Dec 30, 2014 Voice of the Reader: Rusty A Sweet Little Dog Killed by Pit Bull

Dec 30, 2014 Voice of the Reader: Little dog killed by pit bull

To the Editor:

To the Editor:
I am writing this letter with a broken heart. My beloved dog, Rusty, died Dec. 21. He was attacked by a pit bull on Wednesday Dec. 17.

We were just out for our daily walk. We were walking past a house when two pit bulls pushed open the door of the house, ran down the ramp and attacked my dog. The lady that was in the house came running out and tried to get them off my dog, but she didn't have much luck. I was knocked down and hurt my shoulder and broke my glasses. I guess I should consider myself lucky that they didn't turn on me, but they were focused on my little dog. Oh, he didn't die right away, but he did four days later.

Is this what walking your dog in Carbondale has come to? Should we have to carry a loaded gun, a club or dog mace just to walk down the street? I have lost my best friend who never met a person he didn't like. He was a sweet, lovable dog and the joy of my life. Goodbye, Rusty. If there is a dog heaven, I know you are there.

Joan Grammer
Carbondale

A couple weeks later, another reader, Lynn Koener, responds to Joan's letter of loss with condolences and adds that she knows that recently another pit bull in a shelter was very dog aggressive and so it was put down.

Friends of Joan also write in saying that they were sickened about the attack and wish the owners of pit bulls would be responsible.

Read more:
The Southern
The Southern
The Southern



Dec 23, 2014 Chicago Boy and Mother Attacked by Pit bull in Roseland

Chicago - A 10-year-old boy and his mother were both injured after being attacked by a pit bull that escaped from its homein the South Side Roseland neighborhood Tuesday afternoon.



Devon was bitten in the back, with a wound deep enough to require stitches.  Devon’s mother Lasheta Amos opened the door. But at that point the pit bull turned on her. His mom’s arm was ripped apart and required surgery.

Officer Williams says the owner didn’t receive a citation because he turned the dog over to animal care and control.

CBS 2 reached out to animal control about the fate of the dog but didn’t hear back.

Read more:
CBS Chicago

Related Posts:
Chicago Attacks

Dec 19, 2014 Chicago Pit Bulls Were Used in West Side Dog Fights: Prosecutors

Chicago - A North Lawndale man admitted he hosted dog fights after police found four emaciated pit bulls tied to chains in his basement Wednesday, authorities said.

Antonio Curry, 33, told officers he's been paid $5,000 over the last eight months to host dog fights in his basement, according to Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti.

Read more:
DNA Info

Nov 25, 2014 Lawsuit: Chicago Pit Bull Attacked Man as he Got Off Bus

Chicago - A man filed a complaint against  CINDY DABNER, alleging negligence and violations of the Illinois Animal Control Act.

The victim, John Spencer, was exiting a bus when he was attacked by DABNER’s pit bull which caused injuries.  The attack was unprovoked and the pit bull was not restrained.  This attack was not reported in the news when it happened.

Read more:


Related posts:
Jan 11, 2016 Lawsuit: Four Joliet Pit bulls Attack Home Health Care Worker On the Job

Nov 21, 2014 Chicago Girl Attacked by Pit Bull

CHICAGO A 15-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital after she was attacked by a pit bull near 86th and Kildare in Chicago's Ashburn neighborhood.
Neighbors say three pit bulls got loose and were chasing children as they got home from school.

"They chased one of the kids in my backyard and I heard the commotion and I had to come out and scare them off with a bat," said neighbor Antoine Harris. "I chased them off. I wanted to follow them and make sure they didn't attack any other kids I came around the corner and it was too late he had pinned the girl up and bit her."

Harris says the girl suffered one puncture wound. The pit bull's owner re-captured the dogs after the attack.

Read more:

Nov 21, 2014 Lawsuit: Schaumburg Mother of boy allegedly attacked by pit bull sues dog, property owners

Schaumburg - Nora Zolen, individually and as the mother of a minor, filed a complaint Nov. 13 in Cook County Circuit Court against Patrick G. Adkins and Sheri Jackson.

Zolen claims her son was visiting a friend on the premises and was attacked by Jackson’s dog without provocation, causing severe and permanent injuries.

Read more:
The Cook County Record

Related posts:
Aug 29, 2014 Granite City resident sued over boy’s injuries in pit bull attack
Aug 27, 2014 Suit: Pit bull attacked man while delivering package
Aug 11, 2014 Suit: Three Cook County Pit Bulls Attacked Professional Dog Walker

Nov 16, 2014 Hillcrest Pit Bull Invades Yard and Attacks 2 Dogs Killing 1 Pomeranian

Hillcrest - ‘Hillcrest Village officials learned of another dog attack in the village. During the public comment session of Wednesday’s board meeting, village resident Pam Pittman told the board that her daughter’s Pomeranian dog was attacked and killed by a pit bull in the village on Nov. 6.

The pit bull also allegedly attacked and injured another dog, causing lacerations on its’ hind legs resulting in veterinarian bills of $350. According to Pittman, the pit bull broke through the fence into a yard where both animals were. Ogle County Animal Control was contacted and the dog was deemed dangerous. The dog was released to the owner two days later and is supposed to have a muzzle on at all times.

“Something needs to be done, this is not the first time a pit bull has attacked a dog out here, it’s happened before,” said Pittman. “I’m not saying all pit bulls are like this, but I think something needs to be done.”’

Read more:
Rochelle News Leader
http://bit.ly/1Gf0zc0

Nov 12, 2014 Chicago Event to Prevent Canine Attacks!

Chicago - Citizens for Canine Attack Prevention is hosting a Chicago event called Harmony In Action on Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at Daley Plaza Under the Picasso at 50 West Washington in Chicago.

Harmony In Action

Harmony In Action is ART + ACTIVISM. This program allows survivors of dangerous dog attacks to share their stories. There will be music, dance, and theatrical selections along with presentations by experts to educate the public and promote awareness of this public safety issue.


Organizer

Citizens for Canine Attack Prevention

Citizens for Canine Attack Prevention is founded by Collage C. Warner.  Collage Warner is a canine attack educator and dangerous dog breed victim’s advocate. She is also a survivor who is passionate about turning her story into a movement for social activism, victim advocacy, human rights, children’s rights and public safety.

Nov 4, 2014 Chicago Man Fatally Shoots His Pit Bull To Stop Attack

Chicago - A man fatally shot his 1-year-old pit bull after the dog bit his young daughter Monday evening at his Auburn Gresham neighborhood home on the South Side.

The pit bull bit the man's 5-year-old daughter at their home in the 8500 block of South Vincennes about 5 p.m., then tried to attack the owner, who shot the dog and killed it, police said.

The girl was treated on the scene by firefighters for a bite to her hand, police said. She did not require hospitalization.

City Animal Care and Control responded and removed the deceased dog from the home, police said.

The 26-year-old man was in lawful possession of the weapon and will not face charges, according to police.

Read more:

Nov 02, 2014 Pit Bull Attack Victim Wants Authorities To Look Into Three-Strike Rule

Quincy  - A Hamilton woman is speaking out about animal attack laws after she says she was attacked by a pit bull last week.  She says despite multiple injuries, the dog is still out there.

Ashley Edmonson says she was thinking the worst when she was attacked by an acquaintance's pit bull last week.
"I'm not going to live, that's all," Edmondson said.  "It just started grabbing my ankle, then it moved on to my hand." 

Read more:

Oct 24, 2014 Lawsuit: Plainfield Pit Bull Bit Off, Probably Ate Part of Youth's Ear

Plainfield - A pit bull bit off and likely ate part of a Plainfield youth’s ear, according to a lawsuit filed in Will County court.

The young man, Richard Coleman III, and his parents, Richard Coleman Jr. and Cindy Coleman, sued Alberto Guzman and Ana Velasco-Guzman, over the alleged ear incident.

The lawsuit said Richard Coleman III was a minor when the pit bull bit his ear in December 2009. Court records show he was 14 at the time.

Richard Coleman III was a “guest” at the Guzman’s Ruth Fitzgerald Drive home, the lawsuit said. He had gone there to “play with his friend, Remy Boudreau.”

Richard Coleman III had visited the Guzmans’ home “numerous times before and had played with the dog, Max, on multiple occasions,” the lawsuit said. He “had no reason to suspect Max was aggressive.”

As Richard Coleman III was getting ready to leave the Guzmans’ home, he “stepped over to Max and began to pet him,” the lawsuit said. “Suddenly and unexpectedly, Max growled, opened his mouth, and attempted to bite (his) face.”

Richard Coleman III “turned his head to avoid the attack but Max clamped down and bit his ear,” the suit said.

Richard Coleman III “immediately felt extreme pain and burning and saw blood,” the lawsuit said. “He felt his ear and noticed that a piece of it was missing. Other individuals at the (Guzmans’) home searched the entire room for the piece of (his) ear but were unable to locate it. It is presumed Max ate it.”

Read more:
Plainfield Patch
http://bit.ly/1cxGnK1

Oct 23, 2014 Pit Bull Advocate Gets it Mostly Right About Pit Bulls

This pit bull advocate gets things mostly right, right up to the erroneous conclusion.  After reading this, I can't imagine any sane person would want to adopt a pit bull as a pet.

A pittie-ful situation

Some see the breed as the devil incarnate, out to ravage men, women and children, not to mention other dogs, with vise-like jaws, lots of teeth and a hair-trigger temperament that has earned it a reputation as the fiercest canine on the planet. Others see a playful, intelligent pooch that’s loyal, wonderful with kids and simply misunderstood by humans.


“There’s two camps that I see mostly,” says Nate Shephard, who has as many as 14 pit bulls in his Springfield home at any given time and likens them to 50-pound Yorkshire terriers. “There’s people who hate them and people who think that they can’t do anything wrong. Both sides are dangerous to the breed.”

One thing is certain. There are usually pit bulls and pit bull mixes available for adoption at the Sangamon County Animal Control Center at 2100 Shale St., and Friends of Sangamon County Animal Control is hoping to do something about it with a so-called Pittie Party scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25, which is National Pit Bull Awareness Day. There will be reduced adoption fees, a pit bull parade and door prizes at the two-hour event scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m.

There is no National Toy Poodle Awareness Day or National Tabby Cat Awareness Day, but when it comes to pit bulls, there is a certain stigma that helps explain why there are plenty of pit bulls available for adoption. Shephard, who takes in pit bulls from local animal welfare groups until permanent homes can be found, says that too many people are naive when they bring a pit bull home. Having acquired his first pit bull as a puppy about 20 years ago, he speaks from experience.

“Just like everyone else, I didn’t know what I was getting into,” Shephard says. “When she turned six months old, she got wild. I got her a buddy, which is exactly the wrong thing to do. It doubled my trouble.”

Don’t train a cocker spaniel properly and you might end up with a dog that barks too much or won’t listen when someone tells it to stay off the furniture. Don’t pay enough attention to a pit bull, however, and you’ve got bigger problems.

“They were bred for fighting for a long, long time,” Shephard says. “Just like any other working dog, they have some biological requirements that people overlook sometimes. Absolutely, dog fighting is not acceptable in our society anymore, and it’s disgusting and gross. But that’s what the dogs come from. They have to have an outlet for that energy, a constructive outlet for that energy. If they don’t have an outlet for that energy, it turns into destructive behavior.”

Which means, among other things, that pit bull owners have to socialize their pets to ensure that they will get along with other dogs. Regular walks are important, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to walk a dog, and walking a pit bull on a tight leash creates instant frustration, Shephard says. He recommends requiring the dog to walk right next to you on a 15-foot leash with plenty of slack.

“It’s all patience – patience and clarity,” he says.

Owners must be specific and clear when it comes to communicating expectations to a pit bull, Shephard says, and everyone in the household has to be on the same page. It won’t work if one person doesn’t allow the dog near the dinner table but someone else lets it beg for food. As with any other breed, prospective owners need to consider whether they have sufficient time and patience to handle a pit bull’s predilections and needs.

“They’re fantastic dogs,” Shephard says. “I love them. They’re not for everyone, obviously.”

But there are a lot of them. In 2013, 594 of the 1,958 dogs taken into the county animal control facility were considered pit bulls, according to Greg Largent, director of the Sangamon County Animal Control Center. Sheer numbers alone create challenges in finding homes, he said.

Jill Egizii, a volunteer with Friends of Sangamon County Animal Control, says the stereotype can be difficult to overcome.

“We find there are people who will come in and say ‘I want a dog, but there’s no way I want anything with pit in it,’” Egizzi says.

But the negative feelings can disappear. Pound pit bulls, she says, tend to fall into two categories: dogs that are low key and dogs that live to be petted.

“There have been cases where people say, ‘Absolutely no pits,’ and they walk out with a pit,” Egizzi says. “They will spend time with them and they’ll completely change their mind.”

Names can be a hurdle, and so a pit bull named Monster that was given up for adoption was rechristened Monty, Egizzi recalls. Similarly, a litter of pit bulls that included pups named Budweiser and Cigs was renamed.

“They (the original owners) named them after their pastimes, smoking and drinking,” Egizzi says.

Contact Bruce Rushton at brushton@illinoistimes.com.







http://illinoistimes.com/article-14630-a-pittie-ful-situation.html

Oct 23 2014 Mail carrier attacked by pit bull in Carpentersville

Carpentersville - a mail carrier was taken to the hospital Thursday after a pit bull busted through a screen door and attacked her.

The mail carrier has bites and cuts on her arm and head and she is reported to be recovering, but no news outlets have even reported whether she is still in the hospital or has gone home.

Animal control officials caught the dog and took him to Dundee Animal Hospital for observation, police said.

Police continue to investigate, and have not yet determined whether the dog's owner will be charged.

Read more:
ABC 7 Chicago
Chicago Fox 32 News
Daily Herald
CBS Chicago
Northwest Herald

Related Posts:
Carpentersville and Kane Co. attacks:
May 28, 2013 St. Charles Pit bull mauls Newfoundland
Jan 07, 2013 Pit bull attack and near miss recounted
Nov 11, 2012 Kane county Health Dept. confirms that First Responder Dawn Brown killed by Bullmastiff
Nov 17, 2010 Carpentersville pit bull suit settled
Jun 25, 2012 Elgin police shoot 23 dogs (almost all pit bulls), killing 19, since 2008 

Mail Carrier attacks:
All posts describing pit bull attacks on mail carriers








Oct 13, 2014 Galesburg Still Dealing with Pit Bull Issues

Galesburg - Over a year after, Ryan Maxwell, one of Galesburg's children was horrifically killed by a pit bull, and after Galesburg refused to take breed specific measures, Galesburg is still suffering from pit bull attacks.

Citizens are still contacting the police about dangerous and/or loose dogs believing that their call is a report that will become part of the record on the dog that will get the dog deemed dangerous, but the calls are not reported.  And neither the police nor animal control seem willing to convey this important bit of information to residents.

Alderman Jeremy Karlin said that a part of the problem is that animal control services are handled by the Knox County Humane Society.  The suggestion is made that the humane society is unwilling to inform residents that they should file a dangerous dog report when an attack happens to make sure the dangerous dog is taken care of because they're only concerned with the humane treatment of animals and not the humane treatment of humans.

City Manager Todd Thompson said that citizens should not attempt to make a dangerous dog report with animal control and  urged citizens to go to the police and specifically request that report be made.  And when they do so, they should not allow themselves to be "dissuaded" from filing a report.

How insane is this?  Instead of making citizens fight with city agencies that seem to want to protect dangerous dogs and give not one whit about the citizens who pay their salaries, why doesn't the city of Galesburg require police and Animal Control to do their jobs and  file a dangerous dog report when they are contacted by a citizen about one?

Read More:
WGIL

Related posts:
Galesburg pit bull attacks

Oct 13, 2014 Oak Park Pit Bull Attacks Baby at Sitter's Home

Oak Park - An 80-pound pit bull attacked a 1-year-old boy at his babysitter's home around noon Oct. 7 in the 1100 block of South Highland Avenue, according to Oak Park Police.

The Department of Children and Family Services was notified and the dog was impounded at the Animal Care League for a 10-day rabies hold, said Oak Park Police Commander LaDon Reynolds.

According to police, the dog was "quartered" on the back porch of the residence. The dog was known to the babysitter, although it was not her dog, Reynolds said. When the back door was opened, the dog rushed into the house and attacked the baby, police said.

The child was taken to West Suburban Hospital where he was treated for puncture wounds on the head from the dog's teeth and lacerations from the dog's claws, hospital staff told police. The child's wounds, according to staff, required three surgical staples.

The babysitting arrangement, according to Reynolds, was "informal."

The dog owner was issued a local ordinance citation and will appear at a vicious dog hearing, Reynolds said.

Read more:
OakPark.com

UPDATE Oct 12, 2014 Lawsuit: McHenry Former Mayor and Prominent Lawyer Attacked by Pit Bulls

UPDATEJudge bars 2 pit bulls from returning to their  owner's home.  The pit bull owner says she "feels bad" her pits attacked a puppy for no reason, but she wants them back even though this is not the first time they've shown aggression.  The neighborhood wants them gone.
facebook photo of the pit bull owner  who wants to keep
the mauling pit bulls.
UPDATE - the former mayor of McHenry and his wife have filed a lawsuit to have the pit bulls that launched an unprovoked attack on their golden retriever puppy removed from their neighborhood.
Addie, the Golden Retriever Puppy attacked by pit bulls

The McHenry county health department has received several calls from outraged residents asking why the pit bulls had not been remove before this incient because there have been several previous complaints about the pit bulls.

The McHenry County Health Department spokesperson says that there is an ongoing investigation, but they will do nothing to abate the potential risk to human safety in the mean time for fear of violating the irresponsible pit bull owners' property rights.

UPDATE: Because the victims have some influence, a Chicago outlet picked up this McHenry pit bull attack story including a video interview, video of the golden retriever puppy victim  and background footage showing the well-to-do neighborhood.


McHenry - Irresponsible owners put their pit bulls behind an electric fence from which they repeatedly escaped.  Their pit bulls decided to attack a small dog owned by a prominent lawyer.

"Addie went through two surgeries on a thigh and a front leg at Companion Animal Specialty and Emergency Hospital in Crystal Lake, Cuda said. She came home Wednesday but is also covered in puncture marks and is “at wit’s end.”

“It was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever gone through,” Cuda said. “The more my dog screamed or cried, the more vicious the pit bulls became.”

In the last four years in Illinois, a lawyer, his wife and dog; a circuit court judge; a plastic surgeon's daughter; a Lake County board member's dog; a Rockford alderman and daughter and an Elgin mayor have all been attacked or menaced by pit bulls, and nothing is being done about the pit bull problem.


Related posts:

Sep 26, 2014 Chicago Police K9 Officer Attacked by Two Pit Bulls

Chicago - An off-duty police officer taking his K9 for a walk in the park had his K9, Ditto, severely mauled by two pit bulls that escaped from their owners grasp.  A good samaritan helped stop the attack by dousing the pit bulls snouts with cinnamon powder and then putting a pit bull in a headlock while the police officer entered a fenced tennis court to get his severely injured dog to safety.


 Ditto is expected to survive after surgery.  The police are questioning the pit bull owner.

Pit bulls maul and kill many pets in Chicago, but the news outlets rarely report on it.

Read more:
ABC 7 Chicago

Related posts:
Mar 06 2012 Pit Bulls seriously maul two dogs in Logan Square
Jan. 09, 2012 Cops: Police dog bitten by pit bull, owner ticketed

Sep 19, 2014 Chicago Pit bulls attack 5 people and kill 1 cat in 5 months and NOTHING is done

Chicago - Veteran reporter Mike Parker* reports that five people have been attacked and one pet cat has been killed over a 5 month period in Chatham, a quiet southside Chicago neighborhood, and exactly nothing has been done despite repeated reports by neighborhood residents.
The most recent victim, Roland Hayes, returning from the hospital
after his cat was killed
John May, the first victim's scars
The 6 time mauler's fence

The heroic AC officer placing the sternly worded
post-it note on the irresponsible pit bull owners' door
The most recent victim, Roland Hayes, was sent to the hospital with bites to his arms while trying to save his cat.  Hayes' cat died.  There have been five attacks on people in the last 5 months by the same pit bulls, and only after the most recent attack did animal control see fit to take action and, using Montgomery co. Ohio's technique, post a "sternly worded post-it note"** on the pit bull owners' door.  Residents say they've been reporting the attacks all along and since nothing is being done, they can't allow their children out to play or walk their dogs.

6th ward alderman contact info
Roderick T. Sawyer
phone: (773)635-0006
email: service@6thwardchicago.com
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AldermanSawyer
twitter: https://twitter.com/RoderickTSawyer

Read more:
CBS Chicago

Related posts:
Chicago attacks
**Dayton OH, another city that relies on the "sternly worded post-it note" left on the door of irresponsible dog owners as reported by Ohio blogger Scorched Earth

*Mike Parker has been reporting so long he remembers the days when reporters followed up on tips and investigated out on the street to get a real story.  Thank you Mike Parker!


Sep 11, 2014 Lawsuit: Berwyn Police Officer Claims He Was Hit Bullet fragments When Pit Bull Was Shot

Berwyn - A police officer was injured when officers attempted to stop pit bulls from going on a rampage.  In addition to getting hurt themselves, a woman was injured and had to watch her small dog be mauled to death even though the police officers before they were able to kill the pit bulls.




Read more:
The Cook County Record

Related posts:
Sep 13, 2012 Berwyn pit bulls attack woman, police officer and kill small dog

Aug 29, 2014 Lawsuit: Granite City resident sued over boy’s injuries in pit bull attack

The mother of a minor boy has filed suit against the owner of a pit bull she claims viciously attacked her eight-year-old son.

Brandon Newcombe, a minor, by his mother and next friend Kristy Ashcraft, filed suit Aug. 22 in the Madison County Circuit Court against Anna Thomason.

According to the complaint, Newcombe was on the defendant’s property at 2665 E. 23rd St. in Granite City on April 10 when her pit bull attacked Newcombe without provocation, according to the complaint.

Due to the incident, Newcombe suffered severe and permanent injuries to his arm, shoulder and stomach and experienced great pain and suffering, the suit states. He also endured permanent scarring and disfigurement, the complaint says.

His mother, Kristy Ashcraft, claims she incurred medical costs due to the attack.

In the complaint, the plaintiffs blame Thomason for Newcombe’s injuries, saying she negligently failed to keep the pit bull in the house while he was playing in her yard, failed to secure the pit bull, failed to supervise the dog and allowed the dog to bite Newcombe.

The plaintiffs seek a judgment of more than $200,000, plus costs. They are being represented by attorney Matthew R. Chapman of Becker, Schroader and Chapman in Granite City.

Madison County Circuit Court case number 14-L-1148.

Read more: 
Apr 18, 2013 Granite City pit bull kills sheltie mix

Aug 27, 2014 Lawsuit: Dog attacked man while delivering package

Chicago - A man is suing the owners of a dog he claims bit his right hand without provocation.

John Lucas filed a lawsuit Aug. 13 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Sharnette D. Katherine, also known as Katherine D. Sharnette and Charnette Katherine, and Mark Keith.

According to the suit, Lucas was delivering a package to the defendants’ home on Sept. 3 and while there, a dog that appeared to be a pitbull attacked him by biting his right hand and fingers.

Read more:
The Cook County Record

Related posts:
Aug 11, 2014 Suit: Three Cook County Pit Bulls Attacked Professional Dog Walker

Aug 27, 2014 Lawuit: Dog attacked man while delivering package

Chicago - A man is suing the owners of a dog he claims bit his right hand without provocation.

John Lucas filed a lawsuit Aug. 13 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Sharnette D. Katherine, also known as Katherine D. Sharnette and Charnette Katherine, and Mark Keith.

According to the suit, Lucas was delivering a package to the defendants’ home on Sept. 3 and while there, a dog that appeared to be a pitbull attacked him by biting his right hand and fingers.

Read more:
The Cook County Record

Read more:
Aug 11, 2014 Suit: Three Cook County Pit Bulls Attacked Professional Dog Walker

Aug 26, 2014 East Peoria Police Officer Shoots Pit Bull

East Peoria - East Peoria Police shot and killed that dog, Bella, an eight-year-old pit bull last week.  The dog allegedly attacked two people and charged at an officer.  Now more than 2,500 people have signed a petition demanding justice for the dog.

Read more:
Central Illinois Proud

Related posts:
Jun 19, 2014 Peoria Pit Bull Bites One Man and Menaces Another Before Being Shot by Police
Mar 01, 2014 Chicago Pit Bull is Shot After it Attacks While at Large
Feb 24, 2014 Calumet Heights Police Shoot Two Pit Bulls

Jun 11, 2014 UPDATE Bloomington Pit Bull Owner on Trial for Felony Reckless Conduct For Mauling

UPDATE: SHALAYNE DOSS received 30 months probation and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and to by $88,000 in compensation for hospitalization (which the victim will never see.)  She may not own animals.  A 60-day jail term has been stayed pending a remission hearing.
UPDATE: SHALAYNE DOSS A Bloomington woman was convicted Wednesday of reckless conduct in the October 2012 injury of a woman attacked by her pit bull.
Jurors were not aware that the dog was a pit bull because Rumley successfully argued in a pretrial hearing that identification of the breed could be prejudicial to the defendant.
UPDATE: We will have an opportunity to see how familiar pit bull apologist talking points go down with a jury in this trial.  Shalayne Doss said that the pit bull that rushed out of an apartment to attack and severely maul Connie Ijams and her husband on the street was "just doing what he's supposed to do, protecting her and the apartment."
And, in reply to police officers warning her that if the pit bull escaped her control and presented a danger to anyone, they would be forced to shoot it, she said that shooting the pit "was like shooting one of her children."  This is the "child" that just severely mauled a woman and was acting like it wanted to attack police.

Bloomington - A McLean county jury is considering felony charges against SHALAYNE DOSS whose pit bull, Bo, attacked and severely mauled Connie Ijams.  Ijams spent 10 days in the hospital and suffered a long recuperation from the attack.

Doss bred the mauling pit bull a couple times before the attack and sold the puppies as a way to make a few extra bucks.  its offspring are still living in the Bloomington area.

This is the second report in a week describing Illinois coming down on pit bull owners and actually trying to force pit bull owners to be responsible for their pit bulls' attacks.  Just 3 days ago, TANYA HOLLAND's jail sentence was handed down.

These prosecutions come amid many reports from counties across Illinois describing an epidemic scale rises in dog bites and attacks in which pit bulls are always the sole or main element of the problem.

Madison county and Saline county are the two most recent counties to describe out-or-control bite problems and problems with pets being systematically mauled to death, however, cities and counties all over the state have been reporting pit bulls problems in recent years.  Bloomington has had problems with pit bulls going back to at least 2008.

Hopefully, ANTHONY CONCIALDI has been made aware that one slip up with his vicious dog will result in felony charges, and Illinois seems to be pursuing them these days.

Read more:
Update: Pantagraph

Related posts:
Jun 06, 2014 Southern Illinois woman Sentenced for 2010 pit bull attack
Jan 18, 2014 Bloomington family pit bull kills four year old Kara Hartrich.
Sep 11, 2013 Bloomington pit bull commits two separate attacks on people
Feb 28, 2013 Victim of severe pit bull mauling left with expenses

Cities and counties that have faced pit bull attacks, discussed regulation, but failed to regulate pit bulls to prevent pit bull maulings:
Jacksonville and Morgan CountyGlenwoodGalesburg,  Lake CountyElginWaukeganCaryCarmiSkokiePeoriaMacombArlington HeightsEvanstonMachesney Park, Madison county, Harrisburg and Saline county

Aug 11, 2014 Lawsuit: Three Cook County Pit Bulls Attacked Professional Dog Walker

Cook co - A professional dog walker is suing the owners of three pit bulls he claims attacked him.

Derek Hanson filed a lawsuit July 30 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Juan and Maria Uriostegui.

According to the suit, Hanson was carrying out his duties as a professional dog walker on Jan. 15 near the defendants’ home, when their three pit bulls emerged from their home and attacked both Hanson and the dog he was walking on the city sidewalk.

Read more:
The Cook County Record


Aug 08, 2014 Rantoul Pit Bull-Mastiff Mix Attacks A Doberman Unprovoked - Must Leave Town

Rantoul - A pit bull-mastiff mix escaped from its home, ran down the street approached a doberman seemingly wanting to play, and then launched an unprovoked, vicious, off-property attack.

The irresponsible pit bull owner wants to keep the mauler in the neighborhood.  And the mauler owner's attorney wants people to believe that yelling, "Come get your dog!" provoked the pit bull to attack which would excuse the mauler from being deemed vicious.

Finally an agreement was made in which the owner would take her dog some place else to live - out of Rantoul, endangering pets in another community.

Read more:
News-Gazette
News-Gazette

Related posts
Aug 27, 2009 Pit bull attacks 80 year old woman
Jun 25, 2013 Champaign Pit bull attacks Man; Police officer shoots it

Aug 06, 2014 Threatening Pit Bull Dies After Being Tased

Peoria - Police attempted to use non-lethal means to subdue a threatening dog Tuesday but ended up killing the animal anyway, according to a report.
Officers were called about 6 p.m. to the 1500 block of South Livingston Street for two pit bulls running loose and attacking people.
When the first officer arrived on scene, one dog growled, showed its teeth and lunged for the squad car before the officer exited the vehicle, according to a report.

Read more:
Journal Star

Aug 5, 2014 Southside Pit Bull Seriously Mauls and Hospitalizes Boy in Critical Condition

UPDATE: Both the dogs have been identified as pit bulls and the owner has been found, but it is not known if the owner will be charged. (It's Chicago, where pit bulls prey on south and west side children regularly, so probably not)
Be sure to watch the video in the ABC 7 link.  It shows the pit bull acting like any dog that got out to have an adventure, but then, for no reason but its artificially selected, inbred instincts, attacks a child horrendously.

Chicago - Armani McKinnis was at a friend's birthday party when two stray dogs, a pit bull and a rottweiler, came down the street. 
Armani's handsome face before and after being mauled by a pit bull
The pit bull launched an unprovoked, uninhibited, off property attack on Armani for enjoyment.  
The pit bull acting friendly and wagging its tail when it sees the
the children and decides to go attack Arami.
A neighbor recorded the horror that played out on his phone where a human child is preyed upon like an animal.

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WGN
ABC 7 Chicago

Jul 31, 2014 Sangamon County Board Member’s Bull Breed Dogs Attack Dogs

Sangamon Co. - "A member of the Sangamon County citizens advisory board on animal control has been repeatedly caught allowing unaltered dogs to run loose with no proof of rabies vaccination. At least one of her dogs may be declared dangerous following an unprovoked attack on a dog and a Springfield woman."

On June 26, Christine Groves was walking Bella, her dachshund-beagle-chihuahua mix, at the intersection of Lincoln and Ash streets when two dogs owned by animal control board member Sheryle Henry attacked. One of the two dogs was unleashed, according to Groves and a Leland Groves police report. The other was being walked by a man identified as Henry’s brother, and witnesses reported that he had to repeatedly kick one of the dogs, which resembled a pit bull, to end the attack. The dogs were bull terriers, according to animal control records, that each weigh more than 40 pounds.

“This wasn’t a bite, this was a mauling – Bella weighs 20 pounds,” Groves said. “These dogs are not family pets. I thought they were pit bulls. She (Henry) has never contacted me. Early on, this would have been ‘I’m so sorry, let me pay your vet bill.’ But that is not what has happened. … When I sue her, it’s going to be ‘Sheryle Henry, animal control board member’ on the lawsuit.

Bella is recovering from bite wounds – the veterinarian bill came to $700. Groves suffered minor bites on her hands when she tried rescuing Bella

It was not Henry’s first visit to animal control, where records show that Pompeii had been impounded at least four times after being found running loose prior to the attack on Bella. On at least one prior occasion, in April of 2011, Pompeii was given a rabies vaccination after impoundment when animal control officials found no proof of vaccination. Animal control officials eventually required Henry to spay Pompeii, and the procedure was completed in the spring of 2013, after the fourth time the dog was picked up.


The vet bill for Bella Abzug, left, came to $700 after the pooch was bitten by dogs owned by a member of the Sangamon County citizens advisory board on animal control.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRISTINE GROVES

The state’s attorney’s office may get involved.

In addition to run-ins with animal control, Henry, who is an office administrator for the Illinois Department of Public Health, has twice pleaded guilty to misdemeanor shoplifting charges and has also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor marijuana possession, according to Sangamon County Circuit Court records.

Contact Bruce Rushton at brushton@illinoistimes.com.

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Jul 28, 2014 Hometown Police Officer Fired for Killing Menacing Pit Bull

Hometown - Apollo the pit bull mix had run out of the front door. Hometown police had been alerted, and encountered the dog as he returned to the front yard. Echlin says she tried coaxing Apollo back in the house, but he turned and bared his teeth at one of the officers. According to police, that's when the officer withdrew his weapon and fired one shot, striking the dog.

Echlin says she questioned the use of deadly force- especially in front of her daughter- but she says the officer showed no remorse.

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ABC 7 Chicago

This is one of the hundred of pit bulls that have been shot to stop an attack

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Pit bulls that were shot to stop an attack.

Jul 15, 2014 Pit Bull Owners Stiff Cabbie, Sic Pit Bull on Police Who Shoot it

Joliet - Real winner pit bull owners, who police say appeared very wasted, stiffed a cabbie in front of their house.  When the cabbie called police, the couple refused to talk to police, threatened to sic their crazy pit bull on them, and then did sic their crazy aggressive pit bull on police who were forced to shoot and kill it.  The pit bull owners were charged with several offenses including possession of drug paraphernalia, battery and theft of labor.

Such a lovely tribute for the mauler unleashed on the police
BL  - is that jim beam
DN - Damn thing's got a saddle on him.
Joyce Lewandowski- you funny D! that's his harness,,,lmao,,lmfao
DN - and who's gonna stop him if he wanes to run? he could pull a car
RARS - Beautiful dog!! Oh you too Joyce.
Joyce Lewandowski - can't stop him dave thats why i thinkn bout the shock collar,,,he's a beast, and a lap puppy

Joyce Lewandowski - That dogs beautiful,,yes em is,,yex em is,,,,
KD - We have to take this picture have it printed and framed because he is a beautiful dog and this is a beautiful picture. yez he is...yez he is... but he's a mean SOB
Joyce Lewandowski - He was laying on my leg, he was so happy I was home, prob.  Wont leave him that long again, it was sweet to see how much he loves me, but terribly pitt a full...
KD - Aww.  I wish he was nicer I would have come over there and been with him so he wouldn't have been alone you know sit with him lay with him and stuff like that poor baby....


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The Herald-News
Joliet Patch

Jul 09, 2014 Alton Police Forced To Shoot Loose Pit Bull


Alton - According to the department, officers responded to the apartment complex on the 2900 block of College Avenue at approximately 6:07 p.m. on July 3 for an incident not related to the dog or its owners. Once there, the officers encountered the dog, which was said to be barking and growling at the officers, according to Public Information Officer Emily Hejna. Officers requested that the dog be taken inside more than once, Hejna said.


The dog’s owner, Antoinette Skelton, said she attempted to take the dog into her apartment but the dog got loose as she grappled with it while also holding her four-year-old son.


When the dog ran at the officer he feared he would be attacked, Hejna said, prompting him to fire his weapon.

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The Telegraph

Jul 07, 2014 Chicago Pit Bulls Kill Pomeranian in West Chesterfield

Chicago - “A South Side woman says she's heartbroken after two pit bulls attacked and killed her 5-year-old dog.
RIP Bear
It happened in the West Chesterfield neighborhood, as Jocilyn Floyd and her two dogs were returning from a walk. She says the pits attacked and killed her Pomeranian named "Bear." Floyd told Eyewitness News this is one of several recent attacks in the area.

"We walk our dogs as a community, to know that we're not safe to walk our dogs in the morning, or any time of the day for that matter, because we have other residents that aren't responsible dog owners, it makes things hard to feel safe," said Floyd. 

Floyd says a different pit bull killed her other Pomeranian several years ago.

Animal control caught and quarantined two dogs in the neighborhood Monday morning.”

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Jul 06, 2014 Oswego Pit Bull Escapes Home and Bites Someone

Oswego - Jordan McDowell, 22, of 112 Harbor Drive, Oswego Township, was charged with allowing her dog to run at large at about 2 a.m. July 4 near her home  McDowell’s pit bull allegedly bit someone near her home, according to a Kendall County Sheriff’s office report.

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Only Oswego

Jun 26, 2014 Vernon Hills Pit Bull Attacks Woman and Dog

UPDATE: This pit bull attack that required police to kill the pit bull was only the second time a Vernon Hills police officer has fired a weapon in public.

The pit bull's owner has been located.  She says the pit bull pushed past her through an open door as she was about to take the pit bull for a walk.

She was charged with having a stray dog and maintaining a vicious animal, police said. She is next scheduled to appear in court in Mundelein on Aug. 14.
Vernon Hills - Another little dog and its owner were attacked by a pit bull while they were out for a walk.  It took four to six people with shovels and extension cords to get the pit bull off the victims.
File photo of miniature doberman pinscher

The miniature doberman pinscher was badly hurt in the accident and the owner's hands were injured.  When police arrived, the pit bull returned and police shot and killed it.

Vernon Hills is just 35 miles from West Chicago where a little yorkie was killed by pit bulls that escaped from a woman operating a pit bull rescue.

This more completely unnecessary carnage.  We don't have to have fighting dogs in our communites.

Read more:
CBS 2 Chicago
Voices 

Related posts:
Jan 20, 2014 Pit bull strays attack woman, pet in Jackson Park Highlands
Aug 14, 2013 Machesney Park pit bull attacks beagle; owner stabs pit bull to death

Jun 25, 2014 West Chicago Dog Rescuer Allows Her Own Pit Bulls to Kill for the Second Time


West Chicago - The video shows a pretty neighborhood to which a pit bull "rescuer" has brought completely needless senseless and unnecessary pain, suffering, fear, loss, death and mourning.




83 year old Bonnie Price was walking her 8 year old little dog Yorkie Toto when two pit bulls escaped their home for the purpose of killing Toto.  They jumped on Toto and knocked Price down.  Price fought for her little dog's life, and was bitten on the hand and legs.  Price needed stitches for her injuries.

She could not save Toto.  A neighbor grabbed a shovel and began beating the maulers in the head, which may have saved her life.

Laura Ekstrom, another neighbor, said the same pit bulls attacked and killed Macy, her 12 year old Papillon-poodle mix.

These small dogs were cherished companions to both their owners.

Savage attacks by pit bull "rescuers" is becoming an epidemic across the nation. This must stop.

Read more:
ABC 7 Chicago

Related posts:
Dec 05, 2013 Chicago Tribune: Pit bull overload floods shelters, strains rescuers
Nov 02, 2013 Chicago Animal Control Worker Seriously Injured In Pit Bull Attack
Aug 27, 2013 Bolingbrook police shoot pit bull attacking puggle 

More reading:
List of Pit Bulls Recently Adopted From Shelters That Seriously Attack


Jun 24, 2014 Wilmette Pit Bull Attacked 13 Year Old Whippet

Wilmette - Police issued local ordinance tickets to Marcin Wysocki, 32, of 3264 Sprucewood Ave., for having an unlicensed dog and for having a dog which bit another dog, following a June 13 incident at that address. Police said a Wilmette resident told them she had been walking her 13-year-old whippet in front of Wysockiʼs address, when a 4-year-old bull terrier ran out of the open garage, racing for her dog. The woman lifted her pet up into her arms, but the bull terrier was still able to bite her dogʼs hind end. She took her dog to a veterinarian, and he eventually received nine stitches to repair the damage of the bite.

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Jun 24, 2014 Mount Vernon Pit bull attacked a 9-year-old neighbor boy

Mount Vernon - A dog bite incident remains under investigation following an incident Saturday at 15 Cottage St. Susan Wolfe reported that her 9-year-old son, Anthony Wolfe, had been bitten by a neighbor’s Pit Bull.

Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mount Vernon
This town doesn't need pit bulls
Mrs. Wolfe told Mount Vernon Police Officer Jeremiah Armstrong that a neighbor’s dog ran into her yard and bit her son while he was playing in his yard. Anthony was said to have holes in his shirt and shorts plus a puncture wound on his upper right leg.

Read more:
Mount Vernon News

Related posts:
Sep 21, 2009 Two Mt. Vernon Pit Bulls Invade Store
Apr 22, 2008 Mt. Vernon Pit Bull Escapes and Tries to Attack Children

Historical posts:
May 08, 1911 Mount Vernon Bulldog kills 4 year old boy

Jun 23, 2014 Norridge Pit bull Escapes Fenced Yard Attacks Dog and Owner


Norridge - Vincenzo Recchia, 46, of 4900 N. Chester Ave., Norridge, was cited after police said his pit bull attacked another dog on Chester Avenue and Ainslie Avenue June 11 at 10:12 a.m. Police said Recchia left his dog in the gated backyard of his home and it somehow escaped and attacked the dog while it was being walked by its owner. Recchia was cited for having no village-issued license tag for his dog, no proof of rabies vaccinations and for not having the dog on a leash. The owner of the dog that was bitten was also treated to a bite on her hand, police said.

Read more:
Norridge-Harwood Heights News

Jun 19, 2014 Peoria Pit Bull Bites One Man and Menaces Another Before Being Shot by Police


South Peoria - Loose pit bulls caused a disruption on the 2100 block of West Howett st. on Wednesday.  One man drove away from his home rather than confront the pit bulls, another man was bitten and chased onto a car and a third man was chased on his bicycle.  Police were forced to shoot one of the pit bulls when the pit bull menaced them.  Police had to maintain the area, telling children they must go inside to safety until animal "services" could get there to contain the animals.

A South Peoria man was driving in the 2100 block of West Howett Street shortly before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday when he saw two pit bulls in his front yard, according to a report on the incident.

The man decided to drive around the block one more time to wait for the dogs to leave. When the witness came back to his house, the larger of the two pit bulls had bitten a man in the hand, drawing blood. The man who had been attacked climbed on top of a car to escape the dog’s charges, and the two pit bulls began to chase another man on his bike.

Interestingly, Peoria has no animal control.  They have Peoria County Animal Protection Services that is a collaboration between the Humane Society and Peoria county Veterinary Medical Assoc. with no mission statement to protect the public.  They state they will "enforce state, county and city animal control and welfare laws, consistent with [each] city's level of contractual service."  Giving animal control duties to humane societies is the equivalent of turning policing duties over to social services organizations.  Both animal cops and humane services are important and should work together, but they are not the same and it is dangerous to forget this.  We need animal control with a stated purpose to protect people and animals from dangerous animals and irresponsible owners.

Under "How To Report Animal Bites" there is this interesting paragraph:
"Even if an attack can be explained (the pet was scared, the child stepped on the pet's tail, the pet is afraid of people in uniform), it can rarely be excused. If your pet shows serious aggression that professional help cannot cure, do not give the pet to someone else - least of all, someone who wants a "mean" pet.  Pets obtained for purposes that make aggression a "desirable" trait almost invariably lead miserable lives. They are also likely to attack someone else in the future. Giving your pet away will only perpetuate the problem. And, you could be liable if your pet bit another person after you've given it away. If you feel you must give up your pet, call Peoria County Animal Protection Services."

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Journal Star
Peoria county Animal Protection Services


Jun 08, 2014 Homer Glen Bans Vicious Dogs After Cane Corso and Pit Bull Attacks

Series of attacks prompts residents to petition for proposed ordinance

Homer Glen - The village didn’t have a vicious dog ordinance so when a cane corso killed Kathy Schubert’s miniature schnauzer named Buddy, the county animal control just gave the killer dog right back to the owners JEAN and THOMAS HART.

Schubert proposed an ordinance to ban dangerous and vicious dogs.  It turns out that her Buddy had been attacked by another of JEAN and THOMAS HART’S vicious dogs.  And other neighbors had their dogs attacked by loose pit bulls. Schubert gathered 60 signatures supporting her proposal.

The village passed that ordinance. It will not keep pit bulls and cane corsos from attacking.

Schubert says she has to go to weekly counseling to get over her loss of buddy.


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Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune