Apr 18, 2013 Granite City pit bull kills sheltie mix

Granite City - A Granite City pit bull killed a sheltie mix owned and being walked by a man with mental disabilities The pit bull owner has only been issued a ticket for a loose dog.
File photo of Sheltie
Police responded to reports that an aggressive dog was attacking people.  The loose pit bull had killed a mentally disabled man's sheltie mix and then attacked the sheltie owner when he picked up his mortally wounded sheltie.  People threw bricks at the pit bull and it momentarily retreated.

When police arrived, the shaken sheltie owner who was injured and covered in blood, was screaming, "He killed my dog."

A patrolman shot the pit bull to protect the sheltie owner when the pit bull circled back aggressively.  The pit bull was suffering after the first shot, so the officer fired again to put the pit bull out of its misery.

Police Chief Rich Miller defended the officers' actions, but expressed remorse that the pit bull was killed.

Chief Miller then attempted to normalize pit bull aggression and dangerousness by saying "Sometimes these things are accidents, the dog gets away" as if when other kinds of dogs get loose they kill small dogs in the presence of the victim's owner and then attack the owner.

Miller also said that the city has one or two dog attacks on people a year.

The pit bull owner was ticketed for a loose dog.  The sheltie owner was taken to the hospital, treated and released.

Five years ago Granite City  enacted a tougher dangerous dog ordinance after a horrible serial pit bull attack on two dogs.  The ordinance mandates a special license for owners of dangerous and vicious dogs which requires the owner to provide proof of insurance, immunizations, veterinary care among other things.  The dangerous dog owner must also provide photographs of the dangerous dog and pay a dangerous dog licence fee.

The city sanitation dept is to inspect the premises to verify adequate containment before the license is granted.  And there are requirements the owner of the dangerous dog must follow.

Read more:
Municode - click on link and read chapter 6.20 VICIOUS AND DANGEROUS DOGS
dogsbite.org
BND  Accessed: 2013-04-18. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6FzE1vdhu)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch  Accessed: 2013-04-19. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6FzNyLc07)

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