ILLINOIS -- A pit bull that attacked and injured a teenage boy early last week at a home on Naperville’s far southwest side has been designated a “dangerous dog” by police, but will be allowed to continue living with its owners.
Police Sgt. Gregg Bell on Thursday confirmed the owners of the 3-year-old male pit bull have received a municipal “nuisance” citation in connection with the attack, “as well as the animal being declared a ‘dangerous dog’” by city animal control officers.
“With the designator of ‘dangerous dog,’ the owner has to take several precautions,” Bell said in an email. Conditions of continued ownership include “having the dog muzzled whenever the dog is off their property,” Bell said.
No criminal charges have been filed in the case. The dog is back home.
The apparently unprovoked attack occurred about 6:12 p.m. June 25 at a home on the 2800 block of Cedar Glade Drive in the Woodlake neighborhood. A 13-year-old Naperville boy had gone to the residence to go bicycling with a friend who lives there.
Bell last week said the youth arrived there and walked around to the rear patio door. The pit bull “was able to push past” the boy who lives there and out the door, where it knocked the visiting teen to the ground and attacked him, Bell said.
The boy who lives in the home threw water on the dog, which then released its grip on the other youth and went back indoors, Bell said.
Paramedics took the injured boy to Edward Hospital in Naperville, where he underwent treatment for bites to both of his arms. He was subsequently released.
Bell said the dog “is current with its rabies vaccinations.”
The couple who own the dog declined to speak to The Sun last week about the incident, although the husband said the dog was not vicious.
“It’s not even a 100 percent pure pit bull,” said the man, who declined to give his name. “He’s not a fighting dog. He’s been raised around children.”
An area resident told The Sun of hearing the dog barking just before the attack.
“I remember hearing both boys laughing at first, then something like, ‘Whoa! Whoa! Down! Then the screaming started.”
The resident, who declined to be identified, said the incident lasted “less than a minute, even though it felt longer.”
“It was a horrifying experience, and as far as I could tell unprovoked, and I won’t soon forget that boy’s screams,” the resident said.
“I am more concerned about that dog. I think it should be put down, or at the very least removed from the home. It would be a big relief to know the dog is gone.”
(Naperville Sun - July 5, 2012)
