James Harrison's Young Son Attacked by Family Pit Bull

James Harrison's tough week just got tougher. Lambasted by most of the media for not attending the White House ceremony honoring the Pittsburgh Steelers for their February Super Bowl victory, he'll no doubt face additional scrutiny for something much more serious: on Thursday, his four-year-old pit bull attacked his young son.

According to Pittsburgh's WTAE Channel 4, "James Harrison III has severe, but not life-threatening injuries."

A woman who answered the door at Harrison's home early Friday afternoon and identified herself as Lisa said she is a family friend who made the 911 call to get help.

Lisa told [WTAE's Ari] Hait that she was in the back yard with Harrison's child and the boy's mother on Thursday afternoon when young James started crying and the dog attacked. The mother jumped on top of the child to protect him from the dog -- a 4-year-old pit bull named Patron -- while Lisa grabbed the boy and ran, Lisa said.

Animal control now has the dog. No word on its fate although Lisa told Hait that the pit bull had always been good with Harrison's son until Thursday's attack.

It sounds like James III will recover, and that's obviously great news, but in the coming days I'm guessing this story goes from unfortunate accident to "pit bulls: bred to kill." That portrayal couldn't be more wrong, of course, but that's not the point. Pit bulls, thanks largely to Ron Mexico's alter ego (and this doesn't help), are now synonymous with unbridled viciousness.

In reality, it's often a case of owners neglecting the dogs. This isn't an indictment of Harrison as a dog owner -- I have no idea how good or bad he might be in that capacity -- just a general observation. Either way, the world could use more Cesar Millans.

Tales of Athletes and Canines

A pit bull owned by Steelers linebacker James Harrison, pictured, bit his 2-year-old son in the thigh, according to the player's agent. The boy is expected to make a full recovery. Click through to see other reported incidents of athletes and canines.

Gene J. Puskar, AP

In August 2007, former Falcons star Michael Vick pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to operate an interstate dogfighting ring called 'Bad Newz Kennels.' Vick admitted that he knew his colleagues killed several dogs who didn't perform well enough. More than 50 canines were seized from Vick's property in Surry County, Va.

Haraz N. Ghanbari, AP

Another Falcons player, Jonathan Babineaux, faced felony animal cruelty charges for allegedly killing his girlfriend's pit bull-mix dog in February 2007. However, in November 2007, Babineaux was cleared of any wrongdoing by the district attorney, and the charges were dropped.

Getty Images

In January 2007, controversial NBA player Ron Artest had his dog seized by Placer County, Calif., authorities over suspicions the animal wasn't getting proper care.

Rich Pedroncelli, AP

Protesters showed their displeasure over the fact that Artest was not charged with a crime, even though dogs that he owned spent a total of 77 nights at the pound in a seven-month span.

Rich Pedroncelli, AP

In December 2006, defensive tackle Terry "Tank" Johnson surrendered three pit bulls after he was hit with charges on drug and weapons violations. Animal control was called to his home six times that year for suspicion of animal cruelty.

Brian Kersey, AP

NFL star Joey Porter's two pit bulls mauled a miniature horse to death in 2006, and the linebacker faced charges for harboring dangerous animals and failing to control them.

Doug Murray, WireImage.com

Former NBA player Qyntel Woods was released by the Trail Blazers in 2004 after he pleaded guilty to animal abuse charges that he abandoned a pit bull used for dog fighting.

Greg Wahl-Stephens, AP

In 1991, former NFL player Nate Newton was arrested for being at a Texas dogfight, although charges were later dropped against the former Cowboys star.

Robert Laberge, Getty Images

Former NFL player LeShon Johnson pleaded guilty to dogfighting charges in 2005 in a case involving 141 dogs. The running back received a five-year suspended sentence.

Tom G. Lynn, Time Life Pictures / Getty Images