Woman Attacked By Neighbor’s Pit Bull In Lincolnshire, England

A woman in England was attacked by a neighbor’s pit bull. The bite was so severe enough that a chunk of her leg was left on the pavement. 52-year-old Janice Eccles had to be rushed to the hospital where she needed skin grafts. The incident took place in the town of Skegness in Lincolnshire, England.

The pit bull named Zeus belongs to Alan and Linda Gent, both 59-years-old. The dog had escaped from the property when the couple opened the door for a delivery. It then attacked Eccles, latching onto her right calf, The Sun reports.

Janice recounted the incident.

“The neighbor couldn’t control it and I could tell from the look on its face when the dog was running towards me, what was going to happen. It was absolutely horrific. It was a dog bite but felt more like a shark.

“I went into adrenaline mode and hopped into my home.”

The mom of two says that she had to call her own ambulance and also bandage herself up while waiting for it. Alan and Linda Gent, the owners of the pit bull, have subsequently been banned from owning dogs for five years. The ban was issued by the Boston Magistrates’ Court. The dog, Zeus, remains in a police kennel while authorities wait to decide what to do with it. Janice believes it should be put to sleep.

“If a dog badly injures someone it should be destroyed – it is as simple as that.”

This isn’t an isolated incident involving aggressive pit bulls. Pit bulls were created by breeding bulldogs and terriers together. They were meant to be fighting dogs for sport, and as such, were selectively bred to be strong and relentless. Today, a few hundred years later, such games are illegal, but the breed lives on carries a bad reputation.

Many people argue that pit bulls are not vicious breeds by birth, and it is the owners of these dogs that lead them to become vicious. While it is true with any large/working breed of dogs that an inexperienced owner can lead it to become aggressive and vicious, incidents of aggression from pit bulls are more commonly reported than other breeds, possibly owing to the bad reputation.

The United Kennel Club, the second oldest kennel club in the United States, and possibly the world’s largest performance dog registry, describes the characteristics of the American pit bull terrier as strong, confident, and having a zest for life. They are also said to make good family dogs and are good with children and other pets, such as cats.

While many pit bulls are gentle and happy family dogs, incidents such as these have led several countries around the world and some states in the U.S. to impose restrictions and, in some cases, outright bans on the ownership of the breed.