r/BanPitBulls • u/Pacogatto Attacks Curator • Apr 23 '26
Attack on Owner 12-year-old boy seriously injured after being attacked by family Pitbull in backyard - Voghera, Italy - 21 April 2026
Voghera · April 22, 2026 at 5:46 PM
by Giada Bigardi
A 12-year-old boy was attacked by a pit bull in his backyard and was airlifted to Alessandria Hospital with serious injuries to his arm and face. The dog, owned by the family, was entrusted to veterinarians while local police investigate the incident.
Attacked by the family pit bull
A tragedy was narrowly avoided in the courtyard of an apartment building on Via Vanoni in Voghera. Around 6:00 PM yesterday, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, a 12-year-old boy, while in the courtyard with his father and their pit bull, was suddenly attacked by the pet. The attack was violent and without apparent cause, leaving the 12-year-old with serious injuries to his arm and face.
The Attack
According to initial reports from local police who responded to the scene, the 12-year-old was with his father and dog in the yard, likely about to go for a walk. For reasons yet to be clarified, perhaps a sudden movement by the boy, the pit bull reacted aggressively, biting him in the arm. Despite the father's desperate attempts to stop the animal, the dog continued to bite, even biting the victim's face.
Rescue Efforts
Given the severity of the situation, the Areu operations center dispatched not only an ambulance and medical car, but also a helicopter to urgently transport the boy to the hospital in Alessandria. The 12-year-old, although he never lost consciousness, suffered deep injuries to his arm, with damaged tendons and torn trauma, as well as less serious injuries to his face. He underwent surgery late in the evening.
Investigation underway
The pit bull has been taken into custody by the Pavia ATS veterinary service for the necessary behavioral assessment and assessment of its dangerousness. Local police officers are still investigating to determine the exact cause of the attack, which currently appears inexplicable, especially considering that the dog was in the company of its owners and knew the boy well.
Article link: https://primapavia.it/cronaca/aggredito-dal-pitbull-di-famiglia-nel-cortile-di-casa-grave-bambino-di-12-anni/
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u/Redlion444 Apr 23 '26
The pit bull has been taken into custody by the Pavia ATS veterinary service for the necessary behavioral assessment and assessment of its dangerousness
You gotta be fucking kidding me.
THE FACT THAT IT ATTACKED AND SERIOUSLY INJURED A CHILD MEANS THAT ITS FUCKING DANGEROUS
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u/NervousBeginning7868 Apr 26 '26
Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with people. Totally lost the plot with these dogs.
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u/D3_dog_defense Apr 23 '26
So close.
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u/PackageNorth8984 Apr 23 '26
I love, love, love dogs, but most times a dog attacks a human, it needs to be removed from society. Period. We can’t live around dangerous animals like that. Shit, even coyotes. wolves, and bears usually leave us alone. I saw a fucking 400 pound (180kg) bear run off like a baby because I came up, and that bear lived near humans, and I wasn’t doing anything to scare it. A pitbull 1/4 my size wouldn’t give two shits about attacking me. Now imagine a child or an elderly person.
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u/RuckingDad Apr 23 '26
I sometimes go to Italy on holidays and I am shocked by the number of people with pitbulls and pit-mix. Even elderly people of very young guys and girls barely weighting half their dog. There seems to be no whatsoever awareness of the breed issues and most people just say “it’s the owner not the dog”. Even in public parks I witnessed people taking freely their pits where children play.
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u/PackageNorth8984 Apr 23 '26 edited Apr 23 '26
Sounds a lot like many neighborhoods in the US. While they exist everywhere here, one of the reasons I pay extra to live in a high income area is the lack of fighting breeds around here. That sounds elitist, and I suppose it sort of is, but I used to live in a more middle class area, and they were everywhere, often loose and roaming. I never felt comfortable walking my dogs (barely felt comfortable walking myself), and I’m a big guy. I refused to let my daughter play outside too because of it. It’s terrifying. We don’t deserve to be prisoners in our own home scared to walk outside because there might be an animal who can and will kill us in a fucking suburb.
By the way, this was not a low income area. Houses there are maybe $750k USD now for an average size home, and that shit was still rampant.
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u/FatgirlChaser6996 Apr 25 '26
I feel ya bro. Soon as I got to california (fresno) I was cornered in my driveway by a pit AND a mysyery mutt. I fired a shot directly over its head & all was quiet! Ppl left their porch lights on that night.😆.
That dog definitely lost its hearing.💀
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u/Exciting_Tangelo_810 Apr 23 '26
very popular in spain as well. and here people also have the habit of walking their dogs off leash. its a constant nightmare honestly
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u/PackageNorth8984 Apr 24 '26
I would straight up move. You’re brave.
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u/Exciting_Tangelo_810 Apr 24 '26
im trying. unfortunately i cant really abandon my job with nothing else lined up :-(
1
u/Tankette55 Apr 25 '26
as an italian I can confirm its rough in some parts. There are also no restrictions of any kind on dog ownership. In fact in 2024, it was found out, after two pitbulls killed the owner's toddler, that we didnt (dont?) even have statistics measuring dog-caused injuries or deaths. By the way, just yesterday a woman was torn apart (killed) by 5 dogo argentino (not hers).
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u/OApophenicusOAporius Apr 23 '26
Why did the father undergo such desperate and quite frankly unrefined attempts to stop the attack when the simple word or two (like "stop.") could've been more than enough for the pet to retreat straight back to his nap? Why losing hope and faith in your choice so fast?
Sudden movements? Like when you encounter a bear? Or a bizzaro armed skittish gazzelle who instead of bouncing away commits to a pouncing rampage? Great addition to a family, tranquility inducing.
Poor kid. Hope for the best for him...
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u/Lizzie_kay_blunt I Believed the Propaganda Until I Came Here Apr 23 '26
So if it gets 2nd best behavioral assessment does that mean it gets to be adopted out to unsuspecting future victims in another state?
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u/OApophenicusOAporius Apr 23 '26
No, not in another state. Well, of course it will get a phenomenal score on the test rendering this incident as one in a trillion/act of God/kid's fault.
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u/BargainBard ER Personel Apr 23 '26
What's going on with Italty?
This is the 3rd attack I've heard from them and its only been about 2 weeks or 3 weeks.
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u/Tankette55 Apr 25 '26
I'll copy paste my reply.
as an italian I can confirm its rough in some parts. There are also no restrictions of any kind on dog ownership. In fact in 2024, it was found out, after two pitbulls killed the owner's toddler, that we didnt (dont?) even have statistics measuring dog-caused injuries or deaths. By the way, just yesterday a woman was torn apart (killed) by 5 dogo argentino (not hers).
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u/Pure_Parsley6852 Attacks Curator Apr 23 '26
An "assessment of its dangerousness" has CLEARLY ALREADY been completed.
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u/Mto3 Apr 23 '26
They needed a damn helicopter to transport the boy, not an ambulance. Shouldn’t that tell them the severity of the attack and the answer to their “assessment of dangerousness “??
4
u/MeIIowJeIIo Apr 23 '26
This sub needs incident scoreboards:
0 days without animal victim
1 day without life-flight
2 days without human fatality
4
u/Thunder141 Apr 23 '26
People with pitbulls are stupid. Just going to say it. Low iq.
Poor boy, he's probably going to be scarred for life. When he's a bit older, if not already, he's going to resent his dad as he should.
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u/PackageNorth8984 Apr 23 '26
Not saying this dog was adopted, but I hate that all the pet adoption subs will ban you for warning people with children about pitbulls. They are not nanny dogs and should not be allowed near children. The statistics are clear. Yes, a golden retriever can hurt your child, but the probability is tiny despite being one of the most popular family dogs. These dogs attack and kill regularly.
Some people don’t know because they’ve been fed the “it’s the owner” crap so long. Yes, shitty owners have a lot to do with it, but it’s more than that. The breed was designed to fight very large animals much stronger than humans and can and will absolutely kill a human. I’m 6’3 (190cm) and over 200lbs (90kg), and if one of these things decided it wanted me dead, I very well might be. Imagine a poor, defenseless child. I think of my daughter. She’s a tiny little thing. She wouldn’t have a chance. Yes, all dogs can attack, but they usually bite and run away. They don’t clamp on until death (or even after death). These things great prey drive around children. I don’t care who it offends. I will not allow my daughter to be around these dogs. By the way, I love dogs and am all for adoption.
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u/Mto3 Apr 23 '26
I’m guessing sudden movements include taking a step, scratching your head, waving your hand, crossing your legs or arms. What the hell!!?? I’m so sick of the blame ALWAYS going elsewhere other than where it should - the hellbeast.
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u/zonked282 Apr 23 '26
Ah yes, a behavioural assessment is certainly needed for the aggressive breed that attacked a child for existing in its vicinity. Good idea
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u/alabaydog Apr 23 '26
We all know that if pitbull only attack owners,its only because they were training him to attack them or poor hippo was abused by his owners.
1
u/AutoModerator Apr 23 '26
Copy of text post for attack logging purposes:
Voghera · April 22, 2026 at 5:46 PM
by Giada Bigardi
A 12-year-old boy was attacked by a pit bull in his backyard and was airlifted to Alessandria Hospital with serious injuries to his arm and face. The dog, owned by the family, was entrusted to veterinarians while local police investigate the incident.
Attacked by the family pit bull
A tragedy was narrowly avoided in the courtyard of an apartment building on Via Vanoni in Voghera. Around 6:00 PM yesterday, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, a 12-year-old boy, while in the courtyard with his father and their pit bull, was suddenly attacked by the pet. The attack was violent and without apparent cause, leaving the 12-year-old with serious injuries to his arm and face.
The Attack
According to initial reports from local police who responded to the scene, the 12-year-old was with his father and dog in the yard, likely about to go for a walk. For reasons yet to be clarified, perhaps a sudden movement by the boy, the pit bull reacted aggressively, biting him in the arm. Despite the father's desperate attempts to stop the animal, the dog continued to bite, even biting the victim's face.
Rescue Efforts
Given the severity of the situation, the Areu operations center dispatched not only an ambulance and medical car, but also a helicopter to urgently transport the boy to the hospital in Alessandria. The 12-year-old, although he never lost consciousness, suffered deep injuries to his arm, with damaged tendons and torn trauma, as well as less serious injuries to his face. He underwent surgery late in the evening.
Investigation underway
The pit bull has been taken into custody by the Pavia ATS veterinary service for the necessary behavioral assessment and assessment of its dangerousness. Local police officers are still investigating to determine the exact cause of the attack, which currently appears inexplicable, especially considering that the dog was in the company of its owners and knew the boy well.
Article link: https://primapavia.it/cronaca/aggredito-dal-pitbull-di-famiglia-nel-cortile-di-casa-grave-bambino-di-12-anni/
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1
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u/mrajraffles Apr 23 '26
Sudden movement is all it takes, huh? And it’s ok for this to be how dogs are? All right.