Jul 19, 1990 Chicago Pit Bull Killed 6 Month Old Tionna Kenny

Chicago - "Yolanda Applewhite was outraged and defiant upon learning that no charges would be filed against the owner of a 55-pound pit bull that had mauled her 6- month-old daughter to death.

``I will press charges against him,`` she vowed.

The attack on Applewhite`s daughter, Tionna Kenny, occurred as she slept Wednesday night in the dog owner`s apartment. It, and another fatal attack by a mixed-breed pit bull last month in south suburban Dolton, have renewed the debate locally over the powerful dogs and how best to deal with them."


"That pit bull, which was owned by Tyrone Harding of 1339 W. 112th St., had bitten a resident of his street this year and had allegedly killed another animal. The dog was given a lethal injection Thursday.

``The animal killed another animal, had been impounded and was known in the neighborhood as a dangerous dog,`` said Randy Lockwood, vice president of the Humane Society of the United States, based in Washington, D.C. ``It should have been locked up in a cage or destroyed long ago.``

Map of Illinois Fatal Pit Bull Attacks by dogsbite.org

After living within earshot of Harding`s vicious dog, some of his neighbors said they believe that all pit bulls should be kept away from human beings.

``I love animals,`` said one neighbor who asked that her name not be printed. ``I have three cats and I had four dogs. But I feel pit bulls should not be allowed in a city.``"

"According to national statistics kept by the Humane Society, half of the 14 fatal attacks on humans, primarily children, so far this year have involved dogs that were at least part pit bull."

Back in the 1990's the Humane Society kept statistics of fatal attacks.  They have ceased attempting to be humane to children and monitor data that could improve safety to children, pets and adults.

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Gainesville Sun
Chicago Tribune

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Illinois fatal pit bull attacks

Jul 04, 1990 Westmont Considers `Vicious` Dog Law Targeting Pit Bull Terriers

Westmont - Westmont`s Village Board is considering passing a law aimed at the strict control of pit bull terriers and any other ``vicious`` dog.

Trustee Anthony Puccillo Jr. said that the proposed ordinance was prompted by a petition presented to the village by 13 residents who are concerned about a neighbor`s plans to adopt two pit bull terriers.

Last week, a mixed breed dog that was mostly pit bull attacked and killed a two-month-old Lansing girl asleep in the home of her grandmother in Dolton. Also last week, the owner of two pit bulls in Algonquin destroyed them shortly before a court order was issued declaring them vicious and ordering them to be taken into custody.

In November 1988, a Northern Illinois University graduate student was killed by two pit bull terriers when he entered the yard of a home he was visiting in Geneva Township in Kane County.

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Chicago Tribune

Jun 29, 1990 Dolton Pit Bull Kills Baby

Dolton - A 2-month-old girl who was left with her grandmother while her parents celebrated their third wedding anniversary died Thursday after being mauled by a mixed-breed dog that police said was mostly pit bull.

Map of Illinois Fatal Pit Bull Attacks by Dogsbite.org

In Dolton, Pfotenhauer said Lyla Provo was sitting next to the child watching televison about 8 p.m. when the dog attacked the infant for no apparent reason.

``My investigators were told that the grandmother had to pry the dog`s mouth open to pull him away from the child,`` Pfotenhauer said.

The baby was taken by ambulance to South Suburban Hospital`s trauma center in Hazel Crest with bites on the face, head and upper back.

``Doctors thought she was going to make it, and she was being transferred by helicopter to the University of Chicago Hospital when she died,`` Pfotenhauer said.

An autopsy by the Cook County medical examiner`s office also found a skull fracture and injuries to the brain.

In November, Kevin B. Cull, a Northern Illinois University graduate student, was fatally mauled by two pit bull terriers in unincorporatd Geneva Township. The killing touched off a drive by Dr. Joseph M. Busch,

administrator of the Kane County Public Health Committee, to seek amendments to the state`s Animal Control Act.

A result was that the General Assembly last week passed amendments that would define certain dogs as vicious and place restrictions on them. Dog owners who violate the restrictions could be fined.

``The bottom line is that the county will now be able to target vicious and dangerous (dogs) and force (owners) to comply without having to take them to court,`` said Busch. ``We will be able to control these animals and make the community safer for everyone.``

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Chicago Tribune

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People killed by pit bulls in Illinois

Feb 20, 1989 Rockford To Consider Banning New Pit Bulls

Ordinance would be tougher than one adopted last month

Rockford - Some Rockford aldermen want to put more teeth into the dity's canine codes.

Just three weeks after the city council adopted the county's vicious dog ordinance, the city's Codes and Regulations Committee wants to pass a tougher law - one that would muzzle resident pit bulldogs and ban any new ones.

Ald. John Anderson, R-14th, said he pushed for a breed-specific ofinance because he wasn't happy with the coynty's watered-down version.  The proposal affects only about 1 percent of all registered dog owners in Rockford, he aded.

"I care more about people than I do dogs… and this dog was bred to kill," said Anderson.  He added that about 95 percent of all dog-bite deaths stem from pit bulldog attacks.

Ald. Leonard Jacobson, D-6th, said he opposes the plan because it unfairly singles out one breed of dog.  He added that the existing vicious dog law -- which passed Jan. 30 after almost two years of compromise and discussion -- is sufficient.

"I think we need to give this ordinance a chance to work," Jacobson said.  "There are biters in all breeds … the (existing) law addresses that."

Dog owner groups have complained that breed-specific laws hurt responsible dog owners and are the first step in outlawing all dogs.  The council previously rejected versions of the laws banning or regulating pit bulls.

The proposed ordinance, approved by the Codes and Regulations Committee and up for a vote before the full council Tuesday, requires that all owners buy a $25 license at City Hall for their purebred or mixed-breed pit bulldogs.

Rockford Register Star, Rockford, IL, February 20, 1989, p. 1

Jan 30, 1989 Kane County Considers New Law After Pit Bull Attacks

Kane county - The ordinance is being considered as a result of the death of Kevin B. Cull, a Northern Illinois University graduate student, who was mauled by two pit bull terriers last November in unincorporated Geneva Township.

The dogs` owner, Thomas Kennedy, was not charged with a crime because

``there is nothing on the books that allowed us to provide charges against him,`` Busch said, referring to the Illinois Animal Control Act. The dogs were put to death by lethal injection earlier this month.

Under the new ordinance, an owner may be considered guilty of a crime if a dog ``attacks any human without provocation and inflicts severe injury or death,`` Busch said.

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Chicago Tribune

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Nov 12, 1988 Dekalb Pit Bull Kills NIU Student

Historical post:
Aug 16 1901 Springfield Sheriff's wife killed by bulldog

Dec 13, 1988 Rockford Pit Bull Used by Drug Dealers to Booby Trap Drug House

Rockford - Narcotics Officers were forced to shoot a pit bull after they busted down the door to a booby trapped drug house.

The Winnegago county Metro narcotics unit  officers shot the pit bull more than nine times as it continued to charge at the officers.

"It came flying out the door," said Sgt. Richard McMahon, head of the narcotics unit.  "We shot it nine times, and still it didn't even faze the dog."

The Rockford Register Star, Rockford IL, December 13, 1988, p. 3A

Nov 16, 1988 Pit Bull Restrictions Weighed In De Kalb

De Kalb Proposal Follows Fatal Mauling Of Student

De Kalb - The City of De Kalb may restrict ownership of pit bull terriers after last week`s fatal mauling of a Northern Illinois University student by pit bulls in Kane County.

City Manager Mark Stevens told the City Council Monday that he has asked City Attorney Ron Matakaitis to research the legalities of the issue after De Kalb residents called his office voicing fears about the breed of dog.

There are 23 pit bulls registered in De Kalb County, seven in the City of De Kalb, according to Karen Grush, a De Kalb County Health Department administrator.

Last Thursday, a pit bull mauled to death Kevin Cull, 25, of 120 Gurler St., De Kalb, a master`s degree candidate in chemistry who was to graduate from NIU in December. The mauling took place in front of a house in unincorporated Geneva Township that Cull apparently was visiting.

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Chicago Tribune
http://trib.in/1EWsij3