Image used for illustrative purposes.
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – A brown and white pit bull with a history of escaping its yard and biting people was taken by Safford Animal Control on Tuesday, March 26, after biting a pedestrian.
According to a Safford Police report, the victim stated he was walking by a residence on 2nd Street at about 1:17 p.m. when a brown and white pit bull dog left its yard and attacked him. He said the dog bit his leg as he attempted to run away and only let go after he threw his water cup at it. The victim then ran to his grandmother’s residence and called for authorities.
The victim, who had a fresh, bleeding bite wound, said the dog has a history of escaping its yard and biting people. The officer confirmed that the residence has had similar instances reported to police in the past.
The victim denied medical care but was transported to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center by family members to be evaluated and treated if necessary.
The officer responded to the residence and located four dogs – a large white and brown pit bull, a large black Labrador, and two smaller dogs – all of which were loose. Upon the officer’s arrival, the dogs ran through an open front gate and aggressively approached his vehicle, according to his report.
At that time, the officer called for Safford Animal Control officer Randy Damron to respond.
While waiting for Animal Control, the officer witnessed the dogs run into the street toward some pedestrians. The officer then deployed pepper spray on the dogs and corralled them back into the yard.
Shortly afterward, officer Damron arrived, and the two officers used catch poles to secure the pit bull, which kept trying to bite them, according to the report.
An officer attempted to contact the homeowner, but nobody answered the door, so a note was left regarding the situation and what had transpired.
While pit bulls have received a lot of negative press in the past for bites they are actually one of the safer dogs to have at a household. According to the American Temperament Test Society, Inc., 86.8 percent of American pit bull terriers have passed its temperament testing. That number is higher as a breed than collies, beagles, and even golden retrievers. In fact, out of 122 different canine types tested, pit bulls ranked fourth for passing the temperament test.
