I, a previous pit sympathizer, learned the hard way

Throwaway bc pit mommies are scary and everywhere. I’ve lurked here for years and decided to share my own story. I have always been an animal lover, I studied animal biology at a top-ranked college, am studying to be a veterinarian, and have always been involved in the animal field whether it be shelter, volunteer, training, clinical, research, etc. I will be the first the say these dogs are truly dangerous and the breed NEEDS to die out.

Of course, before I even went to college I was a pit sympathizer that almost adopted a pit mix. Fortunately my parents convinced me to adopt a sweet shepherd looking mix. By that time I was dog sitting and volunteering at shelters/an animal hospital. I would say my understanding of dogs was greater than average, though not as much as now ofc. I had met a mix of friendly and aggressive pits, but just assumed this was variation like with any breed.

Fast forward a couple years I take my dog out hiking, one of our favorite past times. We’re walking back to the car and out of nowhere two huge (>80lb) bully breed dogs charge at us. I’m terrified for both me and my dog but they lock onto only my dog and pin him to the ground by his neck. He’s not small himself (~60lb) but certainly not large enough to defend against 2 of these demons. My poor pup is screaming in a way I’d never heard, I’ll never forget it, bleeding, and the two pits are holding on and trying to shake him. I’m screaming and sobbing myself smacking these dogs on the head trying to pull them off, in hindsight I realize how dangerous this would’ve been if they redirected onto me. They’re dragging me and my poor pup around, leaving me with roadburn and lacerations along my legs after.

3-4 strangers rush over to help, two trying to pull wheelbarrow style the pits off, others twisting the collar to hopefully choke them out. Nothing is working. Someone pulls out pepper spray, shoots right into one of the pits eyes, it lets go for a second, shakes it off, and tries to latch back on. By this point the owner finally runs over and restrains one pit while punching his other one hard, hammer fist style on the skull. Nothing. Someone else pulls out a hand taser, tases it in the abdomen, it barely flinches. I punch it right in the eye and it finally lets go long enough for the owners wife to grab the other one.

The owners are apologizing profusely but I’m so shaken up and worried about my own dog I barely hear them. We’re in the mountains about 45min out from the nearest vet, I quickly get their contact info and rush my dog to the ER. They perform emergency surgery, warn me they can’t guarantee anything, and I’m left sobbing and freaking out for the next 4 hours while they try to save my dog. Eventually they call and let me know he pulled through but they need to keep him overnight for observation. When he’s finally home he looks as if they’ve sewn his head back on, he’s on 4 different meds, and has an extensive aftercare routine. He also ended up with pneumonia after and a long scar where the hair won’t grow back. He was extremely dog reactive for years after and despite training & conditioning he’ll never be the same happy go lucky, trusting dog he was before. He had nightmares where he’d shake and growl/whine in his sleep and sometimes even express his anal glands from fear for months after.

Later we found out the owners were pulling into the parking lot in their lifted dodge ram with the windows down when their two shitbulls dove straight out of the window of the moving tall ass car, sprinted 2-300 feet at full speed straight at my dog. Neither of them hesitated or stopped to maul the people ahead of us. They locked right onto my dog and would’ve done anything to get to him. What haunts me more is that they were synchronized in this, like a pack of lions executing a kill. I and the surgeons that worked on my dog are certain that if he had been a smaller or medium sized dog he would likely not have survived.

Anyhow, it’s now about 5 years later, I work in a vet office and I see these bully breed mixes come in with the same look in their eyes and oblivious owners. It makes me so anxious for the other dogs in the lobby and though I can recognize environment plays some part in any animal’s behavior, these dogs are just so genetically predisposed to unrelating aggression and tunnel vision. They need to be banned and those found breeding them fined for the safety of everyone. I understand this might be difficult bc most shelter mutts have some bully bred in them, hell even my own pup has 11% APBT, though you’d never know it from his looks or demeanor, I’m still very careful with him around others. He’s almost 8 now so I feel confident that small percent of his genetics is very diluted or perhaps he was lucky enough to not inherit the predisposed aggression. But there needs to be a cutoff for majority % bully breed. BYB of these dogs by shitty lowlifes runs rampant in the US. I’m fed up and honestly nervous for when I run my own practice.

Anyhow thank you for reading this whole thing. This subreddit has been so cathartic and comforting for someone who’s constantly surrounded by pit nutters and oblivious sympathizers (as I myself used to be). Hopefully one day things change. I like to believe we’re moving towards more education and awareness around this topic.

Blurred pics of right after he came home and some of my sweet boy during recovery. He’s now laying next to me, wondering why I’m tearing up, as I type this.