Nov 23, 2010 Teen Sentenced in Central Illinois Dog Attack

DECATUR — A central Illinois teenager has been sentenced to five years in prison for ordering his pit bull terrier to attack a 75-year-old man.

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Nov 21, 2010 Orland Park Woman Recovering From Pit Bull Attack


Be sure to click the link and read this account of what it feels like to have a pit bull come out of nowhere and attack you unprovoked.  These attacks damage people's bodies and damage their sense of safety and security as well. 

ORLAND PARK (STMW) – For a week now, Kathy Margetis’ frightened screams have startled her husband, Pete, from sleep. “Let me go,” she shouts.

In her nightmares, the 53-year-old mother of three from Orland Park is reliving the horrifying experience of being attacked by a pit bull.

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Nov 17, 2010 Carpentersville pit bull suit settled


Carpentersville – a Nov. 28, 2009, incident in which he was attacked by a pit bull as he filled bird feeders behind his home on the 300 block of Sedgewick Street.
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A Carpentersville police report said Cory “dragged himself on the ground with his arms” after the dog refused to let go. He eventually crawled up onto his deck, through a patio door and into his kitchen, where he could call for help.

Read more:
Daily Herald
Accessed: 2012-02-10. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/65LAX3iN7)


Nov 16, 2010 Pit Bull Population Explosion in Kendall County


“I don’t understand the fascination with that breed”  
                                            Anne Vickery, Kendall County Board Chairman and chairman of the Animal Control Committee

Yorkville — Kendall County Animal Control has an overcrowding problem that could mean an unpopular operational change.
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That could mean a change in the shelter’s current “low-kill” operation.
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Vickery said (a part of the) problem is that many animals at the shelter are “unadoptable” because they are mean or cannot be around other animals.
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She singled out the breed of American pit bull terrier, or dogs with that in a mix, as a major culprit.
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She said 60 to 70 percent of the dogs in the facility are some kind of pit bull, and they keep coming in.

By Steve Lord

Nov 16, 2010 Pit bull that inspired Machesney Park law faces euthanasia

Macheseny Park —  Rascal the pit bull is the dog that inspired village laws on dangerous canines and now after it killed two pets and attacked two people, it is necessary to put him down.

It’s a decision that is emotional and difficult for the owner, but neighbors say it’s necessary because the animal killed two pets and bit two people.

If a new home can’t be found, Rascal the pit bull will have to be put down, said Ryan Jones, the 25-year-old son of the dog’s owner, Kristie Jones. Ryan Jones said he spoke in his mother’s place Monday at the Village Board meeting because of the emotional nature of the issue.

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Nov 12, 2010 Mattoon Woman Shaken After Pit Bull Kills Daughter's Chihuahua


"We do have a history of violence with pit bulls in town,"
said Deputy Chief Jason Taylor of theMattoon Police Department




Mattoon - Emma Monson has nightmares about a dog attack Friday just a short distance from her home.

"I still see that pit bull clamping down on the Chihuahua and killing it," Monson said.

On Friday morning, Monson took the tiny dog, owned by her daughter, for a morning walk just
as she had done many times before. Then she looked to the north and saw a dog jump over a
wooden fence and come running toward her.

"I would take my daughter's dog over to the neighbor's and it and another neighbor's dog would
lick noses. I've been doing it for a long time," Monson said. "Then I looked Friday and a pit bull
was climbing the wooden fence. It came running over toward the Chihuahua and I tried to hold it
up to save it. I was kicking at the pit bull and it was jumping on me."

In moments, the pit bull caught the smaller dog in its jaws and quickly killed it. Larry Dennis, a
neighbor, heard Monson's screams for help and came running over.

"She was yelling, “It's killing my dog!' I ran over to her and noticed her bloody hand. The pit
bull was holding the little dog in its mouth like a toy," Dennis recalled. "When I approached the
pit bull it backed off but it wouldn't let go of the other dog. I pulled on the leash (Monson had for
the Chihuahua) but it snapped."

The pit bull retreated to a nearby tree and toyed with its dead prey, causing more horror for
Monson. Police were called, and Dennis and his wife treated Monson's wounds, including
multiple bruises and a claw puncture that opened a vein on her hand. She was later taken by her
husband to the emergency room of Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center.

Police arrived and animal control personnel came to secure the pit bull dog, officials said; they
did so without difficulty, according to officials. They took the dog to the Coles County Animal
Rescue and Education Center, where it is quarantined for 10 days.

Police gave a citation to Bruce E. Wilson Jr., the dog's owner, for harboring a vicious animal. That
is a city ordinance violation that includes the possibility of a fine.

Wilson said he is sorry for the incident, but cannot understand how or why his pit bull jumped
the high security fence at his home.

"He had never been aggressive toward other dogs," Wilson said of the 2-year-old black and white
pit bull he will request be euthanized. "The reason I put up that fence is because I do have dogs
here. I would never put anyone in jeopardy over my dogs."

Unfortunately, this is not first go-around with this breed of dogs, according to Mattoon Police
Department.

"We do have a history of violence with pit bulls in town," said Deputy Chief Jason Taylor of the
Mattoon Police Department. "And officers have heard over and over from owners, รข€˜My dog
won't bite anyone.' The dog might be gentle toward them and their families, but not always with
people passing by."

Read more:
Journal Gazette & Times-Courier
http://bit.ly/2eCpeEk

Related posts:

Nov 08, 2010 Pitbull Fatally Shot After Biting Chicago Cop

CHICAGO – A Chicago Police officer fatally shot a pitbull after it apparently attacked him Monday afternoon in the Far South Side Pullman neighborhood.

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Nov 05, 2010 Police Investigate Oct. 31 Pit Bull Attack

Freeport — Local police and animal control officials are investigating a dog attack on Oct. 31 that resulted in the injury of a 41-year-old Freeport woman and her pet Pomeranian.

The incident occurred between 1:40 p.m. and 1:50 p.m. on Oct. 31 in the 1200 block of South State Avenue in Freeport. The woman in question, who was not named by police, was walking her dog on the sidewalk at that location when a pit bull attacked them. The woman’s dog was on a leash.

By Travis Morse
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