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Last updated: May 3, 2020

The Pit Bull Bite: Pet Pit Bull Bites Off Owner's Hand

Victim in ICU
Paradise Township, PA - In a developing story, a pet pit bull severed the hand of its owner. Police found 48-year old John M. Venezia lying in his hallway unconscious with his hand bitten off. State police shot and killed the pit bull when it lunged at an officer trying to give aid to Venezia. The victim was taken by ambulance to Pocono Medical Center where he remains in intensive care. There is no question that had police not arrived when they did, Venezia would have bled to death.

"A 48-year-old Monroe County man had his right hand severed by a pit bull dog in his house Tuesday morning, according to state police at Swiftwater.
Trooper went to check on John M. Venezia at his home at 1730 Red Rock Road in Paradise Township after he didn't show up for work Tuesday morning.
When they arrived around 8:45 a.m., a state police news release said troopers found Venezia lying unconscious and his "right hand had been bitten off by a pit bull dog in the house."
State police shot and killed the dog when it lunged at a trooper trying to provide medical assistance to Venezia. Venezia was taken by ambulance to Pocono Medical Center, East Stroudsburg, where he remains in the intensive care unit, according to state police."

Related ZUPF video

Related articles:
07/07/09: 8-Year Old May Lose Arm After Trying to Save Dog from Pit Bull Attack
02/19/09: Elkhart Pit Bull Owner May Suffer Amputation After "Redirected" Attack
07/01/08: Pit Bull in Greensburg, Indiana Chews Off Owners Arm

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18 thoughts on “The Pit Bull Bite: Pet Pit Bull Bites Off Owner's Hand”

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  4. Maybe this was a high blood sugar detecting service pit…When the diabetics blood sugar spiked, the highly trained wigglebut decided to take a taste?

  5. Here's what the pit nutters at pitbullforum are saying:

    "I want to know what the hell actually happened. There's no way a dog actually bit off a man's hand, that isn't physically possible."

    "How do they know it was the dog that severed it, and not an accident from a power tool, etc? Did he have bite marks? I can't see how a dog could bite his hand off either. Shark, gator, lion, hyena, chimpanzee, yes. Dog? No."

    ————————–

    Can you say denial?

  8. Yep, the victim's father came forward with the truth:

    Volunteer at animal rescue facility has leg amputated
    "Initially, Wesa workers told authorities Barr was attacked by a pit bull. Harrison said the story changed, though, when Barr's father told the department a tiger attacked his son, not a dog."
    —-
    http://tinyurl.com/mpm3on

  9. Pit bull owners in denial are constantly finding out the hard way what their dogs are truly capable of.

  10. This appears to be another instance of a pit bull SEVERING its owner's arm (or rather this terribly injured woman, Patricia Thiel, 39, "lived with" the pit bull's owner).

    September 17, 2009 – In a horrific moment (on video), witness Dominique states, "I heard the human screeching, the screeching that I'm being killed by a dog." She then said that the dog's owner Robert Jacks, 53, seemed uncaring about Thiel's severe injuries. "The only thing he said was, 'What happened to my dog?'"

    The shooter states: "I fired a warning round into the ground. And the dog looked at me and went right back to chewing her. If I didn't take the shot, she was going to die. I said darling you've got to move over just a little bit, AND SHE DID (while her arm was being chewed down to the bone). If it wasn't for that, I was going to take the shot anyhow. I didn't want to take the chance on hurting her, but she would have died," Joseph Wharton, 48, said.

    Video link:
    http://www2.tbo.com/video/2009/sep/17/100-pound-pit-bull-attacks-06217/video-news/

    Story link:
    http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/sep/17/172007/dogs-attack-woman-st-pete-least-1-animal-shot/news-breaking/

  11. Pet pit bull mauls owner's head.
    Nov. 20 — "A west Harris County woman was seriously injured after she was attacked by her pet pit bull Thursday night. The woman's husband heard commotion inside a bedroom at their home in the 21700 block of Park York, officials said. When the man entered the room, he found his wife lying on the floor, and the dog was gnawing on her head. The husband shooed the dog away, wrapped his wife's head in a towel and called deputies. Officials said the woman had suffered injuries to her scalp, ear and eye. She was transported via LifeFligh to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition."
    —
    http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/091119_family_pet_attack

  12. 65 year old Whilimenia Saul picking mangoes attacked by nephews pits loses arm
    http://www.stabroeknews.com/2011/news/stories/11/05/na-woman-loses-arm-in-pit-bull-attack/

    Patricia Murphy, Georgetown DE, 74 YO arm bitten off by daughter’s Pit Bull
    http://www.wboc.com/story/15502911/woman-74-seriously-injured-in

    Donald Sullivan, Trinity County CA loses leg May 2010
    http://www.redding.com/news/2010/may/17/police-say-pit-bulls-rottweiler-attack-man/

    Erin Ingram 8 year old Lithonia GA, loses arm
    http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/16446818/lithonia-dog-owner

    Womans Pit Staffy cross mauls her..arm partially amputated Australia March 2010
    http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/23/2854215.htm

  14. James Chapple, loses hand and arm Memphis TN Feb 2007..eventually died from complications
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17170675/

    Jewell Estep loses arm 88 years old Ocala FL 2006
    https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IPRPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OQkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6262,5369087&dq=pit+bull+attack+loses+arm&hl=en

    Greg Jones loses arm 10 years old Aurora Co Nov 2005
    http://www.thedenverchannel.com/health/5302006/detail.html

    Springfield OH 2005
    A Springfield teen lost her arm, and almost her life in a pit bull attack two years ago, he said.
    http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/08/01/sns080207dogs.html

  18. Maurice Farmer 74 YO IL..Loses foot from Pit-Rott mix July 1995
    https://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=Pit+Bull++attack+amputated&scoring=a&sa=N&start=30

    Sylvia Richmond, 71 YO New London CT, January 1994 loses lower leg
    https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E6pGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=W_gMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2935,5270050&dq=pit+bull+attack+amputated&hl=en

    1985 Article mentions mailman losing leg to Pit attack:
    https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EF8hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bYYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3926,4094068&dq=pit+bull+attack+amputated&hl=en

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