HELP! Dog fight

I'm sorry this is long...I haven't posted in a while but I need some help from you all. I own 2 dogs, jake the golden retriever and audrei the lab mix. My dogs stay in a dog pin and are only let out on a leash or tie outs. I live in a subdivision I guess you could say. I have a neighbor who own 3 pitbulls and they have a few puppies as well. Well most of the time he keeps his dogs either on tie out or in a dog pin as well. But they are on ocassion let loose or get loose. These dogs also might I add have chewed holes in the chain link dog pin and gotten out. Well Thursday I let mine out on tie outs and one of my neighbors pit, attacked my jake after he broke lose from his tie out. My neighbor was at home at the time and got his dog off mine. Jake was limping on my front paw but he is okay now. And then yesterday I was letting them out again and I noticed prior to letting them out, making sure all of them were secured. The attacking dog was in a dog pin. No more than I got my back turned, the attacking dog got out of his pin, my neighbor was not at home. And attacked jake again. I was outside by myself, my friend inside the house. I was doing all I could trying to get him off jake. I was kicking the dog in the face and everything. I was also screaming at the top of my lungs, my friend finally seen what was going on and came outside to help. She broke a lawn chair over the attacking dog and he still wouldn't let go and then she took a broken piece of the chair leg and was stabbing him in the throat. We managed to get them apart and jake back in the pin. In which jake's ear was the only thing the pit could get a hold of because jake is so thick around his neck he was unable to get him there, Thank goodness!! Jake's ear is split, I cleaned it with peroxide and also gave him some keflex antibiotics I had from previous. The vet of course was not in lastnight but I plan to contact her in the morning. It looks like in my opinion because I am a medic myself he could use stitches but I'm not sure if they  stitch these areas. Any one know??

Some neighbors down the road came over with their guns just after we got them apart. My friend and I both got bit, I on my right leg. But I think it was from jake, he was trying to get a hold of something. And my friend got bit on her hand and she thinks it was jake as well but really not certain. And also uncertain if the pit gets vaccinated. We contacted the sheriffs dept and they came out. My neighbor is getting cited to court for his dogs. And this is a recurrent issue also. The same dog attacked Audrei a couple months ago. And the same dog has killed a toy breed down the road and also gotten into fights with other dogs in the neighborhood. He is trying to get rid of them all but its not soon enough!!! I can't even let my dogs out and its not fair!!! My neighbor and I get along but its his dogs that are a nuissance! It seems to me they could put this dog down but I am not all sure of these type of things. Any advice?

Thanks. 

That's absolutely terrible, and I am SO sorry for poor Jake.  Shame on your nieghbor for not taking the proper precautions, not fixing current problems, and also for allowing this dog to get so out of control.  I am a firm believer that all behaviors are a result of training or lack there of, and this person should NOT be owning dogs of any kind, let alone so many of them, when he/she obviously can't control them.  I wholeheartedly agree with Kana's mum, talk to the police, your vet and animal control regarding this.  It is very possible that you and your neighbor will not get along so well after this, but they have brought it on themselves, and deserve whatever legal action is taken.  Please give Jake a big hug from me, I hope his physical scars heal quickly and that there is no lasting emotional damage done.   

Thanks for the advice and concerns. You are absolutely right Slave2dane because there have been MANY times where I let the dogs out (on tie out of course) just to play and I go inside to do other things or yardwork, etc. But I can't do that now! Not until he gets rid of them or something is really done. I don't own a gun nor do I plan to own a gun for this reason in particular but I do have other means such as a pellet gun or o.c. spray if it happens again. I know it won't kill'em but it will atleast get him away.  Even if he's even on my property. I have looked into the fence for the dogs and I actually have a boundary fence on the other side (of course). But I cannot remotely afford it right now to fence the entire yard in. Last quote $8,000!! That is for a wood fence which is what I need in this case so they cannot even see them to get stirred up but a chain link also, the pits have already chewed through theirs!! I think I just need to pack up and move LOL!

We went to the vet on Monday afternoon following the dog fight on Saturday. Jake had to be sedated and his wounds shaved and cleaned very well. It also had to be lanced as well and he came out with about 5 sutures. And a rx for cipro. He is doing great! As far as the pit, my neighbor came over and told me he was taking him to a friends house to put him down. He said he wasn't going to have a dog that attacked other dogs and people. But I told him I didn't necessarily want harm to him but that was his business I guess. So anyways he is gone. He was very concerned with my friend and I, he also tried to give me money for the rx and vet bills. But I refused for other reasons, he is in financial problems, he just lost his wife last month. And he needed the money worse than I. But I am going to post some pics of jake. Thanks again all.

Just wanted to say how sorry I am that this happened to you, your friend, and your dog. This pit needed to be put down, end of story. There is no solution for his issues, it seems from his history. it's best that he's been put down, things are safer now.

Sorry to say, but if breaking a chair over this pit and kicking him in the face didn't distract him from trying to attack her dog, a fog horn ain't gonna do it either. Dogs determined to fight will do so with or without human interference. As you can see, she and her friend already got bitten. Imagine this angry dog suddenly being scared by a loud noise coming from a human and then turning his attention fully on her. Not good either.

For most dog fights, pulling each dog apart from each other by grabbing the tails (NOT BY THE NECK OR COLLAR, YOU WILL GET BITTEN!)will do. However, when you have a dog locked on to the other that won't let go, that won't work either. Like I said, a dog determined to injure the other one is going to do so with or without a human's interference. It's scary stuff right there, a dog attack. I don't recommend a gun, too many things could happen with that, like they said. I'm not gonna tell you what you should or shouldn't have done cause I wasn't there so I don't know. My dogs protect me, and I'll do anything to protect them though.

Frankly, I'm shocked that when the sheriff's dept. came out they didn't call Animal Control immediately to seize the dog, especially since two people got bit in the process of breaking up a dog fight.

I'm also concerned that your neighbor is taking his dog to "a friend's" to have him put down. I'm almost afraid to ask how that friend is going to euthanize this dog.

I assume you must live in a rural community where resources like Animal Control, an animal shelter, and veterinary care aren't very close. Am I right?

It's very sad that this happened. I love pit bulls. They can be very affectionate dogs, but it does a disservice to the breed to keep them in a pen and, even worse, on a tie out. This is definitely a breed that needs to be socialized with humans and other dogs at a young age and have those safe interactions every day so things like this don't happen.