If there’s one thing more dangerous than pitbulls, it’s usually careless pitbull owners, as was the case for a 70-year-old woman and her 14-year-old dog who were merely shopping in Orlando, Florida. A random pitbull that managed to run from its owner suddenly started attacking the old woman’s smaller dog. Thanks to her grit and her love for her dog, she managed to fend off the aggressive pitbull by biting it. The pitbull owner’s reaction, however, left many viewers worried.
Shirley Pasamanick is the 70-year-old woman in question, and she was just walking out of a grocery store in Orlando, Florida, on September 1, when all of a sudden, a pitbull lunged at her dog and started attacking unprovoked. The pitbull even latched onto Sparky, Pasamanick’s 14-year-old dog. Pasamanick did her best to help her dog, using her cane and even her hands to pry the pitbull off, but to no avail, so she had to resort to biting.
“It just out of nowhere bolted at us. And I did everything I could. We ended up on the ground. I couldn’t open his mouth. So … I bit him. I had to! I’m 91 pounds! I have no strength!… Really, he’s [Sparky] the reason some days I get up. You gotta take care of your dog,” says Shirley Pasamanick, transcript courtesy of WESH-TV
Pasamanick’s bite on the pitbull’s neck somehow worked, and the pitbull let go of Sparky. Turns out the pitbull’s owner was actually nearby and rushed in to grab the pitbull away from Pasamanick and Sparky. The pitbull owner then walked away. According to Pasamanick, she thought the pitbull owner would come back to check in on her and her dog, but apparently, that’s not what happened.
Sadly, Pasamanick couldn’t see the pitbull owner’s face as she was still shaken and reeling from the rather traumatic attack. At the moment, Orlando’s Animal Control is investigating the matter and trying to locate the male pitbull owner.
People are outraged at the pibull owner’s behavior
It’s safe to say that things could’ve easily gone wrong for Pasamanick and Sparky, but it’s mostly thanks to her quick thinking and her love for her senior dog that both of them are still alive and relatively well. Pitbulls have been known to take down fully grown humans and could easily kill smaller dogs or even children. Hence, people online are shaking their heads, so to speak, at the irresponsible pitbull owner in the video.
“OF COURSE THE PITBULL OWNER JUST WALKED AWAY WITHOUT HELPING THE LITTLE OLD LADY,” complained a Reddit user
“Pitbulls have a way of attracting the worst among us.”
Meanwhile, other people are praising Pasamanick for her bravery and for carrying out a defensive measure that actually worked. I still believe things would’ve gone differently if the pitbull owner hadn’t been nearby to yank the aggressive dog away from the two seniors. In any case, while Pasamanick and Sparky managed to walk away without serious injuries though they are likely to carry that kind of fear around pitbulls.
“I think this is a first. I can’t say I’ve seen this type of defense before.”
“She is really brave.”
