Pit Bull And Owner Involved In Dog Attack, But The Attacker Is Not Who You’d Think

Pit bulls, more often than other dogs, make up a lot of the headlines regarding dog attacks. Some stories are questionable, and certainly a pit bull breed will get more attention than a chihuahua or poodle attack, partially because of stigma and partially because of the size difference. However, every now and then, a story comes along under the radar that shows that any dog — not just pit bulls — could attack humans and other dogs.

Tucson News Now reported Wednesday that a seemingly unusual occurrence happened to a pit bull and his young owner when they went for a stroll down the street. The young boy owner and his pit bull, who were not identified by their first names, were attacked by another dog that took off from the opposing side of the street.

Zack Marcus’ son and pit bull were skateboarding down the sidewalk, in what appears to be his neighborhood, when a young girl dog owner lost control of her Labrador retriever who took off across the street and latched on to the pit bull owner’s hands. According to the boy’s father, police were slow to respond and mostly ignored the owners, who were the real victims in this case. Zack Marcus was merely focused on getting his son medical attention.

“I just wanted medical attention, I was really worried about the rabies thing. I didn’t know much about dog bites.”

It wasn’t until video surveillance of the incident surfaced, which showed the Labrador retriever as the aggressor, that the police refocused their attention, according to KCTV. The video of the Labrador’s attack on the pit bull and his young owner showed the dog not only bit the boy, but the pit bull as well. It showed the Labrador retriever being ripped from having its mouth latched onto to the pit bull’s face.

Justin Gallick from the Pima Animal Care Center feels that the issue could have been avoided by better education and responsible pet ownership.

“If you know of a dog or have a dog that doesn’t do well in certain situations, avoid those situations. To me that screams education and responsible pet ownership. From my understanding a pet was being walked by somebody that’s underage and maybe didn’t have the physical capacity to walk such a dog.”

Zack Marcus, pit bull owner and father of the victim, said he owns more than one large pit bull and has not had a single incident. All of this despite popular opinion which would have assumed, as local police did, that the pit bull was the aggressor in this altercation.

“I have pit bulls, big ones, and we get the bad rap because of the pit bull. My dog’s never done that.”

The Labrador retriever is under a 10-day rabies quarantine at this time. This is not the first time a Labrador retriever attacked a pit bull. The Inquisitr reported of a similar attack by a Labrador retriever on a pit bull in Idaho last November. The unleashed Idaho retriever took off from its yard and after a few sniffs, it lunged for the other dog. No child or anyone else was injured in that incident, but it is a reminder that any dog can be vicious.

[Image Via Creative Commons]