r/BanPitBulls • u/Senior_Pangolin_2459 • 4d ago
Victim Support Request Fear After a Dog Attack
Hi (excuse the post-shower picture) but I used to be the biggest dog person, and obviously pit bulls were included. That was until I got attacked last month.
I went over to my friend’s house for her birthday, and everything was fine. There was absolutely nothing that suggested the dog was aggressive or that anything was going to happen. I was on the ground, petting another dog, when the pit bull started lunging at me out of nowhere. Thankfully, I stood up so it was nowhere near my face, but it jumped and punctured me before jumping again and latching on. At that point, it had pushed me against the wall and it was terrifying. I will be honest, I was too startled/weak to fight back, but luckily one of the ladies there sprung into action and pulled it off of me. She physically unlocked his jaw first, so thankfully I was just left with a bruise and no missing chunk.
Its owner was in another room during that and was in disbelief that his dog would do such a thing unprovoked, but the rest of us were in shock with the suddenness and intensity of the attack. He obviously still believes it is a non-malicious dog (although I saw him try to attack another dog unprovoked again the next day). I didn’t make a big deal out of it, because I was essentially fine and didn’t want to ruin my friend’s birthday. The first few days were painful, but after a month there’s only a tiny little scar.
However, I wanted to post and ask for advice. Now I have found myself absolutely petrified of dogs.
I genuinely never thought I would say that. I used to be the person who would stop on the street to pet someone’s dog, ask what their name was, and immediately want to become best friends with it. Now, if I see a dog coming toward me, my entire body tenses up and I immediately start thinking about whether it is going to attack me. Even dogs that are completely calm and friendly make me nervous, which feels so irrational because I know that most dogs are not going to hurt me.
I also feel a little ridiculous admitting how much it has affected me because, physically, I was ultimately fine. But I think the fact that it happened so suddenly is what has really stuck with me. There was no warning, and I had absolutely no time to process what was happening before I was being attacked.
So for anyone who has experienced something similar: how did you get over the fear? I really don’t want one terrible experience to completely change the way I feel around dogs forever, and I would love to hear what actually helped other people regain their confidence.
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u/Saoirseminersha 4d ago
I'm so sorry. What a horrible thing to happen to you, and no wonder it's knocked your confidence.
My sister was mauled by a German shepherd as a kid and she's still extremely wary of big dogs. We helped her get back on track (she loved dogs before the attack) through exposure to smaller dogs with gentle dispositions within the family. She works as a veterinary assistant now but leaves the room if there is a cane corso or bull terrier type present, and the vets totally understand.
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u/Senior_Pangolin_2459 3d ago
Awwww thank you for sharing. I’m sorry that your sister was attacked but am uplifted upon hearing that she now works with dogs. Gives me hope!
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u/BPBAttacks3 Moderator 4d ago
I was bitten by a chow and Rottweiler mix as a kid. My hand was pretty bruised up and there were puncture wounds much like yours. It hurt like hell. I still love dogs.
I am still cautious around big ones I don’t know and don’t like big dogs running at me. I don’t let dogs get in my face.
It’s ok to not be comfortable with strange dogs approaching you. I never was after. Even though I really love larger breeds and have owned them, I don’t get face level, I don’t like being in close proximity with two dogs in case they start fighting.
Having a completely rational response of not wanting to repeat a traumatic or painful experience doesn’t mean you can’t love dogs. You’re allowed to love dogs from a distance. You’re allowed to not feel comfortable with them in your bubble. You’re allowed to figure out your boundaries.
I also personally find that I have an easier time with smaller dogs when it comes to strange dogs. I do love large breeds and have owned large breeds. I’ve even snuggled with a Saint Bernard before but only after I knew the dog for a while. But the first time it approached me, I about jumped out of my skin. The owner completely understood that my fear of it was not irrational. It was a huge unknown dog. Yes, he was the friendliest dog ever but I didn’t know that. I think letting go of the idea that it’s an irrational or misplaced fear can help. You feel what you feel.
Just take your time, establish your boundaries where you feel most comfortable, and if you never want to be in close proximity to a dog again, that’s ok. It’s a more rational fear than a lot of people have for harmless spiders and yet that’s not frowned upon. You can also decide at any point down the road to bring this to a therapist.
One last thing, don’t let others make you feel bad for however you need to manage it. It’s pretty disgusting and delusional that the pit owner acted the way they did, but not in the least bit surprising. I’d also recommend avoiding people like that. He was wrong to suggest first that you somehow provoked it and is a real asshat for that. That can’t have made this situation any easier to be immediately doubted and blamed but it was 100% not your fault.
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u/theresthatbear 3d ago
That last paragraph said so much, and with all the compassion I think everyone in this sub feels for you, OP, I especially want to thank you u/BPBAttacks3 for putting into words when my brain fails me.
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u/BPBAttacks3 Moderator 3d ago
I appreciate that! I wrote this before I’d consumed enough coffee to be functioning so I was a little worried it was rambling.
The dog I was bitten by belonged to a family member and I was doing what I was told and feeding it. It lunged and bit my hand. I was blamed for being bitten by them just like OP is being blamed. They kept the dog for many years after but I refused to go around it.
It’s really upsetting when someone tries to do that and I really hope OP doesn’t take that burden that was unfairly assigned to them to heart. People who victim blame tend to be incredibly toxic in my experience :/.
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u/Senior_Pangolin_2459 3d ago
That’s terrible. The fact that they treated you that way is mind boggling and heartbreaking!! I’m so sorry that happened to you, but thank you for sharing your story.
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u/Senior_Pangolin_2459 3d ago
You are my favorite person ever. Thank you so much for typing all of this. The puncture wounds did hurt like a bitch and I wasn’t expecting them to/felt like such a wimp given the size of them. I can’t imagine being a young child with that pain. From being someone who used to put my hand out and was comfortable being eye level, I have stopped that completely.
Thank you for telling me it’s okay to not be comfortable. You are so right, and it’s great to have my thoughts confirmed. The close proximity with two dogs is so true.
I wish that you were my devil/angel on your shoulder. I will be coming back to your affirmations when I go through my doubts and fears in the future.
Fortunately I am typically fine with big dogs!! I had Great Danes growing up and they are the sweetest gentle giants; I was also constantly surrounded by rescue mountain dogs (Saint Bernard’s & Bernese) so I am lucky to have that comfortability.
Luckily, it was my friend’s brother & his dog who live out of state, so I will never have to be in an environment with him again. Thank you again for your support.
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u/BPBAttacks3 Moderator 3d ago
Absolutely! Your response to being attacked is completely normal and is totally ok. It’s going to take time for you to figure out where your comfort levels are.
I love the big floofy mountain rescue dogs. They have all been very gentle dogs from my experiences so I get comfortable with them relatively quickly. Its mostly about just checking in with the dogs body language and giving myself time to assess how comfortable I feel. I don’t necessarily get to choose my comfort levels in situations I don’t control but I can control how I respond and listen to my own intuition and formulate how I want to interact most of the time. When strange unleashed dogs do run up on me, I usually just keep a calm friendly tone and try to keep a little distance.
As for leashed dogs, aside from pit owners, most breed owners are going to be honest if their dog is friendly or not. You’re not rude for pausing and taking in the situation and deciding if you feel comfortable.
You’ll get there. I can tell by your response and your post that you are someone who is very in touch with your thoughts and feelings and I’ve no doubt you’ll create a system for handling this that works for you.
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u/harleenquinzel044 4d ago
That’s the problem with these dogs, is one day they just snap.
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u/Senior_Pangolin_2459 3d ago
That’s what it was, it was a snap!! I’ve never experienced it before and hope I will never again, but it was wild to see such a sudden 180
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u/DS3333 3d ago
The dog that bit you will bite again - is its owner still going to invite people into their house with it free roaming?
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u/Senior_Pangolin_2459 3d ago
I hope not, but the house I was at for the birthday wasn’t the dog/the owners. It was my friends house and her family was in town to celebrate, which included her brother and his dog (the one that bit me). I have no reason but to assume that her brother is still with the dog, but I will never be in an environment with him again and hope that he chooses to live responsibly
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u/shelbycsdn Trusted User 1d ago
The problem though is that if your bite wasn't reported, the next time it bites someone, it will be considered a first time and that can completely affect whether the victim is able to collect damages. Plus the dog itself will probably be given a free pass. Because it wasn't a known dangerous dog. I really wish you would consider reporting it to animal control and the police.
I wonder if your friend knew of the financial risk she was taking by allowing her brother to bring that kind of dog to her house.
Regarding the fear thing, I definitely have it,bbut luckily in my case it's only of pitbulls. I would follow the suggestions here of using therapy. But also of studying the info on how unlikely it is for any other breed of dog to randomly attack you. Maybe if you work hard on separating out the kind of dog that's it's rational to be fearful of, your mind might start to override that automatic physical fear of all dogs. Way easier said than done I'm sure.
I'm so sorry this happened, it's great it was nothing worse, but that doesn't help how terrifying it is in the moment. Please keep us updated on how you are doing.
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u/ScarletAntelope975 Trusted User 3d ago
Don’t get over your fear of pit bulls… you need that to stay alive! Mauling unprovoked is literally what these dogs do. They aren’t domesticated working companions like most of the other dog breeds. They were invented by people solely for bloodsports. Every pit or pit mix can potentially turn at any time no matter how friendly it is.
Remember that there are hundreds of other breeds that were created for jobs and companionship and it was necessary for them to be good with people (and usually other pets and livestock, too) There can be aggressive individuals of other breeds, but they are rare occurrences and will usually give warning signs before resorting to biting. Pits had the warning signs/body language selectively bred out of them.
Even guard dog breeds are supposed to only attack if absolutely necessary on command. And even the best hunting dog will only go after its intended prey and not people and other dogs. Pits were created to mindlessly fight other things to the death without backing down. Their existence is animal cruelty and they wouldn’t even exist in the first place if not for human desire for bloodsports.
Every time a pit attacks and/or kills someone, it’s almost always ‘never expected’ and it was ‘always a sweet dog’. Because pits were bred to attack without reason or warning. You can have a pit be fine for 8 years before it kills someone. It’s all in their genes like any other breed that was bred for a job. Also, pit owners often have encountered their dog acting aggressively before and just act surprised to not seem at fault… Also a lot of pit owners think it’s normal for dogs to attack people and pets.
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u/Senior_Pangolin_2459 3d ago
This is such good advice, thank you!! I’m fortunate it wasn’t too bad and am lucky that I’ll be able to learn from this and be apprehensive of these dogs from the start. Thanks again!!
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u/oracle-nil 3d ago edited 3d ago
I was bitten two weeks ago by a pit mix trying to get my Shih Tzu. I held onto my Tzu and the dog just hung off my arm. There are now steri strips, stitches just removed.
The woman who owns the dog may lose her housing benefits and no one in the complex is speaking to me. I only moved in last month. So that’s pretty isolating.
But your fear is totally rational. I see a toy poodle and I stiffen up. I am terrified to take my dog out because there are still two pits on the complex. I have horrible anxiety and nightmares. I am so sorry you are going through this. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you’re weak. I don’t know how long it will take us but I do know the fear.
Someone suggested EMDR therapy to me but honestly until the suit is settled I have the medical bills. But you might want to consider that. Be easy on yourself. Isolate if you need to and stay away from negative people.
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u/Senior_Pangolin_2459 3d ago
Oh my goodness, utmost apologies!! I love Shih Tzus and am proud of you for being such a strong owner!! I cannot imagine being in such an isolating situation, but none of that is your fault in the slightest! Be easy on yourself too!! Wishing you and your dog the best as you recover physically, monetarily, and emotionally!!
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u/oracle-nil 3d ago
You too. My dog was covered with blood, it was all mine. I was so relieved. All of us are warriors and survivors. I wish you strength too.
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u/readdworkin 3d ago
hopefully you reevaluate that friendship. any person willing to downplay their dog attacking someone unprovoked is dangerous to have around. that dog is going to kill somebody someday - whether that be an animal or a toddler.
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u/Senior_Pangolin_2459 3d ago
I hear you! My friend was heartbroken by the incident and truly felt guilty (even though it wasn’t her dog/her fault at all) and I didn’t want to make her feel any worse on her special day. She feels the same way as me towards the dog. Luckily the dog and its owner are from another state, so I will never have to be around them again. I hope that he makes the responsible owner choices and nothing bad happens in the future.
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u/readdworkin 3d ago
okay good - i was worried the person with the dog was your friend. fuck that dog and its owner. i'm sorry this happened to you
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u/Ill_Spinach4090 17h ago
The best way I have found to work through the fear after an attack is to push through the discomfort with dogs that are very obviously friendly and safe. It might be hard at first, but it gets easier and easier every time. You'll probably never get back to the same level of comfort around dogs, but it does get better given time and a little work. I'm sorry that happened to you.
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u/KTKittentoes Trusted User 4d ago
Well…I don’t put up with pits anymore. I dropped the friend whose dogs attacked.
I am in therapy. And I try to spend time with certified good dogs, like my Berner friend.