JOLIET — A man wielding a knife killed a pit bull mix that was mauling its owner in the yard of a home in the 200 block of Criswell Street, police said.
Both men were taken to Silver Cross Hospital, where the dog owner was treated for "brutal" bites to his leg and face, and the rescuer for bites to his hands, officials said.
Chicago Tribune
Nov 19, 2008 Chicago's Dogfighting Culture Alive and Well
Chicago - The Englewood basement was cramped, chaotic. Fifty people -- parents, kids, a pregnant woman -- huddled around a bloody 10-by-10-foot ring, cheering two pit bulls [fighting as they were bred to love to do].
Barbaric to most, this medieval blood sport remains a routine source of shameless entertainment in large swaths of the city.
"It's pretty much like going to see Muhammad Ali or a Mike Tyson fight," said Sean Moore, a former dogfighter from Chicago. "That's what people think when they see pit bulls in our neighborhood. That's why people are willing to pay and come see it."
Cook County sheriff's police busted a South Side dogfight over the weekend, and news of the 50-person crowd and descriptions of the brutalized animals shook many Chicagoans. But most don't realize that dogfighting remains commonplace in the city, seemingly resistant to the laws that prohibit it, a culturally ingrained phenomenon that refuses to go away.
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| Chicago Dogfighting |
"It's pretty much like going to see Muhammad Ali or a Mike Tyson fight," said Sean Moore, a former dogfighter from Chicago. "That's what people think when they see pit bulls in our neighborhood. That's why people are willing to pay and come see it."
Cook County sheriff's police busted a South Side dogfight over the weekend, and news of the 50-person crowd and descriptions of the brutalized animals shook many Chicagoans. But most don't realize that dogfighting remains commonplace in the city, seemingly resistant to the laws that prohibit it, a culturally ingrained phenomenon that refuses to go away.
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Chicago Tribune
Archive
Related posts:
Jul 14, 2007 Cops say dogs bred to kill
Jul 06, 2007 Eight pit bulls were seized and three arrested for dogfighting
May 23, 2007 Beach Park Home Was Used For Dogfighting
May 22, 2005 Rockford Dogfight Bust - First Bust of Modern Era
Historical posts:
Nov 23, 1908 "Bat" Nelson Escapes Jail by Ruse at Dogfight
Feb 13, 1906 Dogfighting illegal in Rockford
Sep 23, 1900 Chicago Dogfighters - The Farmer Brothers Make the Front Page With Fight
Jan 16, 1884 Rockford IL Loves the Real Pit Bull
Archive
Related posts:
Jul 14, 2007 Cops say dogs bred to kill
Jul 06, 2007 Eight pit bulls were seized and three arrested for dogfighting
May 23, 2007 Beach Park Home Was Used For Dogfighting
May 22, 2005 Rockford Dogfight Bust - First Bust of Modern Era
Historical posts:
Nov 23, 1908 "Bat" Nelson Escapes Jail by Ruse at Dogfight
Feb 13, 1906 Dogfighting illegal in Rockford
Sep 23, 1900 Chicago Dogfighters - The Farmer Brothers Make the Front Page With Fight
Jan 16, 1884 Rockford IL Loves the Real Pit Bull
Nov 14, 2008 Illinois man charged after pit bull attacks boy --
East Carondelet - A man has been charged with violating a St. Clair County ordinance after his pit bull allegedly attacked an 8-year-old boy on Veterans Day.
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Johnson says the boy was playing on his own yard when the pit bull attacked him. The child went to an area hospital with bite wounds to his head, eyes and back of his neck.
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Pantagraph Accessed: 2012-07-12. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/696hg64V9)
Sep 20, 2008 Two pit bulls maul 6-year-old Chicago boy
CHICAGO - Chicago police say they shot and killed two pit bulls after the dogs severely mauled a 6-year-old boy on the city's West Side, but a third dog escaped.
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The boy was reported in serious condition late Friday at Mount Sinai Hospital.
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Pantagraph
Accessed: 2012-02-27. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/65luS1QdY)
Sep 17, 2008 Officer Shoots Pit Bull
ALTON - An Alton police officer shot and wounded a pit bull Wednesday morning as he was responding to a domestic dispute call in the 1100 block of Pearl Street.
He said that the owner was cited for violating the city's animal control ordinance.
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The Telegraph Accessed: 2011-12-27.(Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G9gpj9i)
He said that the owner was cited for violating the city's animal control ordinance.
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The Telegraph Accessed: 2011-12-27.(Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G9gpj9i)
Sep 12, 2008 Waukegan Teenager Severely Mauled in Pit Bull Attack
Waukegan - Three pit bulls attacked a woman in a neighborhood in north suburban Waukegan.
A 19-year-old woman is hospitalized with serious injuries after undergoing emergency surgery for her wounds.
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abc7chicago.com Accessed: 2011-12-27.(Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G9Xhe5o)
Aug 20, 2008 Pit bull attacks Glenview teen and Chicago dog owner is ticketed
GLENVIEW — A Chicago man's pit bull terrier attacked a 14-year-old boy riding a bicycle in Glenview last week, authorities said.
Police said the victim was riding on Pleasant Lane at Sunset Ridge Road about 2 p.m. Aug. 13 when the pit bull chased him down, bit him, then jumped on him. Passing drivers stopped to help the boy and were able to chase the dog away until officers captured the dog, police said. The boy was treated at Glenbrook Hospital for several bites and was released the same day.
Chicago Tribune
Aug 19, 2008 Pit Bulls seriously maul Woman, 19
East Alton - Police shot and killed one pit bull and captured another after the dogs started attacking people Tuesday afternoon near Van Preter Park.
"It seems like we're getting an awful lot of calls about pit bills, more than usual," he said.
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The Telegraph Accessed: 2011-12-27. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G8scZ8A)
The Telegraph - Dogs were involved in previous attack
Accessed: 2011-12-27.(Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G91heIK)
The Telegraph - Prosecuter Goes After Dog Owner
Accessed: 2011-12-27. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G95MceZ)
The Telegraph - Village Trustee Recounts Dog Attack VIDEO
Accessed: 2011-12-27.(Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G98qObU)
The Telegraph - Woman Sues Over Injuries From Pit Bulls
Accessed: 2011-12-27. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G9GbuTY)
"It seems like we're getting an awful lot of calls about pit bills, more than usual," he said.
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The Telegraph Accessed: 2011-12-27. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G8scZ8A)
The Telegraph - Dogs were involved in previous attack
Accessed: 2011-12-27.(Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G91heIK)
The Telegraph - Prosecuter Goes After Dog Owner
Accessed: 2011-12-27. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G95MceZ)
The Telegraph - Village Trustee Recounts Dog Attack VIDEO
Accessed: 2011-12-27.(Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G98qObU)
The Telegraph - Woman Sues Over Injuries From Pit Bulls
Accessed: 2011-12-27.(Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G9Cv0W1)
The Telegraph -Deputy, trustee honored for heroismAccessed: 2011-12-27. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G9GbuTY)
Aug 12, 2008 Elgin officer shoots charging pit bull
Elgin — An
Elgin police officer shot and wounded a pit bull over the weekend after
it made threatening moves toward him, police said Monday.
The dog
was taken to an animal hospital where it was euthanized. The dog's
owner, Dewayne M. Miller, 23, of the 400 block of Locust Street, was
cited for allegedly violating city ordinances that prohibit dangerous
dogs, require dogs to be on a leash or confined and require proof of
rabies inoculation, said police spokeswoman Ann Dinges.
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Chicago Tribune (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/63zTG0oUn)Related posts:
Elgin pit bull attacks and issues
July 23, 2008 Panel begins work on dangerous dog laws
BY MARY WICOFF
DANVILLE — Adam Decker vividly recalled the evening two pit bulls kept him and his family prisoners in their own home. The neighbor’s dogs were loose and trying to get into Decker’s home and backyard.
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...[T]he case is in court.
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Panel member Carolyn Wands also recounted a time a couple of years ago when a neighbor’s pit bull got loose and, she said, “took a hunk out of the back of my leg. He clamped down and would not let go.”
That dog, which was destroyed, belonged to a family that apparently treated it with love.
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The Commercial-News
Accessed: 2012-01-04. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64SIvGGEe)
Jul 08, 2008 Man bit by pit bull during argument on near west side
Bloomington - Police said Tuesday that one man was apparently cut with a knife and another bitten in the face by a pit bull after the pair got into an argument Monday night with a knife-wielding man on the city's near west side.
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Pantagraph
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Pantagraph
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Jul 1, 2008 Cop Justified in Killing Pit Bull, Chief Says
Virden - The weekend shooting of a pit bull by a city police officer was justified, Police Chief Scott Mayeda said Tuesday.
The Virden Police Animal Control has a prior citation against the same dog following an investigation of the dog biting a person from 2006, Mayeda said. The dog was identified as a pit bull at the time of the 2006 incident.
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The Telegraph Accessed: 2011-12-27. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G7UELFF)
The Telegraph Accessed: 2011-12-27. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64G7UELFF)
Jun 28, 2008 Springfield Mailman Attacked by Pit Bull Amid Epidemic of Pit Bull Attacks
Springfield - Sixty year old postal carrier Calvin Shepherd sr. was attacked by two pit bulls. suffered two deep puncture wounds in his right arm that required stitches and a dislocated left shoulder. The dogs also lacerated his inner thigh and put three gashes in his back, which the hospital could not stitch up because of a high risk of infection from dog saliva in the wounds, he said.
U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Sue Litterly said this was the fifth dog-bite incident involving Springfield postal workers this year. On Friday, that number jumped to seven, as two more postal carriers were bitten by pit bulls, Litterly said.
“Usually we don’t have more than five in a year, and it isn’t even July. I don’t know why it’s so high this year,” she said.
Shepherd said he hopes the dogs will be put down.
“I have seen this before on my route,” he said. “A little girl got her ear bit off by a pit bull. There was also the lady on my route over on Wheeler.
Read more:
State Journal Register
June 28, 2008 Pit Bulls Stir Loathing, Loyalty
Rosewood Heights - ...It was one of the first warm days in May, and the 80-year-old Williams decided to take Maggie, a Lhasa apso, out for a walk. Upon stepping out the back door of her home in Rosewood Heights, she was startled to see a pair of pit bulls coming toward her.
"I heard the dogs barking," Williams recalled. "The two pit bulls were coming right at us. I pulled Maggie toward me, but she fell on her back. That's when one of the pit bulls grabbed her."
Read more:
Jun 27, 2008 Pit Bull Attacks 9-year-old Boy
By MAGGIE BORMAN
ELSAH — A 9-year-old boy was attacked and severely injured by a pit bull Thursday after he went into the dog’s fenced yard to retrieve a toy.
Read more
Jun 26, 2008 Rockford Pit Bull Mix Attacked 3 Dogs in 4 Years
Rockford - After at least three attacks in the last four years, neighbors on one Rockford street want one dog removed.
Two dogs have died, and now another is in the hospital. Neighbors say they fear their children could be next.
"I looked out the window and they weren't fighting, it was a straight attack."
Tuesday night, Tina McFarland says a chow wandering her street was brutally attacked by Jasmine, a rotweiller-boxer-pitbull mix.
"As a parent, I’m scared to death."
And just a year ago, neighbor Dayma Coy says her dog Lassie was attacked and later died, also because of a fight with Jasmine.
"She was in my yard and the dog came and attacked her." She's since put up a fence.
PHILLIP SMITH, who evidently let his dangerous pit bull mix run loose regularly, says “…there' ain't no sense in having a dog if she ain't a guard dog, that's the bottom-line."
Smith paid Lassie's vet bill after she died and also admits to another dog killed by Jasmine.
“Something needs to be done, because I don't want this to be a kid, because if that was a child, I don't know what you could do to stop it."
These neighbors say they've had enough.
"They need to get rid of the dog or they need to put up a fence, because if they love their dog they’re going to protect it and the neighbors."
Winnebago County Animal Services says it's investigating the case and Jasmine could potentially be taken away.
But the fight with the Chow Tuesday night is the only incident with a dog in the neighborhood actually reported by neighbors.
Smith says he would consider putting up a bigger fence if the neighbors would help pay for it.
No word on the chow's condition.
Read more:
My State Line
Related posts:
Mar 2, 2008 Pit bull attacks on the rise, Ledy VanKavage thwarts all attempts to protect people and pets
March 2, 2008 Communities across Illinois are prevented from addressing pit bull problems
Feb 19, 2008 Pit Bulls Attack Man Walking Dog on Northwest Side
Two dogs have died, and now another is in the hospital. Neighbors say they fear their children could be next.
"I looked out the window and they weren't fighting, it was a straight attack."
Tuesday night, Tina McFarland says a chow wandering her street was brutally attacked by Jasmine, a rotweiller-boxer-pitbull mix.
"As a parent, I’m scared to death."
And just a year ago, neighbor Dayma Coy says her dog Lassie was attacked and later died, also because of a fight with Jasmine.
"She was in my yard and the dog came and attacked her." She's since put up a fence.
PHILLIP SMITH, who evidently let his dangerous pit bull mix run loose regularly, says “…there' ain't no sense in having a dog if she ain't a guard dog, that's the bottom-line."
Smith paid Lassie's vet bill after she died and also admits to another dog killed by Jasmine.
“Something needs to be done, because I don't want this to be a kid, because if that was a child, I don't know what you could do to stop it."
These neighbors say they've had enough.
"They need to get rid of the dog or they need to put up a fence, because if they love their dog they’re going to protect it and the neighbors."
Winnebago County Animal Services says it's investigating the case and Jasmine could potentially be taken away.
But the fight with the Chow Tuesday night is the only incident with a dog in the neighborhood actually reported by neighbors.
Smith says he would consider putting up a bigger fence if the neighbors would help pay for it.
No word on the chow's condition.
Read more:
My State Line
Related posts:
Mar 2, 2008 Pit bull attacks on the rise, Ledy VanKavage thwarts all attempts to protect people and pets
March 2, 2008 Communities across Illinois are prevented from addressing pit bull problems
Feb 19, 2008 Pit Bulls Attack Man Walking Dog on Northwest Side
Jun 04, 2008 Machesney Park Police shoot pit bulls savaging a pug
Machesney Park - Two pit bulls savagely mauling a little pug were shot by police.
Pugsly the pug's owner said, "I mean it looked like hyenas attacking a bunny rabbit or something. She was on her back, she wasn't even touching the ground, and they both had her at opposite angles just pulling her apart."
State police sergeant Schroeder said, "My officers have been told that any time there's an aggressive dog in their proximity that could bite them or a citizen, if it's safe to do so, they need to dispose of the dog if that's their only option."
The pit bulls owner was due in court for a previous attack on an innocent dog when Pugsly was torn apart.
After Pugsly's horrific attack other Winnebago county residents wanted stricter laws regulating pit bulls. The Winnebago County animal services director said that something needs to be done about Illinois' horrible animal control act which prevents law enforcement from protecting people and pets from these pit bulls.
Another dog owner who tried to protect her dog from mauling pit bulls and was bitten herself says that she was just luck that her dog survived. She has to go to a vicious dog hearing and the worst the pit bull owner will get is a fine.
Debbie Heath says, "Pit bulls were bred originally to fight, to kill, that's where the name came from," Debbie says. "With an animal like that a fine is not enough. That animal has got to be caged so it cannot get out. A six foot fence with a top, concrete on the bottom."
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Pontiac Daily Leader Accessed: 2012-02-22. (Archived by WebCite®at http://www.webcitation.org/65eecA4uQ)
Pontiac Daily Leader Accessed: 2012-02-22. (Archived by WebCite®at http://www.webcitation.org/65eeyXASj)
May 28, 2008 Danville City Council announces new dangerous dogs committee to address pit bull dogfighting and overpopulation problem
Dangerous Dog Sub-committee Formed
“There’s no question we’ve been having challenges” - Mayor Scott Eisenhauer
Danville – Local problems have included a large number of animals in a single household and animals bred for vicious activity. No state legislation limits the number of pit bulls a person can have.
Danville – Local problems have included a large number of animals in a single household and animals bred for vicious activity. No state legislation limits the number of pit bulls a person can have.
Commerical News
May 22, 2008 Dog Attacks Woman in Wilsonville
WILSONVILLE - A man's pit bull attacked his mother Wednesday morning at her residence in the 100 block of Gillespie Street.
The Telegraph
Accessed: 2011-12-22. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/647tRLMqi)
May 13, 2008 Alton pit bull attacks boy, 9, for no reason
Alton - The mother of a 9-year-old boy attacked by a neighbor's pit bull pleads for the owners to turn the animal into authorities to spare her son a painful treatment.
"The dog attacked my baby for no reason," said June'a Gipson who wants owners to surrender their dog.
Read more:
The Telegraph Accessed: 2011-12-22. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/647r2XxCD)
The Telegraph - Boy Recovering from Pit Bull Bites
Accessed: 2011-12-22. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/647r6HJV8)
The Telegraph Accessed: 2011-12-22. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/647r2XxCD)
The Telegraph - Boy Recovering from Pit Bull Bites
Accessed: 2011-12-22. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/647r6HJV8)
May 06, 2008 Springfield Pit Bull Attacks a Little Girl
Springfield - A resident in the 16500 block of North Illinois Highway 37 reported to the JCSO that her daughter had been attacked by a pit bull and her mouth was bleeding.
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Register News
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Register News
Apr 24, 2008 Villa Park cop shoots pit bull biting girl's foot
Villa Park – A Villa Park police officer fatally shot a pit bull this week while its jaws were clenched around a teenage girl's foot, officials said Wednesday.
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Chicago Tribune Accessed: 2012-01-31. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/656o1kL5k)
Apr 22, 2008 Mt. Vernon Pit Bull Escapes and Tries to Attack Children
Mt. Vernon - Police received a report at 12:57 a.m. Monday from the 1200 block of Welkins Street that a pit bull from a neighboring home was loose and tried to attack her children when they came home. According to reports, the dog may have been left when the owners moved. The animal warden was contacted to handle the incident.
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Register-News
Related posts:
All posts labelled Mt. Vernon including a fatal attack on a little boy.
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Register-News
Related posts:
All posts labelled Mt. Vernon including a fatal attack on a little boy.
Apr 12, 2008 Pit bull victim is thankful to be alive
By Emma Graves Fitzsimmons and Mary Owen, Tribune reporters
Chicago – A woman who was attacked by five pit bulls spoke about the harrowing experience from her hospital bed Friday, saying she felt fortunate to be alive.
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Gabriela Munoz Lopez was walking in the 6600 block of South Richmond Avenue on Thursday afternoon on her way to pick her children up from school when the dogs came barreling toward her out of nowhere, she said.
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Lopez, a Walgreens clerk and a mother of three, lives a few blocks from where she was attacked. Lopez said her rescuer visited her in the hospital. "I was crying because I couldn't find the right words to say 'thank you,'" she said.
Chicago Tribune
Accessed: 2012-02-01. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/658nxBwP5)
Chicago Defender
Chicago – A woman who was attacked by five pit bulls spoke about the harrowing experience from her hospital bed Friday, saying she felt fortunate to be alive.
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Gabriela Munoz Lopez was walking in the 6600 block of South Richmond Avenue on Thursday afternoon on her way to pick her children up from school when the dogs came barreling toward her out of nowhere, she said.
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Lopez, a Walgreens clerk and a mother of three, lives a few blocks from where she was attacked. Lopez said her rescuer visited her in the hospital. "I was crying because I couldn't find the right words to say 'thank you,'" she said.
Chicago Tribune
Accessed: 2012-02-01. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/658nxBwP5)
Chicago Defender
Apr 11, 2008 Chicago woman attacked by pack of pit bulls
Chicago - A woman was attacked by five pit pulls as she walked along a South Side Chicago street.
There are so many bites and so many stitches that Gabriela Munoz says she has lost count. The 32-year old pharmacy worker -- a single mom with four kids -- is thankful to be alive. And she is determined that her children not see her as anything but a strong and protective mother.
"I don't want them to get scared," she said.
Munoz won't let her children visit her in Advocate Christ Medical Center and see her in her condition, the victim of a swarming by five pit bull dogs, four puppies and their mother, who escaped from their back yard and launched themselves on her as she walked to pick up her 12- and 10-year olds from the school a half block away.
There are so many bites and so many stitches that Gabriela Munoz says she has lost count. The 32-year old pharmacy worker -- a single mom with four kids -- is thankful to be alive. And she is determined that her children not see her as anything but a strong and protective mother.
"I don't want them to get scared," she said.
Munoz won't let her children visit her in Advocate Christ Medical Center and see her in her condition, the victim of a swarming by five pit bull dogs, four puppies and their mother, who escaped from their back yard and launched themselves on her as she walked to pick up her 12- and 10-year olds from the school a half block away.
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WLS Accessed: 2011-12-22. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/647oglkDB)
Mar 17, 2008 Lawsuit: Pit bulls’ Owner Blamed in St. Clair County Personal Injury Suit
East St. Louis - A woman who claims she was viciously attacked by pit bulls is suing the dogs’ owner in St. Clair County Circuit Court.
Paula Johnson claims an attack took place Jan. 29, 2002, in her mother’s back yard at 715 North 24th St. in East St. Louis.
Defendant Annie Johnson lives nearby at 721 North 24th St., according to the complaint filed March 11.
“On January 29, 2002, the Defendant allowed her Pit Bull dogs to run unconfined, unrestrained and unsupervised,” the complaint states.
Plaintiff Johnson claims she was in great fear for her safety.
“One of the pit bulls bit the Plaintiff’s hand, then bit into her arm and would not let go, and began throwing the Plaintiff about,” the complaint states.
“The attack continued until the Defendant, who had been watching from an upstairs window in her house, came out and called off her dogs.”
Johnson claims she sustained bites and lacerations, severe soft tissue damage and scars,
Read more:
Mar 2, 2008 Pit bull attacks on the rise, Ledy VanKavage thwarts all attempts to protect people and pets
There have been numerous pit bulls attacks across Southern Illinois and many subsequent attempts by municipalities to strengthen laws governing vicious dogs.
Danny Tucker, animal control officer in Herrin, recently spoke out about an attack in that community in which two pit bulls killed a dog that was chained up in its owner's yard.
The most recent reported incident is a weekend attack in West Frankfort. Franklin County Animal Control Supervisor Jarrett Broy said a pit bull attacked its owner after having lived in the home for eight months and showing no previous signs of aggression.
Articles published in The Southern Illinoisan show Murphysboro officials attempting to have two pit bulls declared vicious in February after the dogs had been named in several incidents, including the death of another resident's dog.
In October 2007, the city council in Johnston City revised a vicious dog ordinance that made specific reference to pit bulls. The revision made the ordinance non-breed-specific.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals got involved in Cutler in February 2006, for an attempt in that community to create ordinances specifically naming pit bulls.
Officials against Cutler's attempt to single out the breed said the decision to name pit bulls and Rottweilers, specifically, stemmed from the nature of their breeds' reputation and not a specific incident.
In 2006, the vicious dog problem had gotten so bad in Illinois that Gov. Rod Blagojevich got involved with the signing of three bills aimed to curtail attacks.
The laws didn't name any specific breeds but did tighten the leash on owners.
Saline County felt the burden of the battle over vicious dogs and those who love them in July 2005, when a pit bull terrier named Frankie caught the public's attention.
Frankie was declared vicious after being accused of biting five Saline County residents, but his owner was given the option to keep the dog under strongly regulated guidelines. After conferences with public officials, the owner decided to have the dog euthanized.
The City of Zeigler chose to take the non-breed-specific approach to its vicious dog ordinances, in November 2004, but added language that better enabled the city to hold owners responsible for their dogs' actions.
The move to tighten the laws came after a pit bull and a mixed breed attacked several animals and were captured and destroyed.
Read more:
The Southern
Accessed: 2012-02-01. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/658qjA19z)
Danny Tucker, animal control officer in Herrin, recently spoke out about an attack in that community in which two pit bulls killed a dog that was chained up in its owner's yard.
The most recent reported incident is a weekend attack in West Frankfort. Franklin County Animal Control Supervisor Jarrett Broy said a pit bull attacked its owner after having lived in the home for eight months and showing no previous signs of aggression.
Articles published in The Southern Illinoisan show Murphysboro officials attempting to have two pit bulls declared vicious in February after the dogs had been named in several incidents, including the death of another resident's dog.
In October 2007, the city council in Johnston City revised a vicious dog ordinance that made specific reference to pit bulls. The revision made the ordinance non-breed-specific.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals got involved in Cutler in February 2006, for an attempt in that community to create ordinances specifically naming pit bulls.
Officials against Cutler's attempt to single out the breed said the decision to name pit bulls and Rottweilers, specifically, stemmed from the nature of their breeds' reputation and not a specific incident.
In 2006, the vicious dog problem had gotten so bad in Illinois that Gov. Rod Blagojevich got involved with the signing of three bills aimed to curtail attacks.
The laws didn't name any specific breeds but did tighten the leash on owners.
Saline County felt the burden of the battle over vicious dogs and those who love them in July 2005, when a pit bull terrier named Frankie caught the public's attention.
Frankie was declared vicious after being accused of biting five Saline County residents, but his owner was given the option to keep the dog under strongly regulated guidelines. After conferences with public officials, the owner decided to have the dog euthanized.
The City of Zeigler chose to take the non-breed-specific approach to its vicious dog ordinances, in November 2004, but added language that better enabled the city to hold owners responsible for their dogs' actions.
The move to tighten the laws came after a pit bull and a mixed breed attacked several animals and were captured and destroyed.
Read more:
The Southern
Accessed: 2012-02-01. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/658qjA19z)
March 2, 2008 Communities across Illinois are prevented from addressing pit bull problems
Carbondale – There have been numerous pit bulls attacks across Southern Illinois and many subsequent attempts by municipalities to strengthen laws governing vicious dogs.
Despite many communities across the state recognizing that they have a specific problem with pit bulls committing dangerous and vicious acts, these communities are hamstrung by Ryan's Law's ban on Breed Specific Legislation.
Herrin, West Frankfort, Murphysboro, Johnston City, Cutler, Saline county, and Zeigler have all suffered from pit bull problems. Don't forget the tragic results in Johnston City after their pit bull ban was called out as illegal by the ASPCA.
Despite many communities across the state recognizing that they have a specific problem with pit bulls committing dangerous and vicious acts, these communities are hamstrung by Ryan's Law's ban on Breed Specific Legislation.
Herrin, West Frankfort, Murphysboro, Johnston City, Cutler, Saline county, and Zeigler have all suffered from pit bull problems. Don't forget the tragic results in Johnston City after their pit bull ban was called out as illegal by the ASPCA.
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Accessed: 2011-12-22. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/647qQ1dxH)
Feb 28, 2008 Pit bull owner allowed declared dangrous pit to attack child
Danville – A city case against Bob Pape, owner of Pape Memorial Home & Gardens will go to trial.
Pape's pit bull dog allegedly snapped at a 2-year-old boy on Jan. 27 while the boy was attending a visitation for his grandfather at the funeral home. The dog, named Blue, typically accompanies Pape to work.
The dog had previously been declared dangerous. Since then, Pape has been required to keep the dog muzzled and leashed when not at home.
Pape said the dog was leashed but not muzzled when the incident occurred on Jan. 27.
The News-Gazette Accessed: 2012-02-19. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/65a5asKOI)
Pape's pit bull dog allegedly snapped at a 2-year-old boy on Jan. 27 while the boy was attending a visitation for his grandfather at the funeral home. The dog, named Blue, typically accompanies Pape to work.
The dog had previously been declared dangerous. Since then, Pape has been required to keep the dog muzzled and leashed when not at home.
Pape said the dog was leashed but not muzzled when the incident occurred on Jan. 27.
The News-Gazette Accessed: 2012-02-19. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/65a5asKOI)
Feb 19, 2008 Pit Bulls Attack Man Walking Dog on Northwest Side
Chicago - Police fatally shot a pit bull and were searching for a second one Monday afternoon after the animals attacked a man walking his dogs on the Northwest Side.
The incident occurred about 12:30 p.m. in the 3700 block of West Agatite Avenue in the Albany Park neighborhood, Officer Tom Polick said.
The man called 911 on his cell phone, and police officers who responded fatally shot one of the pit bulls. The other pit bull ran away.
Read more:
Chicago Tribune
Related posts:
Chicago Pit Bull Attacks
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| Chicago Needs BSL |
The man called 911 on his cell phone, and police officers who responded fatally shot one of the pit bulls. The other pit bull ran away.
Read more:
Chicago Tribune
Related posts:
Chicago Pit Bull Attacks
Feb 08, 2008 Mt. Vernon Police Called When Vicious Pit Bull Trapped Woman
Mt. Vernon - A woman called police because she was trapped in her home by a vicious-acting pit bull.
Someone from the 1600 block of South 12th Street reported at 3:23 a.m. Thursday a pit bull was acting vicious around her front door and would not let her exit her home.
Mt. Vernon Register News
Someone from the 1600 block of South 12th Street reported at 3:23 a.m. Thursday a pit bull was acting vicious around her front door and would not let her exit her home.
Mt. Vernon Register News
Jan 29, 2008 Joliet Girl Recovering From Pit Bull Attack
Joliet - A Joliet girl remains hospitalized after she was attacked Friday by a pit bull on her way home from school. The 9-year-old needed more than 30 stitches to close her wounds.
The third grader is in good spirits even though she almost lost her life in a terrifying pit bull attack. She and her family wanted to tell the story Tuesday with the hope that other dog owners will pay attention and do their best to prevent dog attacks.
Cierra Anyaso was smiling Tuesday even though her left leg is bandaged up with more than 30 stitches. Friday, as she was getting off the school bus in the 1300-block of Cecilia in Joliet, a pit bull charged her and her friend.
Read more:
ABC 7 Chicago
The third grader is in good spirits even though she almost lost her life in a terrifying pit bull attack. She and her family wanted to tell the story Tuesday with the hope that other dog owners will pay attention and do their best to prevent dog attacks.
Cierra Anyaso was smiling Tuesday even though her left leg is bandaged up with more than 30 stitches. Friday, as she was getting off the school bus in the 1300-block of Cecilia in Joliet, a pit bull charged her and her friend.
Read more:
ABC 7 Chicago
Jan 29, 2008 Elgin Woman Hospitalized After Pit Bull Attack
Elgin — A 53-year-old Elgin woman injured while defending
her son's dog from a pit bull was expected to be released from the
hospital late Monday night, her son said.
"She's fine. She's a little tired from the anesthesia," said Sherman Mellinger, 22.
The woman, Kyle Mellinger, was wounded Monday morning
near the steps leading up to her second-floor apartment at 203 Gertrude
St., on the city's near west side. Skin was torn from her forehead, and
she underwent surgery to repair it.
Sherman Mellinger said his mother went outside to walk
his 7-pound Scottish terrier- Chihuahua named Teddy when a neighbor's
pit bull apparently escaped from a garage and went after the smaller
dog.
"It was only one dog. The next thing I knew is I heard
screaming outside," he said while with his mom at Provena St. Joseph's
Hospital in Elgin, disputing earlier reports that two pit bulls
attacked. "It was just a bad circumstance. The (pit bull) didn't like
other dogs and it tried to get mine. It jumped toward my dog and it got
my mom."
Sherman Mellinger and a man in the first-floor apartment
ran to help. After Kyle Mellinger fell down and released Teddy, the pit
bull left her alone.
The downstairs neighbor, who owned two pit bulls, pulled
Teddy from the jaws of one of the dogs and Sherman Mellinger called
911.
Teddy lost an eye and had scratches on his body, Sherman Mellinger said.
Elgin police and fire department officials declined to identify the victim Monday.
But Elgin Fire Department Lt. Matt Kenneally said a
large piece of skin was ripped from the victim's forehead and she had
puncture wounds on her right elbow from defending the smaller dog.
"She was out walking her dog. One of the pit bulls
attacked and she tried to save her dog," Kinneally said, adding the
woman didn't seem angry or vengeful after what happened. "Amazingly, she
was very calm through the whole (ambulance ride to the hospital). She
was very composed. She was a real trouper."
Authorities received an emergency call about 10 a.m.
The woman's adult son and a neighbor, who was said to be
the pit bulls' owner, helped pull the dogs off her and cordoned them
off into a nearby garage, Kinneally said.
Elgin police spokeswoman Ann Dinges said police were still trying to find the owner of the two pit bulls.
But Sherman Mellinger said he saw police Monday afternoon questioning the man who helped him stop the attack.
Several hours after the attack, drops of blood could
still be seen at the apartment's front wood stoop, concrete sidewalk and
door frame.
Dinges said police were investigating, and she did not
know whether the dogs were registered with the city, had rabies shots or
would be put down because they attacked a human.
Monica Bradley, who lives next door, said the pit bulls
were always kept in an outside garage just south of the apartment
building. She rarely saw them fed or walked, but noted they were always
leashed up.
"I always hear the dogs whimpering and it's kind of cold
(out)," Bradley said. "The owners were kind of skittish, (saying)
'Leave those dogs alone.' "
Monday's incident rattled some residents along Gertrude Street.
Ida Garcia wasn't home at the time, but the attack will give her pause the next time she goes out to walk her dog.
"I have a little dog. My husband just died a few months
ago. (The dog is) my companion," said Garcia, who lives across the
street. "I'm scared walking my dog outside knowing there are pit bulls
in the neighborhood. My grandchildren come over during the summers,
too."
Aubrey Clay, who also lives across the street, said her
friend used to live in the second-floor apartment but moved out after
her child was born.
"(She) has a baby; it must be about 1 now. When she lived there, they had problems with the pit bulls," Clay said.
According to Elgin city code, all dogs must be secured
with a lease when not on its owner's property or it will be considered a
"public nuisance" and impounded.
A first-time offense results in a $50 fine and rises to
$100 for a third offense. It was unclear Monday what type of criminal
charges, if any, could be pressed against the dogs' owners.
Read more:
Jan 20, 2008 Pit bull attack in Granite City could lead to change in ordinance
Granite City leaders want a stricter, but non-breed specific vicious dog ordinance after a pit bull attack.
The council is considering amending the ordinance due to a Jan. 6 incident in which a bit bull attacked a terrier on a chain at a residence in the 2300 block of Hodges and then a miniature Doberman pinscher in the same area.
The pit bull was subdued by a bystander after the terrier's owner repeatedly hit the pit bull with a baseball bat as it attacked the Doberman pinscher.
The Animal Control Department was called to take control of the pit bull.
Apparently, it got loose from a residence on neighboring East 25th Street.
The terrier is recovering after surgery at a local animal hospital. The Doberman was not seriously injured.
According to Granite City authorities, the pit bull is owned by Deborah Newman, who resides outside Granite City.
Newman was cited for animal at large and fined.
At a recent municipal court hearing, the pit bull was declared a vicious animal.
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