Pit Bull Attacks and Dogfighting in Illinois

Sep 13, 2012 Berwyn pit bulls attack woman, police officer and kill small dog

UPDATE: Sep 19, 2012
Berwyn police had issued at least 29 citations to the owners of the pit bull that killed a small dog in the two years previous to the attack. NORMA ARGUETA and FERNANDO TREVINO of 2640 Ridgeland ave. had abused their dogs, terrorized their neighborhood, failed to pay their fines, and Berwyn police failed to take the pit bulls away before a small dog was killed and the owner sent to the emergency room.

Berwyn - A pit bull crawled under a fence to attack a small dog being walked by a woman. The woman was attacked when she tried to protect her dog. The small dog was killed.

When police arrived, instead of immediately shooting the pit bull, police attempted to capture it and a police officer was also injured. Once police had determined that the pit bull was extremely aggressive and an "immediate threat to everyone in the area," police fatally shot it.

At the same time, a second pit bull jumped over a five foot fence and was also fatally shot.

Police Chief James Ritz said that the pit bulls were very aggressive and it was a very dangerous situation. Police are looking at charging the pit owners, but does not yet know if the charges will be criminal charges or local dog ordinance charges.

Read more:
Chicago Sun Times Accessed: 2012-09-14. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/6Afn2H3mK)
Chicago Tribune Accessed: 2012-09-14. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/6Afn7n7lT)

My Suburban Life Accessed: 2012-09-20. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/6ApjQ1L2k)

Sep 12, 2012 Thank you Virginia for keeping weapons grade pit bulls from coming to Elgin, Illinois

Loudoun VA - Tremain Dene Johnson, 44, of Lithonia, Ga., and Harry Ortice Puckett, 33, of Elgin, Ill., are charged with importing pet dogs into the Commonwealth of Virginia from another state without certificate of veterinary inspection, a Class 1 misdemeanor.

The men were stopped on the Dulles Greenway when an Loudoun Animal Control officer...found the men were in possession of 10 dogs that appeared to be pit bulls or pit bull mixes of varying ages and degrees of health.

“By law we can seize animals if we feel their health is a direct or immediate threat. These dogs met that criteria and we had grounds for seizing,” said Adrienne Burton, chief of Loudoun County Animal Control.

Read more:
Loudoun Times Accessed: 2012-09-12. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6AdaQ281m)

Sep 12, 2012 The Troubled Past Of Teen Pit Bull Victim Charged In Fatal Highland Park Crash

UPDATE: Carly Rousso who was 18 when she crashed into a family killing a 5 year old girl in 2012 has been released from prison after serving 3.5 years of her 5 year sentence.

Highland Park - A teen-aged girl hit a group of people with her car killing a five-year-old girl. Years before, the driver had been a victim of a pit bull attack that left her with scars, and psychological problems which led to substance abuse.

Last week, Rousso, 18, was charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence of an intoxicating compound after a crash that killed a 5-year-old girl in Highland Park and injured her mother and two brothers.

On Tuesday — the same day the funeral was held for the girl, Jaclyn Santos-Sacramento — Rousso was briefly jailed before she was released on bond with a curfew and an agreement not to drive or consume any intoxicants. During a court appearance, her lawyer also revealed that she is receiving outpatient treatment, though he did not specify for what.

Carly Rousso said she was afraid to sleep. After the Highland Park teenager was attacked by a pit bull three years ago, she had frequent nightmares in which an animal — often a dog but always something with teeth — would attack her.

She switched schools; her grades fell. She reported hallucinations and suicidal thoughts, according to court records filed in a lawsuit against the pit bull's owner.

Court records reveal that Rousso has had past struggles with substance use and emotional problems that stretch back years. Her family claimed in a lawsuit against the pit bull owner responsible for her attack that the attack led to many of her troubles. She also was later cited for marijuana possession and as a result participated in a 12-step rehab program, court records show. The information gathered from court records reveals a more complex portrait of the woman charged in the Labor Day crash.

Through a family spokesman, Rousso's parents declined to comment about the pit bull attack or their daughter's past struggles.

On May 1, 2009, Rousso was visiting a friend's home in Highland Park when a pit bull her friend's brother was walking on a leash suddenly attacked her without provocation, according to the lawsuit.

Read more:
UPDATE Chicago Tribune Archive
Chicago Tribune
http://trib.in/1EP3mKm

Related posts:

Jun 26, 2009 Highland Park, Elgin consider restrictions on pit bulls
May 15, 2009 Highland Park Crumbles On Pit-Bull Ban Failing Victim
May 4, 2009 Highland Park Mulls Pit Bull Ban After Attack

Sep 06, 2012 Oak Forest Dog Owner: 'Neighbor's Pit Bull Killed My Dog'

RIP Powder

Oak Forest - Bonnie Fouts-Bell, owner of two American Eskimo dogs, was horrified to find that her 15 year old male, Powder, was in the neighbor's yard with the neighbor's pit bull. Powder had been so severely mauled, the pit bull broke his neck, that the had to be euthanized.

The veterinarian that saw Powder after the mauling said that he believed Powders injuries were consistent with being dragged under the fence, but could not state this with certainty.

Even though the owner of the pit bull, RAUL BUSTOS, was not at home at the time, having left the pit bull unattended in the yard all day, he feels that the 15 year old dog must have wriggled under the fence into his yard to be killed by the pit bull.

BUSTOS also criticizes Power's owner because she has sprayed both her dogs and his dog when they have barking matches at the fence. An interesting question to pose to BUSTOS would be "What did you do to stop the barking at the fence?"

Police chief Greg Anderson said that they could only send letters of recommendations to the owners to prevent the pit bull from killing again. Anderson told Bouts-Bell that it is she who should make her fence pit bull proof.

Oak Forest Patch Accessed: 2012-09-10. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/6AaLRmYl2)

Related posts:
List of Invasion Attacks
These are attacks where the dog invades a home, place of business, occupied building or securely enclosed yard expressly to attack. Attacks in which the pit bull pulls another animal through their fence in an attempt to kill them are also considered invasion attacks. Invasion attacks by dogs other than pit bulls are virtually non-existent.

Sep 05, 2012 Glen Ellyn Pit bull immediately euthanized after attack on child in home

Glen Ellyn - Justin Wolter called police to help him dispose of a pit bull after it bit an 11 month old relative in their home. When police arrived, the family had already taken the girl, who was bitten in the face, to get medical attention.

Glen Ellyn police called DuPage Animal Control who euthanized the dog and sent the pit bull's head to a laboratory for rabies testing. Tests came back negative for rabies.

The dog owner was owner was cited for failure to license the dog and failure to get the dog vaccinated for rabies.

Read more:
Glen Ellyn Patch
89 WLS Accessed: 2012-09-07. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/6AVdbuM1p)
Chicago Sun-Times Accessed: 2012-09-07. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/6AVdggdT8)

Sep 03, 2012 Pit bull attack 2 days ago in Chicago

Chicago - An Edgewater resident recounts a pit bull attack on herself and her dogs. The pit bull had previous bites an was supposed to be wearing a muzzle.

"This was THE most horrific scene and worse than you can ever imagine."

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Everyblock Accessed: 2012-10-20. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6BZ4Svjyd)

Oct 10, 2012 Loose aggressive pit bulls menace Humboldt Park resident and her dog

May 22, 2012 Chicago Police warn of Vicious Pit bull on the loose in neighborhood

May 17, 2012 Aggressive Pit Bulls Argyle x Keystone in Chicago

Apr 25, 2012 Dangerous pit bulls on N. Sheffield ave in Chicago

Mar 21, 2012 When animals attack - Pit bulls lead Chicago Bite counts

Jan 12, 2012 There are too many uncontrolled pits in Chicago

Aug 07 2011 Neighborhood Notices Cats Disappearing Fear Dogfighting is Responsible

Aug 16, 2012 Man Killed By Own Pit Bulls In Englewood

UPDATE - A subsequent news article shows an interview with Hagerman's family who say that the dogs were not the friendly pets described by Daryl Williams, the owner of the dogs. Hagerman's mother, Salithia Maybell, and his neice, Zarquil Boston, both described previous attacks on animals and humans, one killing a dog. These updates are discussed at dogsbite.org

Chicago - The Cook County Medial Examiner's office concluded that Charles Hagerman, 44, was killed by one or both of his pit bulls in his Englewood home.

When his wife and her son returned to their home, Hagerman was dead and some reports indicate one dog was still mauling his body. The dogs had torn off all his clothes and torn off half of his face.

The dogs, 3 1/2 yo Scrappy and his offspring, Rocco, were reportedly well cared for and loved and there was no indication that the dogs were dangerous, though Scrappy was territorial.

A neighbor reported seeing the dogs being walked regularly. Daryl William, the son of Hagerman's wife, reported that the dogs slept in Hagerman's bedroom. The family, at a loss to explain why these dogs killed their owner, suspects that Hagerman may have had a seizure which scared the them.

Police had to shoot the dogs to remove them from the apartment.

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CBS Chicago

Chicago Sun Times
ABC Local