Tolland first responders transferred a 20-year-old woman to Rockville Hospital on Tuesday afternoon after a pit bull at Del-Aire Campground bit her on the face and arms, according to Public Safety Director and Fire Chief John Littell.
Littell, who identified the dog and its owners as being from Manchester, said that the dog inflicted several "serious" bite wounds on the victim, who was later transferred from Rockville to Hartford Hospital.
He added that the dog was not on the scene when first responders and state police arrived at the campground on Tuesday afternoon, but that the dog was found and quarantined later in the day with the assistance of an animal control officer.
Littell said that the dog will remain quarantined while officials determine if the animal is up to date on its rabies vaccines. He said that the dog involved in the attack is from Manchester and was staying at a different site on the campground from the victim.
The dog's owners were not on the scene during the attack, Littell said. Another adult pit bull and two young pit bulls were also present, he added.
The case is still under investigation.
No one goes to a family campground, public park, playground etc. expecting to find that someone else has brought FOUR pit bulls with them, and certainly no one would expect to find them wandering camp, no leash, no owner to be seen. I question why that campground even allowed 4 pit-bulls to be present. My personal opinion: they should not have allowed them to be brought. And I'm quite sure Tolland has a leash law. I hope the animals owners are stepping up to pay the undoubtedly huge medical bill this young injured woman will have? So often, the victim of a dog attack gets no help from the animal's owners. They need to be accountable.
Pit mongers are also responsible for attacks such as this. Pit mongers lie to the public, saying that pits are normal dogs and won't act on centuries of breeding to attack without reason and without warning. Uneducated, gullible, selfish pit owners then treat their EXPERT mutant maulers like normal dogs. Proof that PITS ARE DIFFERENT: essentially all US dog fighters use only pit bulls. I don't hate pit bulls. I don't hate dogs with rabies either. But I think it is ludicrous to permit either to infest our communties. More humans in the US die from pit bulls, doing exactly what pits were designed to do, than die from rabies.
Pits can be standing there, happily, wagging tails, and suddenly begin tugging. They are not more vicious or mean than other dogs. Tragically, they don't have to be to tug someone to death! A beagle is not vicious or mean when "on a rabbit", but the rabbit runs for his life. No one tells a beagle owner: "Now, if you don't abuse him, if you don't train him to sniff and pull on the leash, if you don't make him mean, he won't act on his beagle instincts to sniff the ground and chase rabbits." Instinct is inside, invisible, and it is impossible to anticipate when it will surface and effect the dog's behavior. The pits who WON dog fights did not look aggressive before fighting, they did not waste energy before attacking, they did not need a reason to race across the pit to bite hold of the opposing dog and do not need reason to work for hours to kill that other dog. While these abilities and instincts make pits the choice of all US dog fighters, they make them unpredictably dangerous dogs.
Pits are the best because unlike the other dogs mentioned above, they were created to work on instinct, whereas the others breeds were bred to work under the guidance of humans. Pits have broken loose in their own yards/kennels to kill other kennel mates. If pits are of similar size with well muscled bodies, they can fight for hours. When a pit attacks a less muscled dog, the victim dog can be disemboweled. When a human is attacked, pits have removed entire faces, calf muscles, etc. All while being "good" pit bulls. God/Nature created human races. Humans created dogs for different jobs. No species has been changed as much as man changed the dog! Different sizes, fur, different abilities and instincts, speeds, different barks and different bites. To compare breedism to racism is ludicrous! That fact that cruel pit bull fanciers/fighters created the best mauling dog is NOT sufficient reason to continue making more of them. Pits are victims too of their man-made handicaps, especially their lack of communication before attacking and their instinct to continue attacking even when the victim is down/submits/yelps/says uncle. Most non-bully dogs will stop attacking if the other submits. This ruined dog fights, so was eliminated in pits.
Immediately attacks would be reduced. Many, who choose pits for the vicarious power and aggreession pits provide their owners, would not own a dog that had to be spayed/neutered, so pits will not suffer in those homes. Pits languishing in pounds would have less competition, so would have a better chance of adoption. Even when dog fighting cannot be proven, at least the dogs could be spayed/neutered, so the barbaric dogmen couldn't make more fighting dogs and couldn't sell pups/get stud fees. It would take many decades to make a "good" fighting dog from a non-bully breed. No responsible pit owner is punished, as his dogs are already spays/neuters. Breeders: know who is buying your pups and for what purpose. When in doubt, spay/neuter before sale so your breed is not selectively bred for dog aggression/reactivity. If your breed becomes the "next pit bull" over the decades, your breed gets added to the mandatory spay/neuter law. Pit monger rights end when your right rips the face off a neighbor. Pits are more dangerous then guns, as pits can leave and attack without their owner's consent. Pits are victims too, suffering disproportionately. Stop making more victims!
The AKC chose to not accept fighting dogs into their registry. The pit fanciers(fighters) wanted to register their dogs, so the UKC (United Kennel Club) was founded in 1898. Registration #1 was given to the UKC founder's own pit, "Bennett's Ring". Unlike the AKC, which is just a beauty pageant for dogs, the UKC stressed "form and FUNCTION", in order to have your UKC registered APBT become "UKC Champion", he/she had to win 3 UKC sanctioned dog fights! Dogs that gave warning before attacking, dogs that tried to avoid a confronation, dogs that stopped fighting easily, dogs that stopped fighting when the other submitted, or yelped were NOT good fighting dogs and so were not used for breeding. Even ones that attacked humans were used for breeding, as long as they also fought other dogs "well". In Stratton's book "This is the American Pit Bull Terrier", he writes about famous dogs, decade by decade. One dog Wallace's King Cotton was fought against Corvino's Blackie. He mentions that Blackie was not "well liked" as he would a "man eater" and pit fanciers (fighters) believed that dogs that attacked humans were not "dead game", not as good at fighting to the death. No mention that "man biter" or "man eater" pits were culled. The decade of these two dogs? 1950!
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first, why were these dogs loose? do people think ANY dog is 'such a sweet cuddly pooch' when they walk up, sniff you, trot behind you and then decide to take a chunk out of your leg or buttocks? beware! any strange animal, rabies or not, is likely to take a sample of you, challenge you or try to take your life, (and that includes the two legged ones) i often pass a home (with known drug connections) that has an unleashed, wandering dog (pit bull or other, not really sure). it runs up to me every time, sniffs and follows for a few yards then returns to his/her 'domain'. so far i have been lucky. complaints to the well paid 'animal protection officer' have done no good, (another useless union protected position, paid for with taxpayer money). i carry a box cutter/utility knife with a nice sharp razor blade in my pocket each time i pass this house for one reason only. when, or if, this mutt ever decides to 'sample me', my hand is already on the box cutter, it may get get a few nice bites, but i will eviscerate it and leave it dead with the guts and blood draining into the roadway on my retreat. if the owner makes a complaint, they're going to get some law shoved down their throat as well.