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28 thoughts on “Teenage Victim Shares Chilling Account of a Family Pit Bull Mauling; She Suffered Devastating Injuries

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  1. I a. So worried about mg new baby great Grandkids that live along side pitbull mixes!! My Grandsons do not want to believe me when I tell them this can happen!

  2. Same story over and over. Family pitbull attack family members I’m glad Nicole is okay but she’s going to be scarred for life she will have scars for life that remind her that pitbull aren’t good family pitbull no matter how good you raised them.

  3. Maybe flesh eating bacteria are in the same category as flesh eating dogs. Both are very scary.

    I truly hope that modern medicine can restore her leg function. The loss of nerves, muscles, and tendons can result
    in severe problems. No one should have to deal with this type of injury.

  4. Reading about the attack in the girl’s own words really resonated with me. I’ve been in accidents myself, and I remember all too vividly that strange mix of detachment and sense of dread as the mind tries to comprehend what is happening to the body. I made a GFM donation and hope the family manages to get out of this okay financially. I know “Nicole” will be fine in the end, she’s a tough young woman with a full life ahead of her.

  5. The victim didn’t think anyone would have imagined that anything like this this could ever happen. That’s because of the well-funded pitbull lobby and their army of idiots who will send death threats to anyone who speaks the truth about these dogs. The media is letting the public down on this issue in a big way.

    Thank you, Colleen, for trying to warn people about the dangers of these dogs.

    I donated to the crowdfunding site.

    • Looking at their pictures, I can understand why uninformed people believe these make great family pets. All photos were taken in family-type situations, with kids, moms, people doing sports and other normal everyday situations that strongly suggest these monsters fit right in. I am lucky to live in a country with a shitbull ban where I very very rarely see one, and I honestly never even saw the same “dog” twice. This is really the only way out… mandatory registration of every dog, pricey insurance and full liability for bully breeds, and mandatory snip at the vet.

      • How is this enforced? In the USA, bans aren’t well enforced so the presence of a ban isn’t likely to get rid of all of them. Breeding of pitties is rampant. Pitbull owners hardly ever alter them.

        • I’m from Germany, where all dogs are required to be registered and taxed. You are also required to provide documentation of vaccinations against rabies, etc. Officials and vets will check tags on dogs in public (also microchips, obviously). If a dog is brought into a shelter the owner will similarly need to provide these documents or pay up. We take tax evasion very very seriously 😉

          If your dangerous dog winds up in a shelter, tough luck. Only a select few are a able to own bully breeds legally and have to pay an insane amount of tax, insurance as well as keep their monsters muzzled and leashed at all times in public. These dogs also require a handlers permit and can only be walked by a person who obtained it. Some of my info might not be 100% accurate anymore but that’s the gist of it.

        • @Rachel
          Through taxes, as every adult dog is registered and taxed over here. This also takes care of most backyard breeding operations: you’re automatically assumed to breed for profit and thus required to register your business and pay taxes if you regularly sell pets. As you’re not allowed to own and much less breed shitbulls and their ilk it’s not worth the trouble to even try.

    • What organization is the $10,000 puppy registered in? Who’s the champion sire? I want to see a pedigree. I personally think this organization appeals to the uneducated. One can buy a quality AKC purebred of most breeds far cheaper.

  6. Here’s wishing wishing you strength and courage in getting back to a normal life, Nicole. I’m so glad you shared your story.

  7. Our inability to assess actual threat from these animals is nuts. If these statistics were from coyotes, sharks, mountain lions, or a disease like covid we would declare a national emergency.

  8. From Eva’s comments, it sounds like in Germany, human beings are valued more than dogs. What a concept! Seriously, I wish we had even some of these laws, taxes and regulations.

    • @Teresa

      As much as I loathe our love of bureaucracy, money is where it hurts; so regulating dog ownership through taxes isn’t a terrible idea. Germany is much less rural than the US, however. I’m not sure any law more complex than ‘destroy on sight’ could be enforced at this point. It’s insane. Nobody needs shitbulls or similar dogs of this phenotype. They are literally useless and spend their miserable lives suffering or causing immense suffering to people.

  9. The only way to control pitbulls in the USA is through controlling breeding. I would be against destroying pitbulls in loving homes.
    Certainly too many pit bulls kill animals and maul/ kill people. They were bred to kill dogs so they are dangerous. I don’t think we Americans want the police coming into our homes and grabbing our dogs to kill them.

    I certainly don’t have a pitbull and wish they did not exist, but killing them for no other reason than breed is wrong. A friend had a brindle/white Boston beagle. Actual parentage was known.
    With her coat color and muzzle type, folks might have called her a pit mix.

    Folks will have to control the breeding of pitbulls to stop the problem. Most of the pitbulls in the USA are not altered. I suspect one could get the cooperation of pitbull owners by paying them to alter their dogs.
    A small tattoo near the surgery would permanently mark the
    dogs as altered. No veterinarian
    wants to attempt to spay a bitch
    twice. Altering will not stop pit bull aggression.

  10. I happen to be friends with the mother .
    It has absolutely destroyed her emotionally and financially.
    They had several of them and bred them.
    After this incident, she immediately got rid of ALL of them.
    She is struggling with what happened and is trying hard to wake ppl up of the dangers of this breed.
    She said her life will never be the same and the guilt is should destroying .

  11. Two thoughts:

    1) If you look at Sudden Impact’s Instagram account, there’s multiple images of families, kids, and even SMALL CHILDREN with the dogs; their marketing is directed at the very sorts of dog owners for whom these dogs post the most danger. Is there a lawsuit in the works? (Please tell me there is.)

    2) Of course, for every horrible story like this one, there are 10 posts joking about a “TERRIFYING ATTACK BY A VICIOUS PITBULL!” and it’s a sweet, lazy doggo with a pink hat. I’ve shared a home with two pitbulls, and I have numerous friends and family who are pro-pitbull; I think their hearts are in the right place, but the Pitbull Lobby is VERY good at pro-pitbull PR (especially when multiple animal welfare organizations are on the same page). “Standing up for the underdog” makes people feel good. So what IS the answer? There MUST be a way to shift public opinion on this.

  12. Colleen as usual-Excellent reporting. There is no one else who provides this level or reporting, analysis and experience with Victims of mauling by dangerous dog breeds, You are informing the world. Thank-you for your tireless, dedication to the Victims of mauling by pit bull type dogs and for the excellence with which each one’s story is recounted.

  13. Dear Nicole,
    Thank you for sharing your story with the world. It’s amazing that you had the presence of mind to remember and record this ordeal. I think you must have a strong heart and mind.Thank you for sharing the photos of your injury. It took a lot of courage. I hope it will help to wake people up to the dangers of these dogs so we can prevent other people from being harmed. I’ll pray for your recovery and a happy future for you.

  14. On February 8, 2024 while walking my 23 pound Shiba in Irvine, CA he was ambushed and attacked by a male Staffordshire named Bosswick who was off leash and loose. My beloved dog was lucky. His throat was torn and yet he survived, and eventually healed. The pit has a prior; he bit a human the year before. He has been designated a “potentially dangerous dog” (potentially my foot) and yet he is allowed to live ! The monster lives within 500 yards of an elementary school; from my home I can see dozens of helpless and clueless young kids walk right by the exact spot where we were attacked twice daily going to and fro from school.

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