Elgin - A St. Charles woman has filed suit against an Elgin preacher,
claiming she and her daughter were mauled by his "vicious" pit bull.The
unprovoked attack happened May 10, 2009, when the dog "slipped his
collar" while plaintiff Kathleen Callahan and her daughter were visiting
in a backyard on the 2000 block of Torino Street in Elgin, according to
the lawsuit filed in Kane County on Wednesday.
The dog charged
and attacked the plaintiff's adult daughter, scratching and biting her
forearms, and then butted its head into Callahan's knee, causing injury
to both women, the suit says.
The dog's owners are identified as
Epworth United Methodist Church Pastor David Newhouse and his wife
Christy, who are each named as defendants along with Epworth and the
United Methodist Church.
David Newhouse, who was unaware of the
suit, referred questions Thursday to church attorney Alfred Kirkland,
who did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
The
complaint says Newhouse and his wife, who live next door to the
plaintiff's daughter, acquired the American Staffordshire terrier from a
humane society or rescue shelter several years ago, and that it
routinely escaped its leash and acted aggressively with people.
The
suit, which seeks more than $50,000 in damages, claims both the
Newhouses and the church, which owns the property where they live,
ignored the animal's "viciousness and its prior contact when running
free and unsupervised throughout the neighborhood."
As a result
of the attack, Callahan says, she suffered "severe and permanent
personal injuries, both internally and externally," which will affect
her ability to lead a normal life and left her with medical bills.
The case goes to a judge May 6 at the courthouse in Geneva.
Read more:
Daily Herald
Related posts:
Elgin pit bull attacks (there are a LOT of them)
Feb 02, 2010 Pit Bulls and Ignorance Equal "a Recipe for a Really Wicked Soup"
"Seventy percent of our calls are about pit bulls or pit bull mixes," he said. "We get calls about them every day - and it's not just one call a day either. It never stops. It's overwhelming."
The calls range from simple sightings of the dogs to bites to deadly attacks on other domestic animals.
"Because of the perception of pit bulls out there, when people see one running loose, they call us to come get it," he said. "But I'd rather them call than not because we've also gone out after they've killed a cat or another dog. We had a call not too long ago where a woman was walking her dog on a leash. She saw two pit bulls coming and pulled her dog into her arms, so they got her when they were trying to get at her dog."
The county animal shelter has also become home to several pit bulls in the past few months, thanks to owners who, after bringing the dogs into their families, decide the breed is "too aggressive," he said.
"A lot of times, they decide it's too aggressive and they stick it in a pen in the backyard and forget about it. That can make it even more aggressive. Then they are afraid of it and ask us to come get it," he said.
The calls range from simple sightings of the dogs to bites to deadly attacks on other domestic animals.
"Because of the perception of pit bulls out there, when people see one running loose, they call us to come get it," he said. "But I'd rather them call than not because we've also gone out after they've killed a cat or another dog. We had a call not too long ago where a woman was walking her dog on a leash. She saw two pit bulls coming and pulled her dog into her arms, so they got her when they were trying to get at her dog."
The county animal shelter has also become home to several pit bulls in the past few months, thanks to owners who, after bringing the dogs into their families, decide the breed is "too aggressive," he said.
"A lot of times, they decide it's too aggressive and they stick it in a pen in the backyard and forget about it. That can make it even more aggressive. Then they are afraid of it and ask us to come get it," he said.
- Franklin County Animal Control Supervisor Jarrett Broy
The Southern - What's the problem: People or pit bulls? Becky Malkovich
Accessed: 2011-12-30. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64JW9kFZx)
Accessed: 2011-12-30. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64JW9kFZx)
Feb 10, 2010 Vicious pit bull Abused pit bull
Mt. Vernon - Monday, police responded to a report of a vicious pit bull in the 700 block of Park Avenue.
Tuesday at 10:32 a.m., police responded to a report in the 900 block of South 19th Street that a pit bull that appeared to be abused was lying in the snow and possibly dead.
Register News
Feb 06, 2010 Pot Belly Pig Victim of Pit Bull
Harvard – Rang said she takes in pigs from all over the United States. One potbelly was even flown in from Washington state. She’s taken in sad cases, too, such as the potbelly who was attacked by a pit bull and the pig who was abandoned in a shed without food when the owners moved.
For more information about Pig Tales, call Gregg and Claudia Rang at (815) 943-3580.
By Mary Wicoff
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Jan 18, 2010 Cops: Chicago Man Mauled to Death by Daughter's Pit Bulls
Chicago – A Chicago woman came home to find her father mauled to death by a pack of pit bulls she was raising, according to Chicago police.
Johnny Wilson, 56, was found Jan. 17 lying on the floor covered in blood. His ears were bitten off, one eye was mauled, and he had bite wounds on his chest, upper body and head, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office, who ruled Wilson's death an accident.
In the Chicago Breaking News Center report, Cherie Travis attempts to deny that the pit bulls are pit bulls. She claims to know for certain they are a mix, but couldn't tell you a mix of what.
[UPDATE: Two years later, Cherie Travis referred to this mauling as a pit bull mauling.]
Read more:
CBS News Accessed: 2012-01-28. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/652R0XlhX)
NBC Chicago Accessed: 2012-01-28. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/652R4SaID)
ABC local
Chicago Breaking News Center
Johnny Wilson, 56, was found Jan. 17 lying on the floor covered in blood. His ears were bitten off, one eye was mauled, and he had bite wounds on his chest, upper body and head, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office, who ruled Wilson's death an accident.
In the Chicago Breaking News Center report, Cherie Travis attempts to deny that the pit bulls are pit bulls. She claims to know for certain they are a mix, but couldn't tell you a mix of what.
[UPDATE: Two years later, Cherie Travis referred to this mauling as a pit bull mauling.]
Read more:
CBS News Accessed: 2012-01-28. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/652R0XlhX)
NBC Chicago Accessed: 2012-01-28. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/652R4SaID)
ABC local
Chicago Breaking News Center
Accessed: 2011-12-30. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64JVcwDck)
Who runs CACC and why won't Chicago Punish Irresponsible Pit Bull Owners?
Comments from the Chicago Breaking News Center story
Who runs CACC and why won't Chicago Punish Irresponsible Pit Bull Owners?
Comments from the Chicago Breaking News Center story
Becca on January 18, 2010 12:26 PM
In response to the comment by "Mark on January 18, 2010 11:31 AM". I, too, am an Animal Control Officer and firmly believe that it doesn't matter how you raise them, it is the breed itself that is the problem.
I have been out on calls where people's beloved pets have been shredded to pieces by pits in front of them. I have been on calls where people have been trapped in their home and the pit is outside trying to tear the door down to get to them. I have seen an elderly woman's bloody arms after a pit bull attacked and killed her beloved Corgi. She beat the pit with piece of wood and was attacked by it. I had to respond to a 19 year old kid who was attacked by his own pit bull. His hand was "de-gloved" of its skin! It is NOT just a coincidence that they're pit and pit mixes. And it is not just the media reporting on pit attacks as I am the Officer who responded to the calls.
Yes, all dogs can bite but the pit has been destroyed by bad breeding. In the meantime, the government has a responsibility to protect people from them. They need to enact breed specific legislation as most owners won't bother having a quarter million in liability insurance on their pit unless forced to do so.
James Cherokee on January 18, 2010 12:30 PM
Just because a pit bull is raised as a puppy in loving care does not mean that the breed itself is not a naturally aggressinve breed of canine. I'm a vet and have seen/heard stories like this many times. Case in point; a pit raised by a perfect caring family for 6 years sees a neighboring 4 year old girl running outside playing in HER yard, the dog busted through the screen and nearly killed her. I was treating a pit once and was great with people but almost tore my arm off as it tried to leap at a smaller dog. The fact is that these dogs despite some loving characteristics are VERY unpredictable regardless of upbringing or care. Poor bredding practices have also helped ruin this line of dogs. Those who challenge that German Shepards are equally as agressive are dead wrong. Shepards are a very intelligent and loyal dogs and upon proper care, will be as good and docile of a dog as a bassett. This is from an advice pamphlet in my office about choosing a dog; interesting how this is specific towards a specific breed of dog:
Unstable temperaments. American Pit Bull Terriers are a dime a dozen today, and most of them are bred and offered for sale by people who don't have the slightest idea of how to breed good-tempered dogs who can function in our society. Obedience instructors and behavioral consultants see LOTS of Pit Bulls with flat-out dangerous temperaments. It is difficult to find a responsible breeder when one has to sort through all the hype from macho breeders who boast about their dogs' "power" and "invincibility."
Extreme animal aggression. Most Pit Bull Terriers are aggressive toward other dogs. Many have strong instincts to chase and seize cats and other fleeing creatures, including deer and livestock. If anything goes wrong in the breeding, socializing, training, handling, or management of this breed, it is capable of seriously injuring or killing other animals.
Jan 05, 2010 Dogfighting in DuPage County: 2nd Lombard Man is Sentenced
Robert Kollman gets 60 days after 2 pit bulls were found fighting in May
By Art Barnum
One of two Lombard men charged with staging a fight between their two family pit bulls in May pleaded guilty Monday to dogfighting and was sentenced to 60 days in jail.
Read More:
Chicago Tribune
Accessed: 2011-12-28. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64H6nioMM)
Accessed: 2011-12-28. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64H6nioMM)
Jan 04, 2010 Galesburg 14 dogs deemed dangerous all pit bulls shelter wants mandatory spay & neuter
Galesburg - Pit bulls are notoriously hard to adopt, according to Erin Buckmaster, adoption coordinator at Prairieland Animal Welfare Center. And with about half the dogs at the shelter pit bulls or pit bull mixes, that is a big concern for her.
Fourteen dogs, all pit bulls, were deemed dangerous in 2008 and 2009 to date. Only one person opted to pay the extra fees to continue to own the dog.
“I just wish there was a law that forced owners of pit bulls to have them spayed or neutered,” said Buckmaster. “Then we wouldn’t have so many of these dogs without homes.”
Read more:
The Register-Mail Accessed: 2011-12-16. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/63zQk6qCR)
The Register-Mail Accessed: 2011-12-16. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/63zQk6qCR)
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