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21 thoughts on “Victim Shares Account of Vicious Pit Bull Attack on Christmas Day at Seahurst Park in Burien, Washington

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  1. Anytime, anywhere, any human being is in reasonable proximity to a dangerous canine, life can be over in a split fraction of a second. Anyone. Anywhere. Anytime. Zero tenths of a second advance warning. No warning sign posted. No warning email. No warning text message. No warning phone call. No warning voice mail. No warning flag person. Just dangerous criminal dog owners allowing their quasi-un predictably and/or quasi predictably dangerous canines to sic themselves on their perfect victims. The only variation to this very frequently tragically repeated event is sometimes when the perfect victim is not the perfect victim. That’s when the evil, wicked hostile multiple agents of this tragic misfortune start jumping up and down, screaming that the rules of their game were violated.

    Two words to live by, and to be always prepared to act on: Cave Canem! Everywhere, everyone, all of the time. Zero exceptions.

  2. This is horrifying. I can’t imagine the trauma this man must have gone through. And of course there were no media reports. Every single dog attack needs to be reported to the public. People need to be aware that an entounter with a pit bull can be life or death. The public needs to be taught to avoid these beasts and advocate for their banning.

    • YES! every single dog attack needs to be reported , every loose dog needs to be reported. i was attacked August 23, 2020 by a pit bull and rottweiler, which the owner let loose after i asked them to refrain their dogs. these dogs are extremely dangerous. The issue must be brought to light. thank you for your comment.

    • you’re right-that is the best advice -a firearm-because it is unrealistic for a person to think they r going to be successful against a pit bull armed with a knife , club or pepper spray

  3. Best part of this whole post:

    “Matthijs has excellent legal representation and surgeons treating his injuries.”

    To which I say:

    I hope he sues the blankety-blank out of the dog owners. And, while they’re at it, the park where the attack happened. Why? Because dogs were allowed to be in that park, and they shouldn’t be anywhere near it.

    • I hope the owners of the the two pitbulls have bought a special insurance policy, so they have coverage and this man can recover money both for his injuries and trauma. Most home insurance policies exclude pitbulls, and if he gets an award and there is no insurance payout it will be hard for me him to collect. No one should have to go through this and he needs to be compensated. Every owner who has a pitbull should be mandated to carry a special insurance policy.

    • Unfortunately, his dog was also off leash…as a past victim of a multi-dog attack, any dog off leash is a problem for me…I just stay home, because we live in a self-righteous “take no responsibility” culture. I have had dogs come onto my property to terrorize me, so inside is where I spend a lot of time.

  4. This is why when I see a pit I go the other way or leave the vicinity. And I always have a knife IN MY HAND. When in proximity to a pit the blade comes out. THEN the owner starts paying attention.

    • My typical carry in the morning is a knife, pepper spray, stun baton, and a Glock 26. In the afternoon and evening, it is the same, minus the glock.

      • I would really appreciate it if we could keep the discussion on dogs and keep our views on (or promotion of) guns to ourselves. Gun accidents and being threatened or shot by guns is also traumatizing.

        • I think you need to read what I wrote, and not what you are projecting. I simply responded to a post as to how I handle things. If you choose not to own, carry, or learn how to safely use a firearm, that is your choice. I legally own and legally carry one. If you don’t like it, too bad.

  5. My heart goes out to this man. I hope someone will send this very graphic story to one of the TV stations and/or The Seattle TImes. This is truly horrific. Sending peace and healing his way.

    • Can’t imagine any TV or news stations actually publishing this. Pit lobby backlash would be immense. Heck that fact that this happened on Christmas day yet we’re only just now hearing about it says a lot. The news stations are pushing the pro pit agenda. Most negativity will be hidden if it can. If anyone did pick it up, they’d likely leave the breed out :/

    • And maybe, just maybe, those Pitbull owners will begin to understand how very dangerous this breed is, after actually viewing this unprovoked attack. Hopefully they will put those two monsters down and never own another. Also tell their friends and family how shocking and horrifying this attack was and how completely unable they were to prevent it.

  6. Thank you to this survivor for sharing his story.

    It is scary because it can happen so quickly! It seems there are few public parks that don’t have pit bulls on or off leash…I often see them walking their owners. Several have lunged at me with that smiling pit bull face and as I ignore and walk away calmly but quickly, their owners are still explaining “it’s so friendly.,,wouldn’t hurt a fly!”

    It is disturbing that this menacing canine is so prevalent now and that public places like parks and restaurants are not safe. It is a strange world that rationalizes the presence of unpredictable uncontrollable predatory-type animals (bred that way by humans) in our midst and fights for the rights of a dog over that of a human. It is a symptom of a sick perversion in our culture where victims are ignored or blamed while the true perpetrators (in this case, pit bulls and their advocates) are praised and revered.

    • The owners also think that hiking trails in the wilderness are a great place to let their dogs run free…two came out of nowhere and jumped up on their hind legs with their paws on my chest in a rather remote trail in Florida, scaring me badly (having been attacked twice in my life). The owner called them down with the usual “they’re friendly” laugh at my fear.

  7. A former neighbor owned an aggressive pit bull.

    Every time I walked to the mailbox, this dog was on the other side of the fence snarling and barking at me.

    I was very disturbed because this dog could have easily jumped / scaled the fence.

    As a result, I purchased a handgun, took basic safety training and received my concealed carry permit.

    Now, I always carry. This is to protect me from unexpected dog attacks.

    I have since moved. Unfortunately two neighbors in the new neighborhood own aggressive pit bulls.

    Should any one of these dogs ever approach me in any way, I will not hesitate to kill them.

    I live in Florida where the ‘stand your ground’ laws apply to dogs as well as people.

  8. We wish you and Menno the best, Matthijs–I’m sorry this preventable tragedy happened to you and your lovely Samoyed. For some weird reasons, pitbulls *especially* hate sled dog types, I think it has to do with their friendly eye contact and active body language. The precise reasons that most other dog breeds get along so well with them.

    If? When? the pitbull propagandists come after you for seeking some justice, know that we are pro BSL here and and will always welcome you and yours.

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