Pit Bull Attacks and Dogfighting in Illinois

Dec 16, 2012 Pit bulls killed by police during drug bust

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Dec 06, 2012 Dog fight bust in Dolton, IL

UPDATE: photos of the dogfighters who, if pit bull advocates have their way, will get no jail time in exchange for blood money to put fighting dogs in your neighbor's home:

Dolton - Eight people were arrested and four pit bulls were recovered when police broke up a dog fight in progress. The dog fighters scurried like rats every which way and six of them were found hiding in the rafters - like rats.

Chicago area media, well-tutored by the pit bull promoters, reported that the dogs "looked like pit bulls" or didn't ascribe a breed to them at all and reported that the dogs had been "rescued."

Here is a fight bust dog next to a champion pure bred fighting pit bull:

And as usual, because this is Chicago, commenters are hoping that the "poor babies" can be adopted out. No thank you. I do not want a fight bust dog owned by a nincompoop who thinks they have to be forced to fight landing in my neighbor's yard.

Here is what these bad boys are all about:

Dec 05, 2012 Chicago police shoot pit bull sicced on them by thieves

Chicago - One of the six people who robbed a pizza delivery driver released a pit bull to attack pursuing Chicago police. Officers shot the pit bull twice, but it survived. Police caught all six robbers and no one was hurt.

This occurred just a few days after the Seattle Times published a story about a new study by the NCRC, a pit bull advocacy group, that laments the number of dogs shot by police as largely avoidable if only police understood dog body language. Why is a pit bull advocacy group leading the charge? Statistics of police shootings of dogs from a couple of Illinois cities might make that clear:

Between 2008 and July 2012 Elgin police were forced to shoot 23 dogs, 20 of which were pit bulls.
In the same time period Aurora police shot 8 dogs, 5 or 6 of which were pit bulls.
Illinois Pit Bull Attacks has found 78 accounts of pit bulls being shot. Roughly 76 were shot by police.

Now it becomes clear why the NCRC has published this study - because the vast majority of dogs shot by police are pit bulls.

The Seattle Times article leads with this statement:

There has never been a documented case of a dog killing a police officer.

I'm just spit balling here, but that might be because police officers are armed and are willing and able to fire on dogs to protect themselves when they are threatened.

There certainly are cops who wrongly shoot pets. Officers need education and discipline to avoid that. However, very few of the 76 or so police shootings of pit bulls that have been reported in this blog suggest that the officer was unjustified. Often, pit bulls can only be stopped from attacking by shooting them.

But, if cops seem more willing to shoot all kinds of dogs since pit bulls have come on the scene and more and more cops are witnessing pit bull attacks believing they are typical of all dog bites, well, then that is simply yet another way that selfish pit bull owners are hurting us and our normal dogs by bringing their fighting dogs into our communities.

The only way to make sure fewer pit bulls are shot is to make sure there are fewer pit bulls.

Pit bull owners, it might be noted, give their blessings to cops who shoot their pit bulls when the pit bulls are attacking them, the owner.

Read more:
CBS local
Chicago Tribune
Police One

Related posts:
Sep 13, 2012 Berwyn pit bulls attack woman, police officer and kill small dog
Aug 06, 2012 Police: South Elgin officer kills pit bull attacking family
It is Time, Elgin
Apr 12, 2012 Cook County Cop Details Off Property, Unprovoked, Serial Attack to Defend Pit Bulls
Jun 29, 2011 Victim Of Dog Attack Speaks Out
Nov 25, 2010 Rockford alderman, daughter bitten in pit bull attack
Aug 07 2010 Pit Bulls Attack 5 Year Old Boy

Nov 26, 2012 Woodridge pit bull fatally mauls gentle maltipoo

UPDATE: More information has been received that the attacking pit bull had a previous dog attack that was not reported in exchange for the pit bull owner paying for medical bills. And since the fatal attack on Buddy, the attacking pit bull was designated dangerous, but that did not stop the owner from negligently letting his dog run loose and it was picked up in April. Can you imagine this dog that absolutely loves attacking and killing dogs running loose? And NONE of this was reported in the media.

Woodridge - Ann Kramer sent in an account about the fatal pit bull attack that killed her sweet companion dog, Buddy. She says that she wants to share the experience even though it was painful to sit and write it down. She wants to share her story because she wants pit bull attacks to stop. The media did not cover this.

Part of what makes sharing her story difficult is knowing she would have done things differently had she known how dangerous and lethal pit bulls are. And now that she knows, she looks back in sorrow, feeling guilt that she should have done more to protect Buddy because Buddy looked to her for protection. She wants to share her story so other people can know and protect their beloved pets from pit bulls.

RIP sweet Buddy

Her story:
My experience was last year November 25th. It was a really beautiful Sunday afternoon and my granddaughter and I had been sick for the 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. But I felt great that day and wanted to take Buddy my little Maltipoo out for a long walk.

My Granddaughter was not with me when I decided to take Buddy for a walk, she was visiting with her mom.

I went out of my door ( I live in a condo on the 2nd floor) and started walking down the hall. I heard something down the stairs (I had seen my neighbor walking out with their Pit Bull earlier) and figured it must be them coming back in. So instead of going directly to the stairway, I stayed back and looked over to see who or what I could see. I saw the dog coming up the stairs but didn't see the owner. I know the dog was on a leash but I could also tell it was a retractable leash. I stepped back and said "I'll wait back here until you take your dog home" I don't really know what he said maybe he said OK. Not sure at this time. But I stayed back and was up against the wall watching the dog continue to come toward us. I asked him "hey is your dog going to be ok?" because at that time the dog was coming closer and I realized I wasn't far enough away from the dog. Buddy got behind me up against the wall. The Pit came closer and I never saw the owner. Then the dog was standing next to us against the wall looking down at Buddy. The next thing I know was the dog just grabbed Buddy, and I started screaming "come and get your dog" Just then I saw the owner for the first time. But the dog took Buddy and got in another position in front of us. At that point the owner started punching the Pit but it never let go. At some point the owners brother came out and tried punching at the dog also but the dog never let go. Finally and what seemed like a very long time of screaming and screaming and feeling like I was going to pass out. I think I was screaming and crying as much as Buddy was crying. This is so hard to go over again. Then my neighbor came out and came running toward us and he was the one that got the Pit to let go.

I brought Buddy to the vet she had one puncture wound and two other wounds that didn't break the skin. She had drains and stitches and they let me take her home. But the shaking is what did the damage. It seemed like it never ended. She actually passed away on 11/26.

I hope that you can use my story for some good. My sweet little Buddy wouldn't hurt a fly and I just couldn't get over how awful this was for her. I know Buddy looked to me for protection and I feel like I failed her. I will not ever get over how horrible this was.

Thank you, Ann, for sharing your heartbreaking story so others can save their pets.

Other pit bull attacks not reported in the media:
Aug 27, 2013 Bolingbrook police shoot pit bull attacking puggle
Jul 29, 2013 Zion teen receives $1.125 million after bullmastiff attack
Mar 06 2012 Pit Bulls seriously maul two dogs in Logan Square
Apr 18, 2011 Unreported Pit Bull Attacks in Chicago's 33rd Ward

Nov 26, 2012 Kids in Chicago don't see a problem with dogfighting

Chicago - Thanks to policies and programs by Safe Humane Chicago and Best Friends Animal Society that encourage pit bull ownership in poverty stricken neighborhoods infested with dogfighting, and placing fight bust dogs back into Chicago communities, small children are now wondering what the problem with dogfighting even is. They see it all the time, and, as 14 year old Jason Walker says, "I really don't see what the big deal is about making dogs fight. If two dogs want to fight then how is that illegal?"

Even though Safe Humane Chicago has been propagandizing about pit bulls to kids in Chicago communities for years, kids still don't see what the big deal about dogfighting is. Dogfighting is still a way of life.

So, by all means, let's continue to pump more pit bulls back into impoverished neighborhoods. And, by all means, let's take fight bust dogs and put THOSE pits back in Chicago neighborhoods providing cover for the dogfighters and endangering normal dogs.

Heaven forbid we ban pit bulls, removing cover for dogfighters and the opportunity for pre-teens to fight their pet pit bulls informally, preparing them for the big league.

Let's keep working to make Chicago more dangerous and more inhumane.

Read more:
DNAinfo.com

Related posts:
Dec 06, 2012 Dog fight bust in Dolton, IL
Who runs CACC and why won't Chicago Punish Irresponsible Pit Bull Owners?
Jul 16, 2011 Dog Fighting in Our Neighborhood
May 31, 2011 Felon Arrested for Pit Bull Fighting
Sep 03, 2011 Owner of decapitated dog hopes to save other pets
Jul 01, 2011 Crackdown on NW Side gang nets 5 dogfighting arrests
Dec 30, 2010 Seven Arrested at Maywood Dogfight in Progress
Jun 28, 2010 No Jail in Dogfighting Case, but 3 Must Pay for Dogs' Care

Nov 11, 2012 Kane County Health Dept. Confirms That First Responder Dawn Brown Killed By Bullmastiff

Health Dept. officials confirm that Dawn Brown's mastiff
was a bullmastiff gripping breed

Big Rock - The mastiff that killed its new owner, firefighter Dawn Brown, was a bull breed. Just as developers of the pit bull terrier cross bred terriers with bulldogs to give them deadly gripping traits, developers of the bullmastiff were bred from 60% mastiff and 40% bulldog to create a more aggressive mastiff.

As has been widely reported, the bullmastiff was a new addition to the family and the dogs were not getting along together. There has been speculation that Brown attempted to break up a dogfight.
Dawn Brown was a gripping breed lover. Her two other dogs were a pit bull mix and a boxer.

The bullmastiff was euthanized.

Read more:
BND Accessed: 2012-11-22. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/6CMwu476C)
dogsbite.org
CBS Chicago Accessed: 2012-11-22. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/6CN07vera)

Nov 16, 2012 Dog attacked by pit bull then fatally shot by police

Champaign - While attempting to save a labrador that was being attacked by a pit bull, police accidentally shot the labrador.

The victim dog was an exceedingly well-trained, gentle labrador retriever that was a beloved and cherished pet. The owner's daughter had to witness a protracted attack by an aggressive pit bull and then see her dog shot dead.

The young woman was walking her dog on a leash when a pit bull ran up to them for the express purpose of attacking her dog. The woman and another person tried to kick the pit bull off the lab, but when police arrived, the pit bull was still attacking the lab.

In an attempt to kill the pit bull and save the labrador, a police officer accidentally fatally shot the labrador.

The story on Illinois homepage.net headlines this as a dog fight when it is revealed that the victim dog was an exceedingly well-trained, gentle dog. This was NOT a dog fight. This was an attack by a fighting breed dog on a beloved, cherished and well-trained pet in a supposedly civilized society.

Read more:
The news-Gazette
Illinois homepage.net

Related posts:
Mar 31, 2011 Broadlands: Man Shoots Neighbor's Pit Bull
Aug 27, 2009 Pit bull attacks 80 year old woman
Jun 03, 2009 Pit Bull Attack on little boy
May 05, 2007 Pit bull invades home attacks 85-year-old for 30 minutes, breaks her back