Boy saves girl from pit bull attack

By Eyewitness News Staff

A 9-year-old Bakersfield boy is being called a hero after he saved a girl from a vicious pit bull.

Drew Heredia says he and a friend were walking her small dog Tuesday when, out of nowhere, a pit bull jumped on the dog.

The 12-year-old girl tried to save her little dog and the pit bull turned on her.

Heredia says he jumped on the dog and applied a chokehold that he learned by taking classes at a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu studio in southwest Bakersfield.

He held the dog for 20 minutes until an animal control officer arrived. “At first I wanted to kick it, but then I thought, it’s not a good idea because it could get my leg,” said Drew Heredia.

The girl was taken to Mercy Southwest Hospital where she was treated for puncture wounds.

The pit bull is being quarantined at the animal control office, where it will be euthanized after 10 days.

No one has claimed the dog.

The other dog was not hurt. It ran away during the attack, but returned home to the girl Friday afternoon.


http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/37069754.html

I'm not the biggest fan of BJJ (I do JKD) but I will acknowledge that it is incredibly useful in certain grappling situations.

And what are your credentials?

I have a 27 year background in martial arts and I never degrade any system! All have their strengths and their weaknesses.

To me it comes down to a good teacher, a good student, and the wisdom to know the strengths of the style and to acknowledge the weaknesses. Supplement the weakness by learning what you can of other systems and styles.

I say good for this young man!

My son studies Kempo and is a year and a half away from his black belt (he is 16). He starts MMA training (for fun)in a few weeks and wants to study Ju Jitsu wherever he attends college. They all have good things to offer if they are taught by a good Sensei. My son's Sensei and his wife are like second parents to him, I couldn't ask for a better teacher.

There it is right in the article : Brazilian Jiu Jitzu

Submitting a strong and angry dog at his age? Impressive.

Goodd for the boy.

For a child to be able to hold on the dog for 20 minutes-I've never heard anything like it.

If he had that choke cinched in good and tight, that dog was likely unconscious or damned near so after not long, as a good choke will cut down or off on blood to the brain and air to the lungs of the dog.

Oh, and I have seen a lot of martial arts work and not work. No one art is innately superior. It is the practitioner that makes it reach its inherent potentials.

Truly amazing.

Is not so much brawn as a good knowledge of anatomy and application of the technique. The amounts of pressure needed to effectively torque one down in the right places are surprisingly small, in lbs/sq. in.

Kick a human knee in the right manner and it only takes 11 lbs/sq.in. to turn it into a very painful failure at supporting a human body. And expensive failure to set right, too.

The police use it.

Talk about one tough little guy! Choke hold on a pit bull? :wow: :wow:

I am glad that this worked out OK. My sister's dog was attacked by a pit bull. It was an ugly scene that ended in the death of her dog and much trauma.

You know, out of 51 dogs, only 4 of them had to be put down; any only 1 due to aggression and demeanor.

These dogs get such a bad rap; it is almost always the fault of the owner when a dog does something like this. They are not aggressive by nature, at least not toward people.

I'm glad the little girl and her pooch are going to be fine. I wish they could track down the owner and kick his ass.

were certainly naturally aggressive. They attacked my neighbor's guests one night as they were getting in their car to go home and if my neighbor hadn't had a wooden leg and kicked the snot out of them, several people would have been hospitalized at the least. It was incomprehensible that these animals (registered, from championship bloodlines) I knew and loved well could do something so 'against their character', but they did, and the attack was completely unprovoked. They are terriers who have high energy and can be very dangerous. I adopted them out to separate farms where they could not 'pack' as pitbulls, and this was back in 1976 before the breed became shamefully and irresponsibly overbred.

Edit for typo

They used to be widely used in England as nanny dogs because of how wonderful they are with children. I'm not saying that you can't get a bad bunch now and then, but by and large, they are nowhere near as bad as they are portrayed.

You just hear about it every couple years because they are pitbulls. My grandmother had probably 6 or 7 different dogs while she was alive, and I think all but 2 bit someone; and she didn't have pitbulls; she fluffy things that you would think would be wonderful with people and children.

You don't hear about those kind of attacks though; it doesn't make for interesting TV.

They're just ... misunderstood! :shrug:

Just another example of why society needs to start controlling crazy misanthropic animal people like your Grandma "proactively" (to use a word I hate) rather than mollycoddling them. Wow! Out of 6 or 7 dogs, "all but 2" bit somone! And none of them were pitbulls!

What kind of rank incompetence/deep-seated anger did your Grandmother have? I have a dream that someday we will find a way to put a stop to such pet owners (or non-human guardians, or whatever the hell you people like to call yourselves these days) after the VERY FIRST BITE!

:shrug:

And her having 6 or 7 over the course of 30 years...Is NOT that many animals.

She had two Chihuahuas and a poodle when she died.

I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about her that way. She was a wonderful person and didn't have any "incompetence/deep-seated anger as you put it.

That is a very rude thing to say, and I think I deserve an apology.

But they are not likely to kill or seriously hurt anyone, unlike big dogs, such s pitbulls.

...both of them.

Come to think of it, none of her dogs (except her poodle) ever liked children at all.

But thanks for not taking a personal jab at her like small did.

But they are not likely to kill or seriously hurt anyone, unlike big dogs, such s pitbulls.

around strangers. She snarls, growls and tries to bite. I don't know how she became like that because I have had her since she was 6 weeks old and never tried to make her aggressive.

An awful lot looks threatening to a dog that small.

...you are just an angry dog-hating dick or have never had dogs. Sometimes they bite...usually not hard, but they are animals that feel a need to protect the humans they bond with.

Either way, what a mean spirited comment.

:hi:

(I think if you check the rest of the thread, you might find more support for your first option.)

I wouldn't let any child near a pitbull. They were bred specifically to fight, by the way, not as nannys for children. My dogs were not a bad bunch, they were fun loving clowns with volatile temperaments. No doubt at all that small dogs bite, too, but they don't rip a person's face or breast off, for instance, or maul people to death as pit bulls have. When a toy poodle or a beagle kills a person, I don't think that the media will try to hold that news back. Seriously. I share my experience with the breed because people deserve to know what can happen. I have known people who have enjoyed a pitbull as a pet, but if one ever 'nips' you, I promise that you will notice the difference. I have compassion for the breed, but they are capable of killing human beings, they are not very smart, and they are not trustworthy.

If you have a different experience with a pitbull, I am glad. My personal experience informs my opinion. Perhaps we shall agree to disagree.

I just read it two days ago.

They have them everywhere; big cover with a pitbull; The good news out of bad news kennels.

Sorry... they haven't figured out how to make a computer link to an article in a paper magazine yet. But I'm sure you can find it; the magazines are everywhere.

I loved them. They attacked my neighbor and my neighbor's guests. They killed my neighbor's DOG that terrifying night and it was a PARTY for them. I don't need to read a fairy tale in a grocery store tabloid. I know what I'm talking about.

I'm done talking to you. I wasn't rude, and I don't appreciate you being rude to me.

read the article.

http://www.all-creatures.org/stories/a-vicksdogs.html

Perhaps that's why for decades pit bulls were considered great family dogs and in England were known as "nanny dogs" for their care of children. Petey in The Little Rascals was a pit bull, as was Stubby, a World War I hero for his actions with the 102nd Infantry in Europe, such as locating wounded U.S. soldiers and a German spy. Most dog experts will attest that a pit bull properly trained and socialized from a young age is a great pet.

It’s unfortunate that one of the original purposes of the pit bull was dog fighting, but it is a fact that cannot be denied or ignored. Even more unfortunate is the fact that they are still chosen for this purpose, even though it is illegal in all fifty states and, in certain instances, as the Michael Vick case illustrates, a federal crime. Adopting a pit bull, loving it, and training it as a breed ambassador are the most important things any of us civilians can do to combat people like Vick. Accordingly, PBRC is committed to educating current and potential pit bull owners so they have a better understanding of their dog and thus provide responsible and caring ownership.

http://www.pbrc.net/breedinfo.html

Perhaps that's why for decades pit bulls were considered great family dogs and in England were known as "nanny dogs" for their care of children. Petey in The Little Rascals was a pit bull, as was Stubby, a World War I hero for his actions with the 102nd Infantry in Europe, such as locating wounded U.S. soldiers and a German spy. Most dog experts will attest that a pit bull properly trained and socialized from a young age is a great pet.

You profess opinion then state what you consider fact.

I stated an opinion I have based on my experiences, then I provided a link to an article that happens to back my opinions.

Did I miss something?

Isn't that what you are supposed to do?

Make a statement and back it up with a credible source?

Or... did I get the lines mixed up... It's so far down... I can hardly tell.

Your quotes, correct me if I'm wrong...

They were bred specifically to fight

...or maul people to death as pit bulls have

they are not very smart, and they are not trustworthy.


All bullshit, thanks. I didn't see a link in your post that I responded to.

I shouldn't have responded to you. That was whoever I'm aruging with.

"They were bred specifically to fight"

Pitbulls are indeed bred to fight. So says a Pitbull rescue organization. Argue with them if you like:
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/breed.cfm

"...or maul people to death as pit bulls have"

In fact, Pitbulls are the single most likely type of dog to be involved in fatal attacks according to this study.
http://www.dogbitelaw.com/breeds-causing-DBRFs.pdf

So perhaps you have some other information, but there is some pretty good evidence that it's not "all bullshit". Now maybe there's a case out there somewhere that it's really all the owners' fault because people who desire violent dogs may gravitate towards the breed, but the facts remain that they were bred to fight and they do kill people more often than other breeds.

Pitbulls were indeed bred to fight ages ago, much like lions and Christians.

Your second link. Jesus. The CDC? Really? Linked from an ambulance chasing lawyer? A self defeating source? Seriously, Google further. The CDC that stopped and dismissed their own study because it was bullshit, yet you summon it here?

Nice work, Choad.

Pitbulls were indeed bred to fight ages ago, much like lions and Christians.

Hmmm, that's why Michael Vick was busted with poodles, right? That's why when dogfight rings are busted all over the country they are always caught with Retrievers and Pomeranians, right?

The Romans certainly bred fighting dogs, but I doubt if they were pitbulls. That breed emerged as the one of choice for the purpose about 150 years ago, and they are still bred for that purpose today. For a self-proclaimed pitbull expert, you sure are short on facts and long on "bullshit", no?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12108421

Your second link. Jesus. The CDC? Really? Linked from an ambulance chasing lawyer? A self defeating source? Seriously, Google further. The CDC that stopped and dismissed their own study because it was bullshit, yet you summon it here?

Ah yes, the CDC. How silly of me to even think the very agency charged with preventing injuries could ever be quoted as an authority on the subject, even though they have been studying the problem for decades. I'm sure all their doctors are quacks with mail order sheepskins. We should all ignore all of their recommendations on drinking and driving, fire safety, playground injuries, and suicide too because you say they are "bullshit". Where did you say you got your medical degree from again?

I googled a little further, as you suggested, and not only did I find the exact same study, still on their website even though you claim it was "dismissed", along with earlier studies and one or two from a pediatric group as well saying the same thing.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/dogbites.htm

Nevermind also that what you originally claimed was "bullshit" was the obvious very simple statement of fact that pitbulls indeed do "maul people to death" which no person north of a room temperature IQ would challenge in the first place.

Even when what you claim is "bullshit" is proven otherwise, including relevant links, you summarily dismiss them, and we only have your word for that. It's quite obvious that you have no intention of engaging in anything other than "bullshit" ad hominem nonsense, and you can't even manage to acknowledge your own claims, much less begin to defend them.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

There's no need for personal attacks.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

i adore that breed, and it really bothers me to see the bias against them.

There are many of us trying to change the BS perception.

on some of the factors that are causing this "problem" with pit bulls?

First as someone who lives in an urban area I see way too much of underground dog fighting. From the Michael Vick type of operation where big bucks are thrown about to the cellar fights. And I know this also happens in some rural communities as well.

Seems to be this is also engendering a lot of bad backyard breeding for all the wrong reasons. And this breed has also come to be somewhat of a status symbol for many who should not even own a dog and have no idea of responsible dog ownership. Its these owners IMHO who have the dogs that get involved in these horrendous attacks that make the news.

Of course that then gets the politicians riled who think the answer is a breed ban. Curious how you feel about that and does it do any good?

How about strictly enforced licensing & spay and neuter laws?

And what's the answer in your opinion to stopping the dog fighting? Is enough effort put in to it? Is it treated as a serious enough of a problem?

I shudder when any dog breed gets too popular and becomes a fad. It does nothing for the dogs because then you get overbreeding from the puppy mills to the backyard breeders. Results in dogs that have physical/psychological problems or in the case of the pit bulls many who are bred for the very aggresive fighting temperment that responsible breeders would be trying to rid the breed of.

In my opinion there are too many irresponsible pit bull owners(and some other breed owners) who unfortunately let their dogs terrorize their own households or their neighborhoods to the point people are afraid to be in their own yards or out in their neighborhoods.

You've done a good job of laying out those factors that "cause" problems with pitbulls. Mostly, the "problem" is unfounded but portrayed by the media as being more than it could ever hope to be.

As someone that sees "way too much of underground dogfighting" I have to ask...what are you doing to end that?

As people, we infatuate.

A breed ban is worthless. Not only does it not work, but in most American communities it is indeed unConstitutional. Especially considering that not only is the "pit bull" damn near beyond identity, but creating a bias against a certain "sort of breed" is not only laughable but unfounded both by science and government.

I support strictly enforced spay/neuter laws.

Honestly, how to stop dog fighting? Locally, the law should embrace the animal advocates in the community. Let them in the game, crazy or not. The folks left out there to deal with the dogfighting problem are largely overworked and underpaid. Now, it's grassroots, and in the hands of the locals. Nationally, keep the heat on.

I busted a fight ring two doors down from a church. You're NOT going to get it from the community. With support from the local govt. animal services, they got nailed.

Leverage the nutjobs like me. There is no better support on a local level.

Lastly, your final issue is that animals/dogs are property. You get to do whatever you want with them, irresponsible or not.

I try to support my local animal agencies with contributions throughout the year including a generous donation our local county treasurer offers when dog owners get licensing in our county to care for abused dogs. I don't know of any operations that are in my personal neighborhood at this time but I'd certainly report it if I did.

I'll confess I should find more time to attend my local council meetings to see what is going on in my neighborhood. Like a lot of us I suspect I get way too involved in national politics to the detriment of what is happening locally.

Sometimes, kids turn out all screwed-up due to bad upbringing. But sometimes, even if the kid had great parents, he or she could still grow up to be pretty messed-up. I'm sorry to hear that your dogs turned out to be killers, despite your best efforts. But i hope you also agree that we cannot demonize an entire breed due to anecdotal reports of aggression.

stresses that these dogs need an owner to pay special attention to them. When I first got my pitbulls, I set out to prove your premise and I discovered how behind the beat I actually was after the incident that I cited. I also take responsibility for keeping four of them (mother, father, son & daughter) who packed and ran wild like a street gang at night. Despite being in an isolated area where my nearest neighbors were nearly a half mile away, the story that I related upthread is true. I am not saying that it is impossible that this breed can be good pets and companions or they don't deserve a chance to be adopted, but extreme awareness and caution is warranted. The evidence (and I could post dozens of threads re: maulings, etc.) of their aggressive behavior is not anecdotal.

ha ha that is great!

I don't doubt this happened, but what about the fact that the media BURIES the story every time little boys save little girls from attacks by golden retrievers, wiermeraners, or shih tzus? hmmmm? HMMM?

Pitbulls aren't overly-muscular frankenstiens bred over centuries to kill; they're just MISUNDERSTOOD!


;)

protection

If you want real protection, a dozen other breeds are far better.

Me neighbor has one and she is the most affectionate dog I ever met.

Unless it goes off on a neighbor pushing a baby carriage.

Yes, I have seen this and hope nobody ever has to again.

There's a lot better ways to protect yourself.

And how many of them aim and then go off by itself? And then, what's the science or excuse for these loaded guns going off "all by itself"?

Just looking for perspective, thanks.

Haruka educated me on that: most so-called pit bulls aren't even pit bulls. And, within pits, there are more sweet "bait" dogs than there are "attack" pits.

Pitbulls are scary :scared:

Good work by that kid, though, if the story is true.

until help arrived!

BJJ teaches that. Royce Gracie made it famous.

..... this thread is sinking like a stone ......

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4767656

.... and it was posted pretty much the same time as this one, which is very active.

(And I'll bet the story's true.)

:woohoo:

I was about to go to bed and too tired to make a coherent response. I'm on a bunch of environmental email lists and I read too many sad water stories today so I just felt defeated when I read your post earlier.

couldn't have been bad either. Pits are strong dogs.

...that poor girl.

:(

But did anyone else notice that he looks just like the kid that played young Forrest Gump??

MUST have been a DACHSHUND ... yeah ... Those deadly little bastards are ALWAYS attacking poor human beings, digging their MASSIVELY POWERFUL TEETH into limbs and ripping their victims to shreds ....

The media NEVER reports when those damned Dachshunds attack and kill ....

Oh ... Not a Dachshund ? .... Then it is a POODLE ! ....

Again ... The media fails to report the many Poodle attacks, even though they are EXTREMELY dangerous, and can create great fear in anyone who is caught in their fearsome grip ...

Poodles have been known to grab onto their victims, and bite deeply with their MASSIVE JAWS, and not let go ... not for anyone ..... Ya need a SHOVEL or a GUN to pry those little bastards off their prey ! .... But NOBODY ever reports the many many deadly Poodle attacks, because they are the biased media who want the public to fear those POOR WITTLE Pitbull terriers ....

Everyone thinks it is PIT BULLS who are deadly, and stuff like that ... But NO ! > That is a MEDIA LIE !

Nope ... Never .... Pit Bulls are practically harmless and are EXACTLY THE SAME LEVEL OF DANGER AS ALL OTHER BREEDS ....

I learned that here ....

I was way wrong .... Silly me ....

I thought Pitbulls, so called 'American Staffordshire Terriers' were a dangerous breed ... but no: I was wrong .... They are all extremely gentle, and loving, and so caring ...

They are SO loving that I now bring my children to yards where Pit Bulls are known to be wrongly penned, and I simply toss the kids inside the yard, just waving as I walk away, knowing that they will be quite safe with those gentle Pit Bull doggies ....

I am advising all nursing homes to use Pit Bulls as loving and gentle caregivers ... Knowing how the LYING MEDIA is so biased against Pit Bulls and similar breeds, and how they ONLY report when Pit Bulls and similar breeds 'accidentally' bite humans, who obviously deserve being bit ... and they NEVER EVER report the more deadly and fatal POODLE attacks ....

When is the last time you heard of a fatal DACHSHUND attack ? ... Huh ? ....

See how they are ? ....

You KNOW when a Dachshund gets a hold of it's poor victim, there is NO GETTING LOOSE ! ... You are done for ... You might as well shoot yerself, because they are definitely killers, but you dont know that, because the media doesnt tell you about that ....

It is despicable how the biased media has purposely ignored ALL the maimings and deadly maulings by the TRUE deadly canines : POODLES and DACHSHUNDS ! ..... and yet they blame ALL these other attacks on PIT BULLS ! ....

YOU know in your heart Pit Bulls dont attack any more than other breeds ... right ?
YOU know in your heart of hearts that other breeds KILL and MAIM MUCH more than Pit Bull terriers, and that the biased media simply fails to report those acts of viciousness, so they can fool the public into thinking Pit Bulls are extraordinarily dangerous ....

Ever see a "Cocker Spaniel kills old lady crossing street" story ???

Ever see a "Man half eaten by Chihuahua" story ?

Well .... There you go ... Proof positive that all this hoopla about Pit Bulls and other similar breeds is a bunch of LIES .... The REAL killers get off scotfree, while the poor Pit Bull terrier, the most gentle animal in the universe, is falsely cast as a villain ....

I was corrected here in DU by the 'Pit Bull Defense Brigade' ... and they are as persistently pitiless as a Poodle ... as perilously pugnacious as a Pug .... as brutally bellicose as a Beagle and as callously cruel as a Collie .... They were not as peacefully pleasant as a Pit Bull ....

Pit Bulls are not the killers ..... It's all the other dogs ..... Anyone who says otherwise is a vicious liar ...

EXTREME :sarcasm:

No, seriously, big applause on this one.

BAD media ...

GOOD doggie ....

*steps sideways to the door - always smiling stupidly (NO TEETH)*

Yeah, "BAD media" indeed. Convenience is nice.

mark.

if one could get a good choke hold w/o getting bitten if it would work on an attacking dog. Thought it could. One of the big MMA organizations ought to trot this kid out for introductions at their next big match!

And, have a ceremony in the Octagon and give the kid an award.

Very cute kid. :thumbsup:

(I think she was about 10 at the time), managed to get one of the dogs off of her 5 yr old sister, but then the two dogs started in on her and the 8 yr old.. All three girls had to have hundreds of stitches.. Ultimately, a lady saw what was happening, and hear their screams & ran out with a mop and started whacking the dogs..

Th oldest girl (now grown up) still walks with a slight limp because of how badly torn her calf muscle was.. Luckily none of the bites & tears were not on their faces...mostly on their backs, legs and arms :(

Few people realize the extent of the problem. There are tens of thousands of dog bites per year that are reported and undoubtedly tens of thousands more that aren't.

The day I heard the scream I was working outside when I looked around and saw a woman being attacked. She was walking on the sidewalk with a baby carriage when a pitbull dug underneath his fence. She got between the dog and her baby and it jumped her, bit her all over her arms, her face, then latched on to her neck. By the time I got there 3 other guys arrived and it took all 4 of us grown men to pull the dog off, and even at that I thought for sure it was going to kill her and certainly would have if we had not intervened. There was blood everywhere. All of this happened in what seemed like only 2-3 minutes. She was hospitalized with extremely severe trauma. I never saw her again, but I'm quite sure she sustained injuries and scars both physically and emotionally she carries to this day. You don't really know what these dogs are capable of unless you've seen it for yourself.

There's simply no excuse for owning a violent dog that has the capability of killing or seriously injuring someone. Most of these attacks happen against children. Yes, there might be a way to "train" the aggression out of the dogs, but rarely does that happen because the people who own them really just don't give a shit.

Those dogs are just so big and so strong that when they attack it is really awful.

But, you know, there are thousands of rottweilers living here and they don't bother anybody. It would be so unfair to brand all rottweilers from the actions of maybe 2 in 5 thousand. The same with pitbulls.

:yourock: