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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

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D.C. Senior Citizen Fights for Life After Pit Bull Attack

Victim's Condition Upgraded
UPDATE 12/09/08: Catherine Barber, who is in her 70s, remains hospitalized in serious condition. Barber was airlifted to a hospital Monday evening after she was attacked while taking out the trash. She was in the alley just behind her home when she encountered her neighbor's two pit bulls. One pit bull attacked her. Barber was severely mauled about the head and neck until police arrived. Officers shot the dog at least four times, killing it.
DogsBite.org has recorded too many senior citizens "taking out their trash," who are attacked by a violent pit bull.
Henrietta Wright, Barber's friend said, "To think, you can't even go outside to put your trash in the can and have a dog mangle you." It is the sad truth Henrietta. Senior citizens are frequently attacked by pit bulls, and even killed, for the following activities too: gardening in their yard, standing in their yard, taking a stroll (with or without a pet) and getting the mail. Senior citizens are at great risk to these dogs. Please see our senior citizen section.

Barber has lived in the neighborhood for more than 50 years. She teaches yoga, dance and other classes to fellow seniors at the Fort Davis Community Center. Those who know Barber say her strength will see her through this.

Related ZUPF video

12/08/08: Woman in 60s Severely Injured
Washington D.C. - In a developing story, a woman is fighting for her life tonight after she was attacked by a pit bull in Southeast D.C. The woman, who sources say appeared to be in her sixties, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. The crime scene extended through the alley to neighbor Bill Howard's backyard. "They won't let me back there it's all blocked off," Howard described. "All I see is a bunch of blood at [the] top of my basement steps."

Emergency responders say the dog focused the attack on the woman's head. She was shttp://www.blogger.com/img/triangle_open.gifeverely bitten on her face, neck and head. Police say only one of two pit bulls attacked the woman. She is still trying to be identified. Police say the dog was loose and not in the owner's fenced-in backyard. It is not known how long the mauling lasted, but help arrived when a neighbor ran to the home of the off-duty police officer. The officer immediately radioed for help.
In June, a D.C. police officer saved a woman who was "suddenly" mauled by her boyfriend's pit bull as she was walking the animal.
Police report the victim was down on the ground when at least three officers arrived and shot at the dog. During the shooting, one officer was grazed in the face by what is believed to be flying debris. The officers shot the dog at least four times, but it was still alive when animal control arrived. The family's second pit bull was taken as a matter of procedure. The family had no comment, but many residents in the area say they are familiar with the dogs.

The officer who was injured was taken to the hospital and is expected to be fine. Residents say the off-duty officer, who helped out during the attack, is a good neighbor and did just as they'd expect her to do.

Related articles:
06/18/08: Woman, Police Officer Attacked by Pit Bull in D.C.
06/06/08: Cincinnati Police Kill Two Pit Bulls in Separate Shootings in Same Day

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4 comments:

Anonymous Anonymous  |  12/09/2008 2:45 AM  |  Flag  
Another Level 5...which sounds like it could become a Level 6. Thanks Pit Breeders!

Dr. Ian Dunbar's Six Levels (degrees) of Bites:

Level 1: This bite does not touch the skin. The dog is air biting or snapping.

Level 2: This bite makes contact with the skin, but doesn't break the skin. Pain and bruising may result, but no abrasions will be visible.

Level 3: This bite ranges from a one to three punctures in a single bite with on puncture less than ½ the depth of the eye-tooth (fang) with or without some tearing.

Level 4: The dog is putting great pressure into the bite. 1 to 4 puncture wounds with or without tearing, more than ½ the depth of the eye tooth. This is usually accompanied with bruising and likely to require medical attention. These injuries suggest the dog grabbed and shook what was in it's mouth.

Level 5: Multiple level 4 bites. This dog is usually beyond the ability to reason and may feel his/her life is threatened.

Level 6: The dog has killed.

Anonymous Anonymous  |  12/09/2008 10:57 AM  |  Flag  
Reading this story, I couldn't help but think, “What if this had been my mother or someone else close to me?”

It seems a miracle that retribution hasn't been dealt to a pit bull owner by a victim's family member. I, for one, don't think I could rely on the system alone, or keep a cool, rational mind in such circumstances.

We know pit bull owners roll the dice, but do they really understand the stakes?

They should make sure their pit bull chooses its victim, wisely.

Anonymous Anonymous  |  12/09/2008 5:19 PM  |  Flag  
That's why around here we call the owners Wicker Men, being that they are the most obvious choice of sacrifice. It takes a mean mauling for the law to even take a glance at what's happening.

Anonymous Anonymous  |  12/10/2008 7:09 AM  |  Flag  
And remember the elderly woman in Virginia who was killed along with her little dog in her own driveway just GETTING HER MAIL

or the elderly man putting up Christmas decorations

And the countless children attacked while playing in their yard, walking to school, waitibg for a schol bus, at school, in their house by a dog that broke through a door to get them

It's an endless list

This is a kind of war that is going on in too much of our country, where the killers can surface at any time while people are just trying to live their lives, even on their own property

It is getting to the point that people need to be ARMED to go about their daily business

And yet the breeders want it to go on this way, and too often legislators and animal control let it happen

So how many more will die or be ripped to shreds while authorities sit around, gossiping with breeder lobbying front groups about "dog racism" and other ridiculous, concocted things

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