Jun 28, 2012 Dog bites hand of USPS worker

CRYSTAL LAKE – A pit bull bit a U.S. Postal Service worker’s hand Tuesday as he worked his Crystal Lake mail route, officials said.

The dog, named Lucy, was unleashed and unattended when the bite occurred at 2:44 p.m. Emergency workers found Lucy on the front porch of her home in the 800 block of Boxwood Drive. Her owner arrived shortly after the incident.

by Lawerence Synett
Read more:
Northwest Herald  Accessed: 2012-06-28. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/68lGwYBxS)

Jun 27, 2012 Naperville cops probe pit bull attack on boy

Naperville - An attack by a pit bull on Naperville’s southwest side sent a teenage boy to the hospital.
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“I remember hearing both boys laughing at first, then something like, ‘Whoa! Whoa! Down! Then the screaming started.”

“The dog ... was growling and attacking the boy and had ahold of his arm and would not let go. The other boy yelled at the dog and tried to pull him off, but the dog kept attacking, and the boy being attacked kept screaming.”
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“It was a horrifying experience, and as far as I could tell unprovoked, and I won’t soon forget that boy’s screams,” the resident said.

“I am more concerned about that dog. I think it should be put down, or at the very least removed from the home. It would be a big relief to know the dog is gone.”

By Bill Bird
Read more:
Naperville Sun Accessed: 2012-06-28. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/68lRsL9m9)

Related posts:
Feb 26, 2007 Dog Attack Sends Woman to Hospital
Dec 27, 2011 Wilmette boy treated for injuries after pit bull attack

Jun 25, 2012 Elgin police shoot 23 dogs, killing 19, since 2008

Mike Danahey's report reveals that Elgin has had far more reports of dangerous dog attacks and bites than a comparable city of Aurora.  Most of them were pit bulls.  Elgin police have had to shoot far more dogs than Aurora, but in both cities, pit bulls are the type of dog they are forced to shoot the most.

(Click to make larger.)  Note that one dangerous dog owner lives in an apartment building and in two other areas, home owners are hemmed in by multiple dangerous dogs within blocks of each other.  Ah, the good life in Elgin!

Elgin - Since Jan. 1, 2008, Elgin police have shot a total of 23 dogs over the course of responding to 16 separate calls. All but four of the shootings resulted in killing the dogs — significantly more than in the larger Kane County cities of Aurora or Naperville.

Theriault said that during that period, 348 tickets were issued for dogs roaming at large; 180 were citations for a dog not having a collar and tags; 141 were for not having rabies vaccinations; 111 were issued for bites or attacks; 107 were for animals displaying dangerous behavior; four were for dogs in heat roaming loose; and two were for having farm animals in town.

He also noted that between Jan. 1, 2008, and March 20, 2012, 9,901 dog complaint calls were made in Elgin, 392 of those initially coming in as dog bites.

Yes, you read that right, Elgin received 9,901 dog complaint calls in a span of 4 years and 3 months.

by Mike Danahey
Read more:
Courier News  Accessed: 2012-07-02. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/68rwIVaaZ)

Jun 26, 2012 Chicago pit bull mauls elderly invalid's small dog in front of him

Albany Park-Around 6PM this evening, a man in a wheel chair was walking his small dog in the 4900 block of N. Avers. An off leash pit bull attacked and killed the small dog right in front of its owner. The pit bull would not let anyone close to the small dog. Neighbors called 9-1-1 and Animal Control, but the small dog was already dead. The man in the wheel chair was understandably grief stricken. If the pit bull's owner was anywhere nearby, he was too cowardly to come forward.

I have no problem with pit bulls as a breed. But if owners train them to be aggressive, they should be held criminally responsible. Two dogs lost their lives today. (The pit bull was eventually taken by Animal Control). Pit bull owners: please don't inflict your cruelty and carelessness on the rest of the neighborhood.

My heart goes out to the man in the wheel chair and his family who lost their beloved pet.

Comment:
cc60618 5-year IP resident, lifelong Chicago resident.
My dog was attacked last year by a pit bull who jumped a six foot and a four foot fence to get to us. Totally unprovoked. Luckily, two men did come pull it off of mine and my dog survived.

The home owners claimed that this dog was theirs, no neighbors had ever seen it before. It wasn't vaccinated or neutered.
It was turned into Animal Control for the quarantine period for no vaccination. However, the owners never paid a penny of the tickets they were issued, or held responsible in anyway. And the dog was released back to them. No one has seen it in my neighborhood since.

Dangerous animals should not be on the streets. Owners need to be held responsible - I still have nightmares about the incident and am always more cautious taking a simple walk around the block. Citizens adopting any dogs, especially breeds that can be harder to control need to be educated and trained on how to restrain and prevent these incidents from occurring.

Comment:
Jerry Condo Association Representative
Several neighbors of ours witnessed and assisted in the attack. It was terrible and vicious. Despite the unfortunate occurrence, I was truly proud of the bravery and compassion for people in our neighborhood. That is what makes AP such a great place to live.

Read more:
EveryBlock Chicago

Jun 23, 2012 Cary will look into dog bites

“I strongly feel I have the right to not be in danger when walking on a public sidewalk.” - Kathy Brandwein

Cary - Kathy Brandwein and her husband were walking their dog in May when an unleashed, female beagle/pit bull mix rushed toward them.  The pit bull injured her husband when he tried to protect his dog.  Police had to come stop the attack and the pit bull mix was euthanized.

“You never forget how you feel, if you’ve had that happen to you,” Brandwein said.

Brandwein asked the village board this week to increase penalties for attacks when there is a negligent dog owner.

Village President Tom Kierna directed staff to start an internal committee to look into the village’s dog ordinances and see what the village is allowed to do within state law. He also asked staff to set up a public meeting for discussion on dog ordinances. The meeting has yet to be scheduled.

Brandwein suggested the village require hearings if there is an unprovoked dog bite and require the offending dog’s owner to give a reason why the dog should not be taken away or euthanized.

Village Attorney Michael Coppedge said the village is limited by the state’s animal control statute in what it can do.

Read more:
Northwest Herald  Accessed: 2013-05-23. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/6Gq8Fb7vs)

Related posts:
Nov 5, 2005 Nick Foley Survives Agony of a Pit Bull Rampaging Attack
Dec 19, 2005 Some want crackdown on pit bulls Recent dog attacks prompt more legislative attention
May 23, 2012 Dog bites man walking pet; animal to be euthanized


Cary is one more in a string of  communities that report the town leaders are hampered by the Illinois Dog Control Act (Anna's Law).  This town, Cary Illinois, is the location of a horrific pit bull attack.  Nick Foley and Jourdan Lamarre, both 10 years old, and four adult were attacked by 3 pit bulls in an attack that lasted half an hour.  The pit bulls ripped pounds of flesh from Nick Foley's  body causing him to lose 50% of his blood.  Please read Tribune reporters Carolyn Starks' and John Keilman's reportage describing the attack, how it affected the children, the families, and an entire neighborhood.

Kathy Brandwein gets to the exact heart of the problem, and has some good ideas, but after reading about Nick Foley's attack, you cannot help but understand that her suggestions do not go far enough.

In 2005, after Nick Foley's attack, state representative 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.

The Nature of the Beasts: Illinois pit bull bullies

by Sam Vest

UPDATE: It was reported by Alton Daily News that the lawsuit was against three owners of Precious, MICHAEL McCAULEY who was walking Precious at the time of the attack,  PATRICIA D. GELZINNIS and GREGORY A. GELZINNIS.

EDIT:Precious, a pit bull with a history of vicious attacks inflicting severe injuries on both people and at least one pet dog, was being walked on a public street with no muzzle when a college student, Mallorie Vest, jogged around Precious.  Precious attacked Vest, causing severe damage with tissue loss, a broken finger, a near severed fingertip, and sprains.  Her parents, one a doctor and the other the surgeon that treated her, said she will need future reconstructive surgery and physical therapy. 

When it was reported that this was Precious' third human victim and that Precious was going to be returned to McCAULEY and GELZINNIS after a 10 day quarantine because animal control felt its hands were tied by Illinois' infamous Animal Control Act, previous victims and their lawyers came forward in comment sections of the news stories and blogs to describe the devastation  Precious had previously wrought.  A fourth victim that had not been mentioned in the original news story reported that her dog had been savagely and terribly attacked on her own property by Precious before the first human victim had been reported.

Although McCAULEY was named as the owner of the most recent lawsuit, The first reported human victim, Pamela Moore, a friend of GELZINNIS, detailed her attack in comments on Craven Desires.  Among the details she furnished, she asserted that GELZINNIS lied on a police report stating that she was an employee so that he could attempt to claim the attack was a work related injury.  Moore contends that GELZINNIS and his mother, Pat, knew the dog was a dangerous mauler because as soon as Pam walked through the door, Pat screamed at her to leave because the dog was there.  Pam could not get out of the door fast enough and was attacked as the cowardly owner, GELZINNIS, waited in a back room while his elderly mother attempted to pull Precious off Pam, according to Moore.  He cravenly allowed his friend to be mauled while hiding, impotent, from his own pit bull saying, "There was no sense for both of us to get bit." Makes perfect sense.

In comments in yet another story, Pamela Moore and her friends describe an attack that was so serious she needed reconstructive surgery on her arm.  She also relates details about Precious' behavior prior to the attack.  Moore said the Gelzinnis' knew their pit bull was so vicious that it could not be in the same room with visitors.  Moore reports that she and her children were "sneaked" into the GELZINNIS' home in an attempt to avoid a violent reaction by "Precious."  And when "Precious" did see people through a glass door, she hurled herself at the door in an effort to attack them.

The Village of Godfrey made no moves to have the dog declared vicious after any of the three attacks even though the current village administrator, Meladee Maggos, whose terrier mix was horribly mauled by Precious, likely would have supported some kind of action.

GELZINNIS reportedly told Pam he wouldn't have Precious put down;
the maulings were in his view "just the nature of the beast." (file photo)

Gelzinnis showed blatant and egregious disregard for human health and safety by walking Precious on a public street without a muzzle knowing the ferocity of Precious' previous human and dog attacks.  What is the nature of this beast, the Illinois pit bull bully, and why are they so secure in their right to terrorize and maul people and animals?

The nature of this beast immediately showed itself in the comments sections of recent news articles about Precious' third known human attack on jogger Mallorie Vest.  The comments filled up with pit bull defenders blaming the victim.  The first and chief blamer was Hope Rescues of Alton, Il, founded by JACKIE SPIKER and KIM LEE.  Hope Rescue's argument was that joggers and everyone of us should just gangway and cross the street because pittie owns the road, and anyone who doesn't know that just has no "common sense."  These beastly views line up perfectly with GELZINNIS' apparent view that he has every right to have a mauler and take it out in public.  Everyone should just get out of his way because Precious owns the road, and she'll own you, too, if you dare think otherwise.

I'd point you to Hope Rescue's comments in the news story, but Hope Rescues removed them. Luckily, Craven Desires saved them before they were deleted.  Here are some of those comments:

This is the nature of the beast.  Illinois bully pit bull owners blame victims for causing their attack because it is just "common sense" to assume a pit bull will attack you if you are near it.  This "common sense" blaming was taken to an extreme last year in Peoria when pit bull owner KRISTEN MICHAUD blamed her pit bull's victim for being attacked on his own property.  MICHAUD said that her neighbor, the victim, failed to use "common sense" and inform MICHAUD that he would be working in his own yard.  Makes perfect sense.

SPIKER's statements seem to reveal a misanthropic mindset that is possibly confirmed by online reviews of JACKIE SPIKER's treatment of potential adopters at Hope Animal Rescues.  One review reads:

We spent weeks searching for the right dog for our family. We were pre-approved, enjoyed our telephone experience with the rescue, dealing specifically with Jackie, and drove an hour to meet two pups, of which we were ready to bring one home. When both pups climbed on top of our three-yr-old, scaring her, Jackie screamed, "CHILDREN AND DOGS DO NOT MIX! GET HER (referring to my daughter) OUT OF HERE!" Jackie pushed us out the gate and disappeared. As we were collecting ourselves assuming we were not going to be approached before our departure, Jackie came out of the rescue. I thought she was going to make sure our daugther was okay and offer some words of encouragement... completely the opposite. She got into my face and yelled at me for wasting her time and for not taking the process seriously. We will still rescue a dog as we believe it is a wonderful thing to do (UPDATE: we have adopted a wonderful dog from another rescue) ... but, I would caution anyone with children to deal with Jackie. If so, you may want to request the shelter use a leash and introduce one dog at a time which did not happen in our case (after all, most of her dogs come from Animal Control and you have no idea what their true situation is). Our failure to adopt was not the fault of the pups, after all they are just pups... Jackie is completely unprofessional. What a very sad day for our family. UPDATE: If you feel compelled to write a negative review, this shelter may call you, email you, intimidate you and ultimately threaten to sue you... or, at least they did to us. I stand by my statements as accurate from my account.

No one questions JACKIE SPIKER's devotion to the dogs, or condemns SPIKER for denying their application.  They simply object to being harassed, blamed, and insulted for trying to adopt a dog.  A SPIKER defender suggests that SPIKER's misanthropic behavior is a result of being extremely devoted to her dogs and only willing to adopt dogs to the most qualified and best suited adopters.  However, an online document suggests another, much less altruistic criteria SPIKER may be looking for in potential adopters.  When seeking investors for her for-profit doggie daycare and boarding facility, she boasted online that 67% of the people adopting her rescue dogs became customers of her for-profit company.  If her claim is true, her non-profit rescue creates a pool of 140 potential new customers a year for her for-profit doggie daycare.

However, Hope Rescue's JACKIE SPIKER and KIM LEE don't have to worry quite so much about attracting investors anymore because JAIME and MARK BUEHRLE have become their benefactors.  In addition to long time support given to Hope Rescues, in 2011 the BUEHRLEs gave  Hope Rescues $200,000 for the purchase of a 13 acre property and will build shelter buildings as well as a home for SPIKER and LEE.

MARK BUEHRLE is, of course, a major league pitcher until recently pitching for the White Sox.  He's quite a pitcher, too.  In April 2007, he pitched a no hitter and in July 2009, he pitched the 18th perfect game in baseball history which explains the $58 million four year contract he signed with the Marlins in December 2011.

Mark Buehrle is an AVID hunter. He is the type of hunter that annoys you with his "look how big my dick is" hunting stories where he'll brag about his kills. He recently bragged to a completely un-enthralled throng of Chicago reporters about taking down a black bear with a bow and arrow.  –thinds

And in this same short time span, BUEHRLE goes from making the news for his hunting exploits, including bowhunting a baited black bear and gushing about it like a 12 year old back in 2007, to publicly wishing injuries on MICHAEL VICK because VICK killed animals for enjoyment, and most recently becoming a celebrity spokesperson for the NO KILL Best Friends Animal Society. That's quite a drastic turnaround.

No Kill?  More like MO' KILL

 Just weeks after signing a contract with Miami and 9 months after adopting his first pit bull from Hope Rescues, he publicly endorsed BFAS's proposed legislation to end a 23 year old Miami-Dade county pit bull ban.  Mark and Jaime, 9 months after becoming pit bull owners themselves, felt qualified to use their celebrity status to tell Miami what's good for them as spokespeople for BFAS.  Jaime Buehrle said, "When my husband, Mark, became the new pitcher for the Miami Marlins, we were excited to move our family down to Florida and join our team's community.  But then we found out our family wasn't welcome in Miami-Dade County, because one of our rescued dogs, Slater, is a pit bull."

As new pit bull owners, JAIME and MARK BUEHRLE do not yet know that this photo can be used as proof that they are irresponsible owners and parents because no one should ever leave ANY dog alone with a child (at least that's what they say to blame victims after a family pit bull mauls a child.)

Wow, it sounds like that poor BUEHRLE couple just got blindsided by that 23 year old pit bull ban, doesn't it.  They just had no clue...  Right.  It's the nature of the beast, though.  Jaime Buehrle, having worked with BFAS since at least 2008 trying to adopt out a pit bull mix with behavior problems that included attacking men and strangers due to a "sort of post traumatic stress disorder" into an unsuspecting neighborhood, had certainly heard a whisper or two about BSL.  The Buehrles visited BFAS in Utah twice and Ledy VanKavage, senior legislative attorney for BFAS and Jaime's texting buddy, says of the Buehrles, "They're the cream of the crop, man."  They also knew when they adopted Slater, so named because he reminded the couple of a muscle bound, exceedingly stupid TV character, that Buehrle's contract was about to end.  In other accounts, the Buehrles suggest that Mark would not have signed with the Marlins if they could not find a place to live with their pit bull.  This is the hovel they managed to scrounge up an hour's commute from Marlin park because of the Miami-Dade pit bull ban their free choice to own a pit bull.

Despite what the Buehrles said, their move with a pit bull to a ban area was anticipated and well planned.  Ledy VanKavage already had drafted legislation repealing Miami-Dade's pit bull ban and gotten Florida legislators to sponsor it just in time to coincide with the Buehrle's move to Miami.

VanKavage is the author of Illinois' Animal Control act amendments to protect pit bulls and other dangerous dogs and their owners.  And this brings us full circle to four time mauler Precious and her owner GREG GELZINNIS.  VanKavage wrote Illinois Animal Control Act amendments to take public safety and welfare decision making powers away from local governments and to create an onerous burden on those wishing to deem a dog dangerous or vicious.  To further protect owners of dangerous dogs, even irresponsible ones like GELZINNIS, she created a lengthy and complicated appeals process.  The Act, which prohibits BSL has already played a part in a tragic circumstance in which the town of Johnstonville, IL, correctly identifying pit  bulls as a specific danger to their community, and passed ordinances to ban them.  Informed of the BSL prohibition by Ledy VanKavage, they had their hands tied and were forced to drop the ban.  Less than two years later in that same small town, a young boy was fatally attacked by pit bulls.

If there's any doubt that VanKavage's intent in crafting Illinois Animal Control Act amendments was to protect dangerous dogs and their owners, one need only read what she herself chose to highlight on her own BFAS "Pit Bull Terrier Initiatives" news pages.

 There, she crows about the first person in Illinois to successfully overturn her attacking pit bull's dangerous dog designation, to the horror of her neighborhood, as a victory.  This owner refused to even muzzle her aggressive pit bull after it had attacked a dog.  The conclusion of the article states that this move saved the mauling pit bull's life when it did no such thing.  Deeming a dog dangerous in Illinois does not give anyone the authority to euthanize the dog. And all the owner had been required to do was muzzle her dangerous, biting pit bull in public.

And more proof that the Illinois Animal Control Act serves to keep dangerous dogs in our communities is the outrage occurring in Godfrey, Illinois.  The first news reports highlighted the fact that after three serious reported human attacks, the village of Godfrey was going to return the dog back to the owner claiming their hands were tied.  While the dangerous and vicious dog laws are complicated and onerous, there were and are remedies to this situation but the village of Godfrey was and is seemingly unwilling to pursue a vicious dog designation for the protection of the villagers.    It is the victim herself, Mallorie Vest, who is filing the suit on behalf of the Madison County state's attorney to have Precious declared vicious.  Once again, the burden falls on the victim to hold the pit bull owner accountable.

This is the nature of the beast in Illinois and what gives Illinois pit bull owners a defiant sense of entitlement.  It is time for Illinois to demand animal control laws be changed in favor of public safety and local control rather than favoring the rights of a few who feel they need to own dangerous dogs.  It is just common sense.

Alton Daily News  Accessed: 2014-04-07.(Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/6OezNiOSi)

Jun 07, 2012 Cops Shoot Dog After One Attacks Elgin Firefighter, 2 Charge Firehouse

Elgin – Elgin Fire Capt. Tony Bialek was on the back patio of an Elgin’s fire station ... when a 90-pound female pit bull came at him.
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"... I shut the door, and the dog jumped up on the glass...” he said. “The dog was bouncing off the glass, trying to get into the station.”
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Then, another larger dog – a 130-pound Presa Canario mix – joined in, and the two dogs kept firefighters from going outside, bouncing against the firehouse door glass, trying to break it.
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“They wouldn’t let nobody out of the station,” Bialek said.
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Police came and one of the dogs attacked them, so officers shot and wounded the animal. Both animals ran back to a nearby home.

by Bernie Tafoya WBBM Newsradio
Read more:
CBS local Chicago  Accessed: 2012-06-08. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/68H6KiCWL)

Related posts:
Nov 23, 2011 Councilman: Almost all dogs shot by Elgin police are pit bulls
Feb 21, 2012 Elgin police kill pit bull after it attacked dog

May 31, 2012 Godfrey pit bull only quarantined after 3 confirmed attacks

Godfrey - Officials in the town of Godfrey IL are claiming there is nothing they can do but give a three time mauler back to the owner.  Illinois vicious and dangerous dog law does make it difficult to have dogs declared dangerous or vicious, but it can and should be done.  Town administrators should pursue a vicious dog designation for this pit bull.  Having the dog deemed vicious gives the town administrators the power to put the pit bull down.  Illinois law also specifically gives the town the power to decide where the dog will be kept for the duration of the proceedings.  They can keep the dog at animal control and charge the owner for board for the duration of the process.

Not only can they hold the dog, they most certainly should hold the dog.  Read the letter from a victim's attorney from a previous bite case involving this dog in the comments section of the story.
UPDATE: Another serious attack by this dog previous to all the others has been reported in the comments section of the news story.  See below.

The dog and its owners are all dangerous and the dog should not be allowed to continue to harass and traumatize the community.
UPDATE: The animal that attacked three other people will not go free this weekend.

A Godfrey pit bull has attacked three people and sent its latest victim to the emergency room with severe injuries. But this weekend, the dog is headed back home, without any restrictions or punishments. 

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"It grabbed my back thigh," Vest said. "It took me down. It scraped my knees and dragged me back on the sidewalk." 

And then it took a chunk out of her leg.

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She called her dad, who just happened to be the on-call surgeon at the nearest emergency room. 

"I was horrified at the bite," Dr. Vest said. 

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Animal control director David Hall says under the current state law, there's little they can do, other than quarantine the dog.

From the comments section:

This pit bull dog attacked a woman on August 10, 2009 in Godfrey when the owners took it to their business. The woman was simply walking through the front door of the owners' business when the pit bull attacked her without provocation or justification. I personally examined this dog as part of a lawsuit following that attack, and can tell you that in my opinion there is something wrong with this dog - it should not be on the streets. It is a shame and quite frankly ridiculous that the dog was allowed to be involved in a 2nd attack in 2010, and now this 3rd attack. If this dog is not "vicious" under IL law, then NO dog will ever be deemed "vicious" under the law. I love animals, especially dogs, however, a pattern of attacks is an ominous sign and cannot be ignored. We don't give humans this many breaks before they are sent away to prison for a long time. My thoughts are with Mallory Vest and her family.

Chris Wright, Attorney

Millikan Wright LLC

Meladee Finlinson Maggos

Here is some additional history sharing: This is not hearsay, but rather a first-hand, gut-wrenching account of another attack by this pit bull. In June of 2009, my small terrier was in OUR front yard only two feet from OUR front porch. Now, I’m assuming since my terrier IS a dog, that she saw the approaching pit bull from a dog’s point of view. Although there is a leash law in Godfrey, the pit bull was roaming our neighborhood (which I might add, is inhabited by dozens of small children). Hearing the most blood-curdling yelping I have ever heard in my life, we ran out our front door to see our little dog being shaken and nearly shredded alive by this “no-pattern-established-yet” pit bull. After days in the emergency Vet clinic, our dog miraculously lived. Based on my experience, and learning now of these other attacks (and yes, I have verification that it IS the same dog), I “deem” this dog vicious. This story is a good example for training owners: If you have a dog that has attacked three people and nearly killed your neighbor’s dog - THAT’S A PATTERN. Be responsible and get rid of the dog.

by Kasey Joyce

Read more:

KSDK  Accessed: 2012-06-01. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/686XGkq5f)

Related post:

Oct 23, 2009 'Precious' the pit bull bit customer's arm, says suit