May 31, 2013 Peoria American Bulldog mauls 9 year old boy


Peoria - An American bulldog mauled a 9 year old boy in a neighbor's yard.  The boy was hospitalized.

Councilwoman Beth Akeson wants to craft legislation to prevent such attacks.

“It’s one of those issues where a dog isn’t declared dangerous until someone is hurt,” she said. “I’d like to see an ordinance written so people have a very clear understanding for how people must care for their dogs and restrain their dogs.”

Read more
Peoria Journal-Star

May 28, 2013 St. Charles Pit bull mauls Newfoundland


St. Charles - A loose pit bull attacked and seriously injured a much larger newfoundland.
file photo of a newfoundland
A witness who reported the attack said, “The dog was bleeding profusely (literally pouring like a faucet) and the owner was really shaken up.”

The newfoundland survived with serious injuries.

The pit bull owner, following the pit bull owner's code of ethics, left the scene without taking responsibility or sharing contact information.

Neighbors are concerned for the safety of the neighborhood with the pit bull there.

Read more:
Geneva Patch

Related posts (recent dog attacks by pit bulls):
Apr 18, 2013 Granite City pit bull kills sheltie mix
Apr 06, 2013 Pit Bull Kills Yorkie Near UIC
Mar 23, 2013 Luciano: Peoria Pit bull kills yorkshire terrier
Mar 18, 2013 Galesburg pit bull attacks golden retriever
Jan 07, 2013 Pit bull attack and near miss recounted
Nov 16, 2012 Dog attacked by pit bull then fatally shot by police

May 29, 2013 Kankakee pit bull kills chihuahua

Kankakee-A Chihuahua was killed by a pit bull in the 400 block of River Street at 11:07 a.m. Saturday. The owner of the Chihuahua reported the incident to Kankakee police. He said he was walking his two dogs when he noticed the pit bull chasing squirrels. The man was able to get one of the dogs to his home before the pit bull grabbed the other and ran away. Kankakee County Animal Control took the pit bull.

Read more:
The Daily Journal

Related Posts:
Chihuaha attacks

May 27, 2013 Pit bull attacks in Southern Illinois


Southern Illinois - Updates on a few pit bull attacks.

Dustin Keith of Carterville reported that his daughter was attacked by a pit bull in Anna in Union county, IL.

Keith wants to get the word out that owners are not adhering to leash and restraint laws and are creating a danger for the public.

In Williamson county, Tonya Holland is finally going to pre-trial for the nearly fatal attack her pit bulls inflicted on a 5 year old Winston Bankston in Bush, IL.

Read more:
The Southern

Related posts:
Aug 07 2010 Pit Bulls Attack 5 Year Old Winston Bankston


May 15, 2013 Macomb city leaders attempt to control pit bull attacks with dangerous dog laws.



Macomb - The city has had 5 dog attacks on people and dogs in the last 6 months including a fatal mauling of a dog by a pit bull that broke through a fence for the express purpose of killing little yorkie being walked on a leash in front of his terrified and traumatized owner.
RIP Hardy
The mayor has said he wants to prevent the kind of fatal mauling attack that happened to Ryan Maxwell. Though, the proposed ordinance has some good elements, it will do nothing to prevent a first attack:

Increased fines for owners of dogs who repeatedly violate city ordinances.
Muzzling and maybe euthanizing a dog that's been deemed dangerous.
And a creation of a vicious dog registry.

May 23, 2013 Illinois dog bite statistics



For dog bite prevention week, State Farm Insurance and the US postal service release dog bite statistics and each year, Illinois and Chicago are at the top of those lists.

According to the postal service, Chicago ranks third on the list of worst cities for postal service dog attacks.  Last year, Chicago ranked 13th.

Illinois ranks second to California on State Farm's top ten states for dog bite insurance payouts, a place it held last year as well.

However, with a population that is roughly a third of California's, Illinois' payout is 37% larger than California's when adjusted for population, putting Illinois solidly in the number one payout position.  On top of that, Illinois is among the bottom 10 states on the AVMA's list of state dog ownership rates with just 32.4% of Illinois households owning dogs.

Why has Illinois been at the very top of the worst places for dog bites with such a low dog ownership rate?

Could it be because a pit bull advocate wrote Illinois dangerous and vicious animal control laws which includes a ban on BSL and makes it easy for owners of dangerous, biting, and vicious dogs to keep them?

It turns out that pit bull and dangerous dog advocates participated in crafting, to varying extents, the dangerous dog laws in all five of the top five worst states for dog bite insurance payouts and 7 of the top 10.  Of the top five, all states except Ohio have a ban on BSL.  In Ohio, there is no ban on BSL, but pit bull advocates wrote a complicated system for designating a dog dangerous or vicious that is very similar to Illinois' laws and which essentially works to make it easier for owners to keep their dangerous dogs.  The laws in both Ohio and Illinois include an elaborate appeals process for the owners of dangerous and vicious dogs to revoke that designation including a stipulation that the burden of proof falls on the city and calls for "expert" testimony that the dog is dangerous or vicious.

After an attack or series of attacks, several Illinois towns have claimed, sometimes incorrectly, that their hands are tied and they cannot remove a dangerous dog because of the complexity of the animal control legislation.  Still other towns have been prompted to craft their own dangerous and vicious dog legislation to buttress the state laws after an attack or series of attacks.  In every instance, the attacks that prompt new ordinances in Illinois are all or in large part pit bull attacks, but the only tool communities have available to them are breed neutral ordinances and communities are forced to effectively use a screwdriver to pound a nail.  Cities all over Illinois are attempting to enact legislation that can prevent pit bull attacks and are hampered by being prohibited from regulating pit bulls in any way.

May, 2013 Peoria is discussing ways to make the streets safe again from pit bulls and other stray and dangerous dogs.  Last year 102 of the 332 reported dog bites in Peoria county were caused by pit bulls. The police chief states the obvious when he says that pit bulls pose more of a threat than other dogs.

May, 2013 Bloomington is trying to require liability insurance for dogs designated dangerous after a serious attack on two people by a pit bull breeder's pit bull.

May, 2013 Macomb city leaders are trying to create new dog ordinances after they have had 5 dog attacks on people and pets in the last 6 months including a horrid attack by a neighbor's pit bull that broke through a fence and killed a woman's beloved yorkie.  Macomb's mayor says they do not want to wait until there is a fatality to do something.

January, 2013 Lake county defined "animal aggressive" as a new category of dangerous dogs after a pit bull mauled a small dog owned by a county board member.

June, 2012 The village of Cary will look into dog ordinances after residents were attacked by an unleashed pit bull.

May, 2012 Carmi citizens want pit bull ban.  They are afraid to go outdoors because of an ongoing problem with loose pit bulls.

May, 2012 Skokie considers stricter law after 3 separate pit bull attacks killed three dogs.

December, 2011 Arlington Hgts. toughens penalties for dangerous animals following pit bull attack The attack that inspired this new dangerous dog legislation involved two unleashed pit bulls that attacked a leashed poodle/labrador retreiver mix off property and unprovoked.

Aug, 2011 Police want more teeth to proposed dangerous dog ordinance after a pit bull chased and attacked a resident and his dog

May, 2011 Wilmington eyes stronger animal control ordinance after repeated attacks by a pit bull mix.

Nov, 2010 Pit bull that inspired Machesney Park law faces euthanasia after it killed two dogs and attacked two people

Apr, 2010 Reaction to Ban on BSL in Streator, IL: This is Asinine

read more:
Daily Herald AVMA statistics
State Farm
May 16, 2012 Illinois Ranks #2 in State Farm Dog Bite Report numbers and payouts
US Post Office

May 20, 2013 Pit bull jumps fence to get to child and maul him


Chicago - A pit bull jumped the fence of his yard for the express purpose of mauling a little boy playing in his own yard.

Animal control and the police refused to identify the breed of dog, but that fact and the seriousness of the boy's injuries made it clear that it was a pit bull that was the attacker.
Glendale Miller with all four limbs heavily bandaged
Photo credit: Craig Wall

Glendale Miller had to endure 7 hours of surgery on all four of his limbs and will be hospitalized several days.

The breed of dog was first disclosed by ABC 7 News when they interviewed the family of the 9 year old boy, Glendale Miller.  The family wanted to publicly speak out about the dangerousness of unrestrained, unattended pit bulls.  The asked that pit bull owners be more responsible.  ABC 7 News is the only outlet that bothered to print comments from the family and mention the breed of dog.

The Miller family says that before the attack, they were terrorized by the pit bull which has escaped before, and that they had to change their living habits to avoid encountering the vicious pit bull by walking different ways and patronizing different stores.

The pit bull was put down.

Read more:
ABC 7 News
Fox 32 News

Related posts:
May 15, 2013 Pit bull attacks two in Englewood 
May 15, 2013 Pit bull Mauls Animal Control Officer, saved by neighbor
Feb 28, 2013 Victim of severe pit bull mauling left with expenses
Feb 23, 2013 Pit bull attacks UPS driver, cop and shot
Jan 2, 2013 Jogger who lost leg wants pit bull regulation

May 20, 2013 Off Duty Chicago Police officer shoots pit bull to protect son

Chicago - A neighbor's pit bull escaped its yard while an off duty police officer was outside with his 5 year old son who was riding a bike.  The police officer shot the pit bull several times, killing it, because he believed it was charging after his son.

“I know that my son’s life could have been in danger . . . and the fact that my son was protected, that’s what I care about,” said the officer’s wife.  The officer's wife also said that the pit bull had been out of its yard off-leash previously and that the owner had been asked to keep it on a leash.

News stories have repeatedly emphasized that the pit bull was a four month old puppy and used photos of the pit bull as a small puppy in their stories.  However, this photo of the pit bull after being shot shows a larger, well muscled pit bull that has lost much of those puppy characteristics.


Read more:

May 20, 2013 Peoria Discusses ways to limit dog attacks

Peoria - Peoria has created a city task force to consider measures to limit dog attacks.

The police chief testified that pit bulls pose problems for police.  Of the 332 reported dog bites reported in Peoria county last year, 102 were due to pit bulls (30%).  One third of dogs the shelter receives each year are pit bulls.  Pit bulls are the second most licensed dog in the county after labs.

Read more:
Journal Star

May 15, 2013 Williamson Co Pit bull Mauls Animal Control Officer, saved by neighbor

UPDATE - Ed Barwick wants to carry a firearm.  He went before the county commissioners explaining to them that he was virtually defenseless and had it not been for the help of neighbors, he could have been killed.

Williamson co - Animal Control Officer Ed Barwick was seriously mauled by a  pit bull while responding to a call about that pit bull.

Barwick credits a neighbor who shot the attacking pit bull with saving his life.  The pit bull did not die and ran away.  Yet another neighbor shot the pit bull, killing it.  It took 8 shots to put the dog down.

Barwick has more that 20 stitches on his arm, leg and face.

The owner, LEE ANN MURRAY of Johnston City, had refused to give up the dog initially, which led to the attack.  She has vowed to get another dog.

MURRAY, who has arrests for drugs including meth, was only ticketed for a dog running at large for mauling a county official. She was later arrested on an unrelated charge.

Williamson county has a long history of serious problems with pit bulls.  In 2007, Johnston City attempted to remedy the attacks residents had been suffering by pit bulls by instituting a pit bull ban.  Ledy Vankavage, then of the ASPCA, informed the city they were prohibited from banning pit bulls by state law - A law that Vankavage herself had crafted.  In 2009, less than two years later, 3 year old Gabrial Mandrell-Sauerhage was killed by family pit bulls in the same tiny town of Johnston City.

The next year, in 2010, another Williamson county boy, Winston Bankston, was seriously mauled by pit bulls mixes.  He was air lifted to a trauma care hospital and was put in a medically induced coma.

Read more:
WSIL  Accessed: 2013-05-17. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6Gfx4AzXi)
WSIU

Related posts:
Jul 13, 2012 Marion Pit bull kills little dog




May 15, 2013 Pit bull attacks two in Englewood

Englewood - A police car was dispatched to the scene of a man attacked by a pit bull in an Englewood alley, but could not find the dog. The man was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
(File Photo)
Later, a Chicago police sergeant was flagged down by neighbors who pointed out  the pit bull attacking a school boy as he got off a school bus.  The sergeant got the pit bull away from the boy and fatally shot the pit bull.

Tyrell Henry, the 16 year old boy who was attacked, said in a police report, "Thank God for that officer.  That dog would have killed me."

Henry was taken to the hospital, treated and released.

Read more:
Chicago Tribune
ABC Local  Accessed: 2013-05-15.(Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6GdlBB0HK)

Related stories:

Feb 03, 2013 Threat of lawsuits prompts Champaign police to stand idle when pit bulls maul dogs

Champaign - An ill-prepared individual police officer using poor judgment fired seven shots at a pit bull attacking a dog, killing the dog.  One round ricocheted into an apartment building.  The officer was suspended for one day without pay.

Using this incident, Ledy Vankavage has swooped into Champaign and threatened that police officers and their employers will be sued if they attempt to shoot menacing dogs.  Why is Vankavage so interested in admonishing police to not shoot aggressive dogs that are mauling our pets?  Because they're usually pit bulls doing the mauling and normal dogs getting mauled to death.

From 2008 to 2012 Elgin police were forced to shoot 23 dogs and 20 of those were pit bulls.  In the same time span, Aurora police were forced to shoot 8 dogs and 5 or 6 of those were pit bulls.

By way of example, she shares a completely irrelevant lawsuit with police officers to scare them.  She cites a famous suit following a police raid on Hell's Angels' homes in which they shot and killed three dogs.  The Hells Angels won a settlement from the city.  The issue in that lawsuit was that police knew the dogs were present when they were planning the raid and made no plan to safely isolate the dogs.  That has nothing to do with encountering a dog with no warning while conducting police business or with trying to save a dog being attacked by a pit bull.

The Champaign police chief has vowed to implement new policy that will force police officers to stand idly by and allow a pit bull to turn a small friendly dog into a a puddle of blood and guts.

Police would have been forced to stand idly by if non lethal measures were ineffective while these innocent pets were attacked by pit bulls under Champaign's new policy:
Nov 01, 2012 Off duty cop kills attacking pit bull
Feb 21, 2012 Elgin police kill pit bull after it attacked dog
Sep 13, 2010 Dog Attack Prompts QPD to Shoot and Kill Pit Bull
Oct 10, 2007 Pugsly dog attacked by pit bulls dies; charges uncertain

Read more:
News Gazette  Accessed: 2013-05-06. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6GPAjKsYH)