The insensativity of some people...

[JoeF]

...both the dog owner and the police officer
The Roger in this is a board member of our Chicago/Suburban Cairn Club. This is not a dig at any breed as any dog can have it's issues.

To:    Members and Friends
From:    Roger
Re:    Italian Mastiff (Cane Corso) - Dog Incident
 
Before You read this...Brandy's improving!
 
Last Sunday I was running my Cairn, Brandy, on my bike.  All my dogs love the bike runs and the great exercise.  I've been doing this for years.  Brandy stopped to poop and I got off my bike and was bending down, picking it up, when out of the blue a 175 pound Italian Mastiff came out of no-where and attacked.  Brandy was screaming, in the mouth of the Mastiff, and I stood there not knowing what to do, after all, sticking my arm to pull the Mastiff away would have not a good move.  I picked up my bike and began hitting the Mastiff with it.  After about three hits the Mastiff dropped Brandy and ran.  Brandy was hurt badly and a neighbor called 911.  Ten minutes later a Glenview evidence technician officer arrived.  I thanked him for coming and said I needed to get Brandy to Animal emergency fast.  He responded by telling me that the Glenview Police do not take dogs or owners anywhere and that this was my problem and that he was there to get information.  He further explained that dogs are treated as property.  I responded that my property had been damaged and needed help and pleaded to no-avail.  Nor would he call Joanne.  I screamed down the block for someone to get a car and no one responded.  Finally the woman who owned the Mastiff arrived, somewhat hysterical, ran home and got her car and drove me to my home where I got my car and drove Brandy to emergency.  Brandy had about an hour of surgery and was left with drainage tubes in her along with deep bites.  She had surgery, again, yesterday to remove the tubes and a couple of other things.  Brandy is improving dramatically.  I never thought she would live.  There is hourly attention that is needed to her wounds.
 
Yesterday I met with Glenview's Chief of Police who informed me that I had been treated inappropriately and that the police officer knew he could make a simple call to his supervisor asking permission to leave the area to take Brandy and me to the animal emergency clinic.  The Chief had verified that no call had been made.  The officer will receive discipline.  Glenview stepped up to the plate and immediately sent animal control to nearby Evanston, home of the owner, and determined that the dog had been declared vicious by Evanston.  There were two prior dog attacks by the Mastiff.  The owner then moved the dog to Glenview, registered it, and left it with her father, a Glenview resident.  Further, it was ascertained that the owner was told that the Mastiff was a 'troubled' dog when the owner adopted it from a shelter.  The owner has had the dog with a number of trainers, the last of which indicated that he could 'train out' this behavior.
 
Further, Glenview, has provided me, at no cost, the full use of Glenview's attorney for prosecution.  A court date has been set for October 16th and I will be testifying.  It has been explained that the outcome probably will not be what I want since "judges usually don't require a dog be put down unless there has been 'human damage.'  We will be trying for that result, if not to try and have the Mastiff removed from the owner and appropriately dealt with.  In addition Glenview will be, at my request/demand sending out, to all residents information on this attack along with Glenview's leash laws.  Many dog owners walk dogs without leashes which has always been a bit unnerving.  Further, I requested to be made a member of the Glenview task force that is writing a new dog law.   Hopefully I can be put on this committee and can try to lead them in developing a sensible dog law...not one that deals with specific breeds etc.  I have my own ideas on what a law like this should look like.
 
The owner has stepped up and is paying all the medical bills.
 
I, in addition, am in the process of retaining a dog specialist attorney for further advice.
 
The owner has assured me that her dog is 'dog aggressive,' and will not harm humans.  I in turn asked her what would happen if a little girl, in a dark shirt, was sitting in a sandbox playing.  Would the dog think it was a dog?  Such absolute demented thinking!
 
In any event, if anyone out there thinks of anything else that I should be doing, or has other ideas, or knows of an attorney familar with dog issues, please respond.
 
Regards,
 
Roger

[Carol]

Yikes, that poor little carin.  My stomach just did a flip.  How did the Mastiff get out of it's yard or was the lady walking it with no leash??

[Louisa]

Yuck -- having small dogs, I really can relate.  A few weeks ago, we were walking leashed on a public trail and a big Airedale jumped out of nowhere and came right at us -- sending me into a bit of a panic, pulling my dogs close to me and trying to pick up three of them in my arms. He didn't attack us, but he didn't come at us in a very friendly way, his hair was straight up on his back... and his owner comes running over, slaps him on the butt and drags him away... no leash anywhere in sight!  It's very very scary for owners of little dogs to walk in a place where there are large dogs offleash.  And not just because of dogs that are aggressive -- I even have issues with them being too friendly and just scaring the poop out of my dogs because they are overwhelmed being so small.   then I have Zoey that is a fear biter when it comes to large dogs that come at her very fast (shes fine if the dog doesnt come running at her) and  I am always so afraid that she will snip at one and it will turn around and attack her.  It's just awful... meanwhile we are just trying to exercise and enjoy an evening walk. 

I do agree that there needs to be a lot more stringent rules with leashes... it's crazy here too in some of the public parks (like South Park and Frick park) and our meetup group has tried to write some letters because of similar problems while we are having meetups and just walking the dogs along, leashed... other peoples dogs come running at us.. (most of these people are playing frisbee or something, and since there arent a lot of places other than parks in the city to exercise your dogs offleash it is hard for them I understand - but if you are in a public area, you cannot just unleash your dog if its going to bother other people, period!) due to all of the letters, we figure, they introduced an offleash dog park area that is seperate from the other parts of the park for things like playing frisbee... and you can take your dog in at your own risk... (I stay out of the big dog area that is seperate from small dog area for dogs under 30 #s)