sweet as can be. Very protective of their grand kids, but also works as a therapy dog at the local hospital and a couple of extended care facilities.

FWIW my great uncle had a Chesapeake Bay retriever that killed a Doberman when it wouldn't back down and leave the yard where the kids were playing. The last thing in the world you would expect from that breed.

Roody,
Give my best to Jerry and tell him great job. I doubt I would have had the presence of mind to do what he did. Hope they find the dog AND owner, and he can skip the shot sequence.

Aaron

keiththesnake

Roody:

Thank goodness for Jerry's quick thinking. I've PM'd you.

Keith

thplmn72

This is why I'm hesitant to ride in rural Georgia. People here seem to think it's ok to let there dogs roam. A few years ago I had a rottwieller run out of a yard and grab my pants leg but let go with no bodily damage.I have a can of mace but don't know if I'd have time to react before a dog attacks. If they would punish owners more harshly mabe it would make people lock the animal up!

Indie

My mother has a pittie and despite having been neglected for her whole life (she was a breeder in a puppy mill situation) this dog is the sweetest animal I have ever met. Every other dog is her puppy, and every person is a lap to be sat on.

Unfortunately they've been banned in Ontario and I'm afraid that this is going to lead to increased attacks, bad breeding, abuse, etc. of other breeds such as Rottweilers... this is what's happened in other places have banned one notorious breed because it was popular among the thug set. Banning breeds does nothing to stop animal abuse or irresponsible dog ownership, which are the real causes of dog attacks. Whether it was a pit bull or a golden retriever, it should have been leashed or fenced in, and not running loose.

Incidentally, this kind of behaviour can happen in any breed if the dog is left to be in charge and fend for itself. I grew up rural and too many people had free-roaming dogs who thought it was their job to defend the territory -- and of course, a free-roaming dog's territory is wherever it can roam. They don't understand fences other than as a convenient thing to pee on.

Roody

I don't blame the breed or even the individual dog. I blame the idiotic owners. I often have problems with dogs, or rather with their owners on the trails when I'm riding and on the sidewalks when I'm walking. Some dogs come right up to you, growling with hair standing up. Typically the owner thinks it's cute and says "he won't bite you." I respond that it's a vicious dog and shouldn't be brought out in public until the owner gives it some decent training. I think owners should be licensed, not dogs.

Roody

Unfortunately the dog has not been found. Jerry is supposed to go for first rabies shot later today.

thplmn72

hhhhh

uke

The shots aren't nearly that bad these days, and $1500, while not cheap, is certainly better than foaming at the mouth 28 days later. Most cases of death by rabies in the US occur from people who were bitten, knew they were bitten, and decided not to get shots. Very few cases occur from people who were bitten and didn't know until presenting symptoms.

2manybikes

Sorry Jerry.

At least you convinced him to go. Good step-parenting.

gerv 

This all sounds terrible. I hope Jerry gets past this without more problems.

I mostly run into dogs out in the country. If you are cycling past some of these farms, dogs will rush out after you. I keep thinking I should have my pump set up so that it's more quickly detachable.

Doug5150

I carry a Spyderco knife I can open one-handed, either clipped on a string around my neck or clipped in my front jeans pocket.

I've been bit twice by dogs while riding; the dogs always got away with no damage, and I just ain't playing that anymore. From now on, the dogs are going home bleeding too.
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