This story aired on my channel 3 news last night....
CLEVELAND -- A Cleveland mail carrier who was attacked by a pit bull October 11 says he thought the dog might kill him.
Jack Smith said he remembers that afternoon on E. 77th St. near St Clair vividly.
"As it progressed, I knew that I was in a fight for my life with this pit bull," Smith said.
Smith, a mail carrier for eight years, sat heavily bandaged in his Huron Hospital room Monday. He remembered how Colby, the dog, broke free from his chain and began a relentless attack.
"For the next seven to eight minutes after that it was just me against the dog face to face," Smith said. "(It) bit into my ... clamped on to my left arm and it was there two to three minutes and at that time, it broke my left arm."
There's still blood on the neighbor's porch where Smith said the dog was literally hanging off him, grabbing onto his chest with his mouth.
"I had to stand on my feet and keep it in front of me if I was going to make it out of there," Smith said.
A neighbor finally pulled the dog off of Smith. A woman in the house where the dog was tied up offered her regrets, though she declined to identify herself.
"I'm sorry, I apologize, I wish it had never happened, and God be with him."
But Jack Smith says the owners have to be held responsible and wonders why the city doesn't clamp down. Cleveland City Councilman Jay Westbrook offered one answer.
"We need to have the laws that we have fully enforced," Westbrook said. "We've had a difficulty being able to do that because of staffing levels."
For now, Smith faces months of rehabilitation. But he keeps his sense of humor.
"I'm just interested in getting my golf swing back and we'll see what happens as far as my postal career as it goes," he said.
This story irritated me enough to e-mail the reporters who covered the story..
I’m writing this in response to the story that you aired this evening, 10/16/06. I found the “pit bull” attack story very upsetting. First of all, my prayers are with the man who was attacked, however, I believe that your story contained an error. A “pit bull” is not a breed of dog, it is a term under which 25 plus dogs can be either classified under or confused for. The main three dogs being, the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), the American Staffordshire Terrier (AMSTAFF), and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier (STAFFY). There are many stories of “pit bull attacks”, but in most cases these dogs are not even bully breeds, but are mixed breed dogs. If one cannot guarantee the breed of a dog, a breed should not be mentioned. Responsible owners of bully breeds are having a hard enough time dealing with the ridiculous BSL laws without having to worry about more negative press due to people’s ignorance. I wish you would cover a story about the loyalty, bravery, and downright love that American Pit Bull Terriers posses. How about doing a story on Popsicle, the U.S.A.’s best drug sniffing customs agent or Sgt. Stubby, the U.S.A.’s first official war dog? I am well aware of the fact that a story like that may not be as exciting or get the feedback as a story which portrays these wonderful dogs as evil, but I think that you, being such a large media outlet have a certain responsibility to fulfill. Spread awareness, not ignorance. If they were human, this would be called racism.
Sincerely,
Jen Elardo
CLEVELAND -- A Cleveland mail carrier who was attacked by a pit bull October 11 says he thought the dog might kill him.
Jack Smith said he remembers that afternoon on E. 77th St. near St Clair vividly.
"As it progressed, I knew that I was in a fight for my life with this pit bull," Smith said.
Smith, a mail carrier for eight years, sat heavily bandaged in his Huron Hospital room Monday. He remembered how Colby, the dog, broke free from his chain and began a relentless attack.
"For the next seven to eight minutes after that it was just me against the dog face to face," Smith said. "(It) bit into my ... clamped on to my left arm and it was there two to three minutes and at that time, it broke my left arm."
There's still blood on the neighbor's porch where Smith said the dog was literally hanging off him, grabbing onto his chest with his mouth.
"I had to stand on my feet and keep it in front of me if I was going to make it out of there," Smith said.
A neighbor finally pulled the dog off of Smith. A woman in the house where the dog was tied up offered her regrets, though she declined to identify herself.
"I'm sorry, I apologize, I wish it had never happened, and God be with him."
But Jack Smith says the owners have to be held responsible and wonders why the city doesn't clamp down. Cleveland City Councilman Jay Westbrook offered one answer.
"We need to have the laws that we have fully enforced," Westbrook said. "We've had a difficulty being able to do that because of staffing levels."
For now, Smith faces months of rehabilitation. But he keeps his sense of humor.
"I'm just interested in getting my golf swing back and we'll see what happens as far as my postal career as it goes," he said.
This story irritated me enough to e-mail the reporters who covered the story.. I’m writing this in response to the story that you aired this evening, 10/16/06. I found the “pit bull” attack story very upsetting. First of all, my prayers are with the man who was attacked, however, I believe that your story contained an error. A “pit bull” is not a breed of dog, it is a term under which 25 plus dogs can be either classified under or confused for. The main three dogs being, the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), the American Staffordshire Terrier (AMSTAFF), and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier (STAFFY). There are many stories of “pit bull attacks”, but in most cases these dogs are not even bully breeds, but are mixed breed dogs. If one cannot guarantee the breed of a dog, a breed should not be mentioned. Responsible owners of bully breeds are having a hard enough time dealing with the ridiculous BSL laws without having to worry about more negative press due to people’s ignorance. I wish you would cover a story about the loyalty, bravery, and downright love that American Pit Bull Terriers posses. How about doing a story on Popsicle, the U.S.A.’s best drug sniffing customs agent or Sgt. Stubby, the U.S.A.’s first official war dog? I am well aware of the fact that a story like that may not be as exciting or get the feedback as a story which portrays these wonderful dogs as evil, but I think that you, being such a large media outlet have a certain responsibility to fulfill. Spread awareness, not ignorance. If they were human, this would be called racism.
Sincerely,
Jen Elardo
