Dispatch: Pit bull attacks woman in wheelchair

White dog with black spots still at large after biting woman in University District
Friday, July 25, 2003
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

A woman in a wheelchair was attacked by a pit-bull terrier this week, leaving her with bites on her arms and legs.

Authorities still are trying to find the dog and who owns it, Columbus police said.

Debra Ballin, 50, said she usually keeps an eye out for the many pit bulls owned by residents in her University District neighborhood.

But as she approached her apartment from an alley behind her E. 14 th Avenue home about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, she saw no dogs and counted on a safe path to her door.

That’s when a white pit bull with black spots ran straight for her.

"It came right up to me and started barking and biting," she said. "It was so scary, it kind of shocked me."

The dog bit Ballin’s left leg first, then latched onto her left arm and began shaking her arm in its mouth.

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"I thought he was going to shake me out of my wheelchair," Ballin said. "He could have dragged me along the concrete like a rag doll. I’m very grateful he didn’t get me out of this chair."

Ballin, who cannot walk, was able to free herself by swinging a glass juice bottle that she was holding at the dog’s head.

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"I slammed the bottle against his jaw," she said. "I did it as hard as I could.

Ballin was taken to Ohio State University Medical Center, where she was treated for bite wounds and then released.

The state classifies pit bulls as vicious dogs — the only dog classified that way.

By law, owners must purchase $100,000 worth of special insurance for each pit bull. When a pit bull is off the owner’s property, it must be muzzled, leashed or confined.

"In this case, if this dog was shown to be a pit and it was running loose as described, that is punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine," Hedrick said. The jail time and fine could be doubled if the dog was without proper insurance.

OFCC PAC Commentary:
Laws banning dogs are no more successful than laws banning guns when it comes to protecting the innocent.

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