Please donate to support our work

DogsBite.org is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity organization. Learn more »

9 thoughts on “Woman and Her Dog Attacked by a Pit Bull While Camping at Michigan State Park Campground

Please review our comment policy.

  1. Yup, I noticed this phenomenon earlier this year at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. We went for a day hike near the Matthews Arm Campground with my 3 year old child. During our afternoon there, I would estimate that ~50% of the dogs we saw were pit bull breeds. Many of them we encountered on the trail (dogs are supposedly banned from the trails). My daughter was under instructions to get into our arms when one was approaching and I had my bear mace and knife ready while we watched the owners pass. We got plenty of stinky looks but I could care less, I'm not going to give your nasty beast the chance to jump my kid without warning. I'll never go camping in that campground again, that's for sure, it was overrun with the things.

    • Oh my gosh that is such depressing news. I used to hike in the Shenandoah Park a lot before kids. That sucks.

  2. Newago State Park should not allow pitbulls as the county has a pitbull ban. News reports of feral pitbull packs killing pets were picked up by a homeowners trail cam inside Saugutuck state park. It would be great to know which park this occurred at.

  3. http://photos.mlive.com/4473/gallery/trail_camera_shows_feral_dogs_/index.html#/0 Pictures of feral pitbulls in Saginaw Michigan roaming the Saugatuck state park lands and killing a neighbor's pet were picked up by a residents trail cam in July. Incredibly, on November 2, 2014 of this year the trail cam is still recording pictures of feral dogs that numerous agencies including the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and sheriffs departments have still been unable to catch. Thousands of dollars, air helicopters and organized hunts have not been able to catch and contain the pack. This unsuccessful hunt shows how natural areas can be corrupted by the invasive pitbull "species" that goes feral in natural areas used by humans for recreation, and how expensive efforts to remedy the problem are not working. Just another reason to pass legislation on pitbulls. The feral dogs found go to a rescue called The Devoted Barn in Monroe Michigan. http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2014/11/feral_pack_dog_trapped_in_sagi.html

  4. i can't beleive this story! What a terrible experience for you! i thought you just had to be careful of bears and weird people at campsites… Now it's pitbulls too. Geez, what kind of world are our kids dealing with? I know that Pit owners and advocates are going to have a lot of explaining to do when all these mauled children grow up and have a voice.
    I know we all want pitbull bans but if we can't get them, we are all going to have to start carrying serious weapons to be able to protect ourselves and others. I think it's time to start fighting back one on one. The owners parade around us with their "weapons" so it's time they feel some push back. We should not wait for the government to protect us, we need to be prepared and know our surroundings.
    Oh and I personnally do NOT have a Facebook page but FB is infested with Pitbull advocates. Don't waste your time commenting there! It will just make you feel worse and abused!
    Again sorry for what you went through! I hope it gets easier in time. Glad your dog is ok.

  5. It's pretty sad to say but after so many stories of folks being caught unaware while hiking/jogging/camping/riding I think that there are really three choices for people who want to enjoy the outdoors:

    1. Stop going outside and enjoying yourself (not really a viable option).
    2. Arm yourself with whatever you can successfully use to defend yourself. Make sure you are prepared to use whatever method you choose. I have hunted before and am quite sure that I'm prepared to kill to defend myself/my child, I also train regularly with my chosen method and don't leave home without it.
    3. Relentlessly push your local authorities to start ENFORCING existing laws. For many attacks that we read about, there was usually an existing law or ordinance that was being violated. Since suing a government entity is difficult, relentless harassment of them may be the only way to get change. Dogs not supposed to be off leash? File a complaint every single time you see one, and follow up with local council representatives a la "On this, this, this, and this occasion reports were filed pertaining to X ordinance and X official failed to enforce said ordinance. Why are they being paid by my taxes to do a job that they are refusing to do?"

    I say all this pretty much as a musing because I'm sure all of us don't have lives or anything to be able to put that much effort in to it, right? Anyway, I have written to my local government representative a few times so it's at least on his radar. I will do what I can, keep up with this website, donate a little money here and there, and talk to people about the dangers. Every little bit helps. I kind of agree with Jensen Family, Facebook is overrun but I enjoyed it for the week or so before they suspended my account for refusing to send them a copy of my photo ID. Now my commenting is limited to blogs.

    I really hope the person in this story is able to recover fully from this attack and enjoy the things they did before. Thank you so much for having the courage to share your story through this site.

  6. We have a four year old goldendoodle that is identical to yours. our dog looks just like our Lucy. Our daughter just adopted a year old pitbull mix. We are very disturbed. We really feel that we cannot allow Lucy to be in the same area as her new "gentle" dog. Goldendoodles are so sweet and submissive they are attack magnets.
    I am so sorry to read your story. I would have called the auhorities and officially reported this attack.

  7. I have been to many campgrounds like KOA in Utah and Wyoming and smaller campgrounds in San Diego, CA that do not allow brreds such as pit bulls, Akita, Rottweillers, Dobermans, any aggressive dogs. They can be banned. For liability reasons. I would've called the police and sued the campground. Then I'm sure they would ban the breed. That is a horrible experience. I would just die if that happened to my dog.

Comments are closed.