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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Peoria county Animal Protection Services
