Jun 26, 2012 Chicago pit bull mauls elderly invalid's small dog in front of him

Albany Park-Around 6PM this evening, a man in a wheel chair was walking his small dog in the 4900 block of N. Avers. An off leash pit bull attacked and killed the small dog right in front of its owner. The pit bull would not let anyone close to the small dog. Neighbors called 9-1-1 and Animal Control, but the small dog was already dead. The man in the wheel chair was understandably grief stricken. If the pit bull's owner was anywhere nearby, he was too cowardly to come forward.

I have no problem with pit bulls as a breed. But if owners train them to be aggressive, they should be held criminally responsible. Two dogs lost their lives today. (The pit bull was eventually taken by Animal Control). Pit bull owners: please don't inflict your cruelty and carelessness on the rest of the neighborhood.

My heart goes out to the man in the wheel chair and his family who lost their beloved pet.

Comment:
cc60618 5-year IP resident, lifelong Chicago resident.
My dog was attacked last year by a pit bull who jumped a six foot and a four foot fence to get to us. Totally unprovoked. Luckily, two men did come pull it off of mine and my dog survived.

The home owners claimed that this dog was theirs, no neighbors had ever seen it before. It wasn't vaccinated or neutered.
It was turned into Animal Control for the quarantine period for no vaccination. However, the owners never paid a penny of the tickets they were issued, or held responsible in anyway. And the dog was released back to them. No one has seen it in my neighborhood since.

Dangerous animals should not be on the streets. Owners need to be held responsible - I still have nightmares about the incident and am always more cautious taking a simple walk around the block. Citizens adopting any dogs, especially breeds that can be harder to control need to be educated and trained on how to restrain and prevent these incidents from occurring.

Comment:
Jerry Condo Association Representative
Several neighbors of ours witnessed and assisted in the attack. It was terrible and vicious. Despite the unfortunate occurrence, I was truly proud of the bravery and compassion for people in our neighborhood. That is what makes AP such a great place to live.

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