Pittsburgh Steelers' James Harrison's son recovering after dog attack, but can the dog be saved?

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison is hoping his dog, a pit bull named Patron, will be given a second chance after biting his 2-year-old son. 

The dog apparently became agitated and bit the boy on the thigh when he started to cry. Also slightly injured were the boy's mother and Harrison's massage therapist, both of whom tried to intervene when the dog attacked. The boy has since been released from a children's hospital and, according to Harrison's agent Bill Parise, is walking and has no muscle or nerve damage as a result of the bite.  Both his mother and the massage therapist have recovered (although the massage therapist required several stitches).

Patron was taken to Animal Control of McKees Rocks, where initial reports said that he would be kept under quarantine for 10 days, after which he would be euthanized.

But now Harrison says that he'd like the dog to be spared and "he would love to find a home for him, but only if it was a home that would provide maximum security," Parise told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  "This decision is not being made lightly, and it would have to be in the best interest of the welfare of the animal as well as of people."

Patron had never attacked before, Parise said, but finding a rescue organization to take a dog who's attacked even once is proving difficult so far.

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press.

Comments

[Yes, the dog can be saved.]

This is very sad that three people had to be injured when the primary reason it happened is probably because the dog was living in a pen and wasn't being properly raised to begin with. I hear Mike Vick is free these days and going to work for the SPCA. Vick, Harrison, and Patron need to spend some time with Cesar Milan in LA's very own dog rehabilitation center and learn how to properly treat and handle a dog.

[aelfheld]

Gotta have priorities. I mean, the dog probably cost a hundred bucks or so.

[Craig]

Pit bulls are ill tempered dogs with short fuses. You don't get a pit bull when you have a baby/young child. Any idiot would know that.

I hope the dog doesn't get punishment because James Harrison is a dummy.

[Jerimiah]

This is further evidence that this guy is a moron. The dog attacked your wife and child and you're trying to save it? He also missed the whole point of visiting the White House as a Super bowl winner. Good thing his job is just to knock people down. I wouldn't trust him with a job as technical as shoveling manure.

[Captain Obvious]

Most dogs have a "it's a baby!!" reflex when confronting a human child (or a puppy or a kitten). They considerit part of the pack and DO NOT hurt it.

Something in Pitbulls shorts out that instinct. How many times must we read the the pitbull in question "had never attacked before" before it becomes apparent that for pitbulls, that's only true until it isn't.

Captain Obvious

[Alan Papszycki]

Dogs that become highly excited for whatever reason at a particular time, will often bite or nip anything (animal or human) that happens to be in close proximity to them.

Unfortunately, many individuals do not understand the differences between excited dog behavior or aggressive dog behavior, so the animal is usually labeled as aggressive.

This does not deter from the fact that the animal used it's teeth inappropriately, on a small child. But there would be no indecision as to the disposition of the dog by Mr. Harrison, if the dog really meant business.