Mar 29, 2013 Springfield Pit Bull Shot During Police Search

Springfield - A search of an aggravated battery suspect ends with a pit bull shot.

Springfield Police say Doshawn Meyers was arrested after he was hiding in a crawl space at a home in the 17 hundred block of East Jackson. When officers got to the house an occupant said the pit bull would attack, and put the dog in the basement.

However, the dog got out and came at the officer as if it would attack, that's when the officer shot the dog. The dog was taken to the Sangamon County Animal Control Center where it was euthanized because of its injury.

Read more:
WAND

Mar 27, 2013 Evanston Police Shoot Attacking Pit Bull During Narcotics Bust

Evanston - Police arrested five people and had to put down a pit bull during a search for drugs at two Evanston homes on Friday.

Police executed two search warrants simultaneously in the 2000 block of Warren Street and the 1300 block of Darrow Avenue at approximately 11:20 a.m., according to a press release from the department. Detectives from the department’s special operations conducted the searches in conjunction with members of the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Gang Crimes unit, as part of an ongoing investigation of narcotics sales in Evanston.

As they entered the home in the 1300 block of Darrow Avenue, officers encountered a large pit bull that was “acting aggressively toward police,” according to the release. “As a result, the dog was put down,” the release said.

Between both homes, police seized 125 grams of cannabis, one gram of crack cocaine and several pills of a controlled substance called Alprazolam, or Xanax. Police also seized a little more than $2,300 that they believe was used in illegal drug sales.

Read more:
Evanston Patch

Mar 23, 2013 Luciano: Peoria Pit bull kills yorkshire terrier

Peoria - A pit bull escapes its yard, charges a 70 year old woman walking her leashed yorkshire terrier and kills it.  The 6 pound yorkie, Little Bear, attempted to defend his owner before the pit bull quickly broke his neck.
RIP Little Bear
Please understand how abnormal this is.  Most dogs, even if they are inclined to chase little animals, are deterred by the presence of a person standing right there.  It was not normal, typical, or usual that pet dogs were killed while out on a walk on a leash in a residential neighborhood before pit bulls came on the scene.

The pit bull owner SERGIO MOLINA-GARCIA had allowed the pit to escape several times in the past and one time it had chased an elderly man.  It also had bitten a visitor inside the owner's home.  And there were reports on the previous aggression and biting.

Read Luciano's in depth description of what this little guy, Little Bear, meant to his family and about the horror of losing him to a completely unprovoked, off property, gruesome attack that came out of nowhere.

Know that you must always sign the complaint for a pit bull running loose because you don't know the violent history that pit might have.  That is being a good neighbor to the rest of the neighborhood.

And advocate for pit bull regulation.  Peoria is a home rule city.  Peoria can ban or regulate pit bull ownership and require responsibility.  It must be done.  The history on this pit bull before it killed a leashed dog with its owner is a perfect illustration of why pit bulls must be regulated to prevent killings like this.

Know that pit bulls are killing many small dogs on walks, in their own yards and even inside their homes across Illinois and the nation.  How many of our little pets, our companions, our family must die before we pay attention and regulate pit bulls?

Read more:
Journal Star  Accessed: 2013-03-24. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6FMZ0T0TI)

Related posts:
Mar 18, 2013 Galesburg pit bull attacks golden retriever
Mar 04, 2013 Villa Park Pit bull attacks dog
Nov 16, 2012 Dog attacked by pit bull then fatally shot by police
Nov 14, 2012 Chicago stray pit bulls kill cat maul dog attack woman
Nov 01, 2012 Off duty cop kills pit bull attacking German shepherd
Oct 31, 2012 Berwyn Pit bull jumps fence to attack poodle
Oct 10, 2012 Loose aggressive pit bulls menace Humboldt Park resident and her dog
Sep 28, 2012 Pit bull Kills elderly miniature poodle; euthanized
Sep 25, 2012 Dekalb pit bull kills dog - woman seeks stronger laws for dogs that attack pets
Sep 13, 2012 Berwyn pit bulls attack woman, police officer and kill small dog
Sep 06, 2012 Oak Forest Dog Owner: 'Neighbor's Pit Bull Killed My Dog'

Mar 18, 2013 Galesburg pit bull attacks golden retriever


Owner recounts horror of the pit bull attack on her golden retriever when pummeling couldn’t force pit bull to release retriever


Galesburg - Chloe a leashed golden retriever was attacked by a pit bull that dug out of its yard and made a bee line to the innocent dog in order to attack.

The owners, Sue and Stephanie Baker, believed Chloe was sure to be mauled to death because no matter how hard they pounded on the pit bull, it would not stop attacking poor, innocent Chloe.

A passersby stopped and helped them to finally pry the beasts' jaws off poor Chloe.  The Bakers rushed Chloe to the veterinarian fearing that she may not survive.

“We need to live in a safe community, and right now, it’s not safe,” Baker said. “If a dog has one vicious attack, I think it should be put down. If you’re a drunk driver, it’s one time and you’re out. There should be a (similar) zero tolerance policy.”

Baker would like to see pit bulls banned, but Knox county shelter manager Erin Buckmaster thinks pits should stay in Galesburg despite the very recent fatal attack on Ryan Maxwell and other attacks on innocent dogs like Chloe and their owners.  She would rather focus on the dangers presented by the vicious chihuahuas and spaniels she claims she has in her shelter.

Read more:
Register Mail

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Cherie Travis helps North Chicago with Animal Law

In January 2010, Cherie Travis, as head of Chicago Animal Care and Control, gave statements to the media concerning the fatal mauling of Johnny Wilson.  Though police, neighbors, and the owners all identified the dogs that killed him as pit bulls, Cherie Travis claimed they were unidentifiable mixed breed dogs.  Two years later, in a comment about the severe mauling of Joseph Finley by pit bulls in January 2012, she finally acknowledged that Wilson's killers were pit bulls.


In September 2010, she was the subject of an undercover TV news investigation because under her watch and in an attempt to go No Kill, she ended up hoarding animals in deplorable conditions.

Last January, she praised a pit bull owner for his good character after he came forward and admitted that the pit bulls that launched a horrific attack on a jogger were his pit bulls.   The attack resulted in the loss of part of Joseph Finley's leg, and the pit bull owner got off with fines and a pat on the back from Travis for his good character.
Joseph Finley's goal is to be able to jog again

In March 2012, she was fired from the CACC.  The only reason given was, "we decided to go a different direction."

She lost her job as  an adjunct professor of animal law at DePaul University's College of Law at the beginning of September 2012.

In late September 2012 she was hit with a lawsuit filed by the Illinois attorney general's office for book keeping irregularities.  Reportedly she wrote checks totaling $70,000 to her mother and a friend from the accounts of the People and Animals in Community Together Humane Society, an animal shelter she had founded.  Though it had once had nonprofit status, that was revoked for failing to file tax returns.

The preceding might explain why in a few days Cherie Travis is slated to speak to the little city of North Chicago about animal law - she's available.

North Chicago was having problems with their animal control department.  It was run for years by 62 year old Ted McClelland and was underfunded and forgotten.  When McClelland left on vacation last year, a "miscommunication" led to the dogs in the pound getting no care for days.  At first, the problem was viewed as lack of attention and funds.  Volunteers came in to help.  But later McClelland left his post and the City of North Chicago has reportedly filed suit against him.

They hired Dana Deutsch to replace McClelland. Deutsch was a no kill shelter manager in Grayslake until she left to found her own private rescue, Ralphie's Place, that seemed to cater to small dog rescue.  Deutsch has connections with Best Friends Animal Society and has declared that she is going to run the eight kennel facility as a no kill shelter.  She reportedly is a soft touch as an animal control officer, not even wanting to use a catch pole because she feels those are scary for dogs.  That sounds endearing until you see her in action with pit bulls. Let's hope she can manage to not get herself mauled.
Is that Fear on her Face?
That looks like fear on her face and looking at that amazing grip that pit has on her hips and the near miss to her wrist, the fear is justified.  Let's hope she learns how to use a catch pole in the near future.

And though North Chicago has BSL - a $500 dollar fee is required to keep a pit bull - Deutsch is taking a kinder, gentler attitude toward that, as well.  She wants people to be able to keep and evidently breed their illegal pit bulls.  Isn't that sweet.  Deutsch has relied on her reputed super networking skills to move the dogs, seemingly mostly pit bulls, through the shelter as fast as they come in.  However, she hit a snag beginning in 2013, seems 30 pits have come in and she's having trouble moving them.  So, instead of enforcing the ordinance in place which would both reduce the number of pit bulls, presumably mostly intact, and potentially bringing in revenue, Deutsch has taken a kindly view to letting people keep their pit bulls and has engaged Cherie Travis to speak to the North Chicago leadership.  Wonder what she's gonna say…BSL bad…pit bulls good!

And here's what's going to happen, Deutsch is going to dazzle the leaders of North Chicago with her ability to bring in donations in the short term and tell them that the two phrases, "pit bull" and "no kill" are money magnets.  Then she is going to lobby for scarce resources to be put toward a larger and better animal control facility promising that "it will pay for itself."

Soon after the bigger, better facility is built, it will be stuffed to the gills with pit bulls, and the city of North Chicago will hear the phrase "urgent need" a lot.  Oh, and bite statistics will skyrocket.  How do I know?  I looked at what happened in Austin TX.
Austin Animal Services' new No Kill success adopting out "large breed dogs with behavior issues," coincided exactly with a 35% surge in reported dog bites.  Also, predictably, the most infamous "large breed with behavior issue" dog of all time, the pit bull, led the bite count, accounting for 22% of bites even though it represents 10% of the registered dog population.
I urge the leaders of North Chicago to read about what happened in Austin TX, and Elgin IL and to remember that within the last two weeks 2 children were mauled to death by pit bulls within a 200 mile radius of your city.  And I urge North Chicago to keep and require Deutsch to enforce your pit bull regulation, and if anything strengthen it or require spay and neutering as well as the $500 dollar fee.  Your animal control officer should be spending most of her time keeping North Chicago free of potentially dangerous dogs, and less of her time in a futile attempt to network an uncontrolled pit bull population away.

Read more:
News Sun  Accessed: 2013-03-15. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6F9NXvtLQ)
News Sun
News Sun

Related Posts:
Who runs CACC and why won't Chicago Punish Irresponsible Pit Bull Owners?
Jan 2, 2013 Jogger who lost leg wants pit bull regulation

Mar 13, 2013 Pembroke Township Pit Bulls Seriously Mauled a Cow

Pembroke Township - A cow was attacked by a pack of pit bulls in Pembroke Township on Sunday afternoon.

About 12 cows got loose from a farm on 3000S Road, and one was attacked near 17500 E. 7000S Road by six or seven pit bulls at 1:45 p.m., according to Kankakee County sheriff's police.

A neighbor who witnessed the attack called police.  The cow was found bleeding in a ditch and Kankakee County Animal Control was called to the scene, police said. The cow is expected to survive.

The dogs, described as very vicious, reportedly were picked up by a gray van, police said.

Read more:
Daily Journal

Related posts:
Jun 24, 2016 Kankakee felon uses his pit bull to fend off police
Jan 15, 2015 Kankakee Rescued Stray Pit Bull Mix Bites Child
May 29, 2013 Kankakee pit bull kills chihuahua

Historical post:
May 12, 1896 Chicago Girl bitten by a Bulldog

Mar 07, 2013 Palatine bans two pit bulls accused of biting dog


Palatine - Two pit bulls have been permanently banned from Palatine, according to an agreed order of the village's Animal Safety Commission.

Village attorney Patrick Brankin said the two dogs bit another dog Dec. 28 near Palatine High School, necessitating involvement by the village's animal control unit.

The commission held a hearing Thursday and found owner Jerome Balcer, of the 1000 block of East Olde Virginia Road, voluntarily relocated the dogs, named Lancelot and Guinevere, to an out-of-state trainer.

Balcer still faces potential fines and citations, which will be determined April 17 at an administrative department hearing, Brankin said. Balcer couldn't be reached for comment Thursday.

Read more:
Daily Herald

Mar 04, 2013 Police Taser Pit Bull After Dog Attacks Other Dog, Eludes Capture

Villa Park - Officers from the Villa Park Police Department responded to a report that a Pit Bull mix had attacked another dog and was running loose in the roadway at 11:27 a.m. Sunday near Route 83 and the Prairie Path.

After several attempts to catch the dog, an officer hit the dog with one Taser probe and he ran from the area, police said.

The Elmhurst Police Department was called to assist.

Read more:
My Suburban Life

Mar 04, 2013 Villa Park Pit bull attacks dog


Villa Park - Police attempted to taser a pit bull mix that attacked a dog and was running loose.  Police failed to subdue the pit bull with a taser and the pit bull is still at large.

Read more:
mysuburbanlife

Related posts:
Sep 05, 2012 Glen Ellyn Pit bull immediately euthanized after attack on child in home
Aug 13, 2012 Family tries to recover after fatal attack on pet
Aug 01, 2012 Pit bull kills small dog in Villa Park, owner cited
Jun 27, 2012 Naperville cops probe pit bull attack on boy
May 15, 2012 Pit bull (that inflicted serious injury on owner) dies after being Tasered by police
Jan 24, 2012 Dogs Shot by Elmhurst Police During Attack
Apr 24, 2008 Villa Park cop shoots pit bull biting girl's foot

Mar 03, 2013 Galesburg Pit Bulls Kill 7 year old Ryan Maxwell

Rest in Peace Ryan Maxwell
Illinois pit bull fatality map
Click here to go to the actual map created by dogsbite.org
Galesburg - A seven year old boy playing in the backyard of a home he was visiting was killed by a pit bull that may have broken its restraint to get to the boy.

The pit bull was still attacking the boy when police arrived who were able to get the pit bull off the boy.  The pit bull then began attacking the police and was shot.

The boy died at Cottage hospital.

The sole Illinois news outlet that has covered this story is local and has not disclosed the type of dog involved.  The first outlet to speak to investigators and report the type of dog was KWQC in Iowa.

In the 2011 fatal pit bull mauling in Rockford, AP Illinois never acknowledged that the dogs were pit bulls and this fatality received very little media attention.


UPDATE: Another local outlet, WGIL, reported the story, repeating earlier stories and confirming that the  police had not released the identity of the child or the kind of dog involved.

However WHBF-TV out of Rock Island, IL interviewed the owners of the pit bull who said they'd owned the pit bull for one and a half years. and that it not ever shown aggression before.  They describe the horror of a vicious pit bull attack that they were unable to stop.

"Family members say they'll never forget the screaming and the brutal scene of their dog mauling a child."

UPDATE: Ryan Maxwell is the name of the seven year old fatal pit bull attack victim.  The Peoria Journal Star news report gave us some insights into the little light lost to pit bulls.  He was generous and helpful.  He touched and engaged everyone at Nielson elementary where he attended second grade.  He was popular and liked by students and staff ever helpful and wanting to please. Rest in Peace.


Related posts Galesburg:

Mar 01, 2013 Romeoville cop shoots menacing pit bull mix to avoid attack at school


Romeoville - A police officer believed an attack was imminent when he shot the pit bull/boxer mix that was menacing children and then began growling and snarling at him when he tried to put the catchpole on it.  An investigation is underway.

Read more:
Bolingbrook Patch