Occasionally, a car that drove by would honk, beckoned by the adjacent poster reading, "Honk for Thurston."
Thurston is a 6-year-old shih tzu that recently lost an eye in a fight with Tasha, the dog next door. But that's not all that was lost.
[Have you ever seen a Shih Tzu 'fight' an Akita? It is NOT a dog fight - it is an attempt by the Akita to kill the Shih Tzu.]
A 17-year friendship between two neighbors has been strained after the dog fight turned into a legal matter, prompting an animal control investigation and restraining order filed in DuPage County Court.
"I'm sad that it happened. It was an accident between dogs. I did not want it to come to this," said Margaret Raab, owner of the 13-year-old akita named Tasha.
Raab was taking the trash out on June 10 when Tasha slipped out through the front door and headed for Thurston.
Raab describes what ensued as a "skirmish." Thurston's owner, Paul Lee, calls it a "mauling."
The shih tzu ended up losing his right eye, receiving treatment that added up to more than $1,500 in veterinarian bills, Lee said.
Lee, who is a magician and uses Thurston in his acts, says his furry companion is not only like his child, but a major part of his business. He pointed at numerous get well cards addressed to Thurston from children who've seen his act.
"People are devastated because he's such a good dog. They're heartbroken that this happened to him."
The incident resulted in two calls to the DuPage County Sheriff's Office. The first, on the day after the fight, was logged as a neighborhood trouble/dog bite. A second was in early July for a "civil assist," when Raab reported the "dangerous dog" sign that Lee posted on his front yard, pointing at her home. The bite incident was referred to animal control and the rest was dismissed as civil matters, according to police reports.
Raab's insurance company later paid Lee for the medical bills and Tasha, although initially found not dangerous by animal control, remains under investigation after Lee urged the department to take another look.
Todd Faraone, administrator for DuPage County Animal Care and Control. declined to discuss the specifics of Tasha's case, citing a pending investigation. He spoke in general about dog bite incidents and said his department is limited in what it can do. If the dog is found dangerous, animal control officials can require the pet owner to keep it muzzled and on a six-foot, non-retractable leash when the canine is off the property, he said.
Any punishment more severe would have to come through a "vicious dog" declaration, something that is handled through court after a dog has been found "dangerous" three times. Dog bits are fairly common, he said. Last year, there were more than 800 dog bites in DuPage County, according to county officials. That's down from 914 in 2011 and 939 in 2010.
"It happens more frequently than people think," said Todd Faraone, administrator for DuPage County Animal Care and Control. "There are a lot of dogs in DuPage County."
After the sign went up, Raab filed a restraining order against Lee, with a court date pending later this month. Lee has removed the "dangerous dog" sign.
"We were friends for 17 years. I thought maybe the money would have assuaged his anger and it didn't," Raab said. "It's slanderous. It's just crazy. The guy got his money, I don't know what else to do."
Lee wants Raab to keep Tasha on a muzzle, even when the dog is in Raab's fenced in backyard. Raab thinks that is unnecessary because she says her dog is not dangerous. Meanwhile, Lee is afraid to let Thurston and his other dog out in his backyard and says he walks his dogs while carrying a bat.
"For the rest of my dog's life, he'll have to live with one eye," Lee said. "(Raab) was my friend. But that's OK. I can get another friend."
(chicago Tribune - July 19, 2013)
