ILLINOIS -- Julie Ketter’s 11-year old daughter hasn’t been able to sleep. At night she’s kept awake by nightmares, and during the day she’s afraid to go outside or ride her bike.
Two weeks ago Delaney Ketter watched a neighbor’s pit bull attack and kill her bichon frise-poodle mix, Daisy.
“There were three kids out there when my dog got attacked, which is extremely traumatic,” Ketter said. “I won’t accept that we now have to deal with the dog in our neighborhood.”
On the morning of July 29, Delaney took her 3-year-old dog for a walk down the street to a friend’s house. While the 11-year-old girls and an 8-year old boy were playing in the backyard, a neighbor let his female pit bull into the back yard.
The dog jumped the fence and ran toward the children and dog. Delaney dropped Daisy’s leash, and the pit bull took the 10-pound dog in her mouth and shook her. By the time the pit bull’s owner made his way into the yard, the dog was dead.
Delaney had some scratches on her legs, and her friend had been bitten when she tried to rescue Daisy.
Police responded and issued four ordinance citations to the dog’s owner, Oscar D. Munez, 21, of Villa Park.
He was given citations for having a dog at large and unattended, harboring a vicious dog and allowing it to attack a person or animal, no valid village dog tag and no valid proof of rabies inoculation.
Ketter said Munez apologized, and although she’s sad about the loss of her dog, she is now more worried for the safety of kids in the neighborhood.
“I sat there and cried and pleaded with him to get rid of the dog,” she said. “My daughter is afraid to go to the park because she doesn’t want to ride her bike past his house.”
Dan McCann, a detective with the Villa Park police department said that Animal Control allowed Munez to keep the dog for now, but passed along several restrictions. The dog is required to be on a leash any time she’s outside and must be muzzled when she’s out of the yard. The owner has also been required to follow up on vaccinations for the dog.
When the incident occurred, there were two adult pit bulls and several 1-week old puppies living the home’s garage, but since the incident, the male pit bull no longer lives at the home, McCann said.
Villa Park officers have followed-up with Munez since the attack, and he’s been issued a “must appear” court order for the four citations he received. That date is not officially set, but McCann expects it to happen later this month or early September.
“It seems like he’s cooperated with the officers,” he said. “He was surprised by what happened, he didn’t think the dog would do that.”
From here, Ketter said all they can do is wait until Munez appears before a judge in September. She said she doesn’t necessarily want to see the pit bull put down, she just wants the dog out of her neighborhood.
“(Daisy) was part of the family,” she said. “It was just me, my daughter and the dog. The dog was part of our routine.”
Attempts to reach Munez were unsuccessful as of press time.
(Suburban Life Publications - August 13, 2012)
