Dog fight

Yesterday was another beautiful day here, about 75 degree. I got my first sunburn, oops. I hate to put all that sunscreen on and managed to protect E with a lightweight long-sleeved shirt and hat. However, I was not so concerned with myself. I hate it when that happens.
We took a nice long walk with the 5 year old boy that lives next door. I had L strapped on in her sling and E was walking with Byron. Our seven year old dog, Addie was walking with us. We live in a pretty quite area and she is very good about sticking close, so she was off leash. It seemed at the time like a good idea, between chasing a two and five year old and carrying an infant, a dog on a leash seemed like a little much. However, I could not leave her in the house, she is a good dog but likes to show her angst at being left out by eating pillows. I was not in the mood to come home to a house full of stuffing.
We were headed back to the house, about half a block up the road, when I hear a woman calling. I turn back to see a pit bull stalking us. Panic sets in, and I can hear it in the woman's voice. She is chasing her dog and calling frantically, to no avail. I quickly get E and Byron right behind me and I am freaking out. I have L strapped on me and have no idea how I am gonna stop this dog. My dog Addie, comes running. I don't know if this pit was after her all along, or was coming for us. The two dogs clash and the pit goes straight for her neck, they dance around the middle of the street, teeth barred and growling. The kiddos are safe, they are peaking out from behind me. It seems like a life time, I yell at the woman to pull her dog off. What a terrifying thing to have to do, stick you hand into the middle of two dueling dogs. She was kicking at her dog and finally somehow managed to pull it off. Addie instantly backed off and as quickly as it started, it was over. I look over Addie, she has a lot of slobber and some bloody spots on her neck.
Her chain is missing....we use a choke collar on her, our vet says that is better for them than a regular collar. I think that metal saved her life. I recovered the chain in three pieces in the middle of the road. The collar was badly bent, I cannot even imagine the damage that would have been done to Addie's neck had that collar not been there to bear the brunt of the attack. I have been thanking god all day that everyone is okay, and that the pit decided to go after my innocent dog rather than my innocent children.