Tennessee: "Most of her left arm is gone, all down her legs there's bites, chunks missing out of her legs". Family says Pit Bull was sweet before it attacked a 79-year-old woman

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE -- A 79-year-old woman, left bleeding and naked in her front yard after the family pit bull attacked her Tuesday, is still in the hospital.

The Weaver family says Buddy the pit bull was a member of their family for more than 2-years, but Tuesday something set the dog off, and it turned on the great-grandmother who was just trying to enjoy the nice day.

When Keith Weaver left his home in Northwest Knox County, his mom and dog were just sitting outside, "And the dog was sitting on the porch wagging it's tail, and the only thing I can think is she got up to go into the house or something and kicked at him to move to get out of her way, because he was laying right here in front of the door," Keith said.

But, just a short time later, a neighbor heard Mary Kathryn Weaver, 79, screaming from the front yard.

Brittany Weaver, the victim's granddaughter, said, "My neighbor came over and he had a BB gun and he was shooting the pit bull over and over and it wasn't even phasing him." 

So Brittany says the neighbor tried a larger gun, and fired a rifle into the air, scaring the 150-pound dog, as described by the owner, off of the petite woman.

"Most of her left arm is gone, all down her legs there's bites, chunks missing out of her legs," Brittany said.

The family says the dog actually ripped all of her clothes to shreds, and left deep cuts to her leg and hip area, as well as scratches on her ribs, and Mary Kathryn will have to get a skin graft on her arm.

Brittany said, "If it wouldn't have been for the neighbor, he probably would have hurt her even worse."

The Knox County Sheriff's Office found the dog hiding under a neighbors house, and deputies say they had to shoot and kill the dog to keep it from escaping.

The Weaver family says they're happy they don't have to see the dog that could have killed Mary Kathryn.

"If you have a dog from a puppy, it licks on you, rubs on you, barks at somebody if they come in your yard or something, and then it just turns on your mom," Keith said, adding, "My advice to anybody who's got a pit bull, get rid of it."

Raised right, never abused, loved by the entire family. And yet it still tries to kill Grandma. Let's see someone try to explain this one.

Mary Kathryn Weaver was stable at UT Medical Center Wednesday, and her family says they're just praying she does not get any infections.

The dog's body was taken to Young Williams Animal Shelter for evaluation, and to test for rabies.

(WVLT, May 12, 2011)

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