“Nothing will replace my dog,” he said. “He was so loving.” Cross adopted the dog as a pup.
Three times a week, Cross, a Suisun City resident, would travel to the waterfront to take Lilo for a walk. There had never been trouble.
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| RIP Lilo |
On Monday, Cross came across a woman with an adult female American Bulldog and a pit bull pup he estimated was 8 weeks old. “I asked her twice if the dogs were nice,” he said. She assured him they were, Cross said.
Lilo and the bulldog did just fine. However, when Lilo went to sniff the puppy, the bulldog locked its jaws on the 14-pound Bichon Frise. Cross tried to free his dog but ended up getting bit by the bulldog. He could only look on, helpless.
Elizabeth Hooper was on the waterfront at the same time. She did not see what happened but heard.
“That dog could have done that to a little child,” she said.
A handful of residents stepped up at Tuesday’s City Council meeting to address the issue. Hooper was among them. She will no longer walk her two German shepherds in the waterfront area after an encounter eight to nine months ago where she came across a man trying to keep a pit bull leashed with one hand and pushing a stroller with the other.
Ed Dadisho, Suisun City police chief, told the council the bulldog that killed Lilo was in the custody of Humane Animal Services, which Solano County contracts with for a variety of animal services.
There was some discussion on what could be done to prevent the same tragedy in the future. One of the suggestions was to ban animals from the area. “That would not be popular,” Councilman Sam Derting said.
Cross said he would like to see dog lovers benefit from his loss. He said he would like the community to band together and raise money for a dog park. And, he said he would love it if it carried Lilo’s name.
It’s a topic that’s already come up before the Suisun City Parks and Recreation Commission, said Lori Wilson, a member of the commission.
“There is a group of people who want a (dog) park,” she said. Wilson said some preliminary work has been done on the issue. And, as more things fall into place, there are plans to ask for community volunteers to help launch the project.
It’s an idea that also sets well with Linda Feins, owner of Air Land and Sea Travel on Kellogg Street, across from the waterfront. “We see people all day long walking their dogs, especially on the promenade,” Feins said. However, based on what she sees, Feins has discouraged her daughter from walking dogs on the waterfront.
About two years ago, another dog was attacked on the waterfront, she said. She doesn’t know the outcome of that as the owner of the wounded dog left. In the interim, she said she thinks it may be a good idea for dog owners to just walk on the promenade area, not in the park.
“I just hope this gets resolved and something positive comes out of it,” Hooper said.
The fate of the dog that killed Lilo is uncertain at this point. As of Friday, the incident was still being investigated, said Sgt. Adrian Mendez of Humane Animal Services. When finished, the report will be forward to Suisun City to decide if the dog is dangerous. If it is determined to be dangerous, the dog’s owner can appeal the decision, Mendez said.
(Daily Republic - August 25, 2012)
