This one lit up the boards in Denver yesterday.

FORT COLLINS, CO - A Fort Collins woman doesn't face permanent damage to her hand after she tried to protect her dog Saturday from a neighbor's pit bull, but her dog remains hospitalized.
Barbara Berry, 57, said she took Sassy, her 10-year-old Sheltie, to the mailbox across the street from her house on Saturday when a neighbor's pit bull broke a plank of its fence and attacked her dog at Pasquinel and Garrett drives.

The pit bull had broken through this fence before, which Berry said is why she usually puts Sassy on a leash, but she said she decided not to on the day of the attack.

Sassy was standing in a neighbor's yard by the mailbox when the pit bull broke through the fence and attacked her, Berry said.

Berry's hand was injured when she tried to protect her dog's neck and separate the two dogs.

"I imagine that is what it feels like to have your hand stuck in a steel bear trap," she said. "I've never felt such pain in my life."

A neighbor, whose yard was the location of the attack, grabbed a shovel and hit the pit bull several times while the dog was biting both Berry and Sassy, Berry said.

Sassy was badly injured and was rushed to a vet, and Berry received puncture wounds on her hand but said she won't have permanent nerve damage. Berry said her husband is a quadriplegic and that Sassy is "his constant companion."

The pit bull reportedly ran back to its yard by making another hole in the fence and barked at the back door, at which point the neighbors let it inside. The Coloradoan was unable to speak with the pit bull's owners about the incident.
Berry said the neighbors did not leave the house to see if anyone was hurt, despite emergency vehicles at the scene.

The pit bull is now in the custody of the Larimer Humane Society's Animal Control unit and will be held for the required 10 days in order to check for rabies and to investigate the incident, said Bill Porter, Humane Society director of animal control. Porter was unable to comment on the pending investigation but said recent legislation allows for a variety of outcomes.

"Fort Collins just passed an ordinance that gives judges more latitude in deciding these cases," Porter said. "You can go from the dog being released to being euthanized. In the middle is where the courts have decisions to make."

Alternate outcomes for the pit bull range from required muzzling, neutering/spaying or a distinct "dangerous-dog" collar that requires a $200-per-year permit and a visible warning sign on the property in order to keep the animal.

Porter said a city ordinance that requires adequate fencing to contain pets could play a role in the final decision. Berry's failure to keep her dog on a leash also could be a factor.

Berry is talking to a lawyer and plans to file a lawsuit against the pit-bull owners. "I'm a big dog lover and had dogs all my life, but I've never had a dog that bit anybody," she said. "If I had a dog that was dangerous, I wouldn't keep it."

Berry said the mailbox is near a school bus stop, and she's concerned children could be attacked if the dog is returned to its owners.

Porter said dog-against-dog fights are the most common way humans are bitten. "Don't put yourself in the middle; you are very likely to get bit. Yell, scream, throw things, use a hose: Those things work 99 percent of the time. The best way to protect your dog is to have them on a leash."

Berry said the neighbors, who have lived in the home for six months, have a small child and another pit bull, but Berry did not know the neighbors' names. She said the neighbors had spoken to her before about the pit bulls, assuring her they were both gentle.

Berry said the dog had broken its fence and wandered around before, and the neighbors used only a piece of wooden lattice to fix the damage.

She also said the neighbors did not repair the damage after the attack and that a different neighbor patched up the fence on Sunday.

"I'm concerned with all the kids in the neighborhood; they need to know about this dog," Berry said.

http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=131948

Yes that pitbull in the story was obviously a mean pitbull, but pitbulls in general are nice loving dogs it all depends on the owner. I had a pitbull before and it was the sweetest dog Ive been around. So please do not refer to all pitbulls as nasty and vicious.

um, shouldn't this be titled, those nasty owners of a pitbull....a dog usually only does what it is taught.....

one strange such story happened here in phila, a pit climbed a fence and mauled the boy next door, they wanted to kill the dog, lock the owner up and everything else, come to find out the kid was seen kicking the dog through the fence and throwing rocks at it by another neighbor.....From my own personal experience (and I have two dogs that can be very vicious if provoked) I'll take my dogs over most humans anyday....you just don't find that kind of loyalty in people anymore....

Im glad someone agrees. Thats why pitbulls and rotweilers are looked down upon. Because people dont realize it the owner teaching the dog to be nasty.

Huck, there was a story a while back about a Saint Bernard that attacked its human kid. Come to find out, the kid hard rammed a pencil down its ear canal. Sadly, it was too late for the dog.

The owners are at fault. They should be punished, charged with negligence, etc. Sadly, the dog will be the one who pays the price. As the article notes, they've had problems with the fence before, and apparently didn't care enough about the dogs welfares to really fix the problem.

I have a pitbull and he is the most amazing dog I have ever had. He is very gentle and loving. I wouldn't trade him for anything. I have however been bitten by little dogs, and labs which are generally referred to as the "family pet"
My neighbor didn't want his children around my dog out of fear of an attack. But he took his daughter over to his friends and didn't think twice about the golden retriever which ended up biting her. This owner of the golden retriever also was the one calling my dog viscious and mean when I first got him and refused to come around also. Kinda ironic.

Its a shame these things happen to begin with, unfortunately this woman didn't have her dog on a leash and should be cited for that. But whats worse is that this is not the first time the Pit bull has gotten out and the owners still haven't escape proofed the yard.

Very smart answer. Me likey. The owners are at fault. Yes, I've heard all of the exceptions that some people own pit bulls, and "they're such sweet loveable dogs." But yet, we keep hearing about these pit bull stories, maulings. Seems to me, this is an unpredictable, agressive breed of dog. I am curious to know, given the 100s of dog breeds out there, why does someone choose a pitbull for a pet? The reputation precedes them. And if it's for protection, a guard dog, you will pay the price when your pitbull pooch attacks someone innocent.

Maybe you did. But it's my opinion, and I think "they" are. They are capable of such terrible violence, and we see stories of pitbull attacks all of the time. So some would say, either ban the breed, or pay careful attention and responsibility when training this breed.

pitbulls are not an agressive breed so to speak. It's all in how they are raised. If you have an agressive owner, you have an aggressive dog. Whether it's a pitbull or a shitzu. Doesn't matter. Don't have a dog you can't handle. The only difference as far as aggression between a pitbull and other dogs is just their sheer power.
I can fight off a shitzu much easier than I can a pitbull just because of their strength. That's why you don't hear about alot of other dog attacks tho. They aren't always as serious as that of a pitbill because they can just cause so much damage. If you can't control a powerful dog, don't own one.

You think they are an aggressive dog because that's all the media ever shows is how aggressive and harmful they can be. I'm not denying a pitbull attack can be disasterous. As far as dog fighting, people mainly use pitbulls which also lead to their bad rep. It's a powerful dog. ANY dog can be viscious. ANY. I think pitbulls have a very unfair reputation.
I wouldn't trade my pitbull for any other dog. He's wonderful. However, I trained him. I discipline him. I learned how to handle a powerful dog and keep him under control.
People generally underestimate dogs of all breeds. If you don't train them and work with them, they can ALL be dangerous.

These stories are bogus.

In between the pitbull attacks there are thousands of other dogs who bite and attack but they don't make the news.

Pitbulls are just like any other dog, there will be moody ones and calm ones, there will be those who are born mean and those that are not.

All dogs can be vicious.

It is a bunch of crap to discriminate against one breed of dog.

Just pisses me off.

Oh and all the misinformation out there about their jaws locking, not and being breed to be vicious, not.

They were bred to fight other dogs. If the owner trains the animal to do that, it will. They were never bred for aggression towards humans. If a dog showed aggression towards humans it was put down and not made part of the gene pool.

Fair enough. Now, one simple question. Why did you choose a pitbull? Knowing what you know about their reputation, and what society at large thinks of them. I really hope you say companionship and not security.

Actually not true, Rottweilers, Dobermans, Chow Chows, and German Shepards have a long PR history of being aggressive dogs. But lately, Pitbulls are taking the spotlight in dog maulings.

We kind of chose each other to be honest.

Twelve countries in Europe, Australia, Canada, Ecuador, New Zealand, Puerto Rico , Singapore, and Venezuela have enacted some form of breed-specific legislation on pit bull-type dogs, including American pit bull terriers, ranging from outright bans to restrictions and conditions on ownership. The state of New South Wales in Australia places restrictions on the breed, including mandatory desexing, in order to ensure the eventual extinction of the breed in that state. The dogs are often considered to be "dangerous" or "vicious".


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pit_Bull_Terrier

only because they have dangerous and viscious owners. A good dog owner or breeder simply will not have a viscious dog.

I have never seen the PR on those breeds, also I have never seen a ban on any of them.

Pits are banned here.

Now Jill, don't get me wrong here. I have had friends that own PB's and I have played and interacted with them. I had this friend that had a PB that could tear through a rawhide in under 30 minutes. Have you ever seen your dog engage in aggressive or destructive behavior? I totally agree, that it's how you train the dog, but so many are either incapable or unwilling to make that effort, and hence, pitbulls wear the mark of shame. And we see stories like this.