May 29, 2013 Kankakee pit bull kills chihuahua

Kankakee-A Chihuahua was killed by a pit bull in the 400 block of River Street at 11:07 a.m. Saturday. The owner of the Chihuahua reported the incident to Kankakee police. He said he was walking his two dogs when he noticed the pit bull chasing squirrels. The man was able to get one of the dogs to his home before the pit bull grabbed the other and ran away. Kankakee County Animal Control took the pit bull.

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The Daily Journal

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Chihuaha attacks

May 27, 2013 Pit bull attacks in Southern Illinois


Southern Illinois - Updates on a few pit bull attacks.

Dustin Keith of Carterville reported that his daughter was attacked by a pit bull in Anna in Union county, IL.

Keith wants to get the word out that owners are not adhering to leash and restraint laws and are creating a danger for the public.

In Williamson county, Tonya Holland is finally going to pre-trial for the nearly fatal attack her pit bulls inflicted on a 5 year old Winston Bankston in Bush, IL.

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The Southern

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Aug 07 2010 Pit Bulls Attack 5 Year Old Winston Bankston


May 15, 2013 Macomb city leaders attempt to control pit bull attacks with dangerous dog laws.



Macomb - The city has had 5 dog attacks on people and dogs in the last 6 months including a fatal mauling of a dog by a pit bull that broke through a fence for the express purpose of killing little yorkie being walked on a leash in front of his terrified and traumatized owner.
RIP Hardy
The mayor has said he wants to prevent the kind of fatal mauling attack that happened to Ryan Maxwell. Though, the proposed ordinance has some good elements, it will do nothing to prevent a first attack:

Increased fines for owners of dogs who repeatedly violate city ordinances.
Muzzling and maybe euthanizing a dog that's been deemed dangerous.
And a creation of a vicious dog registry.

May 23, 2013 Illinois dog bite statistics



For dog bite prevention week, State Farm Insurance and the US postal service release dog bite statistics and each year, Illinois and Chicago are at the top of those lists.

According to the postal service, Chicago ranks third on the list of worst cities for postal service dog attacks.  Last year, Chicago ranked 13th.

Illinois ranks second to California on State Farm's top ten states for dog bite insurance payouts, a place it held last year as well.

However, with a population that is roughly a third of California's, Illinois' payout is 37% larger than California's when adjusted for population, putting Illinois solidly in the number one payout position.  On top of that, Illinois is among the bottom 10 states on the AVMA's list of state dog ownership rates with just 32.4% of Illinois households owning dogs.

Why has Illinois been at the very top of the worst places for dog bites with such a low dog ownership rate?

Could it be because a pit bull advocate wrote Illinois dangerous and vicious animal control laws which includes a ban on BSL and makes it easy for owners of dangerous, biting, and vicious dogs to keep them?

It turns out that pit bull and dangerous dog advocates participated in crafting, to varying extents, the dangerous dog laws in all five of the top five worst states for dog bite insurance payouts and 7 of the top 10.  Of the top five, all states except Ohio have a ban on BSL.  In Ohio, there is no ban on BSL, but pit bull advocates wrote a complicated system for designating a dog dangerous or vicious that is very similar to Illinois' laws and which essentially works to make it easier for owners to keep their dangerous dogs.  The laws in both Ohio and Illinois include an elaborate appeals process for the owners of dangerous and vicious dogs to revoke that designation including a stipulation that the burden of proof falls on the city and calls for "expert" testimony that the dog is dangerous or vicious.

After an attack or series of attacks, several Illinois towns have claimed, sometimes incorrectly, that their hands are tied and they cannot remove a dangerous dog because of the complexity of the animal control legislation.  Still other towns have been prompted to craft their own dangerous and vicious dog legislation to buttress the state laws after an attack or series of attacks.  In every instance, the attacks that prompt new ordinances in Illinois are all or in large part pit bull attacks, but the only tool communities have available to them are breed neutral ordinances and communities are forced to effectively use a screwdriver to pound a nail.  Cities all over Illinois are attempting to enact legislation that can prevent pit bull attacks and are hampered by being prohibited from regulating pit bulls in any way.

May, 2013 Peoria is discussing ways to make the streets safe again from pit bulls and other stray and dangerous dogs.  Last year 102 of the 332 reported dog bites in Peoria county were caused by pit bulls. The police chief states the obvious when he says that pit bulls pose more of a threat than other dogs.

May, 2013 Bloomington is trying to require liability insurance for dogs designated dangerous after a serious attack on two people by a pit bull breeder's pit bull.

May, 2013 Macomb city leaders are trying to create new dog ordinances after they have had 5 dog attacks on people and pets in the last 6 months including a horrid attack by a neighbor's pit bull that broke through a fence and killed a woman's beloved yorkie.  Macomb's mayor says they do not want to wait until there is a fatality to do something.

January, 2013 Lake county defined "animal aggressive" as a new category of dangerous dogs after a pit bull mauled a small dog owned by a county board member.

June, 2012 The village of Cary will look into dog ordinances after residents were attacked by an unleashed pit bull.

May, 2012 Carmi citizens want pit bull ban.  They are afraid to go outdoors because of an ongoing problem with loose pit bulls.

May, 2012 Skokie considers stricter law after 3 separate pit bull attacks killed three dogs.

December, 2011 Arlington Hgts. toughens penalties for dangerous animals following pit bull attack The attack that inspired this new dangerous dog legislation involved two unleashed pit bulls that attacked a leashed poodle/labrador retreiver mix off property and unprovoked.

Aug, 2011 Police want more teeth to proposed dangerous dog ordinance after a pit bull chased and attacked a resident and his dog

May, 2011 Wilmington eyes stronger animal control ordinance after repeated attacks by a pit bull mix.

Nov, 2010 Pit bull that inspired Machesney Park law faces euthanasia after it killed two dogs and attacked two people

Apr, 2010 Reaction to Ban on BSL in Streator, IL: This is Asinine

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Daily Herald AVMA statistics
State Farm
May 16, 2012 Illinois Ranks #2 in State Farm Dog Bite Report numbers and payouts
US Post Office

May 20, 2013 Pit bull jumps fence to get to child and maul him


Chicago - A pit bull jumped the fence of his yard for the express purpose of mauling a little boy playing in his own yard.

Animal control and the police refused to identify the breed of dog, but that fact and the seriousness of the boy's injuries made it clear that it was a pit bull that was the attacker.
Glendale Miller with all four limbs heavily bandaged
Photo credit: Craig Wall

Glendale Miller had to endure 7 hours of surgery on all four of his limbs and will be hospitalized several days.

The breed of dog was first disclosed by ABC 7 News when they interviewed the family of the 9 year old boy, Glendale Miller.  The family wanted to publicly speak out about the dangerousness of unrestrained, unattended pit bulls.  The asked that pit bull owners be more responsible.  ABC 7 News is the only outlet that bothered to print comments from the family and mention the breed of dog.

The Miller family says that before the attack, they were terrorized by the pit bull which has escaped before, and that they had to change their living habits to avoid encountering the vicious pit bull by walking different ways and patronizing different stores.

The pit bull was put down.

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ABC 7 News
Fox 32 News

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May 15, 2013 Pit bull attacks two in Englewood 
May 15, 2013 Pit bull Mauls Animal Control Officer, saved by neighbor
Feb 28, 2013 Victim of severe pit bull mauling left with expenses
Feb 23, 2013 Pit bull attacks UPS driver, cop and shot
Jan 2, 2013 Jogger who lost leg wants pit bull regulation

May 20, 2013 Off Duty Chicago Police officer shoots pit bull to protect son

Chicago - A neighbor's pit bull escaped its yard while an off duty police officer was outside with his 5 year old son who was riding a bike.  The police officer shot the pit bull several times, killing it, because he believed it was charging after his son.

“I know that my son’s life could have been in danger . . . and the fact that my son was protected, that’s what I care about,” said the officer’s wife.  The officer's wife also said that the pit bull had been out of its yard off-leash previously and that the owner had been asked to keep it on a leash.

News stories have repeatedly emphasized that the pit bull was a four month old puppy and used photos of the pit bull as a small puppy in their stories.  However, this photo of the pit bull after being shot shows a larger, well muscled pit bull that has lost much of those puppy characteristics.


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May 20, 2013 Peoria Discusses ways to limit dog attacks

Peoria - Peoria has created a city task force to consider measures to limit dog attacks.

The police chief testified that pit bulls pose problems for police.  Of the 332 reported dog bites reported in Peoria county last year, 102 were due to pit bulls (30%).  One third of dogs the shelter receives each year are pit bulls.  Pit bulls are the second most licensed dog in the county after labs.

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Journal Star