Chicago Dog Expert Steve Dale Responds to the Mauling in Cary, IL

In blog posts following the Cary IL attack on Nick Foley, Jourdan Lamarre, and four others, Steve Dale says "it could have been any breed" that launched this rampage. This is patently untrue. While other kinds of dogs might rush out of a door and attack, the length of the attack, the tenacity, the severity and the amount of tissue loss are all characteristic of only pit bull type dogs. Study after study by doctors, plastic surgeons, and trauma surgeons note that pit bull attacks are more severe and the only kind of attack that results in dramatic tissue loss.

After typing some bare bones platitudes, Dale self-importantly brags that he "couldn’t sit back and allow BSL in the city I love so much..." and and then he reveals how he successfully maneuvered to deflect any meaningful, protective response to the dangers that Nick Foley's attack revealed.

While reading Dale's posts, please keep in mind these two phrases from the Chicago Tribune article by Carolyn Starks and John Heilman:


Read Studies by Doctors, Surgeons, Nurses and Hospitals about Pit Bull Attacks that refute Steve Dale's idiotic assertion that any breed of dog could have inflicted this kind of attack on a human being:

Dec 29, 2005 Editorial: Regulating 'pit bulls' is a proactive stance


Bloomington should allow residents to keep the "pit bull" pets they have, but not allow residents to acquire the dogs in the future.
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Regardless of what the Legislature in Springfield may consider, Bloomington should proceed with its ordinance.

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Dec 19, 2005 Some want crackdown on pit bulls Recent dog attacks prompt more legislative attention

After a swift succession of particularly heinous maulings by pit bulls which left 14 year old Lydia E. Chaplin dead and 10 year olds  Nick Foley and Jourdan Lamarre horrifically mauled, several Illinois legislators once again attempted to craft legislation to protect Illinois children from dangerous dogs including an attempt to deem pit bulls and rottweilers dangerous dogs by Rep. Michael Tyron of Crystal Lake, Il which is in McHenry county about about five miles from Cary, IL, where Nick and Jourdan's attack took place.

Springfield - "Rep. Michael Tyron(R) Crystal Lake, said penalizing owners makes sense but so does restricting some breeds that have proven to be inherently dangerous.

Tyron argues it makes no sense to require a court order to deem those breeds dangerous... His bill would consider those dogs dangerous automatically and give local authorities more regulatory power.

read more:
Pantagraph.com

Nov 27, 2005 Mary Murphy-Smith Victim of Severe Pit Bull Mauling Supports Ban and Describes Attack


Chicago - I've written that it is a bad idea to ban any particular breed of dog, like pit bulls, since the human barbarians who breed for viciousness and aggression will only find another breed to ruin.

It's easy to write that, since I have the use of both hands. Mary Murphy-Smith, 49, of Chicago, is an associate professor of nursing at St. Xavier University. She had been a midwife, delivering babies. But that ended on Jan. 12, 2003.

That's when she went for her morning jog in the Dan Ryan Woods. A running acquaintance, Anna Cieslewicz, 48, had gone out running in the woods an hour earlier.

"I left my house at 9:30. I saw a body laying on the trail when I was running, I thought to myself, what is down there? Before I could even think any more, the dogs came out and attacked me," Murphy-Smith said.

They were pit bulls, mongrels likely. They'd already attacked Cieslewicz, who would later die. "It was a 20-minute struggle to try to get these dogs off of me," she said, describing how they took her down. "One dog, once he devoured my one leg, he started on the other leg. The other one made a mess of my arm, he tore up my biceps and triceps, and then he tore the muscle from my forearm. It was avulsed. That just means it was torn to shreds.

"I had a very thick scarf wrapped around my neck. When they finally got me down to the ground, I couldn't fight them anymore. The one dog was trying to rip off the scarf, and he finally got it off. The dog on my leg, he tried to rip off the glove on my left hand. The other went for my neck. I reached down and there was a stick in front of me, and as he came at my neck, I shoved the stick in his mouth.

"He kind of backed off. I felt like two arms picked me up, but no one was there. It was a miracle. I certainly believe the Good Lord was there with me, because I could not do it on my own."

She slid down a hill and, using the stick as a weapon and a cane, stumbled out of the woods, the dogs biting her heels. She made it to 83rd Street covered in blood.

"Nobody would stop," she said. "I couldn't stand anymore, so I lay down on the yellow line in the middle of the road."

Finally, two nurses driving by stopped to help and called paramedics. The dogs were hunted down and shot.

After five surgeries in almost three years, she can move her right arm. She can make a claw with her right hand. But she can't clap her hands together.

And since the nerves and tendons were ripped apart, she can no longer work as a midwife. In her current job, she's limited in her ability to demonstrate techniques to her students.

"Even when I try to do some of the assessment skills to show them how to examine a particular area, because of the limitations I have with my fingers, it's difficult.


"My legs are OK. I mean, they look awful because of all the scars on them, but they're functional. I can run."

Murphy-Smith, a victim of dogs, supports a ban on pit bulls. "What do you say about the children who are being attacked by these dogs?" she asked. "Anna did not have to die. I can't imagine other dogs would be this vicious. I mean, would you allow a grizzly bear or a jaguar to be a family pet? Pit bulls are the same thing. They're going to snap and attack."

"What are they waiting for? Is it going to take someone else dying to say, `Oh, we've got to do something about these dogs?'"

There have been other packs in the woods, and in her neighborhood. About a year after the attack, in a different part of town, she saw a woman, her arms full of groceries, being attacked by two large mutts. She hustled the woman into her car, took her home, then found a police officer.

"I told her that I saw these dogs and they attacked this lady, and they needed to call someone about them," Murphy-Smith said. "[The officer] said she'd look into it. I saw her drive down the street and then turn the opposite way of where I told her to go."

Three days later, her neighbor, a Chicago police officer, came home to let his puppy out in the back yard. He was inside the house when he heard the growling.

"He saw these two pit bulls rip apart his puppy," she said. "They were beige and we don't know where they came from." That's when she decided to get counseling for post-traumatic stress syndrome. "I just couldn't sleep at night. I kept thinking that everywhere I was going, there were pit bulls. I lost 10 pounds, couldn't eat or sleep. It was an awful scenario, so that's when I had to go for help."

The debate over breed bans and dangerous dogs and their much more dangerous and irresponsible owners and breeders will grind along. Newspaper columns and aldermanic resolutions typed with both hands will outline the struggle between competing interests.

But all you have to do is look at Murphy-Smith's right hand--the one she used to deliver babies--to know that things cannot remain as they are.

By John Kass
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jskass@tribune.com

Chicago Tribune
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2005-11-27/news/0511270267_1_pit-bulls-dog-rip

Nov 5, 2005 Nick Foley Survives Agony of a Pit Bull Rampaging Attack




The enduring agony of a pit bull rampage
Memories of a mauling and a boy's struggle to survive haunt a quiet community
three parts

Brooks Foley heard a soft whimper and stopped still in the hallway. The sound was barely audible at first over the hiss of a shower, but it grew louder and louder until it was a heartbreaking sob.

His 10-year-old son was falling apart.

Four months had passed since the rain-soaked November afternoon outside of Cary when a neighbor's three pit bulls attacked Nick Foley. The dogs tore pounds of flesh from his arms and legs. They broke bones, slashed nerves, spilled half of his blood onto the wet grass.

Read more of this compelling reportage here:

By Carolyn Starks and John KeilmanTribune staff reporters August 13, 2006
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Oct 15, 2005 Chicago Pit Bull Attacking dog Shot By Officer

Chicago - Officer Lisa Cornish, just off duty and still in uniform, was walking her 3-year-old miniature schnauzer, Pepper, early Friday when an unleashed pit bull pounced on her dog, flinging it back and forth "like a rag doll."

Unable to free her dog with her hands, Cornish took out her service weapon and held it two inches from the dog's back. She said she told the people walking the pit bull, "I'm going to have to shoot your dog." They agreed. She fired.

"I didn't second-guess myself," the eight-year Chicago police veteran said at her home Friday afternoon. "It was basically for my safety, the safety of my family pet."

Police said that Cornish was within guidelines when she fired the shot and that she followed all necessary procedures after the incident correctly.

Police spokesman Pat Camden said an officer shooting a dog is "a judgment call."

"Obviously, if she shot the dog at 3 in the afternoon in a playground full of children, it would be a bad decision," he said. "But it was 1 a.m., and she shot the dog at close range."

Shooting out of control animals is a fairly routine action, and there is no specific rule stating when it's acceptable for an officer to shoot a dog.

After the attack a woman took away the pit bull, which was still alive, Camden said.

The whereabouts and condition of the dog are unknown, he said.

Cornish said she filed a police report detailing the incident and why she used her weapon.

The city's Animal Care and Control Department received a call about an attack, but the dogs were gone when their truck arrived, spokeswoman Melanie Sobel said.

As Cornish got ready for work Friday afternoon, Pepper seemed normal, wagging her tail and begging for attention. Pepper had two gashes--one behind her ears and another on her throat--and fresh rabies vaccine and antibiotics shots from the veterinarian's office.

Cornish said the other dog is probably worse off.

"They need to find that dog," she said. "I'm sure that dog is not in great shape."

Chicago Tribune

Jun 11, 2005 Aurora Pit Bull Mauls 11-Year-Old Boy

Aurora - The owner of a pit bull that mauled an 11-year-old Aurora boy this week will not be charged by police.

Orville Wayne Cockriel was questioned by Aurora police Thursday night after being arrested by Kane County sheriff's deputies. Citing lack of criminal intent, police declined to charge Cockriel, 54, of the 400 block of Dayward Court.

The investigation has been turned over to Aurora animal control authorities, who will decide whether to bring charges under local ordinances, police said.

Sunday night, Cockriel's white pit bull, Popeye, attacked neighbor Xavier Benavidez. The boy was bitten numerous times and received between 30 and 40 stitches to his face, shoulder and ribcage.

The dog was euthanized Monday morning.

Cockriel continues to be held on an arrest warrant for contempt of court over a child-support issue, according to the Kane County sheriff's office.

Read more:
Chicago Tribune

May 22, 2005 Rockford Dogfight Bust - First Bust of Modern Era

Rockford - "Ten days ago, locl law enforcement officials found what they believe is evidence of a major dogfighting operation at a home on West State Street.  There to arrest a man on federal charges of credit card fraud, they discovered a makeshtip fighting pit in the home's basement; a stash of veterinary supplies, including syringes, training devices, 18 pit bull terriers, some with visible wounds on their front legs, wooden huts with heavy chains, signature housing for fighting dogs, a mound of paperwork and two computers, all of which was seized.


Then, less than 24 hours later, six of the dogs were stolen from the animal shelter - just another sign, experts say, that this was a dogfighting ring.

Not only was the discovery a first for the Rockford area, it was one of the largest busts in Illinois and neighboring states in the past year.  And it confirmed what officials had feared - organized dogfighting had found a home in Winnebago County."

The article states that this was the first bust in Rockford, but Rockford actually has a big history of loving dogfighting.

Rockford Register Star, Rockford, IL, May 22, 2005, p. 1D

Related posts:
Feb 13, 1906 Dogfighting illegal in Rockford
Jan 29, 1906 Days after Pit Bulldogs Banned, Frat Boys' Bulldogs are Shot

May 10, 2005 Chicago Pit bull that mauled a Child Had Attacked Before

Chicago - A dog that mauled a 3-year-old Chicago girl Sunday had been confiscated by the city last month after it bit another child, then released 10 days later.

The 60-pound pit bull reportedly broke loose from its chain in a Northwest Side home Sunday and attacked Akina Jackson, who was visiting the home. The dog knocked the girl down, bit her face and ear and dragged her across the yard and sidewalk before neighbors could rescue her.



The dog was euthanized Sunday night. Authorities declined to discuss the condition of the girl, who was released from the hospital Monday.

Last month Bruno, a 1-year-old pit bull owned by Devarryl Joiner of the 1600 block of North Moody Avenue, bit a 12-year-old boy on the hand and was quarantined for 10 days by the city's Department of Animal Care and Control, spokeswoman Melanie Sobel said.

A city animal control officer euthanized Bruno Sunday night. Joiner was cited for failing to restrain and failing to muzzle his dog, police spokesman Matthew Jackson said. He faces fines ranging from $300 to $10,000, Sobel said. He is scheduled to appear before a hearing officer on June 17.

Akina was treated overnight at Children's Memorial Hospital. Her family did not return phone calls Monday.

Lee Joiner, Devarryl Joiner's mother, said Akina was at her home Sunday to buy candy, which she sold from the second floor of her home.

Lee Joiner said the dog was restrained in the family's basement, but bit through a "thick metal chain."

"The dog broke out of the chains and came out the front door when the little girl was leaving," said Lee Joiner, who was not home at the time of the incident. The dog then attacked the girl on the front steps of the family's home.

Read more:
Chicago Tribune

May 04, 2005 Arlington Heights Pit Bull Kills Yorkie at Petsmart

Arlington Heights - A yorkshire terrier puppy was killed in a Petsmart.  Both dogs were waiting in line to got to the in-store vet clinic.  When the pit bull owner handed the leash to a store employee, the pit bull got loose and immediately ran to Pastina, a yorkshire terrier puppy grabbed it in its jaws, shook the little dog, immediately killing her.


Petsmart was very emphatic that they were not responsible at all for allowing pit bulls into their stores, but they did give the woman $1,200.


Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, Il, May 04, 2005
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-132580746.html

May 03, 2005 Belleville owner of attacking pit bull sued

Belleville -- The mother of an 8-year-old Illinois girl who was attacked by a pit bull is suing the dog’s owners for more than $200,000.

Demetria Spealman filed suit against Wayne and Judy Stonecipher of Belleville alleging her daughter Danielle Glasco suffered extensive head and facial wounds from a dog named “Midnight” on Dec. 4, 2004, while she was playing at their house.

“(The) dog had a vicious disposition and was accustomed to attacking and biting people, children and other animals,” according to the suit filed April 26 in St. Clair County Circuit Court.

Spealman claims the Stoneciphers were negligent because they advised her daughter and other children to go outside and play with the chained dog.

“Danielle Lee Glasco suffered severe, extensive and permanent injuries, both physically and emotionally, including substantial flesh wounds on her face, removing muscle, tissue and nerves, injuries throughout her face and head from the dog’s teeth and from the dog shaking her,” the suit states.

Spealman, represented by W. Michael Gnavi of Collinsville, claims her daughter has undergone plastic surgery and incurred substantial medical bills.

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Jan 27, 2005 Erie Pit Bull Attack Kills Lydia Chaplin, 14

Erie –– Lydia Chaplin, a 14-year-old girl, found dead along a rural road northwest of Erie Thursday was attacked by dogs and died of hypothermia, according to authorities late Friday night.
RIP Lydia 
The dogs involved in the attack, three pit bulls and one mixed breed, were impounded early Friday by the Whiteside County Sheriff's Department with the help of Whiteside County Animal Control.

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