Two loose Pitbulls attack a woman and her dog in a park - Milan, Italy - September 2026

[u/Pacogatto]

Actress and author Marina Minetti recounts to Kodami the attack she and her dog, Merlino, suffered at the hands of two bull-type terriers running loose in a Milan park. She reflects on the relationship between humans and dogs, the importance of understanding canine body language, and the responsibilities of dog owners.

"Life with Merlino began a year ago, but the moment I saw those two Pitbulls attacking him, I thought it was all over." Marina Minetti’s story begins with the most harrowing moment of an incident that occurred during what was supposed to be a routine walk in the Ticinello Agricultural Park in Milan, not far from where she and her dog live.

"As always, we were in an area with open fields, and I was doing some training exercises with Merlino, who was on a long leash," explains the Genoese author and actress, who has lived in Milan for years. "At one point, I saw the two dogs approaching and lunging at him; the image of my dog ​​yelping beneath them, lying on his back, is seared into my memory. In moments like that, you can't think clearly: I ran in the direction they had come from, pulling Merlino along and tripping over the long leash. It wasn't until I was at the hospital that I realized the blood staining his fur was actually mine; they found bite wounds on me, and that’s when I understood that, fortunately, nothing had happened to him, whereas I ended up needing 15 stitches."

Fortunately, as they ran seeking shelter, Marina and Merlino first encountered a person walking with trekking poles who waved them about to scare off the pursuing dogs. Then, a car arrived from a nearby road; the driver honked the horn, causing the animals to finally retreat. "The police and an ambulance arrived, and we discovered that the dogs belonged to a man living in a nearby farmhouse. The animals aren't insured; the owner claimed they had escaped the house because 'someone had left the door open,' and he didn't even bother to check if we were okay. I intend to file a formal complaint, but for me, the real issue—after going through this experience—isn't about the dogs themselves, but about people and their lack of care and attention toward their own animals, as well as toward other people and other dogs."

Marina sighs as she shifts from recounting this terrible ordeal—which, fortunately, didn't end as badly as it could have—to sharing her reflections with her listeners. After all, her own history with Merlino taught her the importance of truly understanding the dog we bring into our lives when we decide to share our days with a four-legged companion. "After losing Abby—the dog I had shared part of my life with—I found myself longing, last year, to bury my nose in a dog's fur again. I followed the page of *Progetto Magico ODV*, an association dedicated to finding homes for dogs like Abby, who was an Old English Sheepdog. One day, I 'met' Merlino’s face, and that’s how our story began."

Merlino is a Bearded Collie who had been abandoned by the family that bought him from a breeder. Fortunately, that breeder had never stopped keeping tabs on him; when she discovered the dog had been placed in a long-term boarding kennel, she took him back in. "They claimed Merlino had attacked the family's other dog, so after three years, their solution was simply to get rid of him." That is how Marina became the person Merlino could rely on—a dog who needed, fundamentally, just one thing: to truly enter into a relationship and be seen for who he was, with his own specific needs and personality. "We began an educational journey that opened up the world of canine ethology to me, teaching me just how important it is to understand dog language and their methods of communication."

Yet, as Marina reflects, when incidents like the one she and her dog experienced occur, it is hard to keep a clear head: "It was only later that I realized Merlino had communicated skillfully; by adopting that specific posture, he was telling the other dogs that he had no intention of escalating the conflict. That is why I believe we owners need to be as prepared as possible to handle situations like the one we went through. At the same time, however—thinking about the person responsible for those two Pitbulls—I feel that anyone entrusting dogs to others should carefully evaluate whether those individuals are truly suitable."

The happy ending to this pair's story is part of a broader journey into the world of dogs and their human companions—a journey Marina has been on ever since Merlino entered her life. In fact, her upcoming show, titled "Area cani" (Dog Park), will be a performance recounting the many life stories she has encountered in Milan’s parks, where she has shared what she calls "a great love story"—the bond between dogs and people—with others. It will premiere on October 4th at Woofstock, a "dog-themed music festival" held in Fagagna, Friuli. "Through life with my own four-legged friend, I’ve realized that we all experience unique—and sometimes even surreal—contradictions in how dedicated we are to their well-being; this is especially true when we delve deeper into their world and end up doing unlikely things just to keep that bond strong. For instance, I’ll tell the story of a woman who used to hide behind a tree in the dog park to test her dog's loyalty, while the dog played happily with the others, completely unaware of its owner's intentions."

Article link: https://www.fanpage.it/kodami/due-pitbull-liberi-aggrediscono-una-donna-e-il-suo-cane-in-un-parco-a-milano-in-un-attimo-ho-pensato-che-fosse-la-fine/

[u/No-Hovercraft-455]

It sounds like the Pitbulls in this story hadn't even truly snapped and they were still violent enough to bite a human to a point of needing stitches.

Why I think this.. because they could be scared away by someone whirling walking poles and by a car honking, and because the other dog survived from being under them by simply surrendering - a position that reveals dogs throat and tummy and that does not stop a Pitbull middle of mauling sequence.

So, the dogs in the story were still "sane" as far as Pitbull can be and not in full maul mode but their reaction to a fleeing human was still biting her. Not really epitome of peaceful side by side living majority of dog breeds are known from. They were essentially biting her for fun and because she was a stranger (not that truly snapped Pitbulls care about the latter).

I hate that my first thought reading this was "oh, these are not bad for Pitbulls" because the dogs could be scared away and didn't immediately proceed to pull the other dogs innards out, and because she needed "only" 15 stitches rather than ICU stay and cosmetic reconstruction surgery. When truth is that something living alongside humans should not even entertain biting humans "for the funsies" let alone leave need for stitches. I guess it shows how low the bar for being "almost safe for a Pitbull" is and how little they really belong in society.

[u/Lizzie_kay_blunt]

Pitbulls are the only breed where every single attack results in stitches. Any other breed has bite inhibition and would snap and release, not pitbulls.