Bite victim will keep leg, spirit (she doesn't hold any ill will toward the pit bull breed)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20090921/NEWS01/709219880

Published Monday September 21, 2009

Bite victim will keep leg, spirit
By Jason Kuiper
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Joyce Haynes remembers the terrified screams of a little boy.

She raced barefoot out of her house to help the boy Saturday evening and found herself facing a charging pit bull.

She remembers the dog biting both her legs and then jumping up on her chest. She thought it was going for her throat and would kill her.

“It scares me to think what would have happened to that little boy...I thought I was dead anyway,” Haynes said in a telephone interview from her hospital room this morning. “What kept going through my head was that poor little baby.”

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Nine-year-old Lionel Valles was not injured. Haynes diverted the dog's attention before it could attack the boy.

“You could see in his (Lionel's) eyes, he was horrified. I was scared too,” Haynes said.

The dog ripped calf muscle away from Haynes' left leg. She has four puncture wounds on her right leg.

snip to the end of the story: Haynes' husband, William Haynes, said Stubblefield showed the family after the attack that she had insurance on the dog and said she would do whatever she could to help Joyce Haynes.

Joyce Haynes said she doesn't hold any ill will toward the pit bull breed. She's owned several herself and said any dog could attack.

Contact the writer:

444-1279, [e-mail]


FULL story and photo at link.

[flvegan]

1. Good news!

I'm glad that the damage is less than originally thought, and that the dog owner has insurance to cover at least some of it.

What I still don't understand is that the original article said that the pit bull was "attacking" the boy, and she ran out to rescue him...but there's no word on if the boy was hurt at all. Odd.

Makes me wonder, too...

[ET Awful]

2. It does mention him in the article . . .

"Nine-year-old Lionel Valles was not injured. Haynes diverted the dog's attention before it could attack the boy"

Methinks there was more going on than has been disclosed.

[Critters2]

4. Not physically injured.

No way to know what emotional effect such an attack will have. I hope the little boy gets help.

[ET Awful]

5. The point is that if the boy was uninjured, it's very tough to say that the dog was

attacking him.

If someone assumes the dog is attacking and shows aggression toward the dog, the dog is very likely to be aggressive in return.

[flvegan]

6. You just said what I've been thinking since last night.

[Critters2]

7. Has the woman said the dog wasn't attacking the boy? nt

[Omaha Steve]

3. 2 PM news radio says dog to be put down after the 10 day hold period

I haven't found a print article on it yet.

[REP]

8. Nice to see the bite victim is not going along with "bad dog" hysteria

It seems that all adults involved - dog owner and neighbor - are acting sanely and responsibly, which is another good outcome in addition to the woman keeping her leg.

I would guess the child was frightened by the sight of a big dog - I've seen grown men scared of large, docile (and leashed) dogs - and screamed; the neighbor reacted to a child screaming; the dog, confused, attacked. No matter what, it is a shame the dog was not restrained by a fence or other means and that this happened at all. Yes, I blame the dog's owner, even though it does sound as though she did try to be somewhat responsible.

[Critters2]

10. In what way did the dog owner act responsibly?

The actions of responsible dog owners don't usually end in the dog being put down by the authorities.

[REP]

20. Had insurance, didn't say "my dog would never...," isn't fighting payments to victim

It sounds like a horrible, horrible mistake; where the one time the dog was off leash was when something awful happened.

[maxsolomon]

9. but "any dog" didn't attack

another pit bull did. not a shih tzu, not a border collie, not a golden retriever, not a great dane.

her heroic actions don't mean she's an expert on dogs. pits are preferred by negligent dog owners because of their strong bites, their athletic builds, and their fearsome reputations as PIT FIGHTING DOGS. these dog owners MAKE these dogs a threat.

[flvegan]

11. Except that the only brief look we've had at the dog

makes it appear that the dog isn't a pit bull. Soooo....yeah.

[maxsolomon]

12. link? the photo is of the victim.

the article calls it a pit bull multiple times. could be a pit bull mix, of course.

[flvegan]

13. Here's the previous thread on it. Pic is in the body.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6595781

[RamboLiberal]

15. I'd say this is a pit bull mix

Seems like everyone who knows the dog is calling including the owner of the dog a pit bull.

I think it's unfortunate for the breed that it has become the dog to own for too many bad owners. And it has become too popular for it's own good with too many backyard breeders many of whom are breeding for the wrong traits of the breed.

I've really been wishing that the fad of this dog would go away. I've mellowed on the breed after watching many episodes of The Dog Whisperer.

I'm glad the lady didn't lose a leg - she has guts.

BTW, I had a friend who just put down her dog after it had bitten someone at her house - not the dog's first offense - and no the dog had no pit bull genes whatsoever but had herding dog genes.

[flvegan]

16. It's irresponsible to call it anything

without a better view.

[uppityperson]

19. Lab/mastiff cross due to the jowls on it.

[roody]

14. This woman is an anger. I love dogs,

but would want that one euthanized.

[VMI Dem]

17. The day will come when this breed is outlawed.

And not a day too soon.

[flvegan]

18. Unlikely, though your ongoing concern is duly noted.