Pit Bull Attacks and Dogfighting in Illinois

Jun 22, 2016 Mt. Vernon Pit Bull Attacked Jogger and his Dog

Mt. Vernon - After retiring, I bought a house in Mt. Vernon. My parents moved us to Texas when I was nine. I am enjoying the open friendliness of the people here.

On Friday, June 17, I was running with my dog near my house, when a pit bull, seemingly out of nowhere, attacked my dog. Fiona was severely injured and I was bitten trying to stop the attack. As I lay in the road holding my dog to protect it from the pit bull, two cars stopped to help. One of the drivers, Tonya, called her veterinarian and drove us to the clinic. On the way, 911 dispatch called and asked where we were. She had sent EMS, fire and police to the site. I didn’t know this and told the dispatcher that I left the scene to save my dog’s life, and that my injuries could wait for now.

While Dr. Lamczyk worked to save her, police and animal control arrived to document the attack and for me to identify the pit bull. The police officer and the animal control officer were concerned, professional and their actions helped to relieve some of the stress of the ordeal. Tonya stayed and later drove me home. The clinic staff were amazing. Fiona survived and is home.

I want to thank the Mt. Vernon Police Department, emergency services and dispatch, animal control, the concerned citizens who stopped and everyone at Lamczyk Veterinary Clinic. You made a bad situation bearable.

Monty Bradford
Mt. Vernon

Read more:Register News

Jun 22, 2016 Mercer Co. Pit Bull Mix Severely Injures 4-year-old

New Boston - A pit bull mix that was leashed while at a get-together severely mauled a 4-year-old boy’s face requiring surgery and likely future plastic surgery.

The only outlet to report the attack refused to mention breed and downplayed the seriousness of the injury by calling the attack a “bite” in the headline. Photos that accompany the report show an injury that is already sewn up, but that likely removed a large amount of flesh from the boy’s cheek.

Police are reporting that this was “just a mistake” and no charges have yet been filed although the investigation is ongoing. The boy did nothing to the pit bull and the attack was completely unprovoked. The pit bull was leashed at the time.

OurQuadCities.com

Jun 21, 2016 Pit Bull Attacks Second Child; Declared Vicious

Charleston - A judge on Tuesday concluded that there's "no question" that a dog that bit two children is vicious and would continue to be a safety threat if allowed to live.

Charleston is the home of Eastern Illinois University
They don't need pit bulls

Coles County Circuit Judge Brien O'Brien said he felt he had no choice but to order euthanization for the 4-year-old pit bull that most recently bit a 9-year-old child on April 12.

The dog also bit a 3-year-old child at the home of its owner, Kathy Daubs, on Woodlawn Drive in Mattoon in May 2014. O'Brien also noted the recent report that the dog was running loose, which led to authorities' efforts to have it euthanized.

"My concern is about public safety," O'Brien said. "How do I know it's not going to escape again? How do I know if there's not going to be another child that suffers the consequences?"

About a week after the most recent incident, Coles County animal shelter officials deemed it dangerous. That meant it could only be returned to Daubs if she followed certain conditions, including keeping the dog confined and muzzled.

In court Tuesday, Daubs said she kept the dog muzzled after it was returned to her. She said it was also confined to her home but got out of her yard on April 30 because someone moved a piece of fencing, which she since repaired.

The dog's running loose led the Coles County State's Attorney's Office to file the petition seeking the vicious dog designation and euthanization.

Assistant State's Attorney Jesse Danley said the two incidents showed a "pattern," as both times young children were bitten in the face.

"The fear is this dog goes for the cheek next time and gets a kid by the throat," he said.

During the most recent incident, the dog was on a leash but managed to get away from Daubs and bite the child, Danley added. Noting the dog's recent escape from Daubs' yard, he said euthanization was the only guarantee it wouldn't bite another child.

"Unfortunately, Ms. Daubs can't handle this dog," Danley said. "A pit bull with the capability to kill someone doesn't belong in her custody."

The more recent incident also took place near Daubs' house, when the dog bit a child on a bicycle. Daubs claimed the child got too close to her and the dog but other accounts indicated they were separated.

With the 2014 incident, Daubs claimed she pulled the dog by its collar when it jumped on the child and thought the child was injured by being hit by the dog's head. There was evidence of puncture wounds and other indications of a bite, however.

Read more:
Journal Gazette & Times-Courrier

Related posts:
Apr 26, 2016 Mattoon Pit Bull Deemed Dangerous After Biting 2nd Girl in Two Years
Nov 12, 2010 Mattoon Woman Shaken After Pit Bull Kills Daughter's Chihuahua

Jun 16, 2016 Boulder Hill Pit Bull Attacked 2-year-old Girl

Boulder Hill - A pit bull bit a toddler in the face while she was visiting family on June 4th. The child was taken to the hospital and then released. The pit bull will be able to stay in the home.

This is the second reported pit bull attack in Oswego in 2 weeks. And a month before that, a pit bull was shot because it was menacing people in the park. Oswego has racked up a good number of pit bull attacks in the last couple years.

Read more:
Oswego Patch

Related posts:
Jun 10, 2016 Boulder Hill Pit Bull Attacked a Woman and Was Shot Dead
Apr 14, 2016 Boulder Hill Pit Bull Shot to Stop Attack

Jun 28, 2015 Oswego Boy Bitten by “Boxer mix” on Prairie Path: Police

Mar 26, 2015 Oswego Pit Bull Attacks for the Third Time

Mar 26, 2015 Oswego Pit Bull Attacked Girl and Killed Dog

Jul 06, 2014 Oswego Pit Bull Escapes Home and Bites Someone

Jun 14, 2016 Carpentersville Pit Bull Attack on Dog Inspires New Dangerous Dog Laws

Carpentersville - What must have been a pit bull seriously attacked a sweet dog named Buddy after invading Buddy’s own backyard. Buddy’s owner found out that virtually nothing would be done to stop another attack by the same pit bull, so he asked the Carpentersville Board of Trustees to look into it.

Buddy is a pit bull attack victim

Though the press and the board have gone to extremes to hide and protect pit bulls, board meeting minutes show that the board looked at BSL which is a sure sign it was a pit bull that attacked. They went to extremes to avoid leaving a public record of their discussions about pit bulls. Though two of the discussions about dangerous dogs were conducted in open sessions and open sessions are videotaped, the two discussions about dangerous dog laws and Buddy's attack were scheduled after breaks. The video stopped for the break and there is no video of the open meeting after the breaks.

Though the board of trustees did discuss dangerous dog breed bans and the ban on BSL in Illinois, no one brought up the fact that, as a home rule city, Carpentersville can implement BSL despite the statewide ban. And they should do so for the protection, well-being, and sustained quality of life of Carpentersville citizens.

The upshot is that Carpentersville refuses to protect people and pets from pit bulls and first time attacks will continue as usual. With the new regulations, if people bother to comply, it could get expensive and more difficult to keep dangerous and vicious dogs. And yeah, it is AOK to keep vicious dogs in Carpentersville. It is even OK to keep a dangerous dog on a property that does not allow a fence to be built.

The extent to which Illinois cities are willing to twist and contort themselves to protect mauling pit bulls and their owners would be hilarious if it were not so extremely amoral and if the burden citizens will bear in injury and death were not so heavy to bear.

Chicago Tribune

Village of Carpentersville Streaming Media Archive

Related posts - Illinois cities that have faced pit bull problems and refused to regulate pit bulls for the safety of their citizens:

February 2016 Joliet - While city committee members were in the midst of reworking dangerous dog laws prompted by pit bull attacks, another pit bull attack on a little dog that did $3,512 worth of damage revealed that nothing the committee members were working on would have addressed that attack because the Joliet city committee members refused to regulate pit bulls and were intent on trying to address pit bull problems with breed neutral ordinances. That never works.

Feb 09, 2016 Not One Lincolnwood Resident Opposed Removing BSL After Pit Bull Attacks

October 2014 Galesburg - Over a year after, Ryan Maxwell, one of Galesburg's children, was horrifically killed by a pit bull, and after Galesburg refused to take breed specific measures, Galesburg is still suffering from pit bull attacks.

March 2014 Jacksonville - The director of Morgan County's animal control laid out his proposals to regulate pit bull ownership. Addressing Jacksonville city leaders, Dr. Jay Hudson recounted a story about two pit bulls attacking his pony. He go no support from the county.

August, 2013 Glenwood - The village has enacted a non-breed specific dangerous dog ordinance in response to a pit bull problem. Every single Illinois municipal area that has looked at stronger dangerous dog statutes has been prompted to do so because of pit bull attacks.

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.

May, 2012 Waukegan approves pit ordinance. ACO Nicole Garza says, "We deal with dangerous dogs. Waukegan is known for them. Unfortunately, we are a town for pit bulls."

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

Jun 10, 2016 Update on Boulder Hill Pit Bull That Attacked a Woman

Boulder Hill - The reporting on this has been absolutely bizarre. There have been reports and updates mostly about the pit bull. The focus has not been on the fact a woman was seriously mauled. There have been updates on why the pit bull was shot, but scant attention is given the injuries, well-being or recovery of the victim.

On may 15th an American bulldog attacked the mother of its owner inside the mother’s home. The woman grabbed a hammer to try to defend herself, but the attack continued outside where the woman collapsed.

Neighbors saw the attack and some of them managed to stop the attack with a baseball bat and a knife. When deputies came, they asked the woman if they could shoot the menacing dog, she said yes, and then they shot it, killing it.

A lot of reporting space is being taken up talking about the deputies justifications for shooting the mauler, with no updates on the victim's condition.

When firefighters came, they saw she was in a lot of pain with injuries to her hands, stomach and feet, and that is all that is known.

Read more:
Chicago Tribune
http://bit.ly/1UVNjPG
WSPY
http://bit.ly/1WO6aCA

Related posts:
May 17, 2016 Boulder Hill Pit Bull Attacked Woman was Bludgeoned and Shot to Death
Apr 14, 2016 Boulder Hill Pit Bull Shot to Stop Attack (different attack)

Jun 08, 2016 Batavia Pit Bull Shot by Police; Loose and Aggressive

Batavia - A black and white pit bull was loose and when a police officer attempted to leash it, it began repeatedly aggressively charging at the officer. When the officer approached, the pit bull became aggressive and charged the officer several times before knocking the officer down. The officer shot the aggressive pit bull in the side in self defense.

Batavia Doesn't Need Aggressive Pit Bulls

The pit bull ran away and attacked a leashed labrador it encountered. The pit bull is expected to survive. The owner, JENNIFER ATKINSON, was located and ticketed. The same pit bull had bitten a person in April 2015.