GEORGIA -- What began as a casual walk along Ridgemont Drive Friday afternoon, turned into a nightmare and a fight for Ronald James life.
"I didn't see the dog. Nine times out of ten, he would just come to the fence and bark. But I thought that he was just sleep," says James.
James is often on this street to help out the neighbors with yard work and other jobs, and had seen the barking dog behind this fence many times. But Friday afternoon, it got loose.
"I said if he isn't bothering me, he must be under that truck out there, but he wasn't under that truck; he was on me."
"I didn't see the dog. Nine times out of ten, he would just come to the fence and bark. But I thought that he was just sleep," says James.
James is often on this street to help out the neighbors with yard work and other jobs, and had seen the barking dog behind this fence many times. But Friday afternoon, it got loose.
"I said if he isn't bothering me, he must be under that truck out there, but he wasn't under that truck; he was on me."
His neighbor Mr. Claude Williams says "Saliva was all around his mouth, like he had gone mad or something."
The pit bull caught James off guard, attacking him from behind. Bite marks show where the dog's sharp teeth ripped into his skin, an attack so vicious he was unable to fend off the dog.
The pit bull caught James off guard, attacking him from behind. Bite marks show where the dog's sharp teeth ripped into his skin, an attack so vicious he was unable to fend off the dog.
The only think he could think of was to guard his neck. James says, "I was shocked, and I was trying to get him away from my throat, because that's where pit bulls go to."
The dog continuously lunged at James, as well as its owners, as they attempted to save him. The attack would leave him with over 50 stitches and staples, a finger split open to the bone, and mounds of medication.
As Paramedics and Animal Control arrived, the owner's son calmed the dog down and got him onto the humane society truck, surrendering ownership.
"Pit bulls are very dangerous if it had of been a kid, they wouldn't have made it."
A thought that is haunting for all.
(WALB - Sept 17, 2011)
