The Other Side Of The Story

It was a nice summer afternoon and I was home a little early from work, so I had a chance to clean up the yard and do some other chores. I was going in and out of the house and putting stuff away until it was time to go in and start supper. The yard looked good and I was glad to be done. As I reached for the front door knob I heard some strange sounds. I went inside, kicked off my shoes, but something wasn’t right. I went back outside and I listened closer to the strange combination of sounds. There was a dog, maybe two, barking…a lady yelling…and another lady screaming frantically. 

I ran in the house, got my shoes and phone, ran back out, grabbed a rake, a long sharp stick, and ran like crazy toward the neighbor’s back yard where the sounds came from. Tracy, my neighbor, about my daughter’s age, was running in the side door of her house. She was frantic, she was bitten several times, and she was bleeding. She seemed like she was scared crazy and yet strangely composed at the same time. She said the dog wouldn’t stop biting…wouldn’t let go. 

She was calling her friend on her cell phone. I was calling 911 on mine. The fire station was right across the street, the siren was soon heard and the rescue squad was there in no time flat.

The paramedics couldn’t come in the side or back yard until the police came…that was because I told the 911 operator that my neighbor was bitten by a pit bull. It seemed like it took the police a long time to come and secure the area.

The severity of Tracy’s wounds kept her in the hospital for a week, and in bandages for longer than that. Her parents went through their own grief as they came from out of town to attend to their daughter’s needs. When Tracy’s parents brought her home she saw me and she gave me world’s biggest hug. She was so grateful that I was there for her. Tracy moved 3 months later because the nightmares of what happened in her back yard wouldn’t stop. The last time I spoke to her she loved her new job out on the west coast.

I’ve never cared for dogs—I had a paper route when I was young. Also my daughter was bitten on her face when she was 5 years old by my good friend’s always-good dog. Another friend was attacked by his own St. Bernard after playing with the dog in his back yard. These people didn’t deserve what they got. This is the victim’s side of the story that needs to be told. Suppose that your child was attacked. The owners are always so shocked that their dog could do such a thing; they thought they had control of their pet. Then they end up being scared stiff that they will be sued.

There are consequences for having any dog, and we need laws to minimize the chances for serious attacks on innocent victims. The public’s safety comes first. Owners of any breed that is considered dangerous better have heavy chains to control it, and $100,000 of homeowner’s liability insurance. These animals are solid muscle, their instinct is to bite and to NOT let go.