Pit Bull Attacks and Dogfighting in Illinois

Oct 25, 2012 Boomington couple attacked by pit bulls, hospitalized with very serious injuries

Bo, the mauling pit bull, the incompetent pit bull owner
SHANIE DOSS and her other pit bull

UPDATE: Connie Ljams remained in the hospital five days after she was attacked by SHANIE DOSS' pit bull. She was initially listed in critical condition, but has since been upgraded. The aftermath of this mauling has ruined Connie and her husband, Scott's, plans for Christmas. The emotional and physical trauma will be long lasting, but both Connie and Scott are grateful to an unknown man whose actions may have saved their lives.

Bloomington - A bloomington couple delivering phone books to an apartment building were mauled by pit bulls that rushed out of the building as the couple approached. First responders say there was a lot of blood on the ground and the victims' injuries are very serious and both were taken to the hospital.

Watch video of owner SHANIE DOSS describing the attack here.

Bloomington has regular problems with pit bulls and the issue of enacting BSL to protect residents came up most recently this spring in May.

The McLean County Animal Control is going to evaluate the dogs to determine if they're "safe enough to bring home."

For their story, the Pantagraph asked a local no kill shelter to voice their opinion on BSL with predictable reponse.

Bloomington aldermen and the mayor ought to look at some of the over 500 towns and cities that have enacted successful pit bull laws across the US.

Pit Bull Laws Save Lives

Lancaster, CA found that instituting a pit bull ban helped lower gang crime as well as dog attacks.

Pawtucket, RI with a similar size population to Bloomington, has found enormous success with their legislation:

"Holmes says he predicted that it would take two years for Pawtucket to experience the full benefit of the law after it was passed, but the results were actually apparent in half the time.
"It's working absolutely fantastic," said Holmes. "We have not had a pit bull maiming in the city since December of 2004."

The Pawtucket ban is so successful, neighboring Woonsocket is working to institute their own ban.

Read more:
wmbd
msnbc
Pantagraph
UPDATE:
Pantagraph

related posts:
May 25, 2012 Carmi citizens want pit bull ban
May 16, 2012 Bloomington may review pet registration law after pit bull attack
Mar 24, 2009 Recent dog bites put animal safety back in public view

Oct 18, 2012 Pit bull that attacks elderly woman and her dog is shot dead

File photo of another lab attacked by a pit bull with extensive injuries
which are almost exactly like those described in this attack.

Evanston - A woman in her 70s and her labrador retriever mix were attacked by a pit bull. The attack was protracted and when police arrived the pit bull had cornered the lab in a vestibule, and was still attacking it.

A neighbor attempted to stop the pit bull by throwing a brick paver at it, but that did not faze the pit bull. When police arrived, the lab was bleeding heavily and the pit bull was STILL attacking it and the elderly owner.

The owner was bitten multimple times in the leg, and the labrador retriever mix had extensive bites on the neck, back, shoulder and leg. Police shot and killed the attacking pit bull.

The owner of the pit bull has been identified and will probably be cited after the animal Warden has collected evidence.

Read more:
Sun Times
ABC local Accessed: 2012-12-13. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/6CsygdCyE)

Related posts:
May 21, 2012 Skokie considers stricter law after 3 dog-on-dog attacks
May 07, 2012 Dog attacks in Skokie lead to ordinance changes
May 07, 2012 Pit bull attack takes precious pet from family
Dec 27, 2011 Wilmette boy treated for injuries after pit bull attack
Aug 08, 2011 Evanston Police want more teeth to proposed dangerous dog ordinance

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

Chicago - Everyblock member reports aggressive pit bulls loose in her neighborhood.
Other commenters share their pit bull attack stories and everyone agrees that calling animal control is useless.
One commenter discovers that the person to call is Ivan Capifali, Deputy Director of Chicago Animal Care and Control at 312-747-1384.
Two suggestions for Mr. Capifali's email address are:
icapifali@cityofchicago.org
ivan.capifali@cityofchicago.org.
Or, you can call 311 and get a reference number that you will need in order to contact CACC at: 312-747-1412.

Read more:
Everyblock

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

Sep 28, 2012 Ottawa Pit bull Kills elderly miniature poodle; euthanized

RIP elder poodle (file photo)

Ottawa - A pit bull terrier mix was euthanized Thursday in Streator after it attacked and killed an older toy poodle.
According to Gary Wind, La Salle County Animal Control officer, the incident happened around 9 a.m. at the James Street Recreation Area.
Wind said tissue samples were sent for testing as the pit bull also bit a human.

Read more:
The Times

Related posts
Sep 25, 2012 Dekalb pit bull kills dog - woman seeks stronger laws for dogs that attack pets

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

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

Aug 13, 2012 Family tries to recover after fatal attack on pet

Jul 10, 2012 Waukegan woman’s canine companion killed by pit bull

Mar 27, 2012 Family Looking For Owner Of Pit Bull That Killed Their Pet

Oct 12, 2011 Ottawa: Man and dog attacked, pit bull shot

Aug 25, 2010 LaSalle Boy Attacked and Killed By Dogs on Farm

Sep 25, 2012 Dekalb pit bull kills dog - woman seeks stronger laws for dogs that attack pets

DeKalb - "Lilly meant the world to Doris Sermovitz."

Lilly, a miniature schnauzer, helped Sernovitz lose 70 pounds. Lilly gave her a reason to get up and go for walks which helped her lose weight. Then, during one of their walks, a pit bull escaped from a yard and mauled Lilly who died in Sernovitz' arms. Servovitz was bitten by the pit bull.

"She also has trouble sleeping at night. Sernovitz’s boyfriend used to place Lilly on her in bed, and she would hold her as she fell asleep. Now, she has nightmares about dog attacks."

The pit bull had attacked a husky previously. The pit bull owner has been unusually compassionate. He said he had the pit bull put down because he didn't want this to happen again and he said he realized that it would have been difficult for Sernovitz to see the pit bull remain in her neighborhood. He also sent her a condolence card with his phone number.

Police chief Gene Lowery stated that owners can only be penalized if a dog in public maims or kills a person and that there is no recourse in Illinois code for dogs attacking other dogs.

He is wrong. The pit bull had previously attacked a husky, and could have been designated dangerous for that offense.

In addition, Lowery states that nothing can be done unless a dog maims or kills a person. He is wrong again. A dog can be deemed dangerous if it "behaves in a manner that a reasonable person would believe poses a serious and unjustified threat of serious physical injury or death to a person or a companion animal or a dog that, without justification, bites a person and does not cause serious physical injury."

Illinois law also states that the owner of a dog is liable for any injury caused by a dog. And state law does not limit municipalities' power to enact ordinances to further control and regulate dogs.

Lowery states that he supports legislation that only takes effect after a person or pet is attacked rather than acting proactively to prevent further horrors described here.

DeKalb is a home rule municipality which means that if residents of Dekalb prefer to not have pit bulls in their community, they may regulate pit bulls by banning them or by mandating that owners be responsible by requiring any or all of the following:
1. One million dollar liability insurance policy on the pit bull
2. All pit bulls be spayed or neutered
3. Secure fencing that might include 6 ft privacy fence and 6 sided kennels with a top and a cement
4. mandatory muzzling

Many municipalities fear two issues related to breed specific legislation concerning pit bull. The first problem they fear is pit bull identification. However, over 600 municipalities across the US have breed specific legislation and have been successfully able to enact a procedure for identifying pit bulls. These ordinances have occasionally been challenged in court, but have withstood those challenges.

The second concern is the cost associated with enforcing BSL. Best Friends Animal Society has created a wildly inaccurate "calculator" to scare municipalities with unbelievably fantastic costs. The BSL calculator has been proven to be bogus.

Recently, that BSL calculator calculated that it cost 3 million dollars a year to enforce the 28 year old pit bull ban in Miami-Dade county. When asked about this, the head animal control officer said that their entire budget is less than 3 million dollars and that enforcing BSL only cost 2 to 3 percent of their entire budget.

That does not seem to high a price to pay to protect residents from the horror of pit bull maulings on people and on beloved pets. We all can agree that Doris Semovitz lost more than a pet and more than a companion that day she lost Lilly.

Daily Chronicle

Comment after story:

Diane D., Sycamore, Il (dkd607) wrote on September 25, 2012 2:46 p.m. ...

My Sheltie and I were attacked last summer at the Sycamore cemetary by a pitbull. Thankfully with the help of many neighbors we survived. Fortunately the pitbull was put to sleep because that area has many children and other dogs and obviously the pitbull could not be trusted. I did not get compensated by the owner and that is wrong. If you own a dog, you take full responsibilty for that animal. No animal can be trusted and owners need to be liable for them. I am sorry Ms. Sernovitz for your loss, I know what you are going through.

file photos of the breeds attacked

Sep 17, 2012 Pit bull jumps fence to bite 6 month old Yorkie in own yard

File photo of Yorkie puppy

Midlothian - Police responded to a call about a pit bull biting another dog in the 3800 block of 153rd Street. At the scene, officers located the pit bull, known as Princess, in the backyard of a home, but they were unable to catch it. The dog jumped a fence into another yard, where it bit a 6-month-old Yorkie, named Sparkles, on the leg, breaking the skin.

Sparkles was taken to the University Park animal clinic for treatment.

Charles R. Wilke, 37, of the 3800 block of W. 153rd Street, Princess' owner, was cited for allowing the dog to run at-large, and issued a Nov. 5 court date. A Cook County Animal Control Animal Bite Report was completed and faxed to animal control offices.

Read more:
Oak Forest Patch Accessed: 2012-09-19. (Archived by WebCite^® at http://www.webcitation.org/6AnaZKKMr)

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)