Mrs Behavin
Well-Known Member
SOUTH BEND -- James Seward pulled his Jeep into the driveway about noon Monday and noticed a girl and a dog wrapped up in what he believed was a playful bundle.
Then he heard the screams.
Seward quickly realized the entanglement was no game, and he ran to help the girl escape the vicious grip of the dog.
Seward began yelling and throwing anything he could find -- sticks, rocks -- before he finally grabbed a rake to chase the dog, a pit bull mix, away from the girl.
The girl ran to a relative's house next door to where the dog lives in the 4000 block of West Bonfield Place before paramedics arrived to take her to the hospital.
"It's a sight I never want to see again," Seward said.
The girl, who is believed to be between 6 and 10 years old, suffered bite wounds to her arm and shoulders, said Catherine Toppel, director of code enforcement for the city.
"She's just a kid," Seward said. "I figured if I got her loose and then (the dog) goes after me, I've got a better chance than she do. I would never want
to go through that again. I'm against pit bulls 100 percent. I think they should be outlawed."
The attack happened outside in a driveway, where Seward said the dog often is tied up on a telephone cord that serves as a leash.
The dog escaped from a kennel in the backyard and at one point dragged the girl, Toppel said. The animal then ran down the street and attacked another dog before it was captured.
Another neighbor, Cookie Wisneski, said Seward's actions saved the girl. While other neighbors stood frozen in panic, Seward wasted no time in rushing to the girl's aid.
"It's a good thing he went in with that rake," said Wisneski, who called Seward a hero.
After a moment's hesitation, Seward said he acted on instinct.
"I just hope someone would have done the same thing if it was one of my grandkids," he said.
Toppel said the dog is being held by Animal Control, and its owner has been contacted. Animal Control has recommended the owner permanently turn the dog over, Toppel said.
"This dog is extremely aggressive," Toppel said.
Seward personally had not had any previous problems with the dog but said other neighbors complained it had been "terrorizing the neighborhood."
Seward and Toppel did not know the dog's gender or its name.
"I don't even know if it has a name," Seward said.
No complaints about the dog were on file with Animal Control, Toppel said, but the dog also was not registered with the city.
South Bend requires owners of pit bull varieties to register for a dangerous dog license.
Then he heard the screams.
Seward quickly realized the entanglement was no game, and he ran to help the girl escape the vicious grip of the dog.
Seward began yelling and throwing anything he could find -- sticks, rocks -- before he finally grabbed a rake to chase the dog, a pit bull mix, away from the girl.
The girl ran to a relative's house next door to where the dog lives in the 4000 block of West Bonfield Place before paramedics arrived to take her to the hospital.
"It's a sight I never want to see again," Seward said.
The girl, who is believed to be between 6 and 10 years old, suffered bite wounds to her arm and shoulders, said Catherine Toppel, director of code enforcement for the city.
"She's just a kid," Seward said. "I figured if I got her loose and then (the dog) goes after me, I've got a better chance than she do. I would never want
to go through that again. I'm against pit bulls 100 percent. I think they should be outlawed."
The attack happened outside in a driveway, where Seward said the dog often is tied up on a telephone cord that serves as a leash.
The dog escaped from a kennel in the backyard and at one point dragged the girl, Toppel said. The animal then ran down the street and attacked another dog before it was captured.
Another neighbor, Cookie Wisneski, said Seward's actions saved the girl. While other neighbors stood frozen in panic, Seward wasted no time in rushing to the girl's aid.
"It's a good thing he went in with that rake," said Wisneski, who called Seward a hero.
After a moment's hesitation, Seward said he acted on instinct.
"I just hope someone would have done the same thing if it was one of my grandkids," he said.
Toppel said the dog is being held by Animal Control, and its owner has been contacted. Animal Control has recommended the owner permanently turn the dog over, Toppel said.
"This dog is extremely aggressive," Toppel said.
Seward personally had not had any previous problems with the dog but said other neighbors complained it had been "terrorizing the neighborhood."
Seward and Toppel did not know the dog's gender or its name.
"I don't even know if it has a name," Seward said.
No complaints about the dog were on file with Animal Control, Toppel said, but the dog also was not registered with the city.
South Bend requires owners of pit bull varieties to register for a dangerous dog license.
