Elderly Woman's Dog Attacked by Pit Bull
Dorothy and Dog are RecoveringUPDATE 07/11/08: Both Dorothy and her dog are recovering from the pit bull attack. Mark Langan of the Nebraska Humane Society said the pit bull burst through an open gate and attacked. The owner of the pit bull was cited for harboring a dangerous animal and improper restraint. According to Langan, the dog wasn't taken away because it didn't bite a human.
The pit bull did knock an 80-year old woman to the ground, hurting her hip and ankle and requiring crutches.
The following day, there were two incidents in which Omaha police officers shot charging pit bulls, said Officer Michael Pecha, an Omaha police spokesman. Near 31st and Hamilton Streets, officers killed the dog. Near 65th Street and Military Avenue, two pit bulls fled after officers fired their guns, so police are not certain if either dog was hit.
07/09/08: Asks that Officials "Do Something"Omaha, NE - In the continuing stream of pit bull attacks in Omaha, another one is reported. Eighty-year old Dorothy Lanoha and her dog Shadow, along with her neighbor’s dog, were attacked by a pit bull last week while she and her friend were out walking their dogs. The attack left Dorothy on crutches and Shadow in stitches.
Now Dorothy is angry. "I think they should take the dog and put it to sleep.” Like many victims after an attack, she’s also afraid. "I don’t wanna go outside in my front yard, it’s just traumatized me." And she wants some answers. "Why don’t they
do something? I find out now there’s another one, two doors up from me."
Shadow suffered multiple wounds in the attack. He's been to the vet and it will take time and money for Shadow to recover. Dorothy is also hurting. Her hip, her ankle and her back were injured during the attack. Dorothy says the pit bull that attacked her and Shadow is still at home with its owners.
Dorothy said it was a horrible moment and many things were going through her mind. "You know what I was really thinking?" she said. "I was thinking about that little girl that had the back of her head
ripped off. I feel for that little girl, that mother, what she must have gone through."
DogsBite.org urges Dorothy and all of her friends to attend the upcoming Omaha public meetings regarding the possible pit bull ban.
Most of us understand the great risk these dogs pose to elderly people. But take a moment to realize how many years Dorothy (80) and
Henry Piotrowski (90) have been alive. Dorothy was born in 1928; Henry in 1918. While both can recognize a mean, snarling dog, they may have no idea that the quiet dog up the street is really a deadly machine.
They get to discover this while
gardening one day, or while taking out
the trash or fetching
the mail. In the instance of Dorothy and many other victims, they get to discover this when they are out walking their
own dog. One word comes to mind when an elderly person is in the vicinity of an activated pit bull: Prey.
Related article:Coverage of the Omaha Pit Bull Attack - DogsBite.orgLabels: omaha
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