May 20, 2014
DeKalb - DeKalb residents lobbied the city for 5 years to have a dog park, and just 6 months after it opened, a pit bull attacked a woman so severely that she required reconstructive surgery on her arm and a 3 day hospital stay. The pit bull owners just walked away. The victim and her significant other don't blame pit bulls, but they intend to stay away from the park for a while.
DeKalb police are searching for the pit bull and owners and are asking for the public's help to find the them because the victim will have to undergo rabies shots if the pit bull can't be found. And because it is important that the dog be found, no one is playing the "no one can identify a pit bull" game or pretending that it might be just any ol' 90 to 120 pound grey mutt with a white chest and silver choke collar.
There are plenty of other people with grey pit bulls frequenting the park and they are upset that they are being scrutinized as possible suspects.
How to help
People believe the pit bull's name is Buddha and the people with the pit bull were three men in their twenties. Two men were white and one was indian or hispanic.
Anyone with information about the pit bull or its owners is asked to call DeKalb Police Department's nonemergency number at 815-748-8400. They can also leave an anonymous tip with DeKalb County Crime Stoppers at 815-895-3272.
On January 15, 2014, The Northern Star news outlet ran a story about the dog park being non-descriminatory. DeKalb resident AJ Edwards, who owns a miniature pinscher, said, "My favorite part of DeKalb having a dog park is there are no restrictions that ban certain dog breeds — like Doberman pinschers, pit bulls and the like — due to them being labeled as “aggressive.” This is a wonderful rule and I commend the city of DeKalb for being open to all breeds.
The dog park’s regulation sign states that, “No dogs known to be aggressive toward other dogs or people may enter the area,” and that owners are responsible for keeping an eye out on their dogs.
“I’m excited that I can take my pit bull somewhere with other dogs knowing that there is not a bias toward the breed I have,” said senior sociology major Cameron Stingily. “They sometimes have size and breed restrictions, but they don’t here so I’m happy.”
Read more:
Daily Chronicle
Daily Chronicle
Katz Dog Park in DeKalb facebook page
Northern Star
Related links:
Sep 25, 2012 Dekalb pit bull kills dog - woman seeks stronger laws for dogs that attack pets
