I see 2 unleashed pit bulls in Paulus Hook almost daily. As soon as the owner gets to boardwalk (right next to Yellow Taxi pier), She unleashes her dogs. Once, one of them jumped into my son's stroller. The owner assured me these dogs are friendly. if I have to go near Pier House, I pace faster. Cops are hesitant to do anything about it. I seriously consider getting Glock before Obama gets into the office.

I was attacked by a pit bull and a German shepherd when I was younger. The pit bull bit my face and the shepherd almost mauled me. Needless to say, I now own a pit bull and work at the animal shelter.

As a RESPONSIBLE pit bull owner, I always leash my dog. If need be, I can pick him up over my shoulders (all 70lbs of him) and drop him right to the ground. He's never gotten nasty with people before, but I've seen other dogs push his buttons a bit. Still, since he was adopted from the shelter, I don't know all of his limits. Even when dogs are taken in as puppies, the human will never know 100% what the dog is capable of.

When I walk my dog, I get a lot of thugs who ask me if he's a "pit bull." I'm prepared to tell them he's a shar pei/chihuahua mix next time I get asked. I also find that most people heading my way tend to cross the street. Those are ignorant folks. My dog is not trained to protect, bite, attack, or any of those things. He knows his basic sit, give paw, lay down, roll over, and stay commands, but he's more of a companion than anything. I took him to Newport Mall for pet night and he was the only Pit in attendance. He was very well behaved for Santa and got along well with all of the other dogs waiting in line.

A lot of these irresponsible owners are the reason our shelter is so full of pit bulls. People seem to want these big scary aggressive looking dogs and train them to be just that. These people are the same ones who don't want to pay the price for their actions and eventually let their dogs loose or do terrible things like throw them over the fence at the shelter. They aren't doing it for the benefit of the animal's life, but because they don't want to pay a surrender fee or be identified for any of their crimes.

as a dog attack victim i do believe that in the state of new jersey if you dog bites anyone, anywhere including your own property you are at fault 100%. if the victim is able to find the owner and find out his residence i believe that home owners insurance has a nuisance value of upwards $10,000. i didn't look into a law suit because the owner of the house was a newark police officer and it was a trained guard dog, even though i was a pse&g meter reader and they allowed me in the yard with the dog, i still felt like it was sort of my fault.

i really empathize with this victim. being attacked is a horrible experience.

+1
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It is unbelievable to me that, for example, carrying a Mace canister of certain size is illegal, but walking an un-muzzled pitbull is legal.

I don't care about leashes - even a leashed pitbull can lunge at you.

These dogs need to be muzzled while outside, by law, period. Or else banned altogether.

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Here's a crazy "big brotherish" idea:

Create an online photo database of dogs and their owners so a victim can pick them out of a lineup. Everyone has cellcams these days, and can sneak pics while walking their own dogs. Note, I don't say who to photograph, that'll just happen naturally...

This is like walking around with a loaded gun. These thug looking hoodlums don't use leashes it's a trend among the low lifes. They do it subconsciously yet intentionaly, if you dare try to suggest a leash the thugs will give you the evil eye. Lets get rid of the basketball courts, ban dog walking, prohibit jogging, and ask people for their papers when passing each other. I guess we have to share the park with them. One bad apple spoils the rest.

Good point Brewster, I also wonder why we don't have a detailed description of the dogs and the owner.

I'm sure there are people who have seen this "owner" and his little sweethearts before.

This is shocking but inevitable, as most of us knew. Why do you suppose it took a week to make the news?

With her health issues, the victim was trying to do the right thing and exercise -- this attack might forever derail that. I hope the victim can overcome this nightmare (and her nightmares) -- it is hard to imagine what she is going through.

Had she been a child, she might well be dead. I really can't imagine the shock of losing a finger, and being left bed ridden by this beast.

To think this came out of the blue during a nice jog in the park at lunch time.

I hope the owner goes to jail!

Landlords should take note of the potential liability and talk to their insurers regarding Pit Bulls and the like.

Another example of a pitbull owner thinking he/she has full control of their dog.

To the dog whisperer (owner of dog): just because your dog obeys your sit and stay command does not mean it is safe to walk your dog unleashed. There is a leash law for a reason.

I truly hope the woman recovers from this.

put the owner down too, he doesn't deserve to live either.

Hope they find the guys whos dogs these were & put them to sleep. It sucks theres no CCTV cameras in that area.

Pit bull mauls woman

Thursday, December 11, 2008
By TOM SHORTELL
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A Jersey City woman was chewed up by an unleashed pit bull while jogging through Lincoln Park on Dec. 3 and was left bleeding by the dog owner, who ran away without helping her, family members said yesterday.

The 50-year-old Jersey City woman was jogging at about 12:15 p.m. when she saw a man with two pit bulls, an unleashed tan colored one and a leashed black one, said the victim's son Mina Morgan.

The unleashed dog lunged at her, biting her legs and bringing her to the ground, Morgan said.

When the woman tried to push the dog off, the dog bit her hands, nearly chewing off a finger, which had to be partially amputated, Morgan said.

The dog's owner eventually gathered his dogs and ran from the scene, "but he didn't do anything to stop the dog," Morgan said.

Another person in the park found the bloodied victim screaming and called 911, Morgan said.

The victim was rushed to Jersey City Medical Center and has been released, Morgan said.

It will take two to three months for her to recover from muscle damage due to complications from her diabetes, Morgan said. His mother is also emotionally traumatized by the attacks, Morgan said.

"She doesn't get any sleep. She cries," he said. "She has nightmares."

The Hudson County Sheriff's Office, which patrols Lincoln Park, said it is investigating the incident.

I was getting withdraw symptoms from the lack of dog attacks and stories - This is more like it.

Jogger attacked by pit bull in Lincoln Park

by Jersey Journal
Thursday December 11, 2008

A woman jogging through Jersey City's Lincoln Park at midday was attacked by an unleashed pit bull, whose owner then took the dog away and left the woman bleeding and in pain.

SEE TODAY'S JERSEY JOURNAL FOR MORE.

http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/